Canon & Nikon News and What's New (Excluding Deals) (Page 4) Report News & Deals

• Matthews Baby Jr. Triple Riser Stand with Wheels
• Permacell Gaffer Tape 25 Yards x 2"- Black
• Profoto Acute2 1200 Watt-Second Generator
• Matthews Cordura 15 lb Capacity Sandbag, Color: Orange
• Manfrotto 035 Super Clamp without Stud (#035)

"This is The-Digital-Picture.com's Weekend Recap for the week ending May 25th, 2013
 
In the news...
 
On Tuesday, Nikon published firmware updates for the D700, D300 and D300s DSLR cameras. The firmware updates added support for the AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR lens.
 
Also on Tuesday, we commented on the extensive changes to Flickr and asked – is it better than it was before? In a nutshell, Flickr overhauled their photostream layout, restructured their accounts, and released an updated Android app.
 
While some of the changes are certainly good – like 1 terabyte of free storage for free user accounts, we noted some issues with the new photostream layout that we’d like to see addressed to achieve an improved user experience.
 
On Thursday, Canon launched PIXMA Comix, an interactive application found its Canon U.S.A. Facebook page that allows users to create personalized photo comic strips for printing and sharing. While the idea is novel, I found the layout program to be a bit awkward to use when I tested out it out earlier this week. Hopefully your experience will be better than mine…
 
In site news and reviews...
 
On Monday, Bryan published the ISO image quality samples and vignetting test results for the Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens. Distortion results were added later that day. Check the lens’s review page for full details and links.
 
On Thursday, Bryan posted an update to the site’s Canon Lens Date Code Chart. Unfortunately, 2013 has been a challenging year for predicting Canon’s lens manufacturing dates. The Date Code Chart is still a work in progress. Site visitors are encouraged to let us know if they suspect any discrepancies in the date code chart when examining serial numbers or date codes on newly acquired lenses by emailing us at info@the-digital-picture.com.
 
And, for our deal of the week…
 
On Friday, we posted a deal from DigitalRev where you could get a Canon EOS 6D DSLR Camera for $1,679.00 – more than a $300.00 savings off the market’s going-rate.
 
This has been the The-Digital-Picture.com’s Weekend Recap. Thanks for listening, and as always, happy shooting!"

Model	Rebate Amount
Canon EOS 5D Mark III	$200.00 - $500.00
Canon EOS 6D	$100.00 - $200.00
Canon EOS 7D	$200.00 - $500.00
Canon EOS 60D	$200.00 - $500.00
Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D	$50.00 - $200.00
Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D	$50.00 - $200.00

Canon Lens/Flash Rebates

Model	Rebate Amount
Canon EF 8-15mm f/4 L USM Fisheye Lens	$150.00
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens	$100.00
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens	$200.00
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens	$100.00
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM Lens	$100.00
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens	$120.00
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM Lens	$300.00
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM Lens	$150.00
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM Lens	$80.00
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 14mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens	$200.00
Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 L Tilt-Shift Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Lens	$50.00
Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II USM Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens	$150.00
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L II Tilt-Shift Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Lens	$60.00
Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens	$150.00
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM Lens	$150.00
Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens	$50.00
Canon TS-E 45mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift Lens	$100.00
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens	$180.00
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens	$50.00
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens	$15.00
Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro Lens	$30.00
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens	$50.00
Canon MP-E 65mm Macro Lens	$100.00
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens	$200.00
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens	$50.00
Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift Lens	$180.00
Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM Lens	$50.00
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens	$50.00
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro Lens	$150.00
Canon EF 135mm f/2 L USM Lens	$100.00
Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM Macro Lens	$150.00
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens	$50.00
Canon EF 300mm f/4 L IS USM Lens	$100.00
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM Lens	$120.00
Canon EF 1.4x II Extender	$50.00
Canon EF 2x II Extender	$50.00
Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT Flash	$50.00
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash	$40.00
Canon Speedlite 270EX II Flash	$20.00
Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Flash	$60.00
Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX Flash	$50.00

• Carnival Games and Petting Zoo – A host of carnival games and a live petting zoo will be great fun for kids, and kids-at-heart, throughout the day.
• Food! – An amazing variety of food choices – it just wouldn't be a Street Fair without it.
• Prizes and Raffles – Dozens of raffle items and prizes will be given away all day long.
• Vendor Exhibits – Test drive the latest digital imaging technology from some of the biggest brands in photography.
• Celebrity Appearances
• Adorama Technology Learning Center – Learn how to make better photos and videos from some of the best photographers in the world at Adorama's outdoor Technology Learning Center. Learn to shoot like a pro!
• Get a Technology Makeover with special product pricing from Adorama – Bring your old camera gear and upgrade to the latest digital technology. Adorama is offering special pricing and trade-ins for one day only.

Adorama’s Third Annual Street Fair will be held on Sunday, June 23, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., on West 18th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Adorama’s retail superstore is located at 42 West 18th Street, making the street an ideal place for families to take advantage of the technology-related activities happening during the fair.

• 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.

• 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.

• Support for the AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR has been added.

Installation Instructions
 
Nikon D700 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon D300* - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon D300s - Windows | Macintosh
 
* NOTE: Installation instructions for the D300 are identical to the instructions for the D300s.
 
Firmware Downloads
 
Nikon D700 Firmware A:1.04 / B:1.03 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon D300 Firmware: A/B 1.11* - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon D300s Firmware: A/B 1.02** - Windows | Macintosh
 
* NOTE: This update is for the D300 model only, and not the D300s. Do not attempt to upgrade the D300 with this firmware.
** NOTE: This update is for the D300S model only, and not the D300. Do not attempt to upgrade the D300 with this firmware.
 
B&H carries the Nikon D300s DSLR camera.

• When shooting with shooting mode set to M (manual) with Flash, and the ISO sensitivity set to Auto, ISO 80-200, ISO 80-400, or ISO 80-800, ISO sensitivity was sometimes not locked at ISO 80 and a different ISO sensitivity was sometimes applied. This issue has been resolved.

Download
 
Nikon COOLPIX P7700 Firmware 1.2 - Windows | Macintosh
Installation Instructions (PDF) - Windows | Macintosh
 
B&H carries the Nikon COOLPIX P7700.

"This is The-Digital-Picture.com's Weekend Recap for the week ending May 18th, 2013
 
In the news...
 
On Tuesday, Nikon announced their fastest mirrorless lens yet – the 1 Nikkor 32mm f/1.2. The new lens features a silent wave motor (SWM) and a manual focus ring, a first for 1-series mirrorless lens. The lens is scheduled to be available in June.
 
Also on Tuesday, Canon announced the development of a new picture style called “Video Camera X-series Look.” The new picture style is aimed at video shooters and captures video with lower contrast for easier color grading in post.
 
And to wrap up Tuesday’s news, Canon officially announced the long-awaited Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with built-in 1.4x Extender. When the lens hits the shelves later this month, it will carry an MSRP of $11,799.00. We have one on pre-order and are anxious to see how it performs.
 
On Thursday, Think Tank Photo announced the Logistics Manager 30 rolling camera bag. The Logistics Manager 30 features over 3,500 cubic inches of storage, robust carry handles, and lockable security zippers. And, if you’re interested in one of Think Tank Photo’s high-quality camera bags (including the Logistics Manager 30), use the links on our site to receive a free gift with your purchase of $50.00 or more.
 
In site news and reviews...
 
On Monday, Bryan posted his review of the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Lens. The publication of this review was significantly delayed because of the difficulties involved in obtaining an optimal copy of the lens. However, once a good copy was obtained, the lens produced results with impressive image quality. As the Tamron 24-70mm VC is unique in this focal range with built-in stabilization, it will certainly prove useful to those who are successful in obtaining the best of what Tamron has to offer.
 
Also this week, we’ve added drop-down menus to the site’s menu bar to allow for faster access to the site’s most popular content. We hope you enjoy the small change.
 
And, for our deal of the week…
 
On Saturday, we posted a deal from DigitalRev where you could get a Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM Lens for $379.00. That’s more than a 40% savings off the normal retail price.
 
This has been the The-Digital-Picture.com’s Weekend Recap. Thanks for listening, and as always, happy shooting!"

1. Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 AF-S (Many Nikon “D” primes)
2. Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS (Canon 24-105, 24-70 f/4 IS, 24-70 f/2.8 II)
3. Canon 85mm f/1.2 L
4. Canon 85mm f/1.8 (Canon 100m f/2)
5. Canon 70-200 f/2.8 NON IS (Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS I and II)
6. Canon 100-400 IS L (Canon 28-300 IS L)

From LensRentals Blog:

"I [Roger] get asked about 15 times a week, 'How can I get the dust out of my lens?' The right answer is you don’t. All lenses have dust in them and it doesn’t affect the images at all 99% of the time. Even if you clean it all out, it will be back after you use the lens a few times.
 
There are occasionally times that large dust specs very near the rear element are visible in an image, though. There also is the very real issue of resale value; a dusty lens tends to bring a lower price than one without much dust. The right answer in these cases is “send it in for factory service, they’ll disassemble it and clean it.” Doing it yourself is risky.
 
After I give all of those answers, a lot of people tell me they have an old lens no longer under warranty, not worth the cost of sending it in for factory cleaning, and they are really handy and want to do it themselves. For those people, we’ve put up this post showing how to get dust out of some fairly easy to reach locations."

See Roger's full guide for cleaning your lens. Be sure to read all the warnings carefully before trying this yourself.

• Hasselblad H5D-60
• Olympus PEN E-P5
• Olympus PEN E-PL6
• Phase One IQ260*
• Pentax Ricoh GR
• Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G6
• Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LF1

* denotes preliminary support
 
New Lens Profile Support in the Camera Raw 8.1 Release Candidate

Release Notes
 
Camera Raw 8.1 RC includes support for HiDPI capable displays.
 
Getting Started

1. Download the Camera Raw 8.1 and/or DNG Converter 8.1 release candidates
2. Quit out of Photoshop CS6 and Adobe Bridge.
3. Open the download file and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Ask questions or share your feedback in the Camera Raw forum

Download
 
Camera Raw 8.1 Release Candidate - Windows | Macintosh
DNG Converter 8.1 Release Candidate - Windows | Macintosh
 
B&H carries Adobe Photoshop CS6.

• Holds and transports all types of gear on location.
• Organizer side pocket for various equipment.
• Interior pockets for extra organization.
• Two clear accessory bags included for miscellaneous items.
• Quickly deployable roller handle.
• Large front organizer pocket.
• Expandable front pocket for large items.
• TSA-approved main zipper lock for added security.
• Tripod cup, strap, and rain cover included.

The Logistics Manager 30 answers a question often asked by working photographers: ‘How can I transport all of my gear into the field, have quick access to it, and secure it from loss or theft? We took the design and engineering principles we pioneered in our line-up of award-winning rolling camera bags and applied them to this very roomy pro photographer logistics solution.
 
Specifications

• Internal Dimensions: 13.75”W x 27.5”H x 8.25 – 10”D (35 x 70 x 21 – 25.5cm)
• External Dimensions: 15.75”W x 30”H x 11.5”D (40 x 76 x 29cm)
• Weight: 16 – 20 lbs (7.3 – 9.1 kg) (depending on accessories used)

Note: Use the links from this site to get a free gift with your purchase of $50.00 or more at Think Tank Photo!

• Dimensions: 60 × 60 cm
• Includes front and rear diffuser and carry bag

Easy soft box ESB 40-40

• Dimensions: 40 × 40 cm
• Includes front and rear diffuser and carry bag

Flash unit holder FGH 40-60

• Adapter between compact flash units and Easy soft boxes
• Adjustable flash shoe height
• Can be attached to Metz lighting tripods LS-247 and LS-200

Lighting tripod LS-247

• Maximum height: 247 cm / load: 3 kg
• With air cushioning

Lighting tripod LS-200

• Maximum height: 200 cm / load: 2.5 kg
• With air cushioning

Technical specifications for Mini soft boxes
 
Mini soft box SB 30-20

• Colour: white
• Dimensions: 30 × 20 cm
• Includes rear diffuser and carry bag

Mini soft box SB 22-16

• Colour: white
• Dimensions: 22 × 16 cm
• Includes rear diffuser and carry bag

Mini soft box SB 18-15

• Colour: white
• Dimensions: 18 × 15 cm
• Includes rear diffuser and carry bag

Technical specifications for Mini Octagon soft boxes
 
Mini Octagon soft box SB 34-34

• Colour: white
• Dimensions: Ø 34 cm
• Includes rear diffuser and carry bag

Mini Octagon soft box SB 20-20

• Colour: white
• Dimensions: Ø 20 cm
• Includes rear diffuser and carry bag

Mini Octagon soft box SB 15-15

• Colour: white
• Dimensions: Ø 15 cm
• Includes rear diffuser and carry bag

B&H carries Metz products.