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Rumor: Canon and Nikon to release higher megapixel cameras

By Marcus Wong - on 26 Dec 2014, 6:09pm

Rumor: Canon and Nikon to release higher megapixel cameras

DigiCamera Watch has just posted interviews by Mr Kusumoto Shigeru from Nikon and Mr Maeda Masaya from Canon about their respective companies’ plans for 2015, and interestingly enough, both feel that there is still very much a place for DSLR cameras, while acknowledging that their customer bases have indicated strong demand for mirrorless options too.

Here are some of the more interesting quotes (translated with the aid of Google Translate):

On higher resolution cameras

“In terms of Nikon’s line-up, we will continue to pursue technologies that produce high quality images. Cameras with 36 million pixel resolution were just a start, and we will continue to heed the call of customers who wish for higher resolution cameras.
Advanced interchangeable lens cameras are the future, and EVFs will definitely continue to get better. Because there is no mirror box, cameras will also get smaller, and the lack of a pentaprism means there will be great freedom in terms of product design choices, and advantages such as silent operation.”  - Mr Shigeru

"There are roughly two directions in catering to users’ needs in a sensor: high sensitivity and high resolution, and though Canon hasn’t decided which direction to focus on as yet, I think the future will see us produce higher resolution cameras to cater to the needs of users who use their photographs for graphics. We will look to improve the resolving power without reducing the pixel quality of our sensors and this will be seen in our ‘interchangeable lens camera’ group."  - Mr Masaya

On a new type of digital camera (from Nikon and Canon)

“It’s very possible. I personally have several ideas that I would love to see put in production. It would be ideal to see them on the market, but there are a few challenges we need to think about first. As the needs of our customers change, so to must we adapt and evolve. It will be a great challenge to change some of our legacy models, so we will move forward with great consideration” - Mr Shigeru

“That’s what I would really like to see. We’ve attempted various different form factors for our cameras in the early days of digital, but ultimately saw ourselves coming back to the original designs of film. However, diital has only been around for about a dozen years, so there is still a real possibility of a new form factor appearing as mirrorless allows for great freedom in terms of product design. There are currently a lot of mock-ups in various forms, but the challenge is coming up with something that catches the attention of the younger generation.” - Mr Masaya

How memory cards will evolve in the future

“At the moment, we are still dependent on memory card makers (for new developments) but we may in the future have models that don’t even use memory cards but rather the cloud or wireless connections. However, we must also take into consideration the group of users who are skeptical of cloud-based backup, so we don’t think memory card storage will ever be completely eliminated.” - Mr Shigeru

“Other than speed, I would like to see further evolution of the capabilities of memory cards. At the moment, we can’t say cameras can allow us to record and document events anywhere in the world, so one hurdle memory cards have to overcome is the universal reach of the internet (and the cloud). In the future, memory card use might even be replaced by direct cloud upload.” - Mr Masaya

It does seem like both representatives are confident that the megapixel race will continue to some extent, though there are also hints of advancements in the pipeline that are independent of resolution. 

Hit the links up top to read the full interviews. (in Japanese)

Source: Mirrorless rumors, DC Watch

 

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