Canon Announces a 50-Megapixel DSLR and All-New Flagship Rebels

The 50-megapixel EOS 5DS R has a full-frame sensor and lacks an anti-aliasing filter. Canon

In the run up to next week’s CP+ photo show in Yokohama, Japan, Canon has announced a little something for everyone. Two new full-frame DSLRs will push image resolution to bold new heights, while a pair of new EOS Rebel DSLRs are likely to make some serious mainstream waves.

Canon also teased a long-zoom premium compact that looks like it will use the same 1-inch-type Sony sensor found in that company’s RX series cameras. It’s likely to be a compelling alternative to Sony’s own RX10, and I only wish we knew more about it.

New Full-Frame DSLRs Crack the 50-Megapixel Mark

Starting at the upper reaches of sensor size and resolution, the new EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R are the latest additions to Canon’s professional full-frame stable. Both cameras have 50.6-megapixel sensors; the main difference is that the 5DS has a moire-busting optical low-pass filter (OLPF), while the 5DS R does not. It’s a trend that started with Nikon’s D800/D800E DSLRs a few years back, the idea being that the lack of an anti-aliasing filter makes images sharper.

These new Canon DSLRs set a new bar for resolution compared to those 36.3-megapixel Nikons—and every other full-frame DSLR, for that matter. There are a few medium-format Hasselblad cameras with even higher-resolution sensors—they go for tens of thousands of dollars—but the 5DS series is winning the resolution race for the full-frame set.

The new models will sit right below the flagship EOS-1D X in Canon’s DSLR lineup, and they’ll cost a few thousand dollars less than that highest-end model when they become available in June. The EOS 5DS is priced at $3,700 for the body only, while the OLPF-free 5DS R will cost $3,900.

Rebel, Rebel: Two New APS-C DSLRs With Different Specialties

The more-affordable Rebel T6s (pictured) and T6i have smaller APS-C sensors, but they’re also far more accessible to most photographers. Canon

Canon is also splitting its APS-C-sensored Rebel T lineup into slightly divergent paths, but this time the difference is video capabilities. The 24.2-megapixel EOS Rebel T6s and EOS Rebel T6i both capture 1080p video at 30fps and 24fps, but the higher-priced T6s offers an HDR video mode and a few extras, according to Canon. The company says the T6s has deeper manual controls in video mode and a mic-in port, but the spec sheets for both cameras are a bit less clear. (I’ve asked for details.)

The T6s does have a few more differences, including an electronic level, an LCD panel up top to display exposure and battery-life info, and a different control scheme than the T6i—the major difference is that the mode dial is clear on the other side of the camera. Beyond that, they’re pretty much identical, with 19-point phase-/contrast-detection autofocus systems, ISO settings that range up to 12,800, a top shutter speed of 1/4000 of a second, and a continuous-shooting clip of 5fps. Both cameras also have flip-and-swivel LCD touchscreens, as well as built-in Wi-Fi and NFC features.

There’s one more difference with the Rebel T6s, and it’s the kit configuration. The higher-end model will come with a stabilized 18-135mm/F3.5-5.6 kit lens for $1,200 at the end of April. The T6i will come bundled with your standard 18-55mm/F3.5-5.6 kit lens for $900.

Coming Soon? A Big-Sensored 25X Premium Compact Camera

The upcoming PowerShot G3 X looks like it’ll offer an unparalleled combination of sensor size and optical-zoom reach. We don’t know much about it yet, though. Canon

Canon didn’t officially announce the PowerShot G3 X this week, but it did make the camera official by confirming that it’s in the works. The new addition to the company’s premium fixed-lens lineup will offer the longest optical range in the G series with a 25x (24-600mm) zoom lens.

Compact cameras with that kind of reach usually have smaller (1/2.3-inch-type) sensors, but this one will pack the same size sensor as Sony’s RX100 and RX10 series cameras. The only similar camera in terms of sensor size and optical zoom is the RX10 itself, and it has a significantly tighter zoom range (8.3X, 24-200mm).

The sensor size and the zoom range are all that have been revealed for now, but there’s a picture that reveals the upcoming camera will have a sizable grip, a dedicated exposure-compensation dial, built-in Wi-Fi and NFC, and an adjustable LCD screen. There’s no release date, no price, and important things like maximum aperture, sensor resolution, and the size of the camera are all still a mystery.

The Inflatable Suit That’s Protecting Ski Racers in 90 MPH Crashes

When ski racers glide away from the start house on the Birds of Prey Downhill World Cup at Beaver Creek, Colorado, they launch up to 200 feet off jumps and reach speeds close to 90 mph, all with just an open-face helmet, goggles and a semi-rigid back protector for safety.

But at this week’s World Alpine Ski Championships, held on the same course, the pro racers competing for podium spots may get a little more help: a wearable airbag from motorsports company Dainese that inflates automatically in a crash.

The system, called the D-air Ski, is based on an existing airbag system Dainese developed for motorcycle racing. Ski racing’s governing body, the International Ski Federation, approached Dainese in 2012 about adapting the suit for ski racing. The ski version covers a racer’s torso and shoulders and uses an array of sensors to monitor velocity and position; it fully inflates in 100 milliseconds if it senses a crash.

After missing its initial approval target of last February’s Sochi Olympics, the FIS gave it a thumbs-up on January 1. Racers from several countries, including the US Ski Team, will have access to it at the World Championships.

Alpine ski racers crash a lot; Dr. Tonje Wåle Flørenes of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center has published several studies on crashes in World Cup racing, alpine skiing’s top circuit. A 2010 paper in the Scandinavian Journal of Sports Medicine found that in a given season an alpine racer has a nearly 30 percent chance of being injured, often in crashes. One in ten injuries is serious enough to require more than a month of recovery.

The halting progress of safety “is one of the downfalls of our sport,” says Bode Miller, the most successful male US ski racer ever and a three-time winner on the Birds of Prey course. “Many of the injuries that happen are preventable.” The World Championships was Miller’s first race of the season, after surgery to repair a herniated disc suffered in a crash last March. It may also have been the last of the 37-year-old’s career; a crash in the Super-G event led to a severed right hamstring tendon; he won’t race the downhill.

Birds of Prey isn’t the longest downhill course on the World Cup circuit, but it is steep and unrelenting. “You’re thinking, ‘How am I going to pretty much fall down this mountain with as much speed as possible’?” says US racer Steve Nyman, twice a podium finisher here. “There are a lot of turns where you’re half off the snow. You’re flying through the air and have to make a quick landing and adjust to the terrain.”

“On a motorcycle there are a few fixed elements in play. In skiing there are more like 30.” —US ski racer Bode Miller

When things go bad, they go bad quickly. In 2007, Norwegian great Aksel Lund Svindal was having the run of his life on Birds of Prey when a small compression right before the Golden Eagle jump sent him hurtling off the lip falling backward on his skis. He flew 200 feet before smashing back-first into the slope at more than 70 mph.

Svindal’s list of injuries included several broken ribs, five facial fractures and a four-inch deep laceration in his left glute and groin. He spent three weeks in a hospital and didn’t race again for almost a year.

Dainese’s airbag isn’t a panacea. And adapting it from the motorsports version was tricky. In both sports, the biggest issue was figuring out how to accurately predict crashes, but skiing is a challenge; a racer can be weightless because he’s about to crash, or just going off a jump.

“On a motorcycle there are a few fixed elements in play,” says Miller. “In skiing there are more like 30.”

The D-air Ski has three gyroscopes, three accelerometers and a GPS unit. A replaceable cold-gas canister provides the near-instant inflation. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers the system. Except for the airbag itself, it’s all tucked into a hardened pocket on the back protector.

There’s even a USB port to download run data. Dainese spent two years collecting data from test runs, using skiers from the Canadian and Italian national teams.

That data let Dainese’s engineers code an algorithm that can tell, based on a racer’s acceleration and body position, whether he’s about to crash or just at the bottom of a post-jump compression. The algorithm is smart enough that it won’t inflate even in some crash situations, such as when a racer loses an edge and slides to a stop. “But if he starts to tumble,” says Dainese product manager Giovanni Fogal, “the suit inflates.” While car airbags deflate almost immediately, the D-air Ski stays inflated for up to 10 seconds, to protect the racer until he comes to a stop. Dainese says the system can absorb up to 60 percent of a crash impact.

Fogal said that Dainese worked to ensure the suit wouldn’t affect aerodynamics, and that while they’ve never had a false positive inflation, the suit won’t obstruct a racer if it did malfunction and inflate. To test that, Fogal said the company triggered inflations in some test runs to make sure the skier could remain in control.

The D-air Ski has three gyroscopes, three accelerometers and a GPS unit. A replaceable cold-gas canister provides the near-instant inflation.

Since FIS only approved the suit on January 1, it’s not widely adopted yet. And Dainese officials stress that it’s completely up to the athletes to use in training and competition.

As it happens, the system deployed successfully this week in a training situation in Europe. Jan Farrell, a speed skier who’s been clocked at more than 120 mph, was wearing the suit in a test run when he crashed at roughly 50 mph. “Before the first impact, I heard a boom and instantly felt how the airbag inflated,” he said in a press statement. “It was like being inside a shell.”

Even if it covered a racer’s whole body, the suit couldn’t protect against all injuries—Flørenes’ research found that more than 80 percent of lower body injuries in racing occur independent of crashes, like when a racer catches a ski edge on the snow and tears a knee ligament. Miller wasn’t wearing the D-air Ski when he clipped a gate in Thursday’s men’s Super G and crashed, but in any event it wouldn’t protect against injuries like his severed tendon, which likely came when he landed heavily on one of his ski edges.

But the same research by Flørenes found that 96 percent of upper body injuries do occur in crashes. From the first successful test deployment of a D-Air suit in motorsports in 2006, it took three years they were widely used. They’re now sold to the public. Miller, for one, thinks that the suit could be a catalyst for similar adoption.

“I’ve been around long enough that we didn’t even wear helmets for some events,” he says. “I’ve seen safety become more relevant, but companies haven’t pounced on it.” That could change now, he suspects.

“As soon as one company starts going beyond (the status quo), they take market share because they’re the only ones doing what needs to be done. Everyone else is playing catch-up.”

The Curious Case of Apple’s Supposed Self-Driving Car

Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

Bay Area citizens are accustomed to seeing Google’s proudly labeled self-driving cars and maps vehicles cruising down the streets. But concern and curiosity arose early this week when reports of unlabeled, tech-adorned, seemingly self-driving vans began flooding in—and at least one belongs to Apple.

Drivers spotted an unlabeled Dodge minivan with a variety of camera gear strapped on top in the Clayton-Concord area of California, the blog Claycord reports. In the comments of the post, readers confirmed seeing this and similar vehicles elsewhere in the East Bay and in San Francisco. The mini-van features a white X-shaped frame on its roof racks, with circular black recesses at each corner that look to be cameras. Local CBS affiliate KPIX confirmed with the DMV that the Dodge minivan’s license plate is registered to Apple, creating a flurry of speculation that this could be Apple’s prototype self-driving car.

Apple has a demonstrated interest in the car space. Its in-dash infotainment system CarPlay not only offers Siri’s hands-free voice control while you drive, it creates a more seamless iOS experience in the car by linking your phone to its touchscreen display. But thus far, Apple has left the car part of the equation strictly in automakers’ hands—it doesn’t even have a permit for testing self-driving vehicles in California yet. Are there any signs Apple could be working on more advanced car technologies? Actually, yes.

If Apple had any serious ambitions in the space, it would have brought key roboticists on board—machine vision is a key part of a driverless car system. And it has. In 2013, Apple hired roboticist John Morrell from Yale. Morrell, a leading force in the development of the Segway who’d also been doing research in how robots interact with humans, was slated to head Yale’s new Center for Engineering Innovation & Design before Apple snatched him up. Apple also currently has several job openings for 3D perception/computer vision algorithm engineers who will work on “exciting technologies for future Apple products.” This position prefers a PhD in computer vision, robotics, or machine learning.

But Apple dabbles in a lot of things that may or may not ever end up as a consumer product (Apple television, anyone?). And last quarter it posted the greatest profit in its history, $18 billion. Apple has money to burn on exploring new technologies.

As a kind of skunkworks exercise, there’s relatively little cost and much PR to gain for Apple to invest in something like this, Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and WIRED’s 2012 cover story on driverless cars), said of these self-driving car reports.

Dhruv Batra, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech’s Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and head of its Machine Learning and Perception Group, took a look at the gear atop the van to see if it matched the requirements of a self-driving vehicle. A self-driving car would need to have: GPS (to localize its position on a map); LiDAR (for identifying obstacles and pedestrians); cameras (for lane detection and further pedestrian identification); and an accelerometer or perhaps a full Inertial Measurement Unit. The van in the photos has roughly 12 cameras situated around the racks’ perimeter, as well as a spinning cylinder situated at the front and back of the van that look like Velodyne LiDARs, Batra said. These are used to create a point cloud of the environment surrounding the vehicle.

Based on this gear, Batra says the car does have the necessary equipment to be a self-driving vehicle (also visible in the images are dual disc-shaped antennas affixed to the roof, and a sensor that hangs down over the rear wheel, but Batra didn’t comment on these). However, self-driving cars don’t necessarily look like techified robo-vehicles on the outside: CMU’s self-driving Cadillac SRX looks no different than any other car on the road.

However, there’s very little tying this to Apple besides the license plate on the car. For a brand that uses umbrella companies for so much of its private dealings, why leave its name tied to the van? Perhaps it is indeed a move to get Apple buzz in an area where Apple was lacking in buzz. Or perhaps it’s some sort of clever misdirection—“Hey everyone, look over here at this maybe thing we’re working on, while we’re actually working on something else!”

My cynical mind can’t help but wonder if this is someone’s idea of a prank. For example, registering the car under Apple’s name is an inexpensive and playful way for a clever start-up to gain some publicity. Maybe it’s an academic project where one of the students had some fun with the DMV forms? I reached out to Stanford about its autonomous vehicle program (CARS) and the people there said they have no idea about these blue minivans. So, no. Stanford’s not behind it. And neither is Carnegie Mellon University, whose self driving car is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dodge also confirmed to me that, despite it being a Dodge vehicle, the company has nothing to do with this purported self-driving car.

But there are other explanations for the vehicle.

There’s overwhelming evidence that this is just a mapping vehicle, particularly based on the number of cameras on board. Google’s newest Street View vehicles, for example, feature 15 5-megapixel CMOS sensors for capturing their surroundings, and those vehicles have been widely successful in accurately capturing the world’s streets and signage. Apple Maps has vastly improved since its disastrous debut, but it could still certainly benefit from Street View-like tech.

Another possibility, considering the angle of the cameras positioned on the car and the LiDAR sensors, as one commenter on the original report pointed out, the vehicle could be nothing more than a company surveying local roads.

Apple hasn’t yet commented on reports that it is developing self-driving car technology. But the company certainly has the means—technological and monetary—to do so, and it’s clear that self driving cars are the way of the future. With that in mind, the idea that Apple could be playing with its own brand of self-driving car smarts doesn’t sound far-fetched at all. It sounds like Apple.

60 Awesome Classic Cars Found Rotting in a Barn Go Up for Auction

Something of a fixer-upper, this 1923 Voisin Type C3 “warrants a most exciting reconstruction project.” A new steering wheel is a good place to start. Expected auction price: $1,700 to $2,264. Artcurial Motorcars

Something of a fixer-upper, this 1923 Voisin Type C3 “warrants a most exciting reconstruction project.” A new steering wheel is a good place to start. Expected auction price: $1,700 to $2,264.

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One of the most valuable cars in the massive barn find, the 1949 Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport is among the most beautiful cars of its era. Expected auction price: $453,000 to $680,000. Artcurial Motorcars

One of the most valuable cars in the massive barn find, the 1949 Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport is among the most beautiful cars of its era. Expected auction price: $453,000 to $680,000.

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This 1924 Citroën Type C 5 HP came in the popular “clover” body style, comes with a spare tire, which should come in handy. Expected auction price: $905 to $1,360. Artcurial Motorcars

This 1924 Citroën Type C 5 HP came in the popular “clover” body style, comes with a spare tire, which should come in handy. Expected auction price: $905 to $1,360.

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One of the oldest cars in the Baillon collection, this 1911 Delahaye Type 43 flatbed truck is in surprisingly good condition, mechanically complete and with the original leather interior. Expected auction price: $2,264 to $3,400. Artcurial Motorcars

One of the oldest cars in the Baillon collection, this 1911 Delahaye Type 43 flatbed truck is in surprisingly good condition, mechanically complete and with the original leather interior. Expected auction price: $2,264 to $3,400.

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A rare splash of color that can’t be described as “rusty,” this 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi is missing its windows and most of the interior. It was bought by Baillon after a fire in 1989. Expected auction price: $5,660 to $11,300. Artcurial Motorcars

A rare splash of color that can’t be described as “rusty,” this 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi is missing its windows and most of the interior. It was bought by Baillon after a fire in 1989. Expected auction price: $5,660 to $11,300.

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2,000 to 4,000 This Talbot Lago T11 Cadette, from around 1936, is “fairly well preserved” and has a six-cylinder engine that produces 11 horsepower. Expected auction price: $2,264 to $4,530. Artcurial Motorcars

2,000 to 4,000 This Talbot Lago T11 Cadette, from around 1936, is “fairly well preserved” and has a six-cylinder engine that produces 11 horsepower. Expected auction price: $2,264 to $4,530.

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Helen Kirby de Bagration, an aristocrat who fled her native Russia during the revolution, took delivery of this Facel Vega Excellence in 1960. Expected auction price: $68,000 to $906,000. Artcurial Motorcars

Helen Kirby de Bagration, an aristocrat who fled her native Russia during the revolution, took delivery of this Facel Vega Excellence in 1960. Expected auction price: $68,000 to $906,000.

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The most valuable car in the Baillon collection, this is a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider once owned by Alain Delon. It’s completely original. Expected auction price: $10.8 million to $13.6 million. Artcurial Motorcars

The most valuable car in the Baillon collection, this is a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider once owned by Alain Delon. It’s completely original. Expected auction price: $10.8 million to $13.6 million.

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This is just one of three Delahaye 135 cabriolets built at the Faget-Varnet workshop still known to survive. Expected auction price: $113,000 to $170,000. Artcurial Motorcars

This is just one of three Delahaye 135 cabriolets built at the Faget-Varnet workshop still known to survive. Expected auction price: $113,000 to $170,000.

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This completely original 1963 Porsche 356 SC has about 54,000 miles on the odometer and needs new carpets. Expected auction price: $22,600 to $34,000. Artcurial Motorcars

This completely original 1963 Porsche 356 SC has about 54,000 miles on the odometer and needs new carpets. Expected auction price: $22,600 to $34,000.

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Built on the base of an Austin-Healey Sprite, this Innocenti S cabriolet is powered by a four-cylinder engine. Expected auction price: $3,400 to $5,600. Artcurial Motorcars

Built on the base of an Austin-Healey Sprite, this Innocenti S cabriolet is powered by a four-cylinder engine. Expected auction price: $3,400 to $5,600.

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An “interesting and rare model,” this circa 1936 Audi 225 Avant comes with front wheel drive and a 2.3-liter six-cylinder engine. Expected auction price: $6,800 to $9,000. Artcurial Motorcars

An “interesting and rare model,” this circa 1936 Audi 225 Avant comes with front wheel drive and a 2.3-liter six-cylinder engine. Expected auction price: $6,800 to $9,000.

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This Singer roadster 1500 has just over 36,000 miles on the odometer, and is missing some engine parts. With two carburetors and 50 horsepower, it’s in “original condition.” Expected auction price: $226 to $905. Artcurial Motorcars

This Singer roadster 1500 has just over 36,000 miles on the odometer, and is missing some engine parts. With two carburetors and 50 horsepower, it’s in “original condition.” Expected auction price: $226 to $905.

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This circa 1927 Amilcar CGSS has its original body but a replaced engine, and was popular with racing enthusiasts. Expected auction price: $3,400 to $5,600. Artcurial Motorcars

This circa 1927 Amilcar CGSS has its original body but a replaced engine, and was popular with racing enthusiasts. Expected auction price: $3,400 to $5,600.

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Sitting on three wheels, this rare and “amazingly original” Sandford Type S cyclecar is powered by a four-cylinder engine and comes with a tool kit found behind the bench. Expected auction price: $17,000 to $22,600. Artcurial Motorcars

Sitting on three wheels, this rare and “amazingly original” Sandford Type S cyclecar is powered by a four-cylinder engine and comes with a tool kit found behind the bench. Expected auction price: $17,000 to $22,600.

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This is a very rare four-seat 1935 or 1936 Renault Viva Grand Sport cabriolet, one of just five known examples. Expected auction price: $22,600 to $28,300.

This is a very rare four-seat 1935 or 1936 Renault Viva Grand Sport cabriolet, one of just five known examples. Expected auction price: $22,600 to $28,300.

The exterior of this circa 1936 Panhard et Levasseur Dynamique Coupe Junior is eaten up by rust, but the interior was protected by covers. Expected auction price: $28,300 to $34,000.

The exterior of this circa 1936 Panhard et Levasseur Dynamique Coupe Junior is eaten up by rust, but the interior was protected by covers. Expected auction price: $28,300 to $34,000.

With just under 50,000 miles on the odometer, this circa 1952 Delahaye 235 Coach Chapron comes with well preserved upholstery and “seems to be complete.” Expected auction price: $40,000 to $51,000.

With just under 50,000 miles on the odometer, this circa 1952 Delahaye 235 Coach Chapron comes with well preserved upholstery and “seems to be complete.” Expected auction price: $40,000 to $51,000.

This extremely rare Talbot Lago T26 Saotchik cabriolet was sold to Princess Nevine Abbas Halim of Egypt and her husband His Excellency Salah Bey Orabi. It was thought lost until found in Baillon’s collection. Expected auction price: $136,000 to $170,000. Artcurial Motorcars

This extremely rare Talbot Lago T26 Saotchik cabriolet was sold to Princess Nevine Abbas Halim of Egypt and her husband His Excellency Salah Bey Orabi. It was thought lost until found in Baillon’s collection. Expected auction price: $136,000 to $170,000.

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15,000 to 20,000 Built around 1938, this is a “highly luxurious” Packard Super Eight cabriolet is an extremely rare European version of the car. Expected auction price: $17,000 to $22,600. Artcurial Motorcars

15,000 to 20,000 Built around 1938, this is a “highly luxurious” Packard Super Eight cabriolet is an extremely rare European version of the car. Expected auction price: $17,000 to $22,600.

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This 3.4-liter Jaguar S Type, equipped with a manual gearbox and overdrive, was regularly used by Mme Baillon. Expected auction price: $4,500 to $6,800. Artcurial Motorcars

This 3.4-liter Jaguar S Type, equipped with a manual gearbox and overdrive, was regularly used by Mme Baillon. Expected auction price: $4,500 to $6,800.

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