Totally unexpected, although rumored last year, Canon has announced two versions of the 5Ds cameras, much like Nikon did with the D800 a couple of years ago. The 5DS is a 50.6 megapixel monster (you read that right) with an optical low-pass filter, while the 5DS R version uses the same sensor but with no filter, which should result in sharper images when printed huge (not likely to be an issue with this many pixels in a FF sensor).
What you’re looking at is basically a 5D III on steroids, since the design and specifications haven’t changed that much. There’s 61-AF points, with 41 cross-type (works both vertically and horizontally), which is quite amazing for a high megapixel DSLR aimed mostly at studio and landscape photographers. You can thank the new RGB+IR sensor for focusing, as it uses around 150,000 pixels to figure out what it is that you want to focus on, whether the subject is still or moving, with the latter obviously presenting a harder task for most cameras.
High ISO shooters might be a bit disappointed, as the maximum sensitivity for both 5Ds models is 12,800, and I’m assuming pictures tend to get really ugly after that on a 50MP camera. There are also 2 crop shooting modes available; 1.3x that delivers images at 30.5MP, and 1.6x at 19.6MP. This is great for when your memory card is almost full, but with 50MP I’d rather do the cropping on the computer on my own.
Full HD video recording is available at 30fps, with 720p at 60fps. There’s no 4K video or a microphone socket, making it obvious that video is not the number one reason why you’d want to buy the camera. For taking shots you’ve got a 100% coverage viewfinder with 0.71x magnification, and a 3.2″ LCD screen with 1,040,000 dots. Every operation of the camera is powered by a two Digic 6 processors, the same as in the 7D Mark II.
No major changes when it comes to weight (930g body only), with a battery life of around 700 shots (250 down from the 5D III). For storing files, both cameras feature a CF and SDHC card slot, while the shutter cycle is rated at 150,000.
Unfortunately you won’t be able to get one of these for the next few months, as an official release is expected sometime in June (gives you more time to get the necessary funds).
The 5Ds will go for $3,699.00, 5Ds R (no low-pass filter) for $3,899.00. You can’t pre-order them yet, but Amazon has a sales page up already so you can be e-mailed when they’re available (click here).
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