Canon Asia Posts In-Depth EOS 5DS / 5DS R Developer’s Interview

Canon Asia has posted a two-part developer's interview with the team that designed the EOS 5Ds / 5Ds R cameras. There is a lot of technical information in the articles, but I'm finding the material to be quite fascinating so far (I'm about midway through them right now). [Sean]

Canon 5Ds / 5Ds R Developer's Interview Articles

[Part 1] Achieving “Speed”, “Comfort” and “Quality”

Questions Answered:

• First of all, can you tell us more about the development concept of the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R?
• Can you describe more on the aim and intention on the naming of the models?
• So now there are five models in the full-frame EOS lineup. Please tell us how the new models are positioned and the division of roles among them.
• What are the target subjects respectively for the EOS 5DS and EOS 5 DS R?
• Can I also use these two models for handheld shots and snapshots?
• What about the internal structure of the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R? Are they identical except for the availability of a low-pass filter cancellation feature?
• The price for the EOS 5DS R is slightly higher. Why is this so?
• When choosing a lens, what are the points that users need to bear in mind?
• In what ways are the features and performance enhanced by the use of dual DIGIC 6 image processors?
• Is there any reason behind the common number “5” for the 50-megapixel resolution and the continuous shooting speed of 5 fps? Was it intentional?
• Can you tell me more about the enhancements made on the new image sensor, including how you were able to achieve a resolution of about 50 megapixels?
• The pixel count is more than double that of the EOS 5D Mark III. What were the technological breakthroughs that made this possible?
• Wouldn’t it be possible to increase the speed if parallel processing were performed by multiple digital front-end processing circuits?
• Is 16-channel readout drastically different from that by eight channels?
• How different is the depictive power compared to the class of cameras with about 20 megapixels?
• Can you explain how the low-pass filter cancellation feature cancels the low-pass filter effect?
• Besides the restoration process being carried out by low-pass filter 2, is the structure of the EOS 5DS R the same as other models?
• Why is it possible to restore the extraordinary ray?

[Part 2] Technology Behind the “Ultra-High Resolution”

Questions Answered:

• What were the enhancements made to the AF system in response to the larger pixel count?
• What was the reason for not changing the AF sensor? Was it because the performance of the system on the EOS 5D Mark III was good enough?
• The maximum resolution of about 50 megapixels and the continuous shooting speed of about 5 fps are simply remarkable. Are there any efforts that are worth special mention?
• What changes were made to the existing firmware following the upgrade of the pixel count to about 50 megapixels?
• How is the mirror vibration control system different from the existing ones?
• Am I right to say that both the existing and new vibration control systems make use of cams, but differ fundamentally in the way the cams are used?
• Wouldn’t it consume a lot of battery power if the mirror is driven only by the motor?
• Generally, it is said that camera shake becomes more prominent with a higher pixel count. Is it possible to eliminate all shake-related issues simply by raising the shutter speed?
• Is there an easy-to-understand way to determine the shutter speed based on the focal length?
• What are the advantages of the new user-selectable shutter release time lag setting?
• What efforts were devoted to the body structure and material when addressing camera shake?
• I realised that a new “Fine Detail” Picture Style has been added when I looked at the features in greater detail. How is it different from the existing Picture Style effects?
• Can you provide a simple explanation for the entry-level users on the [Fineness], [Strength], and [Threshold] parameters in the sharpness setting?
• Can you tell us how we can make good use of the Crop Shooting feature?
• What does the Customizable Quick Control feature do?
• Compared to the EOS 5D Mark III, what advancements were made to the movie feature?
• What is the biggest reason for inheriting the design of the EOS 5D Mark III?

B&H has the Canon EOS 5Ds /5Ds R available for preorder.