Canon News Report News & Deals

Necessitating change is that the site's Canon serial number to manufacturing date conversion chart has been falling apart in 2013.
 
First, I'd like to say "Thanks" to all of you who let me know that your new lens was manufactured at some future date. :) While I jest, I seriously appreciate those of you who did provide that information.
 
We've been researching the necessary corrections. With your help and with the help of Lensrentals.com, I have updated the Canon Lens Date Code Chart
 
While I'm not positive that the new numbers are 100% accurate, they are definitely better than before. And with your help, we will continue to dial them in to perfection (if perfection is indeed possible).

Use promotion code KATA10 during checkout at Samy's Camera to get 10% off your purchase of any KATA Camera Bag.

B&H has the SanDisk Extreme Solid State Drive (480GB) available for $329.95 with free shipping. Compare at $369.99.

B&H and Adorama have the Refurbished Canon EOS 60D Digital SLR Camera available for $579.00 with free shipping. Compare at $699.00 new.

B&H has the Canon PIXMA MG8220 Wireless All-In-One Color Inkjet Printer available for $124.99 with free shipping. Compare at $167.98.

Amazon has Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 available for $86.67. (thanks John)

From Canon:
 
New Facebook Application Showcases Full HD Movie Print Technology to Turn Videos and Stills into High-Quality, Personalized Comic Strips
 
MELVILLE, N.Y., May 23, 2013 Starring in a comic strip isn't just for superheroes anymore. Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the launch of Canon PIXMA Comix, an interactive new application found on the Canon U.S.A. Facebook page, that empowers fans to create fun, personalized photo comic strips to print and share with friends or share socially. Highlighting the Full HD Movie Print technology found in My Image Garden software, this application brings users' adventures to life.
 
Whether it's video of a friend surfing a giant wave, photos of a baby's first steps, or photos and video from the annual summer barbeque, Canon PIXMA Comix allows users to utilize up to six images to create a personalized comic strip. The images can be uploaded from photo albums or as stills pulled from an uploaded video stored on your computer or Facebook page. With creative options including comic strip templates, photo filters including fish-eye, toy camera and poster effects, various font styles, and the ability to select comic-style speech and sound effect bubbles where text can be added, the application provides the platform to create unique, personalized comics. After creating a comic, users will have the opportunity to print the final product to display and enjoy, or post and share within their social network.
 
"The Canon PIXMA Comix application enables photo and video enthusiasts to easily apply comic book styling to their images, and share their story," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. "We always strive to enhance the Canon consumer experience, and with this application, it's easy to get creative with a home printer by printing personalized comic strips to enjoy for years to come."
 
Canon's Full HD Movie Print technology allows users to select and print individual frames of a video, so every special moment - captured via camcorder or digital camera - can be enjoyed as an individual image.
 
For those who opt to print their comic through the application, Canon is offering a special promotion, which will be available through the Canon Direct Store.*
 
To create a personalized comic strip, visit Canon PIXMA Comix at www.PIXMAComix.com. To learn more about the full line of Canon PIXMA printers, please visit www.usa.canon.com/PIXMA.

DigitalRev has the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Lens available for $819.00. Compare at $899.00.

The usual color block noise and ISO 12233 resolution chart image quality samples have been added to the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 / 100D Review page (scan down below the first chart on the page).
 
Compare the tiny SL1's noise results with the T4i (=T5i), 60D and 5D Mark III (which is of course in a different class). Compare resolution with a large number of other Canon DSLR cameras.

B&H and Adorama have Timbuk2 Camera Bags at 25% off. Also, Adorama has special pricing on the Lowepro Event Messengers – up to $15.00 off.

B&H has Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 available for $93.95 with free shipping.

B&H has the Sony 64GB UHS1 Class 10 High Speed SDHC/SDXC Memory Card available for $37.74 with free shipping. Compare at $49.99.
 
Adorama had the same card on sale for slightly less yesterday, but they're now out of stock.

Adorama has the Flashpoint 32" 5-in-1 Collapsible Disc Reflector available for $19.95 with free shipping. Regularly $25.95.
 
Surfaces:

• Translucent
• White
• Black
• Silver
• Soft Gold

05/22/2013
 
123 new lens / camera combinations have been added to the DxO Optics Modules library, providing support for Carl Zeiss, Pentax, Sony, Sigma and Tamron lenses for Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung and Sony cameras.
 
To see supported and planned combinations, click on the link below then select the second tab.
 
Supported or planned combinations
 
New DxO Optics Modules:
 
Canon | Fujifilm | Nikon | Pentax | Samsung | Sony
 
B&H carries DxO Optics Pro.

The Canon Store has the Refurbished Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR Camera in stock and available for $2,799.21 with free shipping. Compare at $3,499.00 new.
 
If you haven't noticed, the price of a new 5D Mark III is now $3,499.00 - making the price of a refurbished unit more attactive than ever (even after taxes).

The Canon Store's 15-50% off sale on Refurbished DSLR Cameras, Lenses and Flashes ends this Saturday. While the inventory has not seen a significant refresh in a while, a few items have appeared in stock that were not there before (but not many). Here's a look at what was in stock this morning.
 
Refubished DSLR Cameras

Item	Orig. Price	Savings	Sale Price
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Body	1,759.20	263.88	1,495.32
Canon EOS 7D + EF-S 18-135 IS	1,439.20	215.88	1,223.32
Canon EOS 7D + EF-S 28-135 IS	1,359.20	203.88	1,155.32
Canon EOS 7D Body	1,199.20	179.88	1,019.32
Canon EOS 60D + EF-S 18-135 IS	959.20	143.88	815.32
Canon EOS Rebel T4i + 18-135 IS STM	919.20	183.84	735.36
Canon EOS 60D Body	719.99	108.00	611.99
Canon EOS Rebel T4i + EF-S 18-55 IS	719.99	144.00	575.99
Canon EOS Rebel T4i Body	639.99	128.00	511.99
Canon EOS Rebel T3i + EF-S 18-55 IS	519.99	104.00	415.99
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Body	439.99	88.00	351.99
Canon EOS Rebel T3 + EF-S 18-55 IS	399.99	80.00	319.99

Refubished Lenses & Flashes

Item	Orig. Price	Savings	Sale Price
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM	1,079.20	161.88	917.32
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM	519.99	260.00	259.99
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM	187.99	28.20	159.79
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III	159.99	80.00	79.99
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM	407.99	61.20	346.79
Canon EF 35mm f/2	255.99	38.40	217.59
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM	319.99	48.00	271.99
Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro	239.99	36.00	203.99
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM	479.99	72.00	407.99
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM	639.99	96.00	543.99
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM	943.20	141.48	801.72
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM	479.99	72.00	407.99
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS	399.99	200.00	199.99
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II	239.99	36.00	203.99
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash	239.99	36.00	203.99
Canon Speedlite 270EX II	135.99	20.40	115.59

B&H has the Tascam DR-07 Mark II Digital Audio Recorder available for $116.37 with free shipping. Compare at $149.99.
 
Amazon also has the Tascam DR-07 Mark II Digital Audio Recorder available for the same price.

B&H has the Canon CN-E 14mm T3.1 L F Cinema Prime Lens (EF mount) in stock with free shipping.

Adorama has the Sony 32GB Class 10 94MB/s SDHC UHS-1 Memory Card available for $29.95 with free shipping. Regularly $49.95.

B&H now has the following Jobu Design L-Brackets in stock:

• Canon 6D without Battery Grip
• Canon 1Ds Mark III / Mark IV
• Canon 1D X
• Nikon D600 without Battery Grip

Check out all of the Jobu Design L-Brackets here.

Thoughts from a long-time Flickr user:
 
I [Sean] have been a Flickr user since December 2007. For most of that time I have had a Pro membership. I believed the Pro membership was a valuable tool for backing up my best images. If I wanted to keep an image safe, as well as show it off to the world, I uploaded it to Flickr. It's been great for that purpose.
 
I was on Flickr a couple of times yesterday. I uploaded several images from recent photography sessions in the morning. At that time, Flickr was normal. When I went back to the site to check for recent activity later that day, the "new and improved" Flickr hit me over the head like an iron skillet. The changes were anything but subtle.
 
Instead of the clean-looking interface of the past, my Flickr photostream page had a larger profile picture, a banner, and a new photostream layout. At first glance, it's actually kind of eye-pleasing. But now a lot of the information I wanted to be presented to people visiting my page has been buried.
 
Things I'm not fond of:

• Titles and captions of your images do not show up on your photostream; the title only presents itself if you hover over an image in the new layout. One you click on an image, the title is placed at the far left underneath the image, and only a line or two of the captions visible. I spent a significant amount of time on the captions of many of my images - I want the caption (and title) to have a more prominent position on the image page.
• Sets are no longer visible on your photostream page unless the viewer clicks "Sets." In order for a viewer to see a subset of my photostream (Portraits, Bridal, Senior, etc.), they have to know to click on "Sets." Before, the sets were displayed on the right-hand side allowing the categories to be much more obvious to the user.
• You have to change your profile picture because the previous version was saved at a lower resolution. As the image I used for my profile picture is still in my photostream, why didn't Flickr simply use the same area of the image I had already chosen to automate the process of updating the profile picture? Instead, I had to wade through my images and create the profile picture all over again.
• The process for creating a banner is less than ideal.

1. First, you either have to use an existing image from your photostream or you have to upload an image to your stream if you want to use it for the banner (or be stuck with whatever default banner Flickr gives you). But what if I don't want my custom-made banner to be on my photostream? To do that, I'd have to upload an image and change its property to "Private." At that point, I can still make it my banner, but it won't show up to other people viewing my profile. That said, the image is still viewable to me and it clutters up my own personal view of the photostream.
2. Second, if I did want to create an image specifically for my banner, where is the information on sizing requirements?
3. Third, apparently, you can only select one of your "Recent" photos to serve as your banner. I originally tried to create a banner using an image I had uploaded in 2009 – no can do. In order for me to use that image, I would have to upload the image to Flickr again (placing it in my photostream), set it as the banner, and then delete the duplicate image. Why can I not navigate to an image in my stream and set it as the profile or banner picture from within the image's page?

• If you were logged into Flickr, the home page used to display recent activity. Now, the homepage shows you huge images uploaded by your contacts. To get to the recent activities page, you have to go to different link (http://www.flickr.com/activity). Can Flickr give me the option to bring up the "Recent Activities" page when I go to flickr.com?
• Flickr has changed its pricing structure and the benefits of each level. I liked the older, simpler structure better - Free or Pro.

Things I like:

• Flickr released an updated Android app at the same time it rolled out major changes to the website. The app as long been neglected by Flickr, so I'm glad to see resources devoted to its development. In my opinion, the app has improved greatly. It's significantly faster, and the viewing experience is certainly better. However, it's still not perfect. Navigation isn't as intuitive as I think it needs to be.
• Giving 1 terabyte of storage to free users is a step in the right direction.

Those are my thoughts having spent a couple of hours with the new Flickr. It seems that Flickr decided to copy the look and feel of Google+; so far, I can't say that I'm a fan of the changes. After I get more familiar with the interface, I may enjoy it more. But for now, a lot of the changes are hard to swallow. I didn't cover the details of the new membership plans, but you can read about them here.
 
Let us know what you think on our Facebook Page.

Adorama has the Sony 64GB UHS1 Class 10 High Speed SDHC/SDXC Memory Card available for $36.95 with free shipping. Compare at $49.99.

ISO 12233 chart image quality samples and vignetting test results are now available on the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens review page.
 
Compare this modestly upgraded lens to its predecessor, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens.
 
Update: 18-55mm STM Lens Distortion test results are also now available.

From Yahoo:
 
SUNNYVALE, Calif. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) and Tumblr announced today that they have reached a definitive agreement for Yahoo! to acquire Tumblr.
 
Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business. David Karp will remain CEO. The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators.
 
With more than 300 million monthly unique visitors and 120,000 signups every day, Tumblr is one of the fastest-growing media networks in the world. Tumblr sees 900 posts per second (!) and 24 billion minutes spent on site each month. On mobile, more than half of Tumblr's users are using the mobile app and do an average of 7 sessions per day. Its tremendous popularity and engagement among creators, curators and audiences of all ages brings a significant new community of users to the Yahoo! network. The combination of Tumblr+Yahoo! is expected to grow Yahoo!'s audience by 50 percent to more than a billion monthly visitors, and to grow traffic by approximately 20 percent.
 
The deal offers unique opportunities for both companies. Tumblr can deploy Yahoo!'s personalization technology and search infrastructure to help its users discover creators, bloggers, and content they'll love. In turn, Tumblr brings 50 billion blog posts (and 75 million more arriving each day) to Yahoo!'s media network and search experiences. The two companies will also work together to create advertising opportunities that are seamless and enhance the user experience.
 
Total consideration is approximately $1.1 billion, substantially all of which is payable in cash.
 
"Tumblr is redefining creative expression online," said Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer. "On many levels, Tumblr and Yahoo! couldn't be more different, but, at the same time, they couldn't be more complementary. Yahoo is the Internet's original media network. Tumblr is the Internet's fastest-growing media frenzy. Both companies are homes for brands - established and emerging. And, fundamentally, Tumblr and Yahoo! are both all about users, design, and finding surprise and inspiration amidst the everyday."
 
"I've long held the view that in all things art and design, you can feel the spirit and demeanor of the creator. That's why it was no surprise to me that David Karp is one of the nicest, most empathetic people I've ever met. He's also one of the most perceptive, capable entrepreneurs I've ever worked with," continued Mayer. "David's respect for Tumblr's community of creators is awesome. I'm absolutely delighted to have him join our team."
 
David Karp, CEO of Tumblr, addressed the Tumblr community, "Our team isn't changing. Our roadmap isn't changing. And our mission — to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve — certainly isn't changing. But we're elated to have the support of Yahoo! and their team who share our dream to make the Internet the ultimate creative canvas. Tumblr gets better faster with more resources to draw from."
 
The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the second half of the year.

B&H has the HGST 4TB Deskstar 3.5" SATA III Internal Desktop Hard Drive available for $189.99 with free shipping. Regularly $249.99.