Traveling Part II Africa and South East Asia - Tom Scott

Hey guys,

Just thought I would update you on my travel plans for 2016. Continuing from my 2014/2015 trip of a lifetime of Rio to Lima, then 3/4s of the states I'm off again to do another. I took over 25,000 images in the just shy of 6 months I was away and its been quite a task to sort them... so the thread is unfortunately unfinished but if you would like to read about my gear selection and a little about my first trip here is the link.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=22621.msg435360#msg435360

I will use this thread to update my gear choice and also add pics of my trip as I go.

The Trip

Im very happy to say that after a lot of planning Traveling part II is booked!! Me and SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) are heading to Africa for 54 days starting in Cape Town and end in Nairobi.

Spanning eight countries through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. This journey is full of diverse cultures, abundant wildlife, spectacular landscapes, stunning beaches and loads of adventure. We will track the Big Five across open savannah, explore the Okavango Delta in a dug-out mokoro canoe, encounter gorillas deep in the Ugandan wilderness. We Travel aboard rugged overland truck and wilderness camping will bring you closer to the region’s wildlife.

Couple of highlights...
Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei Dunes, and Spitzkoppe, game drives in Etosha, Serengeti, and Lake Nakuru National Parks, Guided township tour (Swakopmund), Okavango Delta overnight bush camping excursion, Ngorongoro Crater visit with game drives, Guided tour of spice plantation (Zanzibar), 4-day Zanzibar excursion, Guided mountain gorilla trek, Guided chimp trek (Kalinzu Forest Reserve).

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Then we are going to south east asia for 41 days starting in Bangkok finishing in Sanur traveling through Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand!

Couple of highlights...
Full-day snorkelling excursion, City tour of Medan, Visit to orangutan feeding platform, Orientation of the Cameron Highlands, Orientation walks of Bandung, Berastagi, Sipirok and Bukittinggi, Entrance to Bromo Tengger Semeru NP, Mt Bromo sunrise climb, street food crawls.

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Then we are staying in Bali for a while to do our Padi and travel around a few of the other islands including Comodo Island! Cannot wait!!! We fly early Jan and come home early May! With the possibility of heading to India for a while budget depending.

Gear and last trip gear analysis.

Things that didn't work so well

Barely any time for blogging so that is now off my priority list. The iPad Mini was fantastic especially with PS express really powerful. I ran Raws to the CF and small JPGs to the SD then put those on the iPad and edited them as I went to post online. They looked great on the iPad but a lot of members on here were telling me the colour was way off which when i finally got to a computer was abundantly true. Huge disappointment.

So this year I am going to take my MBA as my parents came out to visit me in america and brought it over for me and I was so worried about weight that it came off my list but when I started using it traveling the difference was minimal so it will be coming along this time.

Canon 70-300mm - although an incredibly sharp and small lens it was just far too short. I went to some incredible places like the amazon and it was just miles short sometimes cropping beyond 100% so I will bring something much longer so ensure I get close enough for the game parks etc

Hahnel Dual power USB charger worked once and died it was dead weight for the rest of the trip so I have ditched it for a fospower fuse.

Hahnel ProCube seems great on the outset, but when charging two batteries it will quick charge so only to 60% with both which was extremely annoying as you know with the 5DMKIII its burst speed reduces as the battery power goes below 50% GRRR, Sometimes it would charge one battery 100% and one to 60% and i nearly ran out of power at Machu Picchu on the 4 day inca trail which I was thoroughly annoyed about as I didn't shoot as many images as I wanted to. The USB on the rear also won't work at the same time as charging the batteries. Even with only one charging, it only works when no batteries are charging which is also annoying as its rather large to be a phone charger. But I learned to put both bats in charge until it says 100% then check in camera and let the other charge longer. Its saving grace is that it charges a lot faster than the Canon charger and the fact it can do two at once or I would ditch it.

Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22l AW - Not too many complaints its a great bag generally a great companion.
Things I didn't like - the compartment for camera gear is small not meant for a pro body so my fault but nothing in its size category did basically so I could get it on a flight. The big logo on the rear was a big target IMO although I had no issue. The cool area for your back was a waste, I'm on the younger end of the scale and an active bloke who sweats a bit while tracking and when in humid conditions of 35+ deg C it just soaked up all the sweat like a sponge and wasn't that comfortable and took ages to dry. The water cover was great, and the bag itself has loads of support and the straps are comfy, it had a rear compartment that faces your back and an internal camera bag that can be pulled out so in terms of safety even someone slit the bag with a knife (which does happen a lot) the gear was going nowhere without me seeing or feeling. Unfortunately in this class there are no in-between trekking bags with the same system and a mesh back cool zone, removable interior section and a good sized top section for other things like coats energy bars etc. They are all a lot smaller so for the time being its a love hate relationship more love.


Things that did work well

Picking one pic a day editing it and posting which is my goal and will update this thread with the images.

The 5DMKIII - I would have been lost without it, I don't care what anyone says there is not a better camera to go and do a trip like this. As you can read through my last thread I was juggling the A7, A7r and A6000 as possibilities because of weight. But I'm a fit guy and my main packs only 15k and my camera gear about 6 in my day pack so it was a no issue for me. The 5DMKIII has everything in terms of features build etc. I also like the heavier camera and I'm so used to it. Add that with the 24-105mm fantastic range although not the best IQ, I still think its one of canons best all rounders. The 16-35mm F2.8 again fantastic for night and landscape, the 70-300mm again incredible lens but as above just too short for wildlife but for everything else was great I used this a lot! With the pro grade build and weather sealing the gear went through a lot of intimidating environments from -30-40 deg C of NYC, Detroit and Chicago in the really bad american weather of January, the dust and sand of the Atacama Desert and the rainforest tropical storms of the Amazon. These are just a few it went through some of the worst places possible and I didn't so much as get a tiny bit of dust in a lens... The sensor on the other hand..

My gear I see as just tools I don't really protect it in any great manor just shoot and it shows my gear is worked hard and are certainly not museum pieces. I think this also helps in terms of people wanting to steal it, it looks nakard and I didnt have one issue on the whole trip in terms of safety. I haven't had any issues with this selection what so ever, love it and the way it works and the images I got from it were incredible.

So to continue from that point I will basically be taking the same gear as last time:

5DMKIII
24-105mm F4 L
70-300mm F4-5.6 L
16-35mm F2.8 L

Circ Polar, 10 stop grad, gorilla pod

2tb USB3 external, 1tb Hyperdrive

iPad mini ret 128gb

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Power - Hahnel ProCube - charges two batteries at a time and has a 5v USB on the back very compact brilliant for travel. Also has a car adapter.
http://www.hahnel.ie/index.cfm?page=li-ionchargers&pId=145

Fospower Fuse
http://www.amazon.co.uk/FosPower-All-In-One-Universal-International-Converter-Black/dp/B00KC7I2GU

RavPower 14000MaH battery charger

Hahnel Dual power USB charger
http://www.hahnel.ie/index.cfm?page=xtrasforipod_usb&id=148&pId=148

Additions to this kit are a tamron 150-600mm would love the 100-400mm MKII for its IQ and weather sealing but as above far too short even at 400mm and nearly 3 times the price my gear insurance is already £350 so adding another £2000 to my worldwide cover will drastically increase that. The tammy seems the obvious option and as its cheap if it only lasts the trip I won't loose any sleep. Possibly add a 7DMKII but I'm not sure yet as 500-600mm will be more than enough. Also my MBA 11", the iPad mini 128gb was incredible last time around but really missed my MBA so def taking it.

Bags - Rover Pro 45L AW

http://youtu.be/fCpT5kcoNgA

It will be my hiking bag when needed, and be my luggage bag to put things in the hold during flights etc It also has two pull out camera compartments which can be folded down when not in use, or carry other items.

Rover Pro 45L AW
http://store.lowepro.com/shop/outdoor-adventure/rover-pro-45l-aw

RoverPro_45L_left.jpg


RoverPro_45L_back.jpg


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It has very good supportive straps with an aluminium frame with hip support and a trampoline style rear system for cool air to pass.

I have also bought the Photo Hatchback 22l AW as my day pack its a rear loading camera bag.

This will be for my carry on but also a day pack when I only need a few bits and pieces in the day, it is really compact but holds a lot of gear also has a removable camera compartment allowing it to be a full sized bag.

http://store.lowepro.com/shop/dslr/photo-hatchback-22l-aw

PhotoHatchback_22L_left.jpg


PhotoHatchback_22L_stuffed.jpg


PhotoHatchBack_22L_cameracomp.jpg


Hope you enjoy reading my rants and arguments with myself and the gear! Also the pictures I will post. Any suggestions and comments are very welcome.

Cheers

Tom

Canon's Holy Trinity 2015

So when I started photography three years odd back, this was the Holy Trinity:

Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8 L mkii, Canon EF 24-70 L f/2.8 and the Canon EF 70-200 L f2.8 IS mkii.

The EF 24-70 f/2.8 L mkii obviously replaces the earlier version but which wide angle completes the trinity? Is it the 11-24 or would we consider that a niche lens? Is it the 16-35 f/4.0 L IS or does the 16-35 f/2.8 L mkii still hold it's place?

I guess the 16-35, 24-70 & 70-200 f/4.0 L's complete their own Trinity?

Silly post but I'm just trying to humour myself :D

The Next L Lens From Canon to be a Fast Zoom [CR2]

HTML:
A great new lens was announced last week, but people will always ask ‘what’s coming next?’</p>
<p>We’re told again that the next L lens from Canon will be a fast zoom (f/2.8), and the thinking is it will be an EF 16-35 f/2.8L III. We were originally <a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2015/03/ef-16-35mm-f2-8-replacement-ii-cr1/" target="_blank">told this back in March</a>, and a patent for such an optical formula <a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2015/05/patent-canon-ef-16-35-f2-8l-iii/" target="_blank">became public in May</a>.</p>
<p>There could be other lenses announced in the meantime, and we’re still waiting for a new Non-L, Non-DO 70-300 to arrive, a lens we’ve been expecting for quite some time.</p>
<p>We expect some specialty lenses to arrive in the next few months, most notably new tilt-shift lenses and a new macro. There’s also a possibility of a couple of updated or new supertelephoto lenses.</p>
<p>L lens development is a slow process, and I don’t expect to see any new L lens announced until the new EF 35 f/1.4L II stock levels are good and we have a new camera body or two.</p>

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II Sample Images

HTML:
<p>The recently announced Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II will be available in mid October of this year, so between now and then we should see a barrage of sample images from the highly anticipated lens. A few of the images below are available in high resolution via Canon China, and you can view them <a href="http://www.canon.com.cn/products/camera/ef/lineup/wide/ef35f14lii/sample.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>We’ve received nothing but positive feedback about this new lens, I don’t remember the last time people have been this happy about a new product from Canon.</p>
<p>Expect stock of the new lens to be low well into the new year, so if you want one before then, we do suggest preordering as soon as you’re able.</p>
<p><strong>Preorder EF 35 f/1.4L II $1799: <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1180801-REG/canon_9523b002_35mm_f_1_4l_ii_usm.html/BI/2466/KBID/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/CA35142.html?utm_term=UbK24x0al34oSlvW4eT8QxjoUkX3mDVXeWC-Ug0&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=rflaid64393&cvosrc=affiliate.64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1Uehm5w" target="_blank">Amazon</a></strong></p>

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My take on new 35mm

Being giving this a lot of thought. Deciding not to buy the new 35mm.
The main reason: IS. I rather have a sharp photo than a blurred one!
The new lens looks better in the charts, but don't think the end print will look so much better that I should be without IS.
I do not shoot in the rain so the build quality is not something I base my decision on.
I realize 1.4 is twice the light of 2, but 2 is good enough.
The blur that f2 produces is not so different than 1.4. And the difference is visible only when the focus point is close to a camera.
When the going gets tough, IS will come in more handy then the rest of the benefits of 1.4 lenses combined. For me, that is.
If the new lens had IS, I would pre-ordering it. Am I thinking wrong?

70-200 F2.8 L IS II, focusing, advise, comments needed

Hi All

Everyone know the reputation of the 70-200mm F2.8 as being one of the sharpest lens around but i seem to be having a problem getting pin sharp results, and i do not know if i am expecting to much from the lens, i am doing something wrong or is it the lens?. See the pictures of the duck, you can see i focused near the eye, but when you zoom in the picture is not clear. I am "pixel Peeping" or is there a problem? I was using a 5D MKIII, set at 1/1250, F2.8, ISO 100. Also note, i have run a test using Focal, which stated an adjustment of -3, but i havent see any improvement. Any comments or advice would be appreciated......

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C300mkii 4K/UHD60p RAW via Odyssey 7Q+?

So I was running through a few articles and found one from Convergent Design that peaked my interest. I think they may have jumped the gun and written this incorrectly, because if not I think this would be something major Canon would have said originally. The article states:

"We currently offer the only device in the world that can record 4K/UHD60p RAW, 4K/UHD60p Apple ProRes, 4K120p "half RAW", 1080p120 Apple ProRes, and 12-bit 4:4:4 RGB up to 60p, all from the Canon C300 mkII."

Does any one know if this is correct? If so the are some seriously impressive specs that I have not heard from Canon. Here's the article:

http://convergent-design.actonsoftware.com/acton/rif/4527/s-0071-1504/-/l-0003:9a7/l-0003/showPreparedMessage?sid=DGHGHjFis

And another here:

https://www.convergent-design.com/products/odyssey-raw.html

comparing 24-70 f4 vs 24-105 f4

I have been a satisfied user of 24-105 f4L for a few years. Unlike some others, I found it very sharp even at 24mm. I dropped it on a trip recently and though it still works the filter ring is dented and it is difficult to get filters on and off. So based on reviews I just replaced it with 24-70 f4L and just took the first couple test shots at home.

Barrel Distortion. One of the selling points of the new lens is that it has much less barrel distortion at 24mm. Since that is the focal length I use most on this lens, it made the switch worthwhile. My test shots of the two lenses on the same metal door (tripod, exact same framing) show this is true. Notice how the right side and top side of the door bow slightly on the 24-105 and are straighter on the 24-70. The new lens appears brighter at the same setting (f/8). The new lens seems to be just a hair wider, though the difference is minimal (look at the dark bricks in the upper left corner).

Macro Mode. The other selling point of the new lens (besides being a bit sharper overall) is the dedicated macro mode. I took a ruler and the end of the lens was six inches away from the figurine. If you do not want to carry a separate macro lens (as I do not), this feature can be a real asset. The downside is that you have to be very close to the subject and have very little play - much like using an extension tube. The advantage to carrying a separate macro lens is you have the full range of focus from close to infinity. I enlarged the macro shot to actual pixels and it was incredibly sharp (unbelievably so) on the head of the figurine. The problem when you are that close is the body is out of focus due to shallow depth of field, even at f/16.

Conclusion. If you shoot this standard zoom mostly at 24mm (as I do), and shoot a lot of architecture (as I do), then it may be worth switching to the 24-70 f/4 for the improved barrel distortion. If you use the full range and you have a 24-105 that still works well, then it is likely not worth switching. If I had not dropped my lens I would likely have not switched. I have made no mention of the obvious alternative, the 24-70 f/2_8 (either I or II). That is a whole other discussion and there is already a thread on that.

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Snooker - Paul Hunter Classic 2015

This week the “Paul Hunter Classic 2015” snooker tournament, part of the Players Tour Championship, takes place in Fuerth, Germany, nearby my hometown. The final is on this Sunday (today).
I could manage to go there last Friday for the first time. To make it short:
I had a great time, did see several really good matches, Shaun Murphy (former World Champion) in great shape, two century breaks, including the highest of the day (140 by Liang Wenbo) and I could take several good pictures to remember that day.

Prior to the tournament I couldn't find any information about the rules of photography for spectators so I was cautious not to oversize my equipment and get banned from the tables like some smart phone usesers with flashes were. I went there with the smallest reasonable camera setup:
- EOS 100D body (eq. SL1)
- 24mm and
- 40 mm F2.8 STM pancakes and the
- 85 mm F1.8
all fitting into one small bag together with spare battery and sd card.

I took some photos when I arrived there in the morning as well when the players for the first matches appeared the tables. After that I thought I was about to stop taking pictures to respect the silence for the concentration of the players. I was sitting about 5 to 7 meters away from the tables so much closer than I hoped for. After a few minutes a press photographer from a billiard journal appeared with a big Nikon (couldn't recognize the model), monopod and her 70-200mm F2.8 lens and shot several pictures right away.
The Nikon was really loud compared to my 100D running in silent shutter mode. I watched her technique for a few minutes and then started to copy her, shooting my own pictures. I recognized that she only shot right after the players hit the ball or before they started to concentrate again. And she only did single shots and no series. So no real disturbance to them. So did I now, too.
I had some problems in finding the best setup for exposure and lost some good shots because the contrast between the bright illuminated green snooker tables and the dark brown background with the audience was too distracting for the metering and the different automatic exposure controls. I tried ISO values of 800 and 1600 because IMHO they deliver barely acceptable IQ with this body. I was too concentrated on the right shutter timing to go for locking the exposure. With evaluative, spot and average metering I could not manage to get proper results. The partial metering was delivering the favored results when pointing at the bright table but not when the metering area was pointing at the background (as I said, no time for locking the exposure).
But then I came up with the idea that what I had in front of me was just a perfectly controlled lighting condition like in a studio, only much darker. So I changed to fully manual mode. With the 100D I found the following setup to be the best compromise:
ISO 800, because it was delivering a more acceptable noise level than 1600.
exposure time at 1/80 to 1/125 s because the players were always moving. That was still too slow sometimes.
Aperture F2.8 to F2.0 according to the exposure time depending on the lens.
When I tried F1.8 with the 85 mm the shallow DOF was too critical for the mediocre AF. And I still got a lot front and back focus because of the AF missing the point I wanted although I used the center point most of the time.
With this setup I got a lot of acceptable to good pictures (shooting RAW). In post I only adjusted the WB, did some framing and sometimes slight sharpening.

And now I know next time I can bring my 5D3, 40/2.8 STM, 85/1.8 and a 70-200/2.8 with me. Then I can go for ISO 2000 and have better AF, shorter exposure times and hopefully more keepers ;)

Here are some overall impressions, followed by some match shots:
about #04: John Higgins was just among the crowd waiting for his game to start. Cool 8)

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5DsR nature moiré: example

There have been some questions re moire with 5DsR in nature photography. I finally managed to get some, shooting a grass hopper, where the facet eye with its repeating fine structures led to some moire. First the entire image, then 100% crops of original capture with moire (left), then applying 100% moire reduction in DxO (right). Bottom line, yes it can occur, but it easy to deal with.
I've also been shooting a bunch of lizards with repeating scale patterns, but not a trace of moire anywhere.

Capture data: 5DsR with BG11, cable release, ISO 100 1/2000 s, 180 mm Macro f/3.5. on RRS TVC34L & BH55.

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Sigma 24mm 1.4 art or Sigma 35mm 1.4 art for low light?

Anyone have a Sigma 24mm art 1.4 prime and a Sigma 35mm 1.4 prime? I'm trying to decide which to get for low light and some star photography too but I'm struggling to decide so if any of you have some experience with both which do you prefer and recommend for me?

Some info: Lightroom says 80% of my pictures are at 24mm and I'm looking for a good wide angle prime to go with my 50mm 1.2 and my 24-70 f2.8 but 35mm seems like a nice focal length to me as well as most of my photography is without a tripod and more run and gun Instagram style.

Also I'll be using the prime with a 5D III if that helps.

5DSr crop mode suggestion (for Canon if they're watching)

I don't know if the 1.3x or 1.6x OVF overlays are adaptable, but wouldn't it be cool if we could select our own framing?

i.e. I shoot medium format headshots at 6x4.5 framing or 8x10. It's a nicer frame and it's also nicer for wedding portraits and couple shots. Even though the raw file remains untouched the crop mode / frame is carried over into lightroom and adobe raw as if it was shot with a different sensor shape. It would assist in composition, why shoot 2:3 when we could shoot 5:7 as another example.

It seems limited that there is just the 1.3 and 1.6x modes available?

A question regarding the full frame 4-million-ISO-vid-cam

Hi,

along with the recent anncouncement of this high ISO monster cam I would just like to ask the experts here in the forum,
what you think could trickle down into an overnext 1Dx, 5Dx body...Might we see a crippled 1 Mio ISO 1DxIII version along with a 5DV?
If so, they surely are in the concept phase of such a beast, while preparing the roll outs of the 1DxII and a later 5DiV/X whatever...maybe the rumored 5DC could get its share of some of these new specs.

Or will this tech remain within the 30K USD realm?

http://nofilmschool.com/2015/07/canons-multi-purpose-ME20F-SH-full-frame-35mm-camera-4-million-iso

Speaking of 35's - Sigma 35 Art vs. Canon 2.0 IS?

Any recent opinions on the Sigma 35 1.4 Art vs. the Canon 2.0 IS (especially on a crop body)? I try to keep my gear to a minimum/highest quality and am thinking of swapping out my Canon 2.0 IS for a Sigma 35 Art. I just really like the contrasty look of Sigmas. I get that with the Canon, but the Sigma seems to have that as a signature.
35mm is my most often used focal length for general almost everything.
Just wondering if I'm stupid or not before I do anything potentially stupid.
Thanks.

"Sony A7R II: Focus Accuracy Better than Any DSLR I’ve Ever Used" - Digglloyd

Some interesting reading:

http://diglloyd.com/blog/2015/20150822_1402-SonyA7R_II-focus.html

"Something strange happened on my recent trip: I did not see any mis-focused images from the Sony A7R II. I mean, none.

Try doing that with a Nikon D810 or Canon 5DS R with an autofocus lens—I have and never come close, as past autofocus assessments show. And it’s hopeless to focus a lens manually using the optical viewfinder in a DSLR—the focusing screen is designed for autofocus and can’t show more than about f/2.8 - f/4 equivalent—massive slop—and it is a different optical path almost never the same distance as the sensor (inherent error even with perfect eyes). "

I tested earlier AF with Canon EF 85 F/1.2L II and have the similar results .
Always 100% in focus even at F1.2 and AF is fast.
Moreover , a7rII was able to autofocus with 85mm at F1.2 in extremely dim condition, could hardly see, without any AF assist light , though somewhat slower than in lighter environment.
And this test shot EXIF shows brightens value of minus 6.56.
This is really impressive and this is with 3d party lens, not native one.

Also something interesting on DXOMark
http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Sony-A7R-II-versus-Canon-EOS-5DS-versus-Canon-EOS-1Dx___1035_1008_753
Sony a7r II Low light ISO is better than Canon 1Dx - 3434 ISO for a7RII vs 2786 on Canon 1Dx.
Just in the middle between 1Dx an a7s.

Patent: Expandable LCD Display for Canon Cameras

HTML:
An odd patent for an expandable LCD display has appeared. You can expand the size of the LCD screen by moving the grip side of the camera.</p>
<p>Patent Publication No. 2015-154223 (Google Translated)</p>
<ul>
<li>Published 2015.8.24</li>
<li>Filing date 2014.2.14</li>
<li>Rotatable operation unit</li>
<li>The first state is a rear LCD expands and contracts, the operating face of the operating unit faces behind</li>
<li>The second state, the rear LCD is extended, the operation surface of the operation portion faces to the right</li>
</ul>
<p>Keith over at <a href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/cameras/Canon_rumours.html" target="_blank">Northlight images</a> did the animated image showing the patent concept below.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/bendy-lcd.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-22115" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/bendy-lcd.gif" alt="bendy-lcd" width="410" height="200" /></a></p>

New Tamron Prime Lenses Coming

HTML:
It looks like we’ll be seeing some new Tamron prime lenses very shortly.</p>
<p>SP 35 mm F1.8 Di VC USD (Model F012)</p>
<ul>
<li>Mount Canon, Nikon, Sony</li>
<li>No VC for Sony</li>
</ul>
<p>SP 45 mm F1.8 Di VC USD (Model F013)</p>
<ul>
<li>Mount Canon, Nikon, Sony</li>
<li>No VC for Sony</li>
</ul>
<p>Tamron definitely needs some updated fast prime lenses, and hopefully these come in well under the pricing of Sigma ART series primes. It’s also nice to see VC on some faster lenses.</p>

List of ten of the world's sharpest lenses

The Swedish site objektivtest lists ten of the world's sharpest lenses, on the list are four Sigma, three Zeiss, two Leica and one Canon.

The lenses are placed under the name of order. They have not ranked them the best of sharpness.

The list can be found here, http://www.objektivtest.se/nyheter/tio-av-varldens-skarpaste-objektiv/, (in Swedish) and here, https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.objektivtest.se%2Fnyheter%2Ftio-av-varldens-skarpaste-objektiv%2F&edit-text=&act=url, with Google translate.

A7RII F1.2 Exposure Comparison?

I don't have the camera or an ultra fast lens, but maybe someone else around here who does also has the same curiosity?

The backside illuminated sensor on the A7RII is supposed to clear up a lot of space on the sensor for light gathering, and supposedly a lot of that circuitry on regular sensor designs gets in the way with wide apertures.

One of the biggest questions I've had ever since hearing about this camera is whether or not it produces the same exposure values at f1.2 as older sensor designs (or if you have an f1.0 lens to test that would be even better).
Apparently Canon uses a digital profile to adjust ISO accordingly and compensate, so ideally there should be no communication between the camera and the lens (an extension tube or taped pins should do the trick).

It would be amazing to see if the A7RII actually gets around this classic limitation of digital sensors, as it would open the industry for the possibility of making f1.0 lenses again.

PIX Show in Seattle - Oct 6-7

I downloaded a couple of free tickets from the DPR web site. I'm hoping to go. I am 350 miles from Seattle, so its a bit of a drive.

Is anyone else going? We might be able to meet up there. There are lots of great thinhgs to do and see in the Seattle area, I lived there for 33 years before I retired and moved to Spokane. I hate the traffic and parking, but the light rail runs downtown and then the monorail to Seattle center. My son and daughter live in the area, so I have a place to stay.

Canon C300 Mark II Live Demo Event

I just posted this in one of the threads but for those who weren't following, Adorama (my place of work) in NYC is holding a live demonstration of the Canon C300 Mark II. It's free. If you're in the neighborhood stop on by. And while I cannot positively promise this for this particular session, usually audience members are allowed to check out the equipment as part of the event.

http://www.adorama.com/alc/browse/pages/free-film-school-camera-cinema-featuring-new-canon-c300-mark-ii

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