ethanz said:

I remember paying $2,300 or 2,500 when the 70-200 II came out. It would be a win for Canon if they priced it at or below that.

Thanks Fullstop. Amazing how much currencies fluctuate against each other.

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When the "II" came out in 2010 the USD would only buy about 90 yen. That dropped to below 80 yen for most of 2011-12. By 2015 it had jumped to 120 yen per USD. That's when the new price of existing Canon lenses really started to drop in the U.S. It's now at about 110 yen per USD but competition from Sigma/Tamron/etc. has kept the U.S. prices around 2015 levels.

In 2010 $2,400 USD (what I paid for my 70-200/2.8 II in August 2010) was worth about 216,000 yen.
Today, in early June 2018 $2,100 USD is worth 230,600 yen. Canon is actually charging more, in yen, for the III at $2,100 USD in June 2018 than they were charging for the II at $2,400 in 2010.

As someone who began their photographic career in the late '70s I avoided third partly lenses like the plague as they really were inferior to Nikkors, FDs, Takumars and so on. Then later there was the issue of compatibility with the all electronic cameras, but now I have to say that Dustin Abbott's reviews got me interested in the latest Tamrons as the AF seemed to be pretty good and there is the dock to make other adjustments and ensure future compatibility, and I now have the 45 and 85 SP VC, and they are both very good, the 85 stellar in fact. Also the AF is as good as any of my other Canon lenses, both lenses are 0 AFMA. ( The 45 varies at different distances but that's not unusual on a 35 - 50 mm lens ).

I was also put off Tamrons by the Lens Rentals tear down that showed the second element in the then 24-70 2.8 IS was just held in place with three spots of glue. Anyway the SP series seems to be pretty well made. The 85 has a remarkably heavy and strong lens hood, and I found that it made a very good sacrificial shock absorber when I tripped and fell in Scotland with the camera + 85 slung over my shoulder. As I went down the camera swung round, lens down and hit the stone path first with me on top of it. There was an almighty crunch as the lens hood took the load and split three ways, but there was no other damage apart from a few scrapes on the back of the camera. No de-centering, no AFMA issues.

So given the fact that they are around half to two thirds the price.......they are tempting.

Now I've figured out the nano-USM is the one to go for, I agree with the general consternation, however here's the grey prices:

nano

https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-ef-s-18-135mm-f35-56-is-usm-lens-nano-4665-p.asp

STM

https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-ef-s-18-135mm-f35-56-is-stm-lens-2219-p.asp

thanks to everyone for contributing, nano-USM lens now ordered

fullstop said:

neuroanatomist said:

You are convinced. Lol. A 50mm-equivalent lens is minority, but a 135mm-equivalent lens is being clamored for by the masses.

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50 equivalent is not the issue. f/1.4 is, respectively the price i expect. Will make it a rather extreme "niche product". But, let's see. If it is compact, optically decent and USD/€ 299 I may re-consider. ;D

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All prime lenses are niche products and have been so for a while now. I can't see much point in second guessing Canon on their assessment of the size of various prime lens niches.

Are you using live autofocus or phase detect? The phase detect sensor can get dust on it, causing erratic focusing, or a host of other issues. I'd have Canon work on it, something is wrong, mine is fine.
BTW, try live PDAF and see if it works. That might narrow things down a bit.

Similarly becoming more sceptical of 5`d4 focusing the more I use mine .

I’ll post a new tread with my current problems which are in studio still life setting and it can be shocking ...

Thank you, brad-man, for the heads-up. I like the PD Slide straps and recently picked up their wrist strap which uses V3 so I applied for their upgraded V4 anchors. As pwp posted, it's nice to see a company stand by their products.

traveller said:

The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8e is superior, especially at 135mm. Of course this doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the EF 70-200f/2.8L IS II, but it is a flagship pro lens and Canon really care about bragging rights.
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/11/nikon-70-200mm-f2-8e-fl-ed-af-s-vr-mtf-tests/

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It's my understanding that Nikon's lens has a breathing problem that drastically reduces its max focal length for portrait work. I would be curious to see comparisons of focus tracking and IS between the two lenses. Nikon has or had a reputation for IS issues at high shutter speeds. Still, I would suggest that the 1Dx2 helps the Canon lens out perform the Nikon on Nikon bodies.

Canondude2018 said:

Why would Canon offer IS for it's 50mm 1.4 when it still sells the 1.2? The only one who would get IS would be an upgrade to the current 1.2.

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For same reasons that Canon created the 35 2.0 and the 85 1.4 with IS instead of adding IS to their faster counterparts. I'm guessing that the IS is easier to impliment with smaller elements. Plus, slower lenses may benefit more from IS. My interest is with controlled motion blur where I don't really need f1.2, but f1.4 would be ideal for other needs.

bergstrom said:

Doiesn't seem to be much news as regards development or releases from any major brands?

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You're right. Canon hasn't done a thing in speedlites this year. :

- A

scyrene said:

<0.5%

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Optimist. 0.01378249 +/-= 0.5 %

If you ever travel to SE Asia, especially China, repairs are super cheap. The local Canon repair in the US told me to just buy a new zoom since the little ribbon cable inside had broken but in China the repair was under $20.

Don Haines said:

Kit. said:

mb66energy said:

If it is SPI (a synchronous serial interface using a common clock)

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It's reportedly SPI running at ~80kHz clock sync. No need for slave select because back in the 80s no one expected to have more than 1 MCU in the lens.

Actually, I'm surprised that negotiation for higher speeds done at lower speed of the same serial protocol is patentable at all.

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It could be that the implementation is patented, not the concept.....

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Concepts and Ideas cannot be patented. A working model that is complete enough to demonstrate the invention is required.

This patent is based on previous patents, also owned by Canon. It differs in that a lens with the new protocol is able to be used with existing camera bodies, be they EF, EF-S, or M It could be used on a future mirrorless, but there is specific wording stating that the example is the preferred implementation, and that is a interchangeable lens camera.

Already posted -- head to the main thread.

- A

That is a nice chart. Every time I see a 1" sensor camera, I always am backing out the numbers in my head, so this is handy.

Hat tip to DPR on that.

- A

It's USM, we're good.

- A

Glad to see the bulbous front element that blows away convenient front filtering was worth it! Look how well controlled the vign--

Oh.

Ouch.

- A

CanonFanBoy said:

TommyLee said:

neuroanatomist said:

From a dictionary that somehow got transmogrified from the Mode Dial Boy Universe into the real world:

in·no·va·tive ˈinəˌvādiv adjective
1. when a manufacturer makes a product that I personally want

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ha!...
I tried to resist ... a full belly laugh ..on this one ....for 1 microsecond..

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He is actually the funniest and one of the most astute on these boards in my opinion. Dry as heck, but in the best way possible.

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"Dry?" Neuro? I do not think that word means what you think it means. Oh, you mean "dry" like a sledgehammer. Got it now!

CanonFanBoy said:

Well, I guess some might call it tacky or gimmicky. I don't understand that. Tacky would be a matter of personal taste, of course. Gimmick? I'm not sure for myself. Done right, it is great to my old eyes. I don't see anything devious about the style that would make it a gimmick. A valid tool in the right hands. Here's a video of a pro using TS at an air museum. Shots not possible with a standard lens.

You did ask how and why. The answers to that are everywhere.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTDCW_8AsSo

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Great video and a good answer to my question. Really nice use of the TS.

Tacky, is as you say, a matter of taste. I agree with Keith on "gimmicky." I did express the hope that I could transcend those even if I were shooting wedding pictures. Just because I didn't care for the ones I saw on line a while back doesn't mean that no one could do them well or even to my taste.

As I may have suggested earlier, my puzzlement came from a rather narrow definition of "portrait" rather than a more general sense of people pictures.

Thanks for your replies.

slclick said:

"I am sure these features are priceless to others but I have yet to embrace them."

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;D ;D ;D

+100 hehe

If you have an Apple computer, Sandvox is worth exploring. The SW runs on your Mac and makes it easy to build and see your web site off-line, and then publish or modify the site on your chosen web host. Really easy with no HTML experience required, although you can coustomize with Personal coding if desired. Explore on the Sandvox web site.
I set up my site with this SW.

I have the Velbon Ultra Rexi L - packs to 13" without the head which means it fits in the cabin baggage and as a bonus opens to taller than my Manfrotto 190XProB and is more sturdy. My only niggle with it is that it has twist-lock and not levers but that is personal preference.

pwp said:

Where does that leave the Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 DG Nocticron? And other Leica Noct-ish or Noct-esque lenses?
-pw

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yes, quite grot-esque.

i already can see armies of lawyers gearing up for rights infringements litigation, before they become unemployed, as the apple vs samsung "they stole our groundbreakibg rounded corners" case seems to have come to an end.

How are Canon article numbers constructed? They are used on almost all of Canon's camera articles.
My latest lens, the EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM, is called 2271C005[AA], at least in Europe. In the U.S. it seems to be called 2271C002.
I guess 2271 is just a unique number.
The middle letter could be some type of version. My old 24-70/2.8L had an A (8014A008[AA]) and the new 24-70/2.8L II has a B (5175B005[AA]).
The three digit number suffix seem to mostly be a low number, often 001 or 005.
The two letters in square brackets are for all my gear [AA], except for a LP 1216 pouch [BA] and a professional camera strap [AB].

TAF said:

No, a sales tax is a tax only at the final retail level.

A VAT (value added tax) is a tax added at every step in the process.

In other words, when the aluminum ore is sold to the refiner, they pay a VAT. They've 'added value'.

Then the company that takes the raw aluminum and makes billets (which may not be the refiner) pays a VAT. They've 'added value'.

Then the camera maker pays a VAT on the aluminum they buy to make the body. They then 'add value'.

Then the store you're buying from pays a VAT to get the finished camera. They've 'added value'.

Then you pay it when you by it. (your added value to the process is to put it to work; sometimes they also add a sales tax, just to add insult to injury).

It is insidious, and why prices for things in countries with a VAT are frequently double what they are in countries without such a tax.

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Off topic but needed to clarify:

You're slightly misleading people here as you don't explain that if you pay VAT on goods or services as part of your on-going business, you can reclaim this input tax (as it's called) back from the government. So if I buy aluminium ingots to produce camera bodies, I can reclaim the VAT I paid the supplier. When I sell the bodies to my customer, I charge them VAT which I pass to the government. If my customer is VAT registered and buys the goods for a business use (either to use as part of their business or to resell again), they can reclaim from the govt. the VAT that they paid to me. It's the end user e.g. Joe Public who cannot reclaim the VAT whereas everyone else in the chain (usually) can if they're VAT registered.

Chrome-plated mount? Alright.