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Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

Malm said:
I use several trackers, depending on the payload:
1) For the Canon RF 85/1.2 with a R8 or R6 II camera I use the Vixen Polarie U
2) For the lighter 'old' Canon EF 35/1.4 II (very good lens for astro-photography) I use the MSM/Nomad tracker
3) For heavier lenses (e.g. Sigma A 105/1.4 or the Apo-Telyt-R 280/4) I use the Fornax LT

With 240 days of rain per year I have to be a little bit flexible once we get a clear sky.

ick on the rain! where are you?

The Vixen is interesting! do you get enough precision with that? how long of exposures can you take?

Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

Kiton said:
So no reports of an R3 mk 2 being used at the games?

Craig parses out that stuff, I'm just a peon.

Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

AlanF said:
"It's hard to wrap your mind around the investment that Canon and the other camera manufacturers make to ensure that the professionals get their images out to us."

It's easy - they just charge us their sky high prices and we pay for the "investment". And, seeing them acts as free advertisements.

There is certainly a cost associated with supporting CPS everywhere that is 100% certain. and someone pays, they aren't a charity

Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

danfaz said:
Other than the PD-E1 and PD-E2 chargers?

I think he means an external charger.

Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

Zadak said:
2026 and Canon still won't make an OFFICIAL, USB-C version of their chargers. What bs

yes, it's always the first thing I do with a new battery type is to go out and get an aftermarket battery charger with a USB-C plug.

neuroanatomist · Feb 18, 2026

Zadak said:
2026 and Canon still won't make an OFFICIAL, USB-C version of their chargers. What bs

danfaz · Feb 18, 2026

Zadak said:
2026 and Canon still won't make an OFFICIAL, USB-C version of their chargers. What bs

Other than the PD-E1 and PD-E2 chargers?

Malm · Feb 18, 2026

mimbu said:
And Canon steadfastly refusing to allow 3rd party glass on to RF is why Canon is dead to me. It's too bad because if 3rd party glass was allowed, there is a reasonably high probability I would own an R5 II.

Yipp, I don't like it too, but most people stick to their brand (and usually Canon knows best how the market works).
I have the impression that Sony is more popular for younger users, so that Canon might get problems in the future.
But I also see that the new(er) 3rd party lenses - from China - are relatively good for their low price, but they can only offer MF lenses for the RF mount or AF for the EF mount with adapter. If these 3rd party lenses would be available with AF for the RF mount, that would probably hurt Canons financial results a bit (and they still recover from the smartphone competition).
Well, the lack of lenses for the RF mount is a severe issue!

mimbu · Feb 18, 2026

Richard CR said:
Ah I see. I haven't kept up because they weren't for the RF mount, thus dead to me.

And Canon steadfastly refusing to allow 3rd party glass on to RF is why Canon is dead to me. It's too bad because if 3rd party glass was allowed, there is a reasonably high probability I would own an R5 II.

Zadak · Feb 18, 2026

2026 and Canon still won't make an OFFICIAL, USB-C version of their chargers. What bs

AlanF · Feb 18, 2026

"It's hard to wrap your mind around the investment that Canon and the other camera manufacturers make to ensure that the professionals get their images out to us."

It's easy - they just charge us their sky high prices and we pay for the "investment". And, seeing them acts as free advertisements.

Kiton · Feb 18, 2026

So no reports of an R3 mk 2 being used at the games?

davidespinosa · Feb 18, 2026

How many entry-level cameras does Canon need ?

Right now, there's the R100, R50, R10, and maybe the R50 V.

Malm · Feb 18, 2026

David - Sydney said:
.....
A low profile index rotator can also make it easy to have defined overlap for stitching images, but using the rear screen with a 3x3 grid and match stars work as well.

Thanks for the info with the Sunway head. I will look into it.
I build my own 'indexed' head for tracked panoramas. My goal was a robust, simple and light solution as I'm also trekking to my locations and I usually have to work with gloves in the cold.

Malm · Feb 18, 2026

David - Sydney said:
Gaffer tape is my goto solution for my Samyang. Can't move the aperture ring or the focus ring with it in place. No MF/AF switch of course. Gaffer is also good for other stuff on site eg power banks to tripod legs etc. No residue as long as you take it off after use.

I also use BLACK Gaffer tape to dim the bright LED's from the Canon cameras and my other equipment (e.g. external batteries).
ANY focus ring is taped and I also have spare tape on my camera and on the tripods. You simply can't have enough of it!

Malm · Feb 18, 2026

Richard CR said:
what do you use for tracking?

I use several trackers, depending on the payload:
1) For the Canon RF 85/1.2 with a R8 or R6 II camera I use the Vixen Polarie U
2) For the lighter 'old' Canon EF 35/1.4 II (very good lens for astro-photography) I use the MSM/Nomad tracker
3) For heavier lenses (e.g. Sigma A 105/1.4 or the Apo-Telyt-R 280/4) I use the Fornax LT

With 240 days of rain per year I have to be a little bit flexible once we get a clear sky.

Klendothir · Feb 18, 2026

neuroanatomist said:
When trust is damaged, rebuilding it is hard. If they believed that it was appropriate to use the RF 16/2.8 profile to correct the RF 14/1.4 RAW images and draw conclusions about lens performance based on those images, they're either trying to intentionally make the lens look bad or they're incompetent at testing lenses. Why the heck not just use DPP to convert the image? I get that DPP is kludgy, but with a new camera or lens it's often the only viable option. I downloaded a RAW image from the RF 14/1.4 from DPR's sample gallery and opened it in DPP:

View attachment 228010

The 14/1.4 has a lens profile available. But PetaPixel used something else.

CameraLabs stated, "I also retested the lens focused in the corner and the result for this subject and distance looked no different from my first samples. So it’s looking like a nice flat field." Bryan/TDP is silent on the subject, but he reliably discusses field curvature for lenses that exhibit it.

You say they see smoke where there's smoke. I wonder if they'd smell smoke if their own pants were on fire.

Speaking of profiles, DxO will support both the 14mm and the fisheye from April on.

DxO Software - New Cameras & Lenses support (18 February 2026 update)

Hello all, On this 18 February 2026 we are pleased to announce the availability of new camera and lens support across our DxO software range. Supported Versions DxO PhotoLab 9.5 / 8.13 / 7.21 DxO PureRAW 5.8 (PureRAW 4 will be updated next week) DxO FilmPack 8.4 / 7.21 DxO...

forum.dxo.com

Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

Photographer and veteran Olympic shooter Jeff Cable is at the Olympics again, and he’s given us another behind-the-scenes look at Canon's professional services setup at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan. Cable’s just released a new blog post, which takes us on an exclusive tour of Canon’s Canon Professional Services (CPS) loaner room at […]

See full article...

Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

mimbu said:
The Sigma lens is still a current product for both E and L mounts, not discontinued. However as with most niche lenses they are produced in batches rather than a few at a time. If demand outstrips supply then it's possible for Sigma to run out and for people to have to wait until the next batch is produced.

Sigma also renamed all their lenses to drop the "DN" from the model name, so what was originally the "Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art" is now the "Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG Art". They did the same thing with their "DC" APS-C lenses, what used to be "DC DN" is now just "DC". The "DN" meant "digital native" and is redundant in a world of new mirrorless mounts where every Sigma lens is "digital native". The result is that there are sometimes apparent duplicate or orphaned listings on some websites, like this:

View attachment 228011

Ah I see. I haven't kept up because they weren't for the RF mount, thus dead to me. I was referring to Sigma's own website, which states the DG DN is discontinued. They re-released it as a DG Art, which I saw as a "special request item."

Sigma could have done that a lot better. Thanks for the clarification.

mimbu · Feb 18, 2026

Richard CR said:
There was a Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG for L-mount and Sony E mount, but that was also discontinued in 2025, and now you can still get it, but it’s a “special order”. Whatever that means. In other words, in the realm of lenses that you can purchase today, you can adapt or choose a lesser lens.

See full article...

The Sigma lens is still a current product for both E and L mounts, not discontinued. However as with most niche lenses they are produced in batches rather than a few at a time. If demand outstrips supply then it's possible for Sigma to run out and for people to have to wait until the next batch is produced.

Sigma also renamed all their lenses to drop the "DN" from the model name, so what was originally the "Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art" is now the "Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG Art". They did the same thing with their "DC" APS-C lenses, what used to be "DC DN" is now just "DC". The "DN" meant "digital native" and is redundant in a world of new mirrorless mounts where every Sigma lens is "digital native". The result is that there are sometimes apparent duplicate or orphaned listings on some websites, like this:

Sporgon · Feb 18, 2026

Michael T said:
Please make it styled after the F-1 and not the AE-1. The AE-1 was plastic looking thing. The F-1 had much more classic styling, maybe call it the RF-1.

The ‘RE-1’ will be a plastic looking thing

David - Sydney · Feb 18, 2026

Richard CR said:
sweet. i had the original model of that - I see it's really gotten more advanced since then.

As a dual ball head is needed, I found that the SUNWAYFOTO DT-03R 2 way tilt was much easier to use as normal ball heads are restricted by the size of the "notch" and easier to level.
It is also a lower profile than normal ballheads as the combined ballhead/camera etc can be large. I don't need to use a counter weight.

A low profile index rotator can also make it easy to have defined overlap for stitching images, but using the rear screen with a 3x3 grid and match stars work as well.

Richard-CN · Feb 18, 2026

David - Sydney said:
I use the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro 2i as my tracker. Heavy but has some advantages over others and not too expensive.
Dan does a good overview at https://capturetheatlas.com/best-star-trackers/

Benro is good for automation but their SW and updates has not been good. Dan sells a course specifically for the Benro based on his experience in the field and helping workshop participants with different systems. There is 3rd party SW now for it but it seems to be mostly for control at a distance.

sweet. i had the original model of that - I see it's really gotten more advanced since then.

David - Sydney · Feb 18, 2026

Sorry to be that guy, but the Sony 14 1.8 gm is half the price,

Alastair Norcross said:
False, and it's 2/3 stop slower.

Definitely slower but he is actually under-estimating at being half the price.

In Australia, the Sony at AUD1590 is less than half the Canon cost at AUD3700 (inc tax).

By comparison the RF14 is USD2350 at apples-to-apples comparison with USD2600 ex tax at B&H.... go tariffs! (and don't forget the 5yr warranty)

The Sony 20mm/1.8 is AUD1300 locally and hence ~40% cheaper than the RF20 at AUD2300 (USD1460 equivalent).

There is no doubt about initial pricing being high but the RF20 has not dropped in price since release locally.

neuroanatomist · Feb 18, 2026

AJ said:
Thanks for the Cameralabs link. That sounds reassuring.

Indeed, and Richard is likely correct. If they got a bad copy, I do hope they had a pre-production copy. But it seems odd that Canon would put a problematic lens into the hands of reviewers (Bryan has gotten bad copies, but bought retail).

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