Photokina 2014 has come and gone, though reviews and commentary will continue for some time. By most accounts, there weren’t too many stunning announcements, though as always there are enough new things to appeal to some segment of the photographic community.
The Canon 7D Mark II is an example. Though rumors had persisted for some time (and many were quite accurate), this new body will certainly appeal to outdoor and nature photographers invested in the Canon system. The proof, of course, is in the pudding, and it will be a while before discriminating reviews will discover the quality of the files, but spec-wise it has a lot of very desirable attributes. Indeed it is the closest yet to an APS-C professional-grade body from Canon. It’s missing a few things too that would have made it a more well-rounded tool—like an articulated LCD—but all things considered it’s likely to find its way into a lot of wildlife shooter’s bags. See “first impressions” at DP Review and Imaging Resource.
Missing from the Canon stage…a body with a high resolution sensor as an answer to Nikon’s D810. Of course any mention of the subject solicits strident argument about imaging being much more than sensor megapixel count, so stipulating the obvious, I’ll second the disappointment. There are legitimate needs for seriously large files with as much resolution as possible that also exhibit high dynamic range and the best noise performance available with the state-of-the-art in sensor development. Hopefully Canon will have something to offer before too long, and hopefully it will not only be at an astronomical price that only a very few can possibly afford. There are already rumors of a new EOS pro body with 46MP sensor perhaps being announced at PhotoPlus in New York next month. Time will tell.