New Models

The all-new 2016 MX-5 Mazda Miata (Japan spec)

Kim Reynolds, writing on motortrend.com, said:

Mazda readily confesses that for the past quarter century it’s been the world’s unlikeliest caretaker of the DNA of the classic British sports car. Whereas Volkswagen and BMW have appropriated the factories and planning rooms of Bentley and Rolls-Royce, Mazda has been preserving the vital formula for an entire genre of British automotive history. Sort of a sports car seed vault in Hiroshima. That contains a single seed.

Wow. Nailed that right down. Nice writing.

A lot of new photographic models have been introduced in the past few days, and this morning a peculiar thought popped into my head: was there a point in the '50s or '60s in American when the public began to realize that "new models" really weren't? The history of model changes is fascinating if you really look into it. Henry Ford, for instance, thought the Model T was the perfect peoples' car, and he intended to keep making them into perpetuity. He had some justification for that: the Model T was produced for 19 years, and at one point three of every four cars on American roads was a Tin Lizzy. So entrenched was Ford's "this is it" mindset that when Model T sales finally dwindled to a trickle, Ford went several years without selling much of anything, because it wasn't prepared to bring a newer car to market. Ford essentially paved the way for its own competitors—first by failing to update its main model, which allowed competitors a toehold, and then by failing to bring a new model to market, which allowed its competitors to gain market share. The Ford-Chevy wars started all the way back then, but Ford itself was in some ways Chevy's biggest enabler in the beginning.

Cut to the 1950s, and marketers had learned that new models engendered excitement, free publicity, and automatic sales. For a number of years—I'm not enough of an automotive historian to pin it down any better than that—new models were announced annually, to great fanfare and public excitement. (Marketing tricks we take for granted, and see right through, were novelties then.) Of course, it didn't take the public too long to realize that many "new" models weren't strictly new—they just featured a few cosmetic changes, some freshening of the sheet metal, maybe new colors.

The sweet-spot D750: so popular that retailers and discounters are
having trouble keeping them in stock

The new Canon 5DS, with its groundbreaking 50-megapixel sensor, is a real advancement. The Nikon D750, which is probably the camera of greatest interest to advanced photographers (both pro and enthusiast) right now, is also a genuinely new model. Both, of course, build on the traditions of each company's past models, and each company's past (the D750 to the landmark D700 digital SLR and, before that, the F100 film SLR). But are all the "Mark II" refreshes we see trotted out really new models? Or, while admittedly flagging new features in most cases (or, in some cases, fixes), is some percentage of their purpose just to add a little artificial marketing fizz? I'm going to have to look in to the case of the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II (yes, they really did make that nomenclature longer! Funny.)

Think what you like about Mazda's "British-sports-car seed-vault," Mazda gets new Miata/MX-5 model introductions about right. New models do come along, but only when needed—and then, when they do arrive, they're actually new—and it's legitimately an occasion. There have been four Miatas in 25 years. Each one is considerably different and distinct from the others, each one is a genuine advancement, yet each one builds on the basic idea and embraces the model's long traditions—both its own, and that of its antecedents. New models are introduced not gratuitously, but when it makes sense to do so.

(Alfa Romeo had a hand in this new one. The legendary European marque, now owned by the Fiat Group, will be marketing its own variant of the car, with its own styling and a different engine.)

Personally I hope we're entering an era when camera model introductions will slow down some. I hope the D750 is in production for a good long time, so it can benefit from sensible refinements but stay familiar. The churn is fun (and profitable for people like—ahem—photography bloggers), but it would be okay for the camera market to mature a bit. And for new camera intros to become more Miata-like.

By the way, I looked in vain for the name of the photographer at the linked motortrend.com article. Maybe I just overlooked it, but I couldn't find it. S/he did a good job, though, whoever s/he is. I think I'll write to them and ask.

[UPDATE: Thanks to tips from several readers I contacted Jeff Ludes, who tells me the second of these shots is his. Jeff's automotive product photography is outstanding—you can see more at his website. —MJ]

Mike

Original contents copyright 2015 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

TOP's links!

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Moose: "The 'Mark' part seems unneeded, but the 'II' of the new E-M5 Mark II seems to me justified.

"Heavily redesigned body that every reviewer seems to find better made and ergonomically improved.

"Better VF; not new to Oly, but new to the M5.

"Articulated LCD with higher rez. I missed articulation from my 60D, G11, etc. when I went Micro 4/3. A tilt screen is fine for ordinary landscape format shots, but useless for verticals, reaching out to shot around obstacles, and so on.

"Significantly improved IBIS, especially for Macro.

"While the 40 MB HD mode may sound gimmicky or unnecessary to some, I think it's going to be a really big deal for many. It's not just HD. Beyond the shots needed just for higher rez, it moves the sensor to take four shots with the sensor moved one pixel in different directions, so as to have all three colors sensed at each pixel location.

"This means it's the first camera without a Foveon sensor (which has its own problems with metamerism) to avoid the problems with Bayer arrays. The test shots on ImagingResource are astonishing, revealing more clear detail in complex subjects with repeating patterns, fabric and screen printed labels, for example, than a Nikon D810. How much detail moiré has been obscuring in such subjects really surprised me. The DPReview preview shows very clearly the difference in moiré in a test pattern.

"The samples mentioned above are 40 MB JPEGs. What I don't know yet is what kind of detail the 64 MB RAW files will have when expertly processed. The JPEGs have some sharpening halos that limit them compared to the D810 on small, high pixel level contrast subjects, which should be avoidable working from RAW.

"The truer color and lack of moiré will be a BIG deal for product photographers, as one example.

"Clearly it's an awkward feature to use; the IBIS system is not available for its conventional purpose, it takes 3–4 seconds to take one shot, so a tripod and a static subject are required, but the benefits will be worth it for some work.

"And just for me, who still, after 2 1/2 years, can't easily operate the on/off switch on my E-M5 without fumbling and/or looking, it's been moved where it was on my OM bodies. Not as good as the Panny GX7, but still, a blessing."

Peter: "Turned out that the engine Alfa Romeo wanted to mount in the new roadster wouldn't fit in their version of the new Miata/MX-5. So the Italians have decided not to bring their version of the car as the new Fiat Barchetta.

"Fun fact: the previous Barchetta was developed as an answer to the very first Miata/MX-5. Alfa Romeo will develop a new roadster using their own platform."

Robert: "As a Brit, I hate to say it, but he Miata cannot match the traditional British sports cars of the '50s and '60s. The problem with the Miata is that it has the reputation of being ultra-reliable and therefore one loses the charm of having to raise the bonnet (hood) mid-journey, fix something, and then continue driving with oily hands and possibly a smear of grease across the cheeks. If your girlfriend stayed with you after those events, she was truly yours forever."

Jim: "When it came to 'sports cars,' in my opinion English cars were designed and built by blacksmiths, German cars by engineers, and Italian cars by artists. Compare the cars of the late 1950s–1960 era—some English roadsters were built like erector sets with tractor parts (the 1955 Healey we had used the engine and gearbox lifted from a Massey Ferguson tractor); Porsches were nothing more than a VW engine with big carbs in a body with the aero of a ME163, but the Alfas had modern, all-aluminum DOHC engines and 5-speed gearboxes in gorgeous hand-built bodies that rode like limos and out-handled every sports car on the road.

"My brother sold sports cars in the '60s so I got to drive everything—including all the new Ferraris he sold—but I became an Alfa loyalist—owning more than two dozen of them and racing a half dozen of those.

"Unfortunately, the sports car market declined with more regulations on cars and all the iconic sports cars of the '60s became extinct—Alfa being picked up by Fiat and becoming mostly badge-engineered Fiats.

"Twenty years ago, my garage had '57 and  '62 Alfa Spiders for racing and a '91 Miata next to them for the street. Mazda built what the old line sports car manufacturers could no longer afford to do—a modern sports car with performance, reliability and looks—yet with parts from the big company's parts bin to cut costs. I was in Boston then and challenged myself to drive the Miata with the top down in every month of the year—and I did it! Since moving to CA, I owned another for a while and miss them enough I am thinking about another.

"What we have here is iconic design, similar to the best cameras that need only incremental improvement because they were done right from the beginning—Leicas, Pentax Spotmatic, Nikon F (add your favorite digital cameras here...if you think they fit)."

Comments

[Bill Mitchell]

Leica had 6 models in it's first 15 years, and would factory update your camera to the latest spec for a quite small fee.

[Nigel]

I'm going to have to look in to the case of the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Three things:
New viewfinder is now desirable rather than useable, as previously.
Improved video and improved IS combine to make it a compelling (amateur) video machine.
Still life resolution is genuinely amazing:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/02/05/resolution-wars-can-a-16mp-four-thirds-camera-best-a-36mp-full-frame

[Øyvind Hansen]

The OM-D E-M5 Mark II actually seems like a good update. It addresses the weaknesses of the original (build quality, handling and viewfinder) and puts the model in its proper place in the model hierarchy while keeping the basic formula intact. But it seems they moved the price more upmarket too.

Refinement can be a good thing, and often a product doesn't fall completely into place until the second or third iteration.

[Michael Martin-Morgan]

Ahem - blog on! We all know you "need" to replace the one you sold ...

[robert e]

There was such unanimity about the few glaring flaws (and many hits) of the EM5 that a MkII essentially started to take shape immediately. From a distance, Olympus seems to have addressed the major issues, and then some, but I look forward to your assessment.

I agree, Reynolds' passage is brilliantly wrought. What a metaphor!

Alas, I don't think my computer is ready for these megapixel-packing "refreshes".

[John Krumm]

I like the looks of the EM5 Mark II refresh (better to leave out the OMD at this point). It's a conservative release in some ways (no increase in megapixels, no new sensor that will wow the DXO lab) but nicely improved all around according to early reports. Even better shutter sound, and a new silent shutter option, for instance. Better stabilization. Flippy twisty screen, which I like, and which of course allows selfies. Better weather sealing and build. Hi-res mode for certain types of photography (still life studio and architecture come to mind). We are so lucky in some ways today, the speed at which things progress. I mean, how much better at taking photos was the OM4 than the OM1 in the hands of a skilled operator? I wonder what the EM5 Mark IV will be like, if we see it?

[Aubrey]

Hi Mike,

You stated "Personally I hope we're entering an era when camera model introductions will slow down some."

I don't want Nikon to slow down until they have the D400 in production. My D300 is getting a bit long in the tooth. Eight years is a little too long to wait for the D300 replacement so now I'm now considering moving to a Mirrorless camera.

Regards ...... Aubrey

[Terry Letton]

Actually, although Chrysler-Fiat (Alfa) did have a hand in the development of the new Miata they have decided not to introduce their own version, mumbling something about using their own chassis. We shall see.

[Eric Rose]

In my not so humble opinion I think the new Oly camera is the pinnacle of prosumer cameras today. If my D700 wasn't performing so wonderfully I would probably buy a D750. A 50 mega pixel 35mm FF sensor camera does not excite me in the least. The downsides far out way the supposed advantages. In my commercial market the need for huge prints is non existent. If something did come up I would rent a D810 for the job. Gear heads with lots of discretionary cash can go ahead and chase the carrot.

[Michael]

HURRY MIKE, HURRY…We need your detailed report on the Canon 5DS and 5DSr. You do not want us loyal TOP'ers to get behind in the pack of speculators, nay-sayers, and those who just MUST unload their archaic 5D MKIIIs. We need yours sage take on the new pixel-king! Just saying :-))

[c.d.embrey]

Even though they both use the same frame and driveline, there is a Huge styling difference between a 1958 and a 1959 Chevy. By about 1960 the year-to-year changes became much smaller.

Things come and go, by the mid 1950's home-built Hot Rods were replaced by Factory Hot Rods like the 1957 Chevy with it's 283 HP engine and four speed transmission.

British Sports Cars were their own worst enemy with antiquated design and poor quality control. When the Toyota "Z" cars came along with more performance, comfort and passenger car like reliability you knew the end was near (same applied to British Motorcycles).

My $0.02 worth is that Full Frame DSLRs (antiquated design) will be the end of both Canon and Nikon. Sorta like MG vs Toyota sportscars, or BSA vs Honda motorcycles.

Innovation like like HiRes Sensor-Shift technology isn't coming from Canon or Nikon. They'll continue to live in the past until they have no present. Can anyone say Kodak?

[James Sinks]

I would disagree with Moose--the E5 M II is not a camera without Bayer matrix problems. It's just a camera with a whole new batch of problems associated with an attempt to get around Bayer matrix problems.

[Moose]

"Things come and go, by the mid 1950's home-built Hot Rods were replaced by Factory Hot Rods like the 1957 Chevy with it's 283 HP engine and four speed transmission."

Ah yes, I had a '55 with hand rebuilt, ported and balanced engine bored out to the 283 cu.in. of '56 and later, CR Vette 4speed on the floor. (So the bench seat wouldn't go forward much.) A very goin' machine - but a piece of junk by contemporary ride and handling standards.

Very few of the Duntov one HP per cu.in. cars were made. The fuel injection was hard to maintain. The dual 4BBL 270 HP was more common and practical.

[Stephen Scharf]

I have to admit I really don't understand what Canon's thinking is behind these two new 5D 50 megapixel models. From a business and technology perspective, this is a phenomenon known as *incrementalism* at it's worst, because they address a niche market at best. They went down this "more and more megapixels" road with the G-series only to have to back off and put less megapixels in the sensor just to get the noise performance to a level acceptable even to "enthusiast" photographers. You would have thought they would have learned this lesson at that time. But, apparently not.

If Canon thinks these cameras will recover their tanking camera sales, they are, IMHO, misguided in their thinking.

The operative question is: Just what is going to cause Canon to wake up and smell the coffee?

No wonder Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and Fuji are kicking their butt with their innovative mirrorless offerings.

[Shadzee]

@peter

Oh shucks, I was looking forward to drive a Japanese Alfa.... Reliable ;-(

[cgw]

Don't recall any MX-5 recalls on a scale comparable to the D750, do you?

[Yvonne]

I want that new Mazda. Sadly, while I could afford it, a summer car would complicate my life. How deal with it in the winter? How sad is that?

[My Miata (NB, 2nd gen) was strictly a fair weather, summer car. The only time I drove in rain was when I got caught out in it. I drove it one time in the slush, snow, and ice, and learned my lesson! Never did that again. --Mike]

[Dan]

Triumph came out with the TR8 - finally got it right and then went out of business. Nothing quite like a TR4a tho. One fun car to drive. The TR6 was more refined, in some ways but less enjoyable.
Bug Eye sprites were in a class all their own as fun cars.
As far as Canon and the newest 50MB chip - SAME damn Dynamic Range as the 5D MkIII which means they are still a few years behind Nikon.

[Steve Biro]

Mike, the word now is that the FCA version of this new Miata will be a Fiat or Abarth, not an Alfa. But there apparently is still a new compact Alfa Romeo sports car in the pipeline.

[DaveS]

Old model:

[Walt]

The Miata product shots were probably done by selected Japanese photo-hobbyists. Mazda just forgot to credit the Flickr accounts of those great photogs. LOL

[YS]

Aubrey, I admire your patience. I personally switched to Micro Four Thirds after it was clear Nikon had no interest in bringing out a D400.

[Arg]

Let's call it the M52. Succinct.

[Ray]

The Miata, or Mazda MX5 as it's called in Australia, is ostensibly a girl's car. I'm not sure about other parts of the world, but real men don't drive a Miata/MX5 in Oz.

[Sounds like those men in Oz fret too much about their manliness, then. Real men don't worry about what other people think of them. Just sayin'. --Mike]

[Nick]

The 50mp chip in the 5d makes perfect sense: the portrait and fashion photogs who love the current 5d are the folks that ditch their 5d and rent MF for jobs where they need more pixels. Then they moan to the assistant because none of the MF cameras work as well as the 5d.

[Sven W]

An entertaining and insightful British TV series on restoring Classic British cars. This episode is about the much-maligned Triumph Stag:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIDkLP6d4Ls

[Robert Schellhammer]

A refreshingly good looking sports car. I was afraid that cars and cameras were on the one way road to ugly.

[Rob L.]

I have to applaud Olympus with their MkII - it really is a second generation of the E-M5, just...better. I can live with that update - new technology gets cheaper so quickly, not updating a digital body often is a disservice to your customers buying a 2 year + old product. We're very, very spoiled right now, photographically - the entire history of film cameras at tiny tiny prices for the vast majority of them, amazing new digital bodies popping out, and the second and third generation back of cameras are still so nice you can get amazing gear for cheap.

Except lenses. Lenses always cost.

[Peter]

Speaking of Alfas...

http://www.caranddriver.com/alfa-romeo/4c

[Dave]

It looks like the photography was done by Jeff Ludes. (Found via google image search)

[Raffwal]

Doing a Google search with the Mazda image brought me to

http://www.jeffludes.com/

[psu]

Why an E-M5II? Why not an E-M1 II? Or an E-M2?

Olympus now has three OMD cameras near the "top" of their line that control differently, have different feature sets and use different accessories. Just the control differences are probably enough to make me think before considering this machine. On the other hand, just the new "Play" button might be worth the price of admission, since that button on the E-M5 is the worst one ever conceived by a human camera designer.

I often wonder who manages product design for the camera companies. They seem to have no clue how to add functionality and/or improve things while not disrupting the existing interfaces too much.

[Nigel]

Intriguingly, Pentax's new 'full frame' offering is rumoured to use sensor shift tech of some kind for increased resolution.
What I didn't realise was the Ricoh had already put a rudimentary version of this into production 15 (fifteen !) years ago:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/RDC7/RD7A6.HTM

[Jason]

Hmm, all this ads up to something for me; I've a D700 as well as an EM-5. I turn 40 this year so it's the traditional time for treating myself to midlife crisis purchases. Perhaps I should upgrade to a 750 and an EM-5II...and then consider the new MX5!

However, considering that my last experience in a Miata ended in the (nearly) worst accident possible underneath an 18 wheeler and subsequent helicopter ambulance ride I may just limit myself to the less risky camera shop visits. http://www.edgeofsomewhere.com/weblog/2009/06/09/trauma-t1571

[Jesu, Jason, that is horrible. So glad you made it through. --Mike]

[Jason]

I think it speaks to the resilience of tiny cars; the investigating officer said that, had I been driving anything larger, I'd have been decapitated. I'm not sure if that can be extrapolated out to the rest of the post and speak to the benefits of Micro 4/3 cameras though.

On the topic of new models and updates, I know it's impossible to really predict this but I wonder if or when the camera companies will slow down in some sense with the updates. I've been more than satisfied over the past several years with my D700. I can see upgrading to the 810—that would easily stand me in good stead for almost anything I would want to do for a long time. Just give me substantive firmware updates and a service plan that guarantees parts availability for a reasonable time.