Canon's new 16.7MP Digital SLR, with WiFi

LoudMusic writes "Canon has recently announced the EOS 1Ds Mark II, successor to their previous excellent professional cameras. What makes this one so cool is that it can network. The early review over at dpreview.com says there is an optional part that gives it both 802.11a/g and wired networking capabilities. I can see photographers shooting sporting events with a 12" Powerbook in a backpack receiving images to its 80GB drive and automatically uploading them to SI. And with its full 35mm CMOS it is the first camera to effectively reproduce the image quality of 35mm film. I wonder if it plays mp3s too ..."

Comments

For pros and commercial photogs?

[Anna Merikin]

Perhaps...but mebbe that claim is a wee bit disingenuous.

I have worked in photography for several decades, back before Tri-X was developed, before Kodacolor.

There is a standard resolution used to calculate depth-of-field (hyperfocal distance) called the "circle of confusion" in optics, which refers to the human eye's supposed inability to discern features finer than .002 in. This assumption is most definately NOT supported by the better optics providers -- Leitz, Zeiss (for the Hasselblad) and a few others (not Canon, to my knowledge) use circles of confusion for their optical designs of at most (my estimate from experience).0008 inches. This is different than depth-of-field, but related to it.

I have an HP laser printer that can "do" 1200 dpi, which looks smooth to my eye, where 600 dpi doesn't. So, to print a 16 MB image at 1200 dpi, the result would be on the order of 3 inches by four.

Any "enlargement" above this would mean either using "interpolation" (which reduces resolution, or texture), or adding noise and/or distortion/pixelation.

This is not professional or commercial 35-mm quality yet. But it is quite acceptable for most color snaphot amateurs who are used to "shooting" on low or medium-quality amateur 35s and getting 4x6es back from Walgreens, rather than those who process and enlarge our own film or who shoot for reproduction in another medium, like the printing press.

All that resolution, however, is wasted if the image is destined to be displayed on a website, where the loading time of such big images might be unmagageable even on a DSL or cable connection.

So it is a perfect high-end amateur device.

And it is a big step in the right direction!

Go, Canon! Go Nikon! Go Asahi, Fuji and Kodak! Go competition!

Just, please, tone down the rhetoric in the marketing, please.

Thank kew.