Archive for October, 2011

Canon EOS 1DX

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Canon have announced the new EOS 1DX, the replacement for the current EOS 1D series cameras:

Offering an unparalleled combination of speed, resolution and image quality, the EOS-1D X is the ultimate camera for capturing stunning images and Full HD movies. Whether shooting in the studio, the sports field, or anywhere in between, this model is ideal for virtually any professional photographer. The new model launches as the flagship in Canon’s DSLR line up – marking the 10th generation of Canon’s professional system with the most advanced EOS model ever produced.

Headline specs are as follows:

  • 18.1MP full-frame sensor
  • 12fps or 14fps (14 frames per second using a super high speed mode – not sure what this compromises)
  • Dual “DIGIC 5+” processors, giving a 2-stop improvement in noise performance
  • ISO range 100 to an expanded 204800
  • New 61-point wide-area autofocus system
  • Newly-designed RGB metering system

For details see the press release on the Canon UK website.

Best Time To buy

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Well, with Christmas approaching, a few people have been asking my advice on whether prices are likely to drop in the next few weeks.  Difficult to say, of course, on a per product basis.  However, as I have a lot of historical price data now, I thought I’d check to see if there were any obvious trends.  The following graph indicates in which week products first reached their yearly lowest price:

Products reaching lowest yearly price per week

 It certainly seems that the last few weeks of the year see a large number of products hitting their lowest price.  In some ways this is not surprising, given the long term trend for each product to get cheaper as it gets older.  And of course, the spike at the start of January is presumably the new year sales. 

One thing to bear in mind is that fluctuations in currency markets have an effect.  If the pounds buys you less in the currency of countries where the goods come from (notably japan) then imports become more expensive, and at some point the UK arms of the manufacturers adjust the UK price to reflect this.

I’ll see if I can get time to produce another graph, showing how many products were at their lowest price per week (as opposed to how many first reached their lowest price)…..