December 2004 to January 2005: Canon EOS News and What's New at The-Digital-Picture.com

Friday, January 28, 2005

The current batch of Canon Rebates are Expiring at the end of this month! Monday the 31st is the last day to take advantage of these potentially great deals.  
The Photo Marketing Association's PMA2005 takes place February 20th-23rd at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. I expect we will be hearing some new product announcements any time from now until the end of the show.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Canon has introduced their first new digital camera of the year, the very inexpensive Canon PowerShot A510 Digital Camera. It is the successor to the successful Canon PowerShot A75 and features 3.2 megapixel resolution and a 4x zoom in a 13% smaller/10% lighter body. Of interest is that it utilizes an SD MultiMediaCard - a break from Canon's longstanding CompactFlash storage medium.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Two new reviews are online ...
Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x Macro Lens Review
Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Flash Review

There are less than two weeks left to get in on the Canon rebates!

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Three new reviews are online ...
Gitzo G1327 Mountaineer Carbon Fiber Tripod Review
Arca-Swiss B1 Panning Ballhead Review
Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 Review

Sorry, I'm still waiting for delivery of my Canon EOS 1DS Mark II. I was indecisive on the price and got in line very late.

Friday, January 7, 2005

A Forbes.com article gives some insight into the digital camera market. It also reveals that Canon plans to release about 20 new digital camera models this year. I'm sure most will be consumer point and shoot models, but that is a big number nonetheless.

Thursday, January 6, 2005

I went shopping (online of course) at my favorite retailer ( B&H Photo ) this week. They have the new Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce for the Canon 580EX in stock.

I also picked up a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens. I didn't currently have a 50mm in my kit - and I couldn't resist the price after the triple rebate.

Don't forget - the current Canon Rebates are Expiring at the end of this month! Tripled, some of these rebates create great deals. If you are adept at selling stuff, you could probably make some decent money on the Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel with its rebate tripled.

I picked up another Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens. I sold my first one to fund my Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens. But, I kept looking back at the pictures I took with it - and had to replace it. Portraits shot at f/1.2-1.4 with this lens are addicting!

While I really like my Bogen/Manfrato 3021B Pro Tripod Legs, The quality of my Gitzo G1588 Monopod has also become addicting. A new Gitzo G1327 Mountaineer Carbon Fiber Tripod is coming my way. I am especially interested in the extra rigidity these legs will provide - rated about 2x as high as the Bogen's rating. I picked up an Arca-Swiss B1 Panning Ballhead to go on top.

Since I have not had my hands on the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 with Soft Focus Lens, I added one to my cart before checking out. Word on the street is that this is a decent lens for the money.

A Canon Speedlite MT-24ex Flash is on the Brown Truck to complement my also-soon-to-be-reviewed Canon MP-E 65mm Super Macro Lens. There is a nice rebate on this flash as well. The reviews for this flash and for the other new-to-me equipment will be online in the not-too-distant future.

Wednesday, January 5, 2005

The Canon SELPHY CP-400 Compact Photo Printer has been announced. "This new dye sublimation device creates water and fade resistant prints that last up to 100 years!(C)"

Unstoppable Canon - an interview with Fujio Mitarai, president of Canon Corporation, by Japan Today. A notable statement was that Canon's sales of digital cameras increased 70% in 2004.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

--> Introducing our Canon News and What's New Section ...

Five Canon EF Normal Zoom Lens reviews have been added to the site ...
Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II Zoom Lens Review
Canon EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 II Zoom Lens Review
Canon EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 II USM Zoom Lens Review
Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Zoom Lens Review
Canon EF 28-105mm f/4.0-5.6 USM Zoom Lens Review
I do not intend to post sample pictures from these lenses - sorry!

In the Photography Tips section, I added a page regarding ...
Photography Equipment and Liability Insurance

 
Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Four Canon EF Telephoto Zoom Lens reviews have been added to the site ...
Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Zoom Lens
Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens Review
Canon EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II Telephoto Zoom Lens Review
Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM Telephoto Zoom Lens Review
I do not intend to post sample pictures from these lenses - sorry!

 
Monday, December 20, 2004

Canon has released EOS 1D Mark II Firmware Update Version 1.1.0 and EOS-1Ds Mark II Firmware Update Version 1.0.3. Both updates make improvements to AF tracking in AI Servo AF mode including improved tracking of moving subjects in low light and dark colored subjects. The 1D Mark II update also reduces the time between when the camera is turned on and when it is ready to shoot. In addition, support has been added to the 1D Mark II for the wireless file transmitter WFT-E1. The firmware upgrade for the EOS 1DS Mark II also addresses an issue of color differences between RAW and JPEG thumbnail images. Although the download site does not mention it, the 1D Mark II is supposed to address a noise issue during bulb exposures. A camera body serial number is required for these free downloads.