February 2005: Canon EOS News and What's New at The-Digital-Picture.com

Thursday, February 24, 2005

The high initial price for the Canon 580EX Flash has dropped. B&H and Adorama have the imported version available now as well.

The Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT SLR Camera is available for ordering (but not in stock) at Adorama Here (Black Body) and Here (Silver Body).

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

In preparation for my Canon 1Ds Mark II Review and to answer a common question, I have added a page explaining the Field of View Crop Factor. Hopefully it will help you make sense of this figure.

Canon Europe CPS has posted Issue 11 of their online magazine. Included is a good but not-too-technical article explaining E-TTL II.

The Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT SLR Camera is available for pre-order here ...

There is likely to be a shortage of this new, in-demand, affordable Digital SLR for some time. Order now if you want one soon.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Lots of big news from Canon today including the announcement of a new Digital SLR - the Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT SLR Camera. Generally speaking, the Digital Rebel 350D is to the Canon 20D what the Digital Rebel 300D is to the Canon 10D. And generally speaking some more, the Digital Rebel 350D is to the Digital Rebel 300D what the Canon 20D is to the Canon 10D. The 350D appears to be a healthy upgrade from the 300D. The Press Release is long but I highlighted some of what I considered important points.

Many of us are anxious to hear new Canon lens announcements. Well, Canon has introduced one, but I doubt there will be a lot of people excited over the new Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens. It should be a nice lens, but is not much different in price the already excellent Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens - and only works on an EF-S capable digital SLR body.

I haven't seen a formal announcement of the Canon EF-S 18-55 II, but one is pictured on the new Digital Rebel 350D. Any changes made may be minor - and not worthy of a press release.

Canon has also announced (in the same PR as the EF-S 60mm) the Canon Long-Distance Infrared Wireless Remote Controller LC-5.

The Canon PowerShot SD500 and SD400 Digital Cameras were announced today. The press release has the details.

Various other Canon products were introduced including digital video cameras and printers.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

I have posted some new sample pictures for the Photogenic Eclipse 60" Umbrella - pics that hopefully do a little more justice to its capabilities than my previous samples.

More about these shots ...
The main light was provided by a Canon 580EX Flash fired into a Photogenic Eclipse 60" Umbrella. The background light was from a Canon 550EX Flash. Both flashes were triggered by a Canon ST-E2 Transmitter. The background is a very large piece of white muslin fabric. The background flash is not large/powerful enough to make the entire background completely white - Adobe Photoshop to the rescue.

The Epson Stylus Photo R1800 Printer has been introduced. This is likely to be one of the top photo printers when it becomes available in March.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Happy Valentines Day!

The Canon EOS 20Da Digital SLR has been introduced in Japan.

Still in stock! The elusive Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II is in stock HERE!

Friday, February 11, 2005

At this moment, the elusive Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II is in stock HERE! Act fast if you want one!

Some mini reviews now online ...
D-Link 7-Port USB 2.0 Hub Review
Kenko Extension Tube Set Review
Lowepro SlipLock Pouch 60 AW Review
Maxtor 200GB Hard Drive Review

Wednesday, February 9, 2005

I have posted my Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens review. Not all lenses are fun to evaluate, but this one is a blast to use. Image quality is exceptional. I will post a few sample pictures eventually.

Some additional reviews now online (some great stuff here) ...
Wimberley Gimbal Tripod Head Review
Maxtor 300GB External Hard Drive Review
Lexar CompactFlash PC CardBus Adapter Review
Pelican 1620 Hard Case Review
Wimberley P50 Lens Plate Review

I purchased another Canon 100-400mm L lens at the end of the last rebate period. The focal length range was too irresistible. I added a size comparison picture to the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens Review.

I added a size comparison picture to the Lowepro Toploader Reviews.

I added a Canon date code example picture to the Canon Lens Aging page.

Monday, February 7, 2005

The Canon Rebate saga continues ... I received the dreaded white post card for a Canon 580EX Flash rebate. They claimed that I did not submit a copy of the warranty card. I definitely sent it the first time - and I resubmitted a copy of the copy I kept from my first submission.

On a more positive note ... I want to thank all of you that have emailed corrections, clarifications and suggestions for the site (no matter how small). I appreciate them!

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Canon has been named 'America's Choice' for Digital Cameras in 2004.

Adobe Camera Raw 2.4 has been released for Photoshop CS.

Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Canon has introduced their second new digital camera of the year, the Canon PowerShot A520 Digital Camera. It is the successor to the successful Canon PowerShot A85 and features 4 megapixel resolution and a 4x zoom in a 13% smaller/10% lighter body. Once again, SD and MMC media are used in this model. The A520 is rated for the same number of shots (300) as the A85 while using half the number of AA batterries (2).

Also included in this announcement is the new Canon HF-DC1 High Power Wireless Slave Flash.- compatible with almost all PowerShot digital cameras.

You may have noticed the new review section - Computer Hardware & Software Reviews. Most of the reviews are not completed at this point, I will add specific product links from this page as they are finished. In the meantime, you can see some of my setup.

In other big news (for me personally), the highly acclaimed Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is on its way to me on the Brown Truck. I will post a review when I can get to it. You will find various other odds and ends (such as the Pelican 1620 Hard Case) listed on the site as well. Again, I will post links here as the reviews are finished.