dooda wrote:I would challenge Onyx's statement of Canon's lack of innovation though. They ushered in the affordable DSLR. They pushed forward the CMOS sensor, and they stand alone with their full size sensor with no crop factor. I don't disagree with someone as well read or as articulate as Onyx very often, but in my opinion there are some issues with thinking Canon does no innovation. But what innovation they do make is married to giant corporate ideals.
Dooda, I'm not gunna challenge you - you're right.
This thread has turned a little too much pissing contest already anyhow.
Yes Canon did usher in the "affordable" DSLR, but I feel it was more a psychological price barrier of $US1000 that they broke. DSLRs were slowly heading that way, they just crept under that price point first which IMO is only natural progression and someone's bound to do it.
On the other hand, the CMOS revolution could be considered a great innovation. They didn't invent it - in fact it was their stubborness in not conforming to industry standards (a la Sony) that made them adopt CMOS techonology for imaging (it's inherently worse from an engineering standpoint than CCD for image capture; just like Porsche stubbornly sticking to their rear-engined 911), they've refined it today to be competitive technology at the high end. Remember how crappily received the original D30 CMOS sensor was? And the Kodaks... ooooh boy. Anyways, yes - they've taken CMOS, worked at controlling noise characteristics so well that it's ended up leading the industry (arguably). Nikon's LBCAST had great promise, combining the best of CCD and CMOS, but according to some segment of users, failed to deliver. So Nikon have done the next best thing and imitated with the D2X. Is it an admission of defeat? As much as I'd like to think not, it probably was... time will tell.
In terms of sensor technologies in digital imaging, I would consider Sigma's foveon sensor and Fuji's super CCD technologies to be more of an innovation than the mere refinements that Canon had with CMOS.
As for the full frame argument - I don't see FF as being an advantage, but that's a whole different kettle of fish. Nikon has committed to APS-C sized DSLRs as they've created the DX lens line (which Canon has copied
BTW with their EF-S) so the fact that they don't have a FF DSLR is because they don't want to, not because they can't.