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So Canon have released two new lenses - a 24-70mm 4L IS USM and a 35mm 2 IS USM EF lens. But more interestingly, Canon have finally decided to join the rest of the industry by switching to centre-pinch lens caps! Exciting news.
Of course, I’m still waiting for a 24-105 2.8L IS USM lens. That would be my ideal!
Canon keeps surprising us with updates. The company has announced a firmware update to the EOS 5D mark III, adding uncompressed HDMI and support for f/8 lenses when using the central AF sensor. Very impressive that they’ve enabled this functionality without hardware changes.
The only odd thing is that it’s a massive preannouncement. Users have to wait until April 2013 for these goodies!
So, between Nikon’s new D600 and Canon’s new 6D, it seems that affordable full-frame (35mm equivalent) digital SLRs are finally coming of age!
Both cameras look like great bodies, with various advantages to each side. (Canon for high ISO, WiFi and GPS; Nikon for better AF and viewfinder) Pretty exciting stuff.
No, it’s not a resurrection of the strange manual-focus semi-EOS film body from 20 years ago… EF-M now refers to the new line of Canon mirrorless cameras that’s rumoured to debut this coming Monday.
Rumoured specs from this Japanese site.
Summary: APS-C size chip, 18 megapixels and touchscreen for the base model, EOS M as the marketing name, introductory lenses pancake 22mm and an 18-55mm.
Interesting piece on the ongoing myth that flash photography can damage artwork.
Personally I feel that museums should ban the use of flash, simply because it’s incredibly annoying to have bright bursts of light fired off while you’re trying to contemplate art. However, the way this tends to translate to blanket bans on photography altogether is frustrating.
In a very unusual move, Canon have a new firmware update out for the EOS 7D. Very cool to see a whole set of new features implemented in a free download for a camera that’s been on the market for nearly 3 years.
The update bumps up the size of the buffer for continuous shots, adds auto ISO features, and adds audio record level control.
Lensrentals’ Roger Cicala has a blog post detailing his thoughts on the new Canon 40mm “pancake” lens. Interesting reading.
I’ve been thinking for years now that it’s interesting that no DSLR maker has really implemented touchscreen technology. It seems such an obvious step, particularly given the resounding success of touchscreens on mobile phones.
So Canon have taken the first step, announcing the EOS 650D or Rebel T4i, which includes a complete touchscreen interface. It’s not a replacement for the usual buttons and knobs, but an optional way to use the camera.
They also introduced a new pair of lenses - STM or “stepper motor” lenses - which promise near-silent and smooth operation for video work.
So the Canon EOS 5D mark III has an unusual problem - light can leak from the top deck LCD can throw off the light metering in early-model cameras under low-light conditions. Roger Cicala from LensRentals details the simple fix - Canon now cover the offending component with black tape.
According to Canon USA’s Chuck Westfall, the first Canon EOS camera was introduced 25 years ago. On 17 February 1987 the EOS 650 was announced by Canon USA.
50 million cameras and a transition to digital, and the EOS design is still doing pretty well! The features ushered in by the 650 - especially the autofocus motor and electric aperture control built into the lens - have gradually been adopted by most of the SLR industry since.
EOS was a hugely controversial system from the start, because Canon took the strategic decision of abandoning their old FD mount manual focus system with its introduction. They didn’t have to. They could’ve done what Pentax did with the introduction of the K-mount: keep compatibility with the older M42 screwmount by use of adapters. Or what Nikon did: adapt its existing lens mount to autofocus.
The move to EOS certainly angered a lot of old-time Canon FD users. But by taking this forward-looking gamble the company set a pretty impressive basis for years of future growth.
