Canon and Nikon News for 2015/01 (Page 3) Report News & Deals  ►

Lingering bitter cold with grey overcast skies can really put a damper on photographic aspirations (especially if you enjoy shooting lush, vivid landscapes). The solution? Try shooting macros!
 
If you can stand the cold, then there are lots of wonderful outdoor subjects that are likely very close by and just begging to have your camera pointed at them – icicles, frost and snowflakes, just to name a few. The image at the top of this post is from an herb garden on my front porch.
 

 
If you'd rather avoid the cold entirely, setting up a small indoor macro studio doesn't require much space. In fact, you could easily use your dining room table or similar [even smaller] surface. And there are tons of things in your home that would work well as macro subjects – spices (like sea salt, peppercorns, etc.), toys and flowers are only a few examples. And as Bryan has noted before, buying flowers will likely make your wife or significant other very happy. By the way, an off-camera flash paired with a small softbox makes an excellent tool for macro photography.
 

 
Want a real challenge? Try your hand at shooting jewelry. With gemstones and curved, metallic, mirrored surfaces, jewelry can be an especially challenging subject to illuminate attractively (Hint: using several well-placed white (or other colored) reflectors can help accentuate jewelry's appearance).
 
Want to take your macros a step further? Try focus stacking (my technique can be found midway down the post).
 
Recommended Gear
 

• DSLR Camera – Just about any modern DSLR will work just fine. One feature that can be especially useful for macro photography is 10x Live View as it can really help you achieve critical focus when your depth of field is very small.
• Macro Lens (or Extension Tubes at the very least) – Check out Bryan's Canon Macro Lens Recommendations to figure out which macro lens is right for you (if you don't already have one). If you're on a tight budget, or you'd like to expand your macro capabilities, you might want to try using extension tubes to increase the magnification of your current lens collection (we recommend the budget-conscious Kenko extension tubes).
• Tripod – A good, solid support system is essential for many types of macro shooting. A tripod will allow you to use longer shutter speeds while maintaining a sharp image. It will also allow you to lock down your framing of static subjects so that you can achieve the ideal composition.
• Flash and Small Softbox (optional) – It's true that with a stable platform you can capture [static] macro images with just about any light source. However, a flash with a small softbox will open up many creative possibilities while also allowing for faster and easier image capture.

Shooting macros can be a fun and fulfilling activity when other types of photography are less enjoyable or satisfying. So be creative and have fun with small, everyday things!

Image quality results from the EOS 7D Mark II have been added to the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens Review.
 
This is one of my favorite portrait lenses. The look that this lens can deliver is very unique (in a good way). The 7D II's high density sensor is showing the limits of this lens' wide open capabilities.
 
B&H has the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens in stock.

For today only, B&H has the Oben CT-3431 Carbon Tripod With BE-108T Ball Head available for $179.95 with free shipping. Regularly $399.95.

From the NPPA:

NEW YORK, NY (January 23, 2015) – The remaining six staff photographers at Sports Illustrated magazine were all laid off yesterday.
 
Staff photographers Robert Beck, Simon Bruty, Bill Frakes, David E. Klutho, John W. McDonough, and Al Tielemans were informed of the decision around noon Eastern time on Thursday.
 
Sports Illustrated director of photography Brad Smith confirmed the move this morning to News Photographer magazine.
 
"It's true," Smith said. "There was a decision made through the company to restructure various departments, including at Sports Illustrated. Unfortunately economic circumstances are such that it has cut the six staff photographers."

See the entire article on NPPA's website.

Still Live: eBay (via AllNewShop) has the Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR Camera (review) available for $2,149.99 with free shipping. Compare at $2,799.00 after $300.00 mail-in rebate.
 
Note: This is likely a grey market camera and not technically eligible for a Canon USA warranty.

Image quality test results from the EOS 7D Mark II and 60D have been added to the Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens review page.
 
Direct links: 7D II | 60D
 
B&H has the Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens in stock.

From the Canon Professional Network:

"Travel photographer and Canon Explorer Joel Santos has recently been using the newly launched EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM wide-angle zoom. As he reveals to CPN Editor David Corfield, the lens has quickly become a firm favourite...
 
The biggest endorsement any photographer can give a piece of equipment, is to actually go out and buy it. For Joel Santos, the new EF16-35mm wide-angle zoom was a recent purchase that has already been proving its worth."

See the entire article at the Canon Professional Network.
 
For what it's worth, this is also Bryan's favorite wide-angle zoom. Check out his full review for more details on this great lens.
 
B&H carries the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM and it qualifies for a $100.00 mail-in rebate through January 31.

eBay (via GetItDigital) has the Canon EOS 6D DSLR Camera available for $1,249.99 with free shipping. Compare at $1,499.00 after $300.00 mail-in rebate.
 
Note: This is likely a grey market item and not technically eligible for a Canon USA warranty.

B&H has the Epson SureColor T7000 Standard Edition 44" Wide Format Inkjet Printer available for $2,449.00 with free shipping. Regularly $4,449.00.
 
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
 

• 2880 x 1440 dpi
• 780 ft² per Hour
• Ethernet
• Media up to 59.1 mil
• Roll Printing up to 44" Wide
• Borderless Prints up to 44" Wide

The "Where is the Canon 400mm DO II review?" and "Where is Sigma 150-600mm Sports Lens Review?" questions are becoming more frequent. Those are indeed good questions as these two lenses are sitting at the top of my priority list. Unfortunately and unusually, I have not been able to get my hands on either of these lenses for long enough to adequately evaluate them. That I'm delayed on these reviews is not likely going to delay your acquisition of either lens as they are simply not available right now. High demand has been completely consuming the Sigma 150-600 production and that is likely the same reason the Canon 400 DO II is not available. What the production level of each lens is remains a question.
 
Those of you asking about the new Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Lens will be happy to know that we have one in house and have standardized testing of this lens as our current top priority. Stay tuned for more information, but ... this is a really tiny lens considering the super zoom focal length range covering a full frame image circle.
 
Contrary to some current rumors, the Sigma 24-105mm f/4.0 DG OS HSM Art Lens has not been discontinued. According to Sigma Corporation of America, "The 24-105mm is most definitely not discontinued." This rumor most likely arose from the fact that this lens is very hard to find in stock right now. Sigma assured me that this lens is very much a part of their current line. "We are behind on production but are working on catching up." Sigma is experiencing "... really high demand and fulfilling all the orders across the world has been tough." That is good news to me as I really like the 24-105 OS Art Lens.
 
Find these four lenses at B&H:
 
Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM Lens
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens
Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Lens
Sigma 24-105mm f/4.0 DG OS HSM Art Lens

B&H has an Avid Pro Tools 11 Crossgrade with M-Audio M-Track Plus USB Interface Bundle available for $279.99 with free expedited shipping. Regularly $819.99.
 
Bundle Includes:
 

• Pro Tools 11 - Professional Audio Recording and Music Creation Software (Upgrade - Activation Card)
• M-Audio - M-Track Plus - USB Audio/MIDI Interface with Avid Pro Tools Express

Note: Considering that the boxed, retail version of Avid's Pro Tools 11 sells for $699.00, this is an awesome deal. If the M-Audio M-Track Plus is not quite what you're looking for, you may want to check out the other B&H Pro Tools 11 Bundles (with equally amazing discounts).

From Sigma:
 
Thank you for purchasing and using our products.
 
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce that the lens firmware update for the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports SIGMA, CANON and NIKON is available through SIGMA Optimization Pro, the dedicated software for the SIGMA USB DOCK.
 
The latest firmware enables the lens to offer improved Optical Stabilization in OS mode 2, which is optimized for panning photography. By taking advantage of the new OS algorithm in OS mode 2, it provides effective compensation, not only in horizontal direction, but also vertical and diagonal directions.
 
For those customers who own the following product, please update the firmware of the lens via SIGMA Optimization Pro.
 
[Product]
 

• Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports for SIGMA, CANON and NIKON

Should the version of SIGMA Optimization Pro not be updated to Ver. 1.2 yet, please be sure to update it before operating any lens firmware update.
 
You can download the latest version of the software from the following page;
http://www.sigma-global.com/download/en/
 
B&H carries the Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens.

B&H has the Hoya 77mm Neutral Density x400 (9 Stop) Neutral Density Filter available for $44.95 with free shipping. Regularly $79.95.

 
Canon USA has uploaded three tutorial videos in its new series, "Demystifying HD Video on a DSLR Camera." The first video in the series, "Lesson 1 – Introduction to Storytelling" is shown above.
 
Demystifying HD Video on a DSLR Camera Series
 

• Lesson 1 – Introduction to Storytelling
• Lesson 2 – Basic Camera Settings
• Lesson 3 – Tips for Capturing Great Video

B&H has just opened their Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Lens preorder line.
 
Tamron formally announced the 15-30 VC earlier today, but omitted the price in their press release. The price is now confirmed at $1,199.00 USD and B&H confirms the initial ship date as Fri, Jan 30th 2015. With B&H stating "ship beginning" and Tamron specifying "Gradually launching", I'm guessing that initial inventories are not going to meet demand for this lens. Preorder ASAP if you want to have a chance to get this f/2.8 VC lens anytime soon.

Image quality results from the EOS 7D Mark II have been added to the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens review.
 
Like the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens in many regards, the 40 STM is a great bargain. With a $50 mail-in-rebate (essentially 25% off) currently available (USA only), now is a great time to acquire this lens.
 
B&H has the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens in stock.

From Canon:
 
MELVILLE, N.Y., January 22, 2015 - Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the company will return as a Sustaining Sponsor to the 2015 Sundance Film Festival (January 22 - February 1, 2015). Nestled in the mountains of Park City, Utah, the Sundance Film Festival celebrates the best of independent film; as part of the Festival sponsorship, Canon will offer a special slate of programming dedicated to the filmmakers who push creative boundaries behind the camera.
 
Canon is pleased to share that at least 52 of the 188 films premiering at this year's Festival – over 27 percent – were shot using Canon equipment, up from the approximately 20 percent last year. Eli Roth's Knock Knock, Amy Berg's Prophet's Prey, The Overnight, The Wolfpack, Misery Loves Comedy, Cartel Land, Call Me Lucky, Fresh Dressed, How to Dance in Ohio, Most Likely to Succeed, The Hunting Ground, Tig, and The Nightmare are a few of the many shot-on-Canon projects set to screen during the festival.
 
"We are honored that so many creative filmmakers have chosen our equipment to bring their visions and stories to audiences. We look forward to supporting them and connecting with them at the Sundance Film Festival," said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "Sundance provides us with the opportunity to directly interact and support many up and coming filmmakers, and we are excited to return as Sustaining Sponsors to this year's festival."
 
In 2015, Canon will invite Sundance Film Festival filmmaker attendees to flex their creative muscle at the Canon Creative Studio (427 Main Street; open Saturday, January 24-Monday, January 26, from 11am-6pm). At this daily hub - exclusive for cinematographers, directors, producers, and crew - guests can explore how Canon supports all aspects of filmmaking - from production design, to image capture, through edit and workflow. The space features an equipment demonstration area with on-site staff to walk guests through Canon's full line of Cinema EOS cameras and lenses, including the new Cinema EOS C100 Mark II.
 
The Canon Creative Studio also features informal panel discussions with top Sundance filmmakers, including horror-great Eli Roth (Hemlock Grove, Hostel), VFX legend Robert Legato (The Wolf of Wall Street, Hugo), and award-winning cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Cake, Fruitvale Station).
 
The Canon Live Learning team will offer hands-on workshops with Canon's latest filmmaking tool – the EOS C100 Mark II camera with Dual Pixel CMOS Auto Focus – including a demonstration of this camera on a DJI Ronin 3-Axis Stabilized Handheld Gimbal System.
 
The Canon Creative Studio will serve as host to the Canon Crew Party (details below) on Sunday, January 25. This will mark Canon's third annual celebration of filmmakers who work behind the lens of the 2015 Sundance Festival films.
 
Canon's Festival activities will culminate on Monday, January 26 with a special hosted screening of Bending the Light as part of Canon's corporate presentation and not an official selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. This documentary honoring the artistry of creating a lens and the visual artists who use them from acclaimed director Michael Apted (The 'Up' series, The World is Not Enough, Gorillas in the Mist). The 60-minute film explores the relationship between master craftsmen who shape lenses and the masters of light who use these lenses for image capture – each an artisan in their own right. Bending the Light features never-before-seen footage from inside Canon's lens factory in Japan and intimate interviews with award-winning photographers and cinematographers, including Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC (Get on Up, The Help), who will participate in a Q&A immediately following the screening.
 
Click here to see the full schedule of events for Canon's activities at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. All events take place at Canon Creative Studio (427 Main Street) unless otherwise noted.