Sep, Oct 2008: Canon EOS News and What's New at The-Digital-Picture.com

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Review

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Canon has released EOS 50D Firmware v1.0.3.

"This firmware update (Version 1.0.3) incorporates the following fixes.

Corrects a phenomenon in which an image becomes overexposed when C.Fn.II-3 Highlight tone priority is set to "1" together with other camera settings. (This correction has already been incorporated in the Version 1.0.2 and later firmware).

Corrects a rare phenomenon in which "busy" blinks on the camera's display panel and the shutter cannot be released due to the timing of battery installation.

Corrects a rare phenomenon in which "Err 99" appears on the camera's display panel and LCD monitor and the shutter cannot be released due to the timing of pressing the shutter button."

Monday, October 27, 2008

More Canon EOS 5D Mark II videos are appearing on the 'net.

A Three Act Play - A bridal video short by Canon Explorer of Light/PrintMaster Bruce Dorn
Backflip (80 MB .MOV - thanks Sven)
Nachtfahrer (89 MB .MOV - thanks Sven)

All three of these videos are a foreshadowing of what is to come - expect to see many more EOS 5D II videos using wide aperture and other specialty lenses such as fisheye, tilt-shift and super telephoto lenses. And expect many of them to be shot in ambient light or with other low-for-video wattage lights.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Owner's Manual is available for download (6.2 MB PDF - thanks Dan).

Adobe Camera Raw 5.1 and Lightroom 2.1 updates are available for download (thanks Heinz).

"Ask and you shall receive" - That's how it is with Brian Erwin at Think Tank Photo at least. Brian has provided us with a photo of the Think Tank Shape Shifter Backpack with Canon gear inside. I saw the Shape Shifter at the Photo Plus Expo this week - it is a nice backpack and will work very well for certain applications.

Adorama has the Lowepro SlingShot 100 AW on sale for $59.99.

Tuesday, October 22, 2008

Just announced: Think Tank Shape Shifter Backpack

This is a very uniquely-designed backpack - check it out. I'll have to talk to them about getting Canon gear in the product pictures. :)

Monday, October 20, 2008

A Canon Fall Rebate program has been announced. Once again, this is an instant rebate available to everyone. Purchases eligible for this rebate must be made between October 19, 2008 and January 17, 2009.

Looks good to me. I'm surprised to see a rebate available for the new EF-S 18-200mm IS Lens already, though the initial price seemed high.

 
Adorama currently has a very nice inventory of used lenses including many super-telephotos and L-zooms (thanks Chad). Navigate to "Used Equipment" and select the "Canon Auto Focus" category you are interested in. I'm not a big proponent of buying used lenses, but Adorama, with their good return policy, is a safe option.

 
The SanDisk Fall Rebate program has been announced (thanks Tony).

 
I've just returned from a photo trip to Acadia National Park in Maine where I spent a lot of time with the new 50D (great camera) and the 18-200. I have enough post processing work to take me deep into Winter, but that reflects the great trip it was. Completing the EF-S 18-200 review is next on my to-do queue and the 50D review will follow. I will be attending the Photo Plus Expo and meeting with B&H in New York City this Thu and Fri, so these tasks will not be uninterrupted.

To get things started, I have added ISO 12233 chart sample crops from the EOS 50D to the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens review page.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Onecall has the Canon EOS 5D II available for preorder.

Canon EOS 5D II Body
Canon EOS 5D II and EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

 
Chuck Westfall's October Tech Tips are online at DigitalJournalist.org. Chuck always has some useful information for us.

 
Adobe Camera Raw 4.6 is now available for download. Support for the Canon EOS Rebel XS / 1000D and Canon EOS 50D has been added.

Camera Raw 4.6 for Windows
Camera Raw 4.6 plus DNG Converter 4.6 for Windows
Camera Raw 4.6 for Mac
Camera Raw 4.6 plus DNG Converter 4.6 for Mac

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

B&H now has the Canon EOS 50D + 28-135mm IS Lens in stock. This kit gives you a $400 lens for only 200 additional dollars - a nice deal.

Monday, October 6, 2008

The Adorama "Refurbished By Canon" inventory has once again been refreshed - 97 items are available. Expect like-new equipment at nicely reduced prices.

 
Reminder: The Canon EOS 40D and XTi instant cash rebates are expiring on the 13th.

Get a $150 instant cash rebate when purchasing the Canon EOS 40D and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens together.

Get a $100 instant cash rebate when purchasing the Canon EOS Rebel XTi / 400D and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens together.

Both are nice deals - I especially like the 40D combo deal. This promotion runs from August 31st through October 13th. See the rebate form (1.5 MB PDF) for details.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

New Canon products in-stock update:

Canon EOS 50D + 18-200mm IS Lens at B&H
Canon EOS 50D + 18-200mm IS Lens at Adorama
Canon EOS 50D + 28-135mm IS Lens at Adorama
Canon EOS 50D + 18-200mm IS Lens at J&R
Canon EOS 50D + 28-135mm IS Lens at J&R
Canon EOS 50D at Calumet
Canon EOS 50D Body at Amazon (third party)
Canon EOS 50D + 18-200mm IS Lens at Amazon (third party)
Canon EOS 50D + 28-135mm IS Lens at Amazon (third party)

Canon EF-S 18-200mm IS Lens at B&H
Canon EF-S 18-200mm IS Lens at RitzCamera.com

Canon 430EX II Flash at B&H

Friday, October 3, 2008

Think Tank Photo announces the Urban Disguise 35

 
RitzCamera.com has the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens in stock.

 
ISO12233 resolution chart sample crops from the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III have been added to the following lens reviews:

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM Lens Review
Canon EF 35mm f/2 Lens Review

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

ISO12233 resolution chart sample crops from the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III have been added to the following lens reviews:

Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Lens Review
Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 Lens Review

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

ISO12233 resolution chart sample crops from the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III have been added to the following lens reviews:

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM Lens Review
Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Lens Review
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L Lens Review

 
Updated: Canon EOS 50D Key Features at the Canon Digital Learning Center

Canon USA has added a nice video to this 50D key-information page.

Monday, September 29, 2008

ISO12233 resolution chart sample crops from the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III have been added to the following lens reviews:

Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM Lens Review
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens Review
Canon EF 135mm f/2 L USM Lens Review

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Awesome SandDisk memory card sale at Adorama (while supplies last - these are after rebate prices):

(OOS) SanDisk 16GB Extreme III CompactFlash Card - $14.95 to $24.95
(OOS) SanDisk 8GB Extreme III CompactFlash Card - $6.62 to $19.95
SanDisk 4GB Extreme III CompactFlash Card - $11.28 to $17.95
SanDisk 2GB Extreme III CompactFlash Card - $8.28 to $14.95
(OOS) SanDisk 8GB Extreme Ducati CompactFlash Card - $36.62 to $44.95
SanDisk 4GB Extreme Ducati CompactFlash Card - $16.62 to $24.95
SanDisk 8GB Extreme III SDHC Card - $16.62 to $19.95
SanDisk 4GB Extreme III SDHC Card - $12.95 to $15.45

As always, use good rebate practices when fulfilling the promotion. I've participated in many SanDisk rebates and have never had a problem, but some people have not been so fortunate. Follow directions carefully and keep copies of everything you send. Count on the process taking at least the amount of time indicated on the form.

 
Canon has posted 3 full resolution 5D Mark II video clips from "Reverie". These are short (12-17 sec) clips but very large files (57-82 MB each).

Saturday, September 27, 2008

A few sample pictures have been added to the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di Macro Lens Review.

Friday, September 26, 2008

The Canon EOS 50D Owner's Manual is available for download (6.5 MB PDF).

 
X-rite has posted a challenging (to some of us at least) online Color IQ test.

 
Sample pictures have been added to the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 L IS USM Lens Review.

I'm behind on a lot of projects (too many ideas - not enough time) - post-processing has been one of them. I'll try to get samples from several other lenses online in the near future.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Lensbaby Introduces New Line of Lenses for Creative Photography.

 
Canon U.S.A. has announced that it will be instituting a new Canon Professional Services (CPS) program beginning in the first quarter of 2009.

 
The Canon Rebel XS Virtual Tour is now showing at the Canon Digital Learning Center. The video is loading very slowly at the moment - hit the pause button and do something else while it loads. Maybe the Vincent Laforet video is using all of the CDLC's available bandwidth.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Adobe Photoshop CS4 has been Introduced.

For additional information, go to the Adobe Photoshop CS4 Learning Center at PhotoshopUser.com and the Layers CS4 Learning Center at LayersMagazine.com.

I plan to upgrade - I imagine most Photoshop users will do the same. Amazon.com is taking preorders.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

J&R just started taking preorders for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. I can't remember seeing preorder lists for any Canon product fill nearly as fast as the 5D II lists have - here is another chance to get near the top.

Canon EOS 5D Body
Canon EOS 5D with 24-105mm L Lens  (again - great deal)

 
The Adorama "Refurbished By Canon" inventory has a record number of listed items - 94 are available. Part of the reason for the large quantity is that there are various kits of the same cameras listed, but lots of great lenses, bodies, flashes ... including the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens are available. Expect like-new equipment at nicely reduced prices.

 
Michael Reichman has posted a 5D Mark II preview at Luminous-Landscape.com. Michael is captured by the HD video feature and his preview focuses on this.

 
Canon USA has posted a Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sample Video independently-produced by Canon Explorer of Light Vincent Laforet. Keep in mind that most 5D Mark II sample videos posted online are going to be greatly reduced because of the extremely large size of the original files - 360MB per minute according to Michael.

 
The Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 EX DG HSM Lens has been announced. "HSM" is the big addition to the current version of this lens - in title at least.

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 Lens has been announced.

 
Calumet has the 5D Mark II available for Preorder.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

RitzCamera.com has the Canon EOS 5D Mark II available for preorder. This is another opportunity to get on the top of a list that I expect to become very long.

Canon EOS 5D Body
Canon EOS 5D with 24-105mm L Lens  (great deal)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Amazon.com also has the 5D Mark II available for preorder.

 
Adorama has the Canon EOS 5D Mark II available for preorder. I have not seen so much excitment over a new camera in a long time - preordering early will likely be necessary to get a 5D II without a long wait.

Canon EOS 5D Body
Canon EOS 5D with 24-105mm L Lens  (great deal)

If you plan to use this camera for HD video, you might want to take advantage of the SanDisk 16GB Extreme III 30 MB/s CompactFlash Card deal at Adorama.

 
Finally, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been introduced! The review placeholder page has links to press releases, the 5D II web site and other information.

 
Also announced today is the Canon EF f/1.4 L II USM Lens.

 
Canon Subwavelength Structure Coating - This new lens coating is used on the 24mm L II.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The moon is waxing ("Destined Evolution"). I'm not an astronomer, but shouldn't the waxing moon be illuminated on the right side - not the left? A waning moon is illuminated on the left. Regardless, the ad is changing. Canon is hopefully bringing us something very worthwhile after an ad campaign like this.

The Canon Connection Issue 4 3rd Quarter 2008 is available for download (4MB PDF). Page 4 is the start of an interesting article regarding the Canon EOS 1D Mark III AF issue - "EOS 1D Mark III Autofocus Decoded". Other articles include "The New Rebel XS and Speedlite 430EX II", "A Fresh Look at Wireless" and more.

Two new articles have been posted at the Canon Digital Learning Center. One is titled "EOS 50D: Quick Control Screen" and the other "EOS 50D: Peripheral Illumination Correction".

Monday, September 15, 2008

Carl Zeiss has announced a Canon EF mount for a pair of their lenses (additional compatible lenses are promised). These are MF-only lenses, but contain electronics for aperture and focus confirmation. Read the Carl Zeiss Canon EF-Mount Lens Press Release for more information.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

OneCall has the Canon EF-S 18-200mm IS Lens available for preorder - $699.99.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

OneCall has the Canon EOS 50D available for preorder (free shipping):

Canon EOS 50D Body - $1,399.00
Canon EOS 50D with EF 28-135mm IS Lens - $1,599.00 (good deal)
Canon EOS 50D with EF-S 18-200mm IS Lens - $2,499.00. (ouch) Update: now $2,099

 
The SanDisk memory rebates (3.3 MB PDF) are expiring on September 28th. Adorama has the SanDisk 16GB Extreme III 30 MB/s CompactFlash Card for only $79.95 plus shipping after $90 MIR. This great deal gets even better if you buy more than one.

 
Adorama now has the 50D available for preorder:

Canon EOS 50D Body - $1,399.00
Canon EOS 50D with EF 28-135mm IS Lens - $1,599.00 (good deal)
Canon EOS 50D with EF-S 18-200mm IS Lens - $1,999.00. (realistic price)

Monday, September 8, 2008

Acratech GV2 Ballhead Review

Friday, September 5, 2008

Canon is running teaser ads for what appears to be a not-yet-announced DSLR. The Canon.com corporate site is running a full browser window flash animation titled "Destined Evolution" and Canon Europe is running a banner ad stating "The EOS Story Continues ... See the Future of Photography ... Stay Tuned ..."

In both cases, the name of the camera is not visible and the ad is not click-able.

 
The Canon EOS Rebel XS / 1000D price is falling - J&R has the Rebel XS Kit on sale for $615.88.

 
Canon Taiwan to Boost Lens Production Capability - Press Release

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Think Tank Photo Airport Check In Review

 
Amazon.com has the Canon EF-S 18-200mm Lens available for preorder. I expect demand for this lens to be high.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

OneCall has a 20% off coupon code "FALLDEALS" valid on accessories from B&W Schneider, Dotline, Joby, Lenmar, Lowepro, Lumiquest, Optech, ProMaster, Slik, Tamrac, Tiffen and Varta. This offer is valid August 19 - September 8, 2008.

 
ISO12233 resolution chart sample crops from the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III have been added to the following lens reviews:

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens Review
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens Review

I like both of these lenses - one delivers very good image quality for the price, the other delivers images that will set your work apart from the crowd. Here is a Canon 85mm Comparison.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Amazon.com now has the Canon EOS 50D available for preorder.

 
Canon has released EOS Rebel XSi / 450D Firmware v1.0.9.

"Firmware update Version 1.0.9 incorporates the following fixes.

1. Fixes a phenomenon in which AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing) shooting does not operate normally under specific conditions.

2. Fixes a phenomenon in which the Live View exposure simulation warning indication does not properly display during Live View shooting.

3. Fixes a phenomenon in which images cannot be played back after continuous shooting when a printer is connected to the camera or a video output terminal is used.

Version 1.0.9 firmware is for cameras with firmware up to Version 1.0.4. If the camera's firmware is already Version 1.0.9, it is not necessary to update the firmware."

Monday, September 1, 2008

Tamron has a new rebate promotion running through December 31st.

I don't get much time to talk about all of the accessories I use, but Western Digital's Passport portable hard drives are one of my most-used accessories. Buy.com has the Western Digital 250GB Passport Essential USB 2.0 Hard Drive on sale for $89.99. It wasn't long ago that I paid twice that price for one of these. If you are not backing up regularly and storing the backup off site, you are at a very high risk of losing you digital images. This would be a good time to start this habit - This little drive helps make the habit an easy one.