Archive for April, 2010
DPReview
DPReview has completed their review of the Canon PowerShot S90.
Final Word – DPR
Photographers looking for a serious, pocket-friendly, compact camera haven’t had a lot to choose from, and the S90 offers the first real competition to Panasonic’s LX3, the success of which almost certainly led Canon to revive the long-running and much missed ‘S’ series. I may not have liked it when I first used it, but I soon found myself picking it up every time I went out the door.
It is, above all else, a great walkaround camera, capable of results (particularly at lower ISO settings) that most serious photographers would be more than happy with. The control system encourages photographic experimentation (unlike so many compacts, which simply make it too painful to work manually), but the automatic systems are also reliable – and intelligent – enough to give you great results if you prefer to just ‘point and shoot’. The tiny body might not make for particularly good handling, but it’s small enough to carry anywhere and the image quality it produces rarely disappoints.
Read More: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons90/
CR’s Take
I own this camera and love it for the most part. My biggest gripe with it is the same as DPRs; the backwheel gets spun too easily.
The solution Canon?
How about a firmware update to add a back wheel lock to the “S” button on the back. I could do away with a quick access to ISO for a back wheel lock.
I have the camera set up to have aperture on the front ring and exposure comp on the back wheel for those keeping score.
Canon Canada Rebates
The Canon Canada rebates begin on April 15, 2010.
More Info: http://www.canonrumors.com/2010/03/canon-canada-rebates-3/
cr
Mirrorless 5D Mark II
Someone has done this to a 7D already and called it the PL7D, but here’s a mirrorless 5D Mark II. The camera can still take still photos but is really geared towards video.
See the complete tear down here.
thanks mochapaulo
85 f/1.1L?
NL read on a Linkedin discussion that Canon was readying an upgraded 85 f/1.1L. Take it for what it’s worth. :)
Big White Lenses
We’ve heard before some big white lenses will be tested at the World Cup in South Africa. There’s another suggestion that we won’t see any new models for consumption until 2011.
I’ve also heard Photokina in September still may be the place to showoff at least 1 new big white lens. The 600 DO perhaps?
cr
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 7, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announces the Canon XF305 and XF300 Professional Camcorders. Both new models employ an MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps codec – Canon XF Codec – for capturing and recording native 1920 x 1080 video onto affordable, universally available Compact Flash (CF) cards. Uniting video, audio and metadata into a single file, the Canon XF305 and XF300 use an MXF (Material eXchange Format) File Wrapper, a widely supported open source format, to maximize compatibility with existing industry infrastructure and non-linear editing (NLE)systems. Priced under $8,000 per model, the Canon XF305 and XF300 are engineered for multiple production applications including broadcast news, documentary and independent filmmaking and event videography. Canon will be demonstrating a variety of professional applications for the Canon XF305 and XF300 at the Company’s booth# C4325 at the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The Canon XF305 and XF300 Professional Camcorders include a Genuine Canon 18x HD L-series lens providing documentary filmmakers and news camera operators with the focal-range versatility required in the field. Designed with input from professional users, each model includes three Canon developed and designed native 1920 x 1080 CMOS image sensors, and the new Canon XF Codec for extreme color detail required for accurate chroma-keying, color-grading and compositing for digital filmmaking. For finer transitions in tone and color, 4:2:2 color sampling offers twice the color resolution of HDV and other 4:2:0 formats. In addition, Canon’s XF305 model features industry- standard HD-SDI output, genlock, and SMPTE time code (in/out) terminals for multi-camera or 3-D productions.
Read More
Yeah, this is oldish news, I was super busy today. :)
cr
Joy!
Only Canadians will really care, but we’ve put up with the WORST Canon corporate web site for way too long. It’s about time Canon Canada revamped it.
Thank you!
http://www.canon.ca
thanks Eddie
cr
*UPDATE* What’s the firmware do?
I received some info about firmware 1.2.0. It is a legitimate version.
Fixes
- Fixes issues related to poor quality third party batteries.
- Added code for upcoming remotes, accessories and lenses.
The source is a good one.
5D Mark II Issue (Direct Quote)
Also, 5DII twitch (confirmed as a metering spike) is known – keeps things looking even for the sensor which fluctuates charge/discharge based upon several criteria. It’s working properly when it does this, sensing changes that are electronic and compensating for image continuity. It allows for smooth transitions, both while focusing and for proper exposure. The sudden opening and closing “bridges” the gap during a discharge. It is inherently random.
thanks
From POTN
A post on POTN shows a 7D with what appears to be firmware version 1.2.0. The current official version from Canon is version 1.1.0.
New Firmware Coming?
See the thread for more: http://photography-on-the.net/
No word yet on what fixes or features were addressed. It’s after April 1, so I think we can assume it’s not a PS job.
Thanks Troy
cr
*UPDATE* Read This if you’re interested in the 5D Mark II firmware 2.0.4 apparent issue.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/885884/
Thanks for the link wickerprints.
Nothing is broken
After reading some comments and talking to folks, it turns out this is normal behavior for a Macro lens.
Explanation From Dave
If these people bothered to dismount their lens, and just look through the barrel when changing focus, they’ll notice that the 100mm Macro does this even when not mounted to any camera. All Macro lenses do this…the Aperture Diaphragm closes down as focus approaches MFD…this is what people refer to when they say that the “effective aperture” is smaller at macro distances
Now there is still some disagreement in the comments section whether or not it’s truly normal. I have sent a mail into Chuck Westfall in regards to the issue.
CR’s Take
The people critical of me posting this as fact need to see the “?” after the title of the post. I was questioning whether or not there was actually an issue and letting people discuss it. My technical expertise on the subject is lacking and I was seeking an answer.
Stuff like this is worth discussing and having a record of.
In the future, I’ll make it more obvious that I am asking, not telling.
Thanks!
cr
From 5D Mark II Team
Description of the problem:
When a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens is mounted on the camera and the user manually changes focus (rotates focus ring), the lens changes the iris/aperture “by itself”, even when the camera is in full manual mode.
It is not normal, and should not happen. The tests were made by several users with many copies on many camera bodies, so it’s not an isolated lens problem.
▪ This malfunction always occurs in this situation:
When the camera is set to M (Manual) mode and in Live View mode (Still+Movie – Movie Display), which is the correct mode for “full manual control” in movie mode.
Read more about the issue below.
http://5dmark2.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/malfunction-in-firmware-2-0-4/
thanks everyone that sent this in
cr
50D Rebates come to life
Speculate away as to what this means. The rebate program ends around when we previously posted a 60D could be announced. Sometimes this stuff is coincidence.
Both Adorama and B&H are still closed for the holidays. We should see them correct for the new rebate prices soon.
I’m still shocked Canon sells the 28-135 IS, and I always think its on the way out when it appears in rebates. I haven’t heard anything about a new 70-300 IS. I do think they’re a strange pair to put together. You may not think so. :)
Rebates
- 50D Body Only: $100
- 50D w/28-135 IS: $100
- 50D w/70-300 IS: $250
- 50D w/28-135 IS & 70-300 IS: $250
Shop Adorama
Shop B&H
Shop Amazon
Thanks deeyas
cr
60D Coming?
Yes it’s April Fools day, and I’ve received some crazy stuff. This seems relatively legit.
60D Specs
- 18mp (7D Sensor)
- 11pt AF (New AF System)
- Same Video Modes as T2i
- Same LCD as T2i
- 6fps
- Not 100% VF
- No Electronic Level
- ISO 12800 Max
- Prototypes are in the field
An announcement for the camera would be near the end of May/early June.
cr
It’s Done
DPReview has completed their review of the T2i.
Conclusion Snippet:
Despite our (very minor) complaints, the EOS 550D is a very satisfying camera, and certainly offers the most compelling feature set of any nominally ‘entry level’ DSLR that we’ve used. It isn’t just about spec though – the 550D’s refined handling and excellent supplied software suite should not be overlooked. Although it doesn’t represent a huge improvement over the 500D, the changes that have been made are worthwhile, and well-implemented. An external mic socket, manual control and wide choice of resolutions and frame rates means that the 550D is worthy of consideration for serious video use, and when paired with a high quality lens, image quality is superb.
With all this taken into account, it is hard not to recommend the EOS 550D. Quite simply, taken as a whole, it is the best camera of its class that we’ve ever seen, and one of those rare cameras that won’t look out of date in a couple of years’ time.
Read More: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos550d/
cr
