Update: Canon Speedlite 600 EX II-RT & EF-M 28mm f/3.5 IS STM Specifications

[Random Orbits]

Are you guys in the States getting the M3 now ? I can really recommend it. It is very good, in fact so good with the 22 mil pancake I'm going to start using it for my exterior panoramic shots.

Yes, the M3 is available in the US. Picked one up on-sale with the EVF thrown in. Have 4 EF-M lenses, but only bought one in the US. Bought the 18-55 kit lens from Hong Kong because of price (white box), and the 11-22/55-200 from Canada because they were not available in the US. Like the IQ and improvement in AF over M1, but I prefer the menus from M1.

 

[Zv]

That macro lens looks intriguing. I've used the 22mm with extension tubes but this would be way more practical and I could see myself experimenting with some macro now and again. Don't wanna go all in, just dabble a little here and there! And it has a light on the end!

Going by previous M releases it's bound to be quite reasonably priced too.

 

[neuroanatomist]

EF-M 28mm F3.5 Macro IS STM

45mm when converted to APS-C

I'm curious about this, anyone have any guess?
If true, this is an interesting proposition and widening its market.

That's a typo/translation error. Clearly, the M line is APS-C already, so a 28mm EF-M lens gives the same FoV as a 45mm lens on FF.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Speedlite 600EX II-RT compared to the original version:

• Covers the angle of view of 20mm-200mm same as the original
• Coverage of 197ft / 60M (ISO100) same as the original
• Continuous firing is 1.5 times faster from 1.1 (CP-E4N 2 times faster at the time of use) faster recycling
• Up to 5 can control the flash of the group same as the original
• Dust and water resistent same as the original
• The new design of the accessories group adds a compact (presumably rechargeable) battery pack
• Dot matrix type liquid crystal panel same as the original
• 15 types of custom functions three fewer than the original
• Six types of personal function one fewer than the original
• Can be rotated 180 degrees in either direction same as the original

So the new flash has the same head zoom coverage, same power and GN, fewer custom and personal functions, and everyting else is basically the same. The only major change seems to be a faster recycling time, a new rechargeable battery pack (I wonder if that's required for the faster recycle time??), and maybe more/different gels (but maybe not).

Nothing at all enticing there, for me at least. I do hope that the new battery pack doesn't preculde the easy use of AA batteries, eneloops work just great in Speedlites (and by easy use, I mean no need for a cassette to hold the AA's, etc.). Even worse would be that the flash only works with the new rechargeable battery (but I can see the possiblity of that, more $$ for Canon to sell battery packs, although I'd also expect a big backlash for that).

Thanks for clarifying this. I didn't have the specs of the 600 memorized but the new specs did look very similar to what I remember the 600 already having.

But wait! What about those new/nifty COLOR filters man !!

If they are new. The current one comes with weak and strong CTO filters, there are a myriad of possibilties they could add, but for the automatic color temp correction to work, the flash needs to be able to sense what gel is used. Currently it's a physical detection (notches in the gels), I doubt they'll go RFID or something clever like that, so there will be a limited number of gels possible. If I had to guess, they might add 'window green' to balance fluorescent light.

The update also mentions a 'bounce adapter', perhaps a workaround to the fact that the gel holder precludes use of the pull-out bounce card? Or maybe a flashbender-like mod that uses the same attachement as the gel holder?

 

[ian.maw]

What about this section of the translation :-

"Adoption of a strong material to heat. Continuous emission number in comparison with the old model is a 50% increase. Battery Pack CP-E4N when using twice the continuous emission is possible."

This makes it sound like you can take many more shots before the speedlite overheats. This would be very welcome for myself and I am sure many others.

Ian

 

[arcer]

EF-M 28mm F3.5 Macro IS STM

45mm when converted to APS-C

I'm curious about this, anyone have any guess?
If true, this is an interesting proposition and widening its market.

That's a typo/translation error. Clearly, the M line is APS-C already, so a 28mm EF-M lens gives the same FoV as a 45mm lens on FF.

Whoops, thanks neuro.
I got too enthusiastic about the new EF-M lens that I lost common logic.

 

[9VIII]

Seeing the lights on this lens actually makes me pretty excited, though not for this lens in particular.
Hopefully Canon will update the 65mm MP-E where you really need this sort of thing.

 

[H. Jones]

A macro lens is pretty high on my list of equipment right now, since it's a gap in what I'm able to photograph. It's a shame this is for EF-M only, but I'd really enjoy if Canon came out of left field with an EF L-series 1:1 macro that had an integrated focusing light. Or even just a full frame version of this lens.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Seeing the lights on this lens actually makes me pretty excited, though not for this lens in particular.
Hopefully Canon will update the 65mm MPE where you really need this sort of thing.

The problem there is that a ring light is flat lighting (even with the MR-14 with two tubes, you're limited – I expect the M macro built-in light has no directionality and will be even flatter). The flexibility of the MT-24 is really ideal for the MP-E lens.

 

[sulla]

"Adoption of a strong material to heat. Continuous emission number in comparison with the old model is a 50% increase. Battery Pack CP-E4N when using twice the continuous emission is possible."
This makes it sound like you can take many more shots before the speedlite overheats. This would be very welcome for myself and I am sure many others.

Yes, this seems an important change, perhaps the one difference in features that is really a major redisign. I ran into overheating problems with the 600 mark I a few times myself (but not very limiting to my needs).
I just wonder how a new and more powerful battery pack that charges the flash faster could lead to more flashes in a sequence before overheating occurs? That is a bit weird. (Almost as if the flash could fire a given amount of time until the temperature sensor sensed the temperature increase, and a faster recharging automatically results in more flashes that can be fired in that sensing-time, leading to a more severe overheating... )

I also wonder if the new external battery pack can be used in the 600 mark 1 as well... (like the LP-E6N battery upgrade for the EOS bodies) and if, whether it also recharges the mark 1 flash quicker.
(I myself use JJC-FB1 external battery packs).

 

[nads]

I love the idea of this little macro. Not the fastest thing in the world, but likely to be razor sharp almost 50mm equivalent. As long as they don't go crazy with the price, it will be a fun option to have in the small bag. More importantly... these things make the prosumer M body more and more worth having (Especially for somebody who's dumped everything but the M, M mount lenses and 85mm 1.8.

 

[retroreflection]

"Adoption of a strong material to heat. Continuous emission number in comparison with the old model is a 50% increase. Battery Pack CP-E4N when using twice the continuous emission is possible."
This makes it sound like you can take many more shots before the speedlite overheats. This would be very welcome for myself and I am sure many others.

Yes, this seems an important change, perhaps the one difference in features that is really a major redisign. I ran into overheating problems with the 600 mark I a few times myself (but not very limiting to my needs).
I just wonder how a new and more powerful battery pack that charges the flash faster could lead to more flashes in a sequence before overheating occurs? That is a bit weird. (Almost as if the flash could fire a given amount of time until the temperature sensor sensed the temperature increase, and a faster recharging automatically results in more flashes that can be fired in that sensing-time, leading to a more severe overheating... )

I also wonder if the new external battery pack can be used in the 600 mark 1 as well... (like the LP-E6N battery upgrade for the EOS bodies) and if, whether it also recharges the mark 1 flash quicker.
(I myself use JJC-FB1 external battery packs).

High continuous emission requires batteries that can deliver the high current, and a circuit which can handle the power to the flash tubes as well as the waste heat. The clunky translation of "strong material to heat" suggests that they have reduced the sensitivity of component(s) to heat. Did they go from Si to SiC in transistors, changed an insulator material, or something else? They could also have improved efficiency (to reduce waste heat), or improved heat rejection to extend the continuous emission rating, but I don't see how that phrasing would have been used.

They did not go with bigger batteries that allow you to shoot faster before it knows that it has overheated. That would be like driving faster into the brick wall so you get closer to the wall before you know that you are dead.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

While the Macro lens sounds interesting, it also sounds like Canon is still aiming the "M" more at consumer level then enthusiast level photographers. I wonder if that means we will see a FF mirrorless that uses EF lenses for enthusiasts. (Eventually??)

 

[Woody]

While the Macro lens sounds interesting, it also sounds like Canon is still aiming the "M" more at consumer level then enthusiast level photographers. I wonder if that means we will see a FF mirrorless that uses EF lenses for enthusiasts. (Eventually??)

I have been wondering about the same thing.

"The second camera, which may actually be announced first will be Canon’s first “prosumer” focused mirrorless camera. Two sources have said that the camera will use a newly designed 24mp full frame image sensor. This camera will be designed to use EF lenses, but how that’s going to be done is presently unknown to us."

- http://www.canonrumors.com/some-canon-mirrorless-talk-cr2/

 

[Tyroop]

Is there any information on how Canon plan to sell this lens? I have the EF-M to EOS adapter and EF-M 22, 18-55 and 11-22 lenses. I had to travel to Malaysia to buy the 11-22 because it wasn't available where I live. Despite wanting to, I can't buy the EF-M 55-200 locally (in Thailand) without buying it in a kit and also getting the 18-55, which I already have, and the M3, which I don't particularly want. The only way I can get hold of an EF-M 15-45 is by buying it in a kit with the M10, which I don't want.

I know I can order from abroad but prices are high, I will probably be stung with a lot of import duty when it arrives, and I don't want the hassle and expense of sending it back if there is a problem. With lenses, I want to buy locally so that I can check them first and return them easily if need be.

I love my little EOS M and I am optimistic that Canon can turn it into an excellent system, but the marketing strategy has been a disaster so far. I can understand not selling any part of the system in certain regions, but I can't understand why only some parts of the system are sold in certain regions and not others, or why with certain lenses they are only available in kits and not sold individually in all regions. What about those people who have already bought into the system and just want newly announced lenses, not kits?

I have the 100 f/2.8L IS Macro and EF-M to EOS adapter already so wasn't that interested in this new lens initially, but the built in light interests me and could be very useful in a compact native EF-M macro lens.

 

[d]

Is there any information on how Canon plan to sell this lens? I have the EF-M to EOS adapter and EF-M 22, 18-55 and 11-22 lenses. I had to travel to Malaysia to buy the 11-22 because it wasn't available where I live. Despite wanting to, I can't buy the EF-M 55-200 locally (in Thailand) without buying it in a kit and also getting the 18-55, which I already have, and the M3, which I don't particularly want. The only way I can get hold of an EF-M 15-45 is by buying it in a kit with the M10, which I don't want.

Maybe buy the kit, and sell off the components you don't want? Could work out that you get the 55-200 quite cheaply that way.

d.

 

[Tyroop]

Thanks for the suggestion d, but I don't think there is much demand where I live for EOS M. Most people here use smart phones for their photography. If I did this, I could probably offer the M3 and 18-55 new for about $60 less than retail, but I think it would be difficult to sell. I could upgrade to M3 myself, but I'm holding on for an M4 or whatever it is called before I upgrade. I'd just like to be able to buy parts of the EOS M system individually without all this messing around, as you can with Canon's DSLR system.

 

[barracuda]

Looks like the EF-M 28mm will retail for $299:

http://www.adorama.com/alc/9774/article/first-look-canon-sx620-25x-zoom-compact-new-flagship-pro-flash-and-worlds-smallest

 

[d]

Thanks for the suggestion d, but I don't think there is much demand where I live for EOS M. Most people here use smart phones for their photography. If I did this, I could probably offer the M3 and 18-55 new for about $60 less than retail, but I think it would be difficult to sell. I could upgrade to M3 myself, but I'm holding on for an M4 or whatever it is called before I upgrade. I'd just like to be able to buy parts of the EOS M system individually without all this messing around, as you can with Canon's DSLR system.

Fair enough, then! One last suggestion though; if the kit is readily available from a nearby retailer, why not try advertising the M3 + 18-55 before you purchase the kit, to gauge interest? Then if you find a serious buyer, you can go buy the kit and meet up with them. Assuming you have access to something like Craigslist or Gumtree that allows you to place advertisements for free, with 5 or 10 minutes work you'll know in a day or two whether splitting a kit is a viable option.

Cheers,
d.

 

[d]

Looks like the EF-M 28mm will retail for $299:

http://www.adorama.com/alc/9774/article/first-look-canon-sx620-25x-zoom-compact-new-flagship-pro-flash-and-worlds-smallest

The impression I'm left with after watching the Adorama video is that the EF-M 28mm is "pretty cool".