Quote Originally Posted by Daniel Browning
The 5D2 frame rate is limited by mechanics. Wear and tear is something like the cube of the speed of the two parts. If the 5D2 (4 FPS) was as fast as the 7D (8 FPS), that's 16 times more wear and tear. That means Canon would have to build it 16 times better, or it will break 16 times sooner.

Furthermore, the mechanical frame rate is affected by the size of the mirror. Vibration goes up with the fourth power of mirror height. That gives the 5D2 five times more vibration at the same frame rate, another source of engineering difficulty.

It would be nice if Canon came out with an answer to Nikon's D700, but it would be a real change in pricing strategy.
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I was thinking about this the other day while looking at Nikon gear out of curiosity. I don't really understand how you can say that the mechanics are the limiting factor to framerate on the 5DII when the D700, which is also full-frame and therefore has the same physical limits, is capable of such fast framerates. Now since the cameras cost about the same it could be said that Canon, instead of spending money on the mechanics of a fast shutter speed, have spent money on a higher resolution sensor. And that this sensor would also need far a far more powerful processor to compete with the D700's shutter speed.


But, to me, this is a question of emphasis - rather than limits. I think this might be what you were saying but I originally read your post as saying that it would be prohibitively difficult to design a full-frame mirror that can move that fast. The point is that the D700 is also a compromise - because they have compromised on the resolution of the sensor.


So it comes down to cost, rather than mechanics - not to mention Canon's desire to ensure to ensure that the people still buy the 1D series cameras (I believe many Nikonains don't see any point in spending the extra cash on the D3).


And so, IMO, the question of whether we really want 21MP in a camera or whether we'd have preferred the same emphasis of functionality as the D700 remains.