Messages

7291

Lenses / Re: 35mm f/2 update?

« on: September 16, 2011, 10:57:13 AM »

They would sell a lot more if they updated it.

Would they?  I rather suspect they'll release something like an EF-S 30mm f/1.8 instead, especially if they keep the cost under $200.

7292

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Canon Announces the PowerShot S100

« on: September 16, 2011, 10:47:39 AM »

What it does raise an interesting question about is a G13 - The S and G series have after all shared sensors.

What I am also wondering about is whether we will see built in GPS coming to more Canon cameras.  That will be interesting to see.

I'd bet the G13 (will they name a camera -13?) would have the same sensor, if/when it comes, and built-in GPS.  Probably a new lens, too - 24-168, perhaps?

I'm hoping we start to see the built-in GPS in dSLRs, at least the 1-series if not lower bodies.

7293

EOS Bodies / Re: Advice on purchasing a new APS-C body

« on: September 16, 2011, 10:43:54 AM »

So, if end up getting lets say the 70-200 f4L IS, I just have a small overlap of focal length (70 to 85 mm) with the 15-85 right? Just wanted to clarify.

Correct. 

As far as I knew, focal lengths written on both EF and EF-S lenses are true lengths in itself regardless you put them on a cropped or a full frame body. Its just that the crop factor(multiplier) comes into play when these lens are put in APS-C bodies? Meaning, e.g the 50mm prime lens in APS-C is truly giving me a virtual 80mm length (1.6 x 50mm) feel. The 15-85mm on a cropped body is essentially giving me a length of 24-136mm, right? Due to the crop, essentially they appear to be zoomed in by a factor 1.6 times? Forgive me if I am mistaken, but this was the conception I had and I could be wrong.

You are absolutely correct.  It's afira who seems to have sown some unfortunate confusion in this thread. 

I am inching towards the 70-200 f4L IS, mainly due to the IS  feature. Nothing is more disappointing than a blurred picture due to camera shake. However, I will miss the background blur quality you would get from a 2.8 aperture. Any thought on that? How much difference is the blur quality between these two lens?

Blur quality (aka bokeh) is similar between the 70-200mm f/4L IS and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II.  Blur quantity is obviously going to be less with the f/4 lens.  Still, if you tightly frame your subject at 200mm f/4, you can get a decent amount of OOF blur.

The IS is very nice to have in the 70-200mm range, especially on an APS-C body.  Shooting people usually requires ~1/60 s (to freeze the involuntary subject motion that can reduce sharpness even in a person holding still).  With no IS, camera shake will reduce the frequency of sharp shots starting at 1/100 s at 70mm and 1/320 s at 200mm - thus, the 3 stops of IS will definitely help, especially at the long end.  The main reason to get the 70-200/2.8 non-IS would be if you were shooting sports and would routinely be at much higher shutter speeds anyway.  But iverall, the 70-200/4 IS is a more versatile lens.  The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II gives you the best of both worlds - f/2.8 and IS - as long as you can handle the weight/size increase and afford to pay twice as much.

7294

Lenses / Re: 35mm f/2 update?

« on: September 16, 2011, 10:29:01 AM »

Any recent rumblings about the 35mm f/2?

Seems to have been out of stock for a while locally and online at most of the major retailers.

No rumblings at all.  IMO, Canon is unlikely to update any EF non-L primes, except perhaps the 50mm f/1.8 II (to reduce production costs, as they did with the EF-S 18-55mm IS and 55-250mm IS lenses, which together with the 50/1.8 II are the three top-selling lenses for Canon).

FWIW, the 35mm f/2 is frequently out of stock (probably a limited production lens), and it's been that way for several years.

7295

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Canon Announces the PowerShot S100

« on: September 15, 2011, 07:03:04 PM »

Amazon has the pre-order up:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-S100-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B005MTME3U/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1316117726&sr=1-1

Awesome - thanks for the link.

I now have the new S100 pre-ordered!   

7296

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Canon Announces the PowerShot S100

« on: September 15, 2011, 05:47:26 PM »

One [undoubtedly stupid] question: what does HS stand for?

Hybrid Stabilisation.

It is the newest form of Canon's IS technology as introduced by the latest 100L macro lens.

Ummmm...no. You're referring to Hybrid IS (H-IS) in the 100L Macro, which corrects for angular motion like traditional IS, and for translational shift. There is no system in PowerShots that corrects for translational shift.

HS = high-sensitivity, and refers to the combination of sensor technology and Digic image processing that allows for cleaner (relatively, at least) shots in low light conditions.

I think the S100's macro/hybrid IS mode is designed to correct for shift-type camera shake.

Apologies - you are correct.  Sorry for not checking my facts.  The S95 does, indeed, have hybrid IS. 

But still, HS is something different.

7297

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Canon Announces the PowerShot S100

« on: September 15, 2011, 02:35:38 PM »

One [undoubtedly stupid] question: what does HS stand for?

Hybrid Stabilisation.

It is the newest form of Canon's IS technology as introduced by the latest 100L macro lens.

Ummmm...no. You're referring to Hybrid IS (H-IS) in the 100L Macro, which corrects for angular motion like traditional IS, and for translational shift. There is no system in PowerShots that corrects for translational shift.

HS = high-sensitivity, and refers to the combination of sensor technology and Digic image processing that allows for cleaner (relatively, at least) shots in low light conditions.

7298

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Canon Announces the PowerShot S100

« on: September 15, 2011, 12:30:12 PM »

Interesting to see that the Digic V in the 12MP S100 allows it to take 2.3fps vs the 0.9 fps of the Digic IV in the 10MP S95

How much of that is Digic V, and how much is the sensor itself?  CMOS sensors read out faster than CCD sensors.

7299

Lenses / Re: 1.7x extender - just me, or would this be a great product?

« on: September 15, 2011, 10:50:24 AM »

A theoretical question.
Which combo is better iq-wise?
1. 7D+300mm 2.8L
2. 5DmkII+Extender 2.0X III+300mm 2.8L

We know which is better at AF, but what about image quality? 

7D + bare lens would better, theoretically.  Empirically, on TDP you can compare the above scenario with the 200mm f/2L IS (instead of the 300/2.8 ), and the 1DsIII instead of the 5DII.  The 7D + bare 200/2 beats the 1DsIII + 200/2 + 2x III across the frame.  With the 1.4x III, the 1DsIII is slightly better in the center, but loses away from the center. 

7300

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Canon Announces the PowerShot S100

« on: September 15, 2011, 09:06:12 AM »

When did 24mm became *ultra*-wide ?

Depends on how you define it.  Most commonly, 'wide angle' is 24-35mm FF-equivalent, and ultrawide is anything shorter than 24mm.  Technically, a 1/1.7" sensor means a 4.6x crop factor, and a 5.2mm lens = 4.6x = 23.92mm FF equivalent...so, technically, it is shorter than 24mm (just like a $399.99 introduction price - I hope - would be technically less than $400...).

But hey, it's all marketing-speak anyway...

The first camera to have the new Digic 5 is a P&S ?!

Yep, so what?  It's ready, they'll use it.  Cheaper for them to convert everything to Digic V than to produce both IV and V into the future...

I take this as a good sign that we may see a dSLR with Digic V sooner rather than later. 

When will this be available?

Probably available end of September or early October.

7301

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Canon Announces the PowerShot S100

« on: September 15, 2011, 08:28:54 AM »

IMO, definitely a worthwhile upgrade for my S95.  I'll be ordering one when they become available!

7302

EOS Bodies / Re: 1Ds Mark IV & 5D Mark III [CR0.5]

« on: September 15, 2011, 08:12:07 AM »

2. When has ANY camera manufacturer introduced a new up-graded sucessor to a camera body with many new features and kept the price the same.  Now that is a pipe dream.

How about 5D Mark II ? I has lots of new features (improvement) compared to 5D classic.

Wrong.      The 5DII wasn't the same introduction price as the original 5D.  It was $500 cheaper...

7303

EOS Bodies / Re: 1Ds Mark IV & 5D Mark III [CR0.5]

« on: September 15, 2011, 06:54:29 AM »

5D Mark III
    * 2 stops better ISO than 5D mk II

Take a look at how DxOMark scores have evolved. I'm  calling BS on this. The Nikon D5100 is only about 1 stop better than the aging (2003) Canon Rebel.  The (2005) 5D classic still soundly beats any APS-C sensor, and the 5D mark II gained a little less than half a stop.

I think there might be a misinterpretation at this point - not 2 stops better ISO, but 2 stops higher ISO. Which means that sensitivity is expandable up to ISO 102,400

That's how I interpreted it - 'better' as Canon defines it, i.e. 'more' and not 'higher quality'. 

7304

Lenses / Re: 70-200 2.8 non is w/ 2x tele?

« on: September 15, 2011, 06:28:02 AM »

I don't have a 100-400 to compare to my 300 f4, but the resolution tool over at the TheDigitalPicture tool show the 300 to be much sharper than the 100-400 at 5.6, center mid and corner.  And the 70-200 2.8 looks really sad at 200, and 280, and 400 (with teleconverters)  And the 300 still looks slightly better at 420mm (with a 1.4X) than the 100-400 at 400 (both at 5.6)

I agree that the 300/4 bare is sharper than the 100-400mm at either 300mm of 400mm.  But I think the 100-400mm @ 400mm is slightly sharper in the center and mid-frame than the 300/4 + 1.4x II/III, and equivalent in the corners (and the corners aren't relevant if you're using a 1.6x body).  Here's the link for those that want to compare for themselves.

Personally, I have a 100-400mm, had a 300/4 (and still have a 1.4x II), and I found the 100-400mm to be better at 400mm than the 300/4 + TC. 

Of the 70-200mm series of lenses, only the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II holds up decently with teleconverters.  But IMO, a native lens will almost always beat a lens + TC, so if you need a focal length, get it if you can, and use extenders sparingly.  The exception is lenses in a dramatically different price class, such as the new 300/2.8 II + 1.4x III, which bests the 100-400mm @ 400mm.  But I will point out that design age is playing a factor there, too - the 100-400mm @ 400mm is still slightly better then the 300/2.8 MkI + 1.4x II.

7305

EOS Bodies / Re: 1Ds Mark IV Information [CR2]

« on: September 14, 2011, 01:42:03 PM »

I assume that if the 1D and !Ds are "merged", that will mean the end of the 1D. Canon will only have a FF pro body.

True, if true.  A 32 MP sensor running in an 'APS-H mode' for the FoV benefit of a cropped sensor would yield a 19 MP image, so that still 'improves' (as Canon seems to define it, i.e. more MPs) on the 1D IV's 16 MP sensor. 

Canon could certainly tie a frame rate to a crop mode, with 10 fps in crop mode (at 19 MP, and we know dual Digic IV can handle 18 MP at 8 fps, so should be no problem for Digic V especially dual), and a lower frame rate in FF mode.

Hope that the new camera will be priced at 1D M4 introduction level ($5,000 US), not the  1Ds M3 level ($8,000 US).

A vain hope.  If they merge them, I'd expect at least 1Ds MkIII pricing.

Frankly, I don't seem them merging the lines any time soon - they'll need to bring out something to sit in the large gap from $2500 to $8000.