Canon Rumors

*UPDATE* Odds & Ends

*UPDATE*

Error 500
If you’re like myself and some other readers, you’ve been experiencing a few or a lot of Error 500 messages whenever you navigate Canon Rumors. I guess this is good news, as I have outgrown the hosting capabilities of my current package. Because of this, Canon Rumors is moving to a dedicated server.

The switchover will hopefully go unnoticed by the end users. It should be completed over the next 7 days.

Thanks to everyone that frequents the site and have made it such a huge success. Growth continues!

cr guy

1Ds3 & 1D3 Price Drops (HK)
You can read about the price drops on the two EOS-1’s.

http://www.canon.com.hk/Download.aspx?pressrelease_id=10366&file_type=1

thanks everyone

Zeiss ZE 18 f/3.5
Received a notification that we can expect a release sometime in the last quarter of 2009.

I’m looking forward to it.

thanks Gregor

New Laser Printers
Adding to its robust line-up of award-winning imageRUNNER systems and helping to redefine desktop productivity, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging and office solutions, today introduced its latest desktop laser beam printer (LBP) – the Color imageRUNNER LBP5460. This model is the newest addition to the Company’s successful LBP desktop printer line, which also includes the Color imageRUNNER LBP5975 and LBP5970, both introduced last year.

http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20090803_lbp5460.html

Hahnemuhle Adds Canon Pixma Pro 9500 Mark II Profiles
I asked Hahnemuhle about 9500 Mark II profiles and they sent me the following email.

“The profiles of the Canon 9500 work on the Mark II, too. It’s the same technology.
Here you can download them http://www.hahnemuehle.com/site/en/222/canon.html#kat8 ”

My Next Camera
The Leica M9 has made its way into the rumor world. It looks like we’ll see an announcement in September.

There’s still speculation it will use the Canon 5D Mark II Sensor. Others feel it’s going to be a full frame Kodak sensor. As long as it works, I don’t care what’s in it.

The projected cost of the camera is $7700 USD.

cr

AstroScope 9350EOS-FF adds night vision to your Canon DSLR

I can peep in near blackness now!

Specifically designed for Canon EOS-type cameras. Transforms dark scenes (below 10-4 lux) into bright, high-resolution images. AstroScope incorporates a high quality optic designed specifically for today’s digital SLR cameras and delivers full frame images with little or no vignetting.

See: Electrophysics via Engadget

cr

Ridiculous is Always Cool

SigZilla Field Test

SigZilla | 200-500 f/2.8

This is a field test from the Juza Nature Photography web site. It’s definitely funny and cool at the same time.

Juza Conclusion
“Overall, the image quality is of Sigma 200-500 f/2.8 is good for such an extreme lens, even though it is far from easy to get the best from this lens: at f/2.8 the depth of field is very shallow, and the focus must be perfect…even an error of few centimeters may make the difference between a sharp photo and an out of focus photos.”

Read More: http://www.juzaphoto.com/…

cr

Tokina 12-24 f/4 DX Review – DPReview

Highly Recommended

Tokina 12-24 f/4 DX

DPReview has completed their review of the Tokina 12-24 f/4 DX lens and have given it a very favorable review.

Conclusion
So overall the choice when considering a third-party lens in this class boils down to either the optical excellence of the Tokina, or the wider angle of view but compromised sharpness of its competitors (or at least those that we’ve tested so far). Now the difference between 12mm and 10mm is indeed significant; those 2mm cost 10 degrees in the diagonal angle of view (99º as opposed to 109º), so the question is whether you’re willing to sacrifice that ultra-wide perspective. But the rewards are, on the whole, worth it; the Tokina 12-24mm F4 simply produces superior images. If sharpness is your goal, it’s an option not to be overlooked.

Read The Complete Review: http://www.dpreview.com/….

cr

Zeiss 18mm f/3.5 Distagon for ZE in 2009

It’s coming
The one lens in the Zeiss lineup I’m interested in actually using is the 18mm f/3.5 Distagon.

Zeiss is showing the lens at the Photo Expo show in Tokyo and will be available near the end of 2009.

Probably looking in the $1300 range for the lens.

A small Luminous Landscapes review of it: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/…

I’d like to know when the Makro-Planar 100mm f/2 is coming for ZE. This is another lens that I would seriously consider. I seem to spend a lot of time in MF with my Canon 100 Macro, I probably wouldn’t miss a beat.

cr

Tamron 60mm f/2 Macro Announced

Looks good

Tamron 60mm f/2 Macro

Tamron has announced the development of a 60mm F2 macro lens that provides 1:1 magnification for APS-C sensors. The lens, called the SP AF60mm F/2.0 Di II Macro 1:1, will be available in Canon, Sony and Nikon mounts (with a built-in autofocus motor to allow AF to operate on the D40, D40X and D60). Its design, which incorporates two low dispersion elements to to compensate for various aberrations, lets you achieve 1:1 magnification at a working distance of 100mm. The F2 maximum aperture makes it a whole stop faster than other lenses in the same class. Price and availability will be announced later.

cr

Sigma Announces 3 New Lenses

From PMA
Sigma has come through and announced 3 lenses for PMA. I like the direction here from Sigma. It looks like 2 entry level lenses with OS and a constant aperture ultra wide angle.

Sigma 10-20 f/3.5 EX DC HSM
Sigma has announced an ultra-wide angle zoom, the 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM. This new design squeezes a relatively fast F3.5 constant maximum aperture into a body about 10% larger in each dimension than the company’s popular 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM. The lens has a minimum focus distance of 24 cm (9.4 inches) throughout the zoom range, and features two Super-Low Dispersion glass and two Extraordinary-Low Dispersion glass elements for the correction of chromatic aberrations. It is designed for cameras with APS-C/DX sensors, and will be available in mounts for Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax DSLRs.

Sigma 10-20 f/3.5

Sigma 18-50 f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM
Sigma has unveiled a new large aperture image-stabilized standard zoom, in the shape of the 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM. This lens features a new Optical Stabilization unit which Sigma claims will work on Sony and Pentax bodies with in-body stabilization systems. It also boasts a larger maximum aperture than the kit zooms typically supplied with most DSLRs, and incorporates Sigma’s Hypersonic motor for fast silent autofocus. Designed for DSLRs with APS-C/DX sized image sensors, it will be available in Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax mounts.

Sigma 18-50 f/2.8-4.5 OS

Sigma 50-200 f/4-5.6 DC OS HSM
Sigma has released an image-stabilized version of its budget telezoom lens, the 50-200mm F4-5.6 DC OS HSM. This  features the same new optical stabilization unit as seen on the 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 EX DC HSM also announced today, which is compatible with Pentax and Sony bodies with in-body anti-shake systems. The new lens also includes a number of user-friendly features rarely seen at this level, including a  hypersonic motor for fast, silent autofocus, and an internal-focusing design with a non-rotating front  element. It will be available in mounts for Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax DSLRs, and is designed for cameras with APS-C/DX sized sensors only.

Sigma 50-200 f/4-5.6 OS

Images from DPR

cr

Sigma Delays EF Mount 18-250 f/3.5-6.3 OS HSM

Gimme my superzoom!
Apparently the Canon mount version of this lens was to launch of February 21, 2009. No word on why the delay, but expect it to be pushed back at least 3 weeks.

From [Slashgear]

cr

Anything Coming From Tamron? [CR2]

What’s coming
Received an email saying to expect 1, maybe 2 lenses from Tamron.

The two possible lenses:

• 24-75 f/2.8 VC
• 70-200 f/2.8 VC

When Tamron wants to do a lens right, they can really pull it off. I’ve owned the 28-75 f/2.8 and 17-50 f/2.8. For the money, those lenses were hard to beat.

I hope Tamron stops with the superzooms, I fear an 18-400 f/3.5-8.0 VC or something along those lines. There are a lot of hobbyists on a budget, and would love more lenses like the ones mentioned above.

Sigma, Tokina and Tamron could both become big players in the lens market if they improve quality control and release lenses we ask for. With the DSLR market exploding, there’s so much money to be made.

cr