Northlight Images has found a US patent showcasing a new way to design tilt-shift lenses.

Says Northlight Images:

When you tilt a lens there is often some unwanted shift introduced, by dint of the lens design and where the physical axis of tilt runs with respect to it.

It’s why I modified my original TS-E90mm) – the new version, as with the 17/24mm, has the ability to change the shift/tilt axis relationship. However, Canon has looked at correcting.

In the patent, the unwanted shift from tilt is referred to as composition shift (a useful term – I may be using it in future ;-)  )

The tilt function of the new lens designs is given by offsetting a lens element in front of the stop – the shift is offset by an opposite movement on the rear (camera) side of the stop.

We have had RF mount tilt-shift lenses on our roadmap for quite some time, and the rumors say these new TS-R lenses will have autofocus. This patent doesn’t touch on that, but could give us an idea of what Canon is thinking with the new RF mount tilt-shift lenses.

It looks like Canon will begin shipping the Canon RF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM and Canon RF 1200mm f/8L IS USM on May 26, 2022 in limited quantities, which is likely fine because I imagine these will be purchased in limited quantities.

Canon RF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Key Features

• Outstanding Image Quality, 800mm Super-telephoto Fixed Focal Length Lens
• Expands the EOS R System
• Impressively Light at 6.9 lbs., While Retaining High Levels of Image Quality
• Minimum Focusing Distance of Approx. 8.53′
• Optical Image Stabilization with up to 4.5 Stops of Shake Correction
• Three IS Operation Modes
• Super Spectra Coating (SSC) and Air Sphere Coating (ASC) Helps Minimize
• Ghosting and Flare
• Compatible with Canon RF1.4x and 2x Extenders
• Customizable Electronic Focus Ring, with Manual Focus Capability during SERVO AF

Canon RF 1200mm f/8L IS USM Key Features

• Outstanding Image Quality, 1200mm Super-telephoto Fixed Focal Length Lens
• Expands the EOS R System
• Impressively Light at 7.4 lbs., While Retaining High Levels of Image Quality
• Minimum Focusing Distance of Approx. 14.1′
• Optical Image Stabilization with up to 4 Stops of Shake Correction
• Three IS Operation Modes
• Super Spectra Coating (SSC) and Air Sphere Coating (ASC) Helps Minimize
• Ghosting and Flare
• Compatible with Canon RF1.4x and RF2x Extenders
• Customizable Electronic Focus Ring, with Manual Focus Capability during SERVO AF

Canon RF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM //  Canon RF 1200mm f/8L IS USM

The Canon EOS R10 will become the entry-level RF Mount camera with APS-C image sensors. I think it’s safe to say that this camera is the likely successor to the Canon EOS M5 & Canon EOS M6 Mark II, the latter was recently discontinued by Canon.

Canon EOS R10 Specifications

• 24.2mp
• 15-23fps (Mechanical/Electronic)
• 1x UHS-II (supported)
• HDR PQ

I expect that we’ll see a flurry of information about the Canon EOS R10 and Canon EOS R7 over the next couple of weeks before the scheduled May 24, 2022 announcement.

Note: The image attached to this post is a mockup of the Canon EOS R10

DJI Mini 3 Pro Redefines What a Sub-249g Camera Drone Can Do

Lightweight, portable and powerful, DJI Mini 3 Pro is embedded with a full range of features as the first high-end product of the DJI Mini series

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, today introduces DJI Mini 3 Pro, its most powerful lightweight and portable camera drone. Weighing less than 249 grams to be policy-friendly in many regions and countries, it delivers advanced features like 4K/60fps video, ActiveTrack, tri-directional obstacle sensing, and 90° gimbal rotation to shoot high-quality vertical imaging for social media, all while extending its flight time to well over 30 minutes. DJI Mini 3 Pro empowers users everywhere to fly mini, create big.

“When we launched the Mini drone series in 2019, our goal was to give everyone the easiest way to see the world from above for the first time,” said Ferdinand Wolf, Creative Director at DJI. “Through their images and stories, we discovered how capable a small aerial camera could be. Today, we share the integration of excellent flight capability, intelligence, and imaging versatility into our ultra-lightweight aerial camera. DJI Mini 3 Pro raises the bar on what a portable, powerful camera drone can achieve.”

Preorder the DJI Mini 3 Pro:

• DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone with RC-N1 Remote Controller $759
• DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone with RC Remote Controller $909
• DJI Mini 3 Pro Fly More Kit $189
• DJI Mini 3 Pro Fly More Kit Plus $249

Read more…

It looks like we have a few surprises on our hands from Canon, as they gear up to announce new products this month, which is another pleasant surprise.

Canon will announce the long rumoured Canon EOS R7, a camera we leaked the specifications on yesterday. There will also be a second camera, the Canon EOS R10. We’re going to assume that the Canon EOS R10 is an APS-C camera that will likely take the place of the EOS M5/EOS M6 Mark II. It was rumoured quite some time ago that Canon would announce multiple APS-C RF mount cameras.

Canon will also announce a couple of RF-S lenses.

Canon will announce the following gear

• Canon EOS R7 camera body
• Canon EOS R10 camera body
• Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
• Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM

All of this gear will likely be announced on May 24, 2022.

We have finally confirmed some specifications for the upcoming Canon EOS R7, the first RF Mount camera for APS-C sensors. This is probably also going to finally put the EOS M system out to pasture.

Canon EOS R7 Specifications

• 32.5mp APS-C Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• 15-30fps (mechanical/electronic)
• 2x UHS-II supported
• 4K @ 60/50fps (NTSC/PAL)
• 1080p @ 120/100fps (NTSC/PAL)
• C-Log 3/HDR PQ
• In-Body IS
• Announcement in June/July 2022

We’ll update the specifications as we learn more.

A patent showcasing some new tilt-shift lens technology has surfaced from Canon. We have had both the Canon TS-R 14mm f/4L and Canon TS-R 24mm f/3.5L on our RF lens roadmap for quite some time. It has been rumoured that these will be autofocus tilt-shift lenses.

The patent here discusses electronic control of of the tilt function of a tilt-shift lens.

If Canon pulls off both autofocus and electronic controls on their new RF mount tilt-shift lenses, that will be pretty revolutionary.

Read more…

We have received reports from two different countries that the Canon EOS M6 Mark II has been discontinued. There will obviously be inventory in various stores around the globe.

With no rumoured successor, we think that this may be the biggest sign yet that the EOS M system is going to be phased out in favour of an RF mount APS-C camera line.

The Canon EOS R7 will be a more “professional” design, but we fully expect Canon to announce an RF mount APS-C camera or two in the future with similar ergonomics as the EOS M series.

More to come…

The Canon USA store once again has stock of the always hard-to-find Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM.

Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Key Features

• Bright, Constant f/2.0 Zoom Lens
• L-series Lens with High Image Quality
• Control Ring for Direct Setting Changes
• 12 pin Communication System
• Dust- and Water-resistant with Fluorine Coating
• Air Sphere Coating (ASC) Minimizes Lens Flare and Ghosting
• Two UD Elements and One Super UD Element
• Zoom Focal Length: Focal Length: 28-70mm

Refurbished Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM $2789 (Reg $3099)

All Canon USA refurbished gear comes with a full 1-year Canon USA warranty.

Delkin lent us a new CFexpress Type B card, to be released later this week, which our tests show to be the fastest card yet for the Canon R5. The new Delkin Black 325 GB card shot 325 images in 30 seconds, edging out the previous title holder, one of the newer Angelbirds.

Video shooters will be pleased to hear it managed heat well enough to allow our R5 to shoot 8K video for the full 29 minutes and 59 seconds without overheating.

The card will retail for $430 starting on Thursday. The comprehensive CFexpress Type B review will be updated shortly to reflect the results of this card, as well as one or two additional new ones currently under testing.