EF 35 f/1.4L II & EF 24-70 f/2.8L II on January 3, 2012? [CR2]

[whatta]

A 1DX with a 24-105 will take care of all low light situations

One concern I would have would be AF accuracy. On a current 1-series body, the center AF point is high-precision with an f/4 lens, but on the 1D X you need an f/2.8 lens to get the high-precision center point functionality.

but it works in EV -2
btw what does EV 0 mean in practice?

it is not in your great article.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Canon-EOS-DSLR-Autofocus-Explained.aspx

thanks

 

[Loswr]

but it works in EV -2
btw what does EV 0 mean in practice?

Technically, EV 0 is a 1 s exposure at f/1.0 and ISO 100. So, not very much light. 0 EV equates to 0.125 cd/m2 (or about 1/8 the 'brightness' of a typical candle flame). A real-world approximation of 0 EV would be to set your monitor to full brightness and look at a black patch - typical monitor black-points range from 0.1-0.3 cd/m2.

But the amount of light is only part of the story, in terms of a practical application. The AF system depends on contrast, too. The -0.5 EV spec of most Canon cameras, or the -2 EV spec of the 1D X, is based on that level of illumination of a target of maximum contrast (i.e. the border between a black patch and a white patch). Very few real-world scenes are like that, and with dim illumination contrast is reduced. Typically, the AF assist lamp will activate at light levels in the EV 3-4 range and lower. Perhaps that will be even lower on the 1D X.

 

[whatta]

but it works in EV -2
btw what does EV 0 mean in practice?

Technically, EV 0 is a 1 s exposure at f/1.0 and ISO 100. So, not very much light. 0 EV equates to 0.125 cd/m2 (or about 1/8 the 'brightness' of a typical candle flame). A real-world approximation of 0 EV would be to set your monitor to full brightness and look at a black patch - typical monitor black-points range from 0.1-0.3 cd/m2.

But the amount of light is only part of the story, in terms of a practical application. The AF system depends on contrast, too. The -0.5 EV spec of most Canon cameras, or the -2 EV spec of the 1D X, is based on that level of illumination of a target of maximum contrast (i.e. the border between a black patch and a white patch). Very few real-world scenes are like that, and with dim illumination contrast is reduced. Typically, the AF assist lamp will activate at light levels in the EV 3-4 range and lower. Perhaps that will be even lower on the 1D X.

thanks a lot! I suggest putting it into your article.

 

[briansquibb]

A 1DX with a 24-105 will take care of all low light situations

One concern I would have would be AF accuracy. On a current 1-series body, the center AF point is high-precision with an f/4 lens, but on the 1D X you need an f/2.8 lens to get the high-precision center point functionality.

If I read the blurb correctly the F/4 would get the same treatment as the current 1 series.

I find that the 5DII with the 24-105 works fine. I suspect it depends on the definition of low light we are using. I am thinking f/5.6, 1/125, iso3200.

I have a chuckle when I see people wanting IS because their lens hasn't got it and then find they are only using iso400. This is when the addage of putting money into the glass rather than the body is possibly wrong - put money into the body so that you can take pictures at the lowest light with a reasonable dof and reasonable shutter speed. In todays terms that would be the 5DII and the 1D4 for low light as I defined it.

 

[whatta]

A 1DX with a 24-105 will take care of all low light situations

One concern I would have would be AF accuracy. On a current 1-series body, the center AF point is high-precision with an f/4 lens, but on the 1D X you need an f/2.8 lens to get the high-precision center point functionality.

I find that the 5DII with the 24-105 works fine. I suspect it depends on the definition of low light we are using. I am thinking f/5.6, 1/125, iso3200.

for you low light means EV 12 then

for me EV 7-8 I would say (f1.6, 1/60 iso800, that is how low I can go with my current cam+lens)

http://www.giangrandi.ch/optics/lenses/expcalc.html

 

[briansquibb]

for you low light means EV 12 then

for me EV 7-8 I would say (f1.6, 1/60 iso800, that is how low I can go with my current cam+lens)

http://www.giangrandi.ch/optics/lenses/expcalc.html

Basically a standard low lit room like you might get in a wedding reception. This means taking moving subjects would not have motion blur.

For anything still life at really low light it would be tripod/support and manual focus. I find a keyring sized maglite works wonders for focussing

 

[whatta]

A 1DX with a 24-105 will take care of all low light situations

One concern I would have would be AF accuracy. On a current 1-series body, the center AF point is high-precision with an f/4 lens, but on the 1D X you need an f/2.8 lens to get the high-precision center point functionality.

I find that the 5DII with the 24-105 works fine. I suspect it depends on the definition of low light we are using. I am thinking f/5.6, 1/125, iso3200.

for you low light means EV 12 then

for me EV 7-8 I would say (f1.6, 1/60 iso800, that is how low I can go with my current cam+lens)

http://www.giangrandi.ch/optics/lenses/expcalc.html

I was wrong with the calculator, it did not use iso. a better one:

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Exposure/Exposure_01.htm

so I meant EV 4-5 and you EV 7.

 

[Loswr]

I find that the 5DII with the 24-105 works fine. I suspect it depends on the definition of low light we are using. I am thinking f/5.6, 1/125, iso3200.

From CPN Europe 1D X Explained: "The camera has a newly developed high-precision AF system with 61 user selectable AF points, 41 of which are cross-type points, and five dual cross-type points for extra precision." The 5 dual-cross points are the f/2.8 sensitive points. With an f/4 lens, the center point acts as an f/5.6-sensitive cross-type AF point on the 1D X. On the 1D IV, the center point was an f/4-sensitive cross-type (vertical line f/4, horizontal line f/8).

But, you're correct in that the high-precision part applies only with f/2.8 and faster lenses on current 1-series and the 1D X. Thanks for pointing that out.

I suspect it depends on the definition of low light we are using. I am thinking f/5.6, 1/125, iso3200.

That's at least 3-4 EV more light than I'd consider 'low light' even for shooting people. Maybe I just need brighter lights where I'm shooting moving people?

 

[briansquibb]

That's at least 3-4 EV more light than I'd consider 'low light' even for shooting people. Maybe I just need brighter lights where I'm shooting moving people?

I think of low light as being the point where I cant easy read - probably the minimum here would be about f/2.8, 1/60, iso3200 which is fine with a 50mm if shallow DOF is OK . Very low light when it is nearly dark and need some extra light to focus - this definition may change with the 1DX as I can see that iso12800 might give good results as the 1D4 is just about OK to iso6400.

The difficulty with very low light is the focussing as contrast drops AF struggles more

 

[whatta]

but it works in EV -2
btw what does EV 0 mean in practice?

Technically, EV 0 is a 1 s exposure at f/1.0 and ISO 100. So, not very much light. 0 EV equates to 0.125 cd/m2 (or about 1/8 the 'brightness' of a typical candle flame). A real-world approximation of 0 EV would be to set your monitor to full brightness and look at a black patch - typical monitor black-points range from 0.1-0.3 cd/m2.

from canon:
"As part of this increased sensitivity, the EOS-1D X can now focus in even lower light levels than the EOS-1D Mark IV. Using a single central AF point with an f/2.8 lens, the EOS-1D Mark IV could focus in light levels of EV -1. However, the EOS-1D X is able to focus in EV -2, which is the equivalent of shooting under the light of the full moon."

 

[JR]

from canon:
"As part of this increased sensitivity, the EOS-1D X can now focus in even lower light levels than the EOS-1D Mark IV. Using a single central AF point with an f/2.8 lens, the EOS-1D Mark IV could focus in light levels of EV -1. However, the EOS-1D X is able to focus in EV -2, which is the equivalent of shooting under the light of the full moon."

This would also mean the new 1DX will have the same AF sensitivity to low light then the new D4 which was also spec at EV -2 by CR...sound promising!

 

[Gumbum]

Sooo...I guess not

 

[waving_odd]

Maybe CR can have more granular CR ratings. Intuitively, CR2 sounds too close to CR3, although Craig has made it clear that CR2 means a good rumor from a known source only.

 

[bobthebrick]

You never know. It could be a typo and actually be something like the 13th, which is when CES is isn't it?

 

[Canon Rumors]

The same source says "lenses in January"... I'll be posting about this soon.

 

[dolina]

I would prefer a 135, 180 Macro or 400/5.6 update over a 24-70.

 

[briansquibb]

I would prefer a 135, 180 Macro or 400/5.6 update over a 24-70.

.... the 180 macro would be greatly improved with IS as would the 400 f/5.6

Not too sure what would be beneficial for the 135 :-\

 

[dolina]

I would prefer a 135, 180 Macro or 400/5.6 update over a 24-70.

.... the 180 macro would be greatly improved with IS as would the 400 f/5.6

Not too sure what would be beneficial for the 135 :-\

IS on the 135 and 400/5.6 would be a dream. 135 at 1.8, 1.6 or 1.8 would be heaven. ;D

 

[handsomerob]

IS on the 135 and 400/5.6 would be a dream. 135 at 1.8, 1.6 or 1.8 would be heaven. ;D

An even faster 135mm would be heaven indeed, as long as the AF-speed doesn't take a hit with all that glass.
f/1.8 sounds about right (like the superb Zeiss 135mm).