Canon Shocks Digital Filmmakers with the 550D
A few days ago I wrote a post saying how in the digital world costs keep going down while quality and performance goes up. Today, in London, Canon announced their new 550D model which takes the most popular features of their filmmakers camera the Canon 7D, adds in an upgraded external mic connection, gives better exposure control and drops the price to just $800 for the body, half of the cost of the 7D!
Of course, many details are not yet known about this camera however it is confirmed that the 500D will retain the ability to shoot in full 1080p HD quality at 24 frames per second, a capability that is very important to filmmakers.
As always happens, I predict some recent 7D purchasers are going to be a bit upset at this news however they should keep in mind that the 7D still retains some advantages over the new 550D including superior weatherproofing, a dual processor, higher frames per second in video mode and, according to industry expert Philip Bloom, some advanced picture-taking capabilities on the "stills" side of the camera. Also, we haven't yet seen a true side-by-side comparison of the video capabilities of the two cameras.
I don't yet know the date the camera will be available but I am investigating.
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The release date in the UK is 24 February but I haven't found any news on the US availability. Also, many reports are saying that the price announced is 799 British Pounds since the press release went out from London.
That would mean a US price closer to $1,200 however that may not be the true street price and it's still quite a discount from the $1,600 for the 7D body.
Industry pro Philip Bloom responded to my question regarding the price for the camera here in the United States - he thinks it is going to $900. I have not yet seen any reliable news on an exact date for when the camera will be available here in the United States but I am sure this info will be released soon by the folks at Canon.
The Canon USA site is now announcing a price of $900 including a lens which means that the street price may indeed reach the $800 price point talked about before. Rumors are that availability will be in March but we'll see.