Canon and Sony News for May 2009

 Friday, May 1, 2009

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Canon EOS Rebel XS / 1000D Review

This review is very late and resembles the Canon EOS Rebel T1i / 500D Review, but it's on the site. :)

 
The Canon Refurbished ("Recertified" to be politically correct) inventory at Adorama has been refreshed.

At this time, many of these items are PowerShot cameras and printers/scanners, but it is worth a check to see if the DSLR/lens/flash you are looking for is available.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The new 5D II firmware announcement was not the only good news I received yesterday. Upon arriving home last night, an excited family greeted me with "Did you see what came today?" I of course had not, but was promptly directed to the latest issue of "Nature Friend" magazine on the counter. The cover photo had been taken by my 10 year old daughter Brittany.

Nature Friend is a well-done kid's magazine (circulated to over 40 countries) that has very nice photos of and stories about nature. Each year, they have a "Reader's Issue" with selected reader-submitted photos on the front and back covers. Brittany spent a lot of her free time in the last year running around the property with her Canon Powershot S400 in hopes of capturing the cover photo (specifically) for this issue. Her dad is still in the disbelief phase, but here is her accomplishment:

     
  Nature Friend Magazine Cover  
The-Digital-Picture.com    
Congrats Brittany - Dad's excited for you!

While we're on the topic of kids and photography ... The kids and I will quite frequently go shooting together. It gives us fun family time capturing images together and then again later reviewing what we've captured (when they also learn to improve their photos). The fun continues as the selects then become part of the screen saver slide show that often plays during meals and at other times.

The kids have been starting out with lower end Canon PowerShot point and shoot cameras and, as they prove themselves responsible, move up to better cameras - including the Canon EOS Rebel XS / 1000D. This little DSLR with a light IS lens is working very well for their small hands and relatively low strength. The kids are having fun and learning a worthwhile skill. And now Brittany is earning some $$.

 
Canon is once again holding their Canon Photography in the Parks Photo Contest. This year's contest includes separate divisions for adults and teens. (thanks Matt)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Canon USA has announced a Canon EOS 5D Mark II Firmware Update scheduled to be available in early June.

Get this: Included in this update is manual video exposure control. In perhaps the most dramatic firmware update annoucement I've seen from Canon, a Firmware Announcement PDF is available. Awesome!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Canon EOS Rebel T1i / 500D Review

 
Adobe Camera Raw 5.4 (Release Candidate) is available for download. Support for the Canon EOS Rebel T1i / 500D DSLR is now included.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Adorama has the Canon EOS-1D Mark III in refurbished (by Canon) condition for $2,999.95. That is $844.00 off the regular price. (thanks David)

Friday, May 15, 2009

Updated: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens Review

ISO 12233 chart results from the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III have been added. A focal length range example/comparison has been added.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Canon USA has issued a service notice for Canon EOS-1D Mark III and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III owners.

Service Notice: EOS-1D Mark III/EOS-1Ds Mark III: Oil Spots on LPF Surface

Thank you for using Canon products.

We have discovered that images taken by some EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR cameras may exhibit ring-shaped spots. We would like to convey the details and our service policy.

We offer our most sincere apologies to customers using these products who have been inconvenienced by this issue. Going forward, we will spare no effort in our quality management to make sure our customers can use our products with confidence. We hope our efforts will earn your understanding.

Phenomenon
Images taken may exhibit large ring-shaped spots.

Cause
These ring-shaped spots are the images of oil lubricant on the surface of the low pass filter (LPF), which is located in front of the CMOS sensor.

This oil is used inside the Mirror Box to lubricate some of the camera's moving parts. If the oil is applied too liberally when the camera is manufactured, it can become scattered onto the surface of the LPF through normal camera operation.
* Image of Back Side of Main Mirror

The image above shows the top of the mirror box when the main mirror is flipped up. The white spots in the red circles are excess lubricant oil.

Affected Products
EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR cameras

Support
We ask that customers who are encountering this phenomenon or, who have noticed that oil is visible on the surface of the back side of the mirror, please contact our Customer Support Center. To prevent oil from scattering, which may seriously affect images, our Customer Support Center will arrange free cleaning of the mirror box to affected customers to remove the excess oil.

Oil Lubricant Used in Cameras
Measures are being implemented to control the amount of lubricant applied during manufacture in order to reduce the occurrence of oil spots. However, because this lubricant is required to ensure proper operation of the camera's precision mechanical parts, it is impossible to eliminate all instances of oil scattering. If you require CMOS sensor cleaning, please contact our Customer Support Center.

Thank you for your patronage and support of Canon products.

This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.

Contact Information for Inquiries
Canon U.S.A., Inc. Customer Support Center
1-800-828-4040 (toll free)
Email: carecenter@cits.canon.com
Click here for support options and hours of operation.

 
I can tell you from experience that getting this oil cleaned off the sensor until it no longer continues to be splattered there (or transfered there from a sensor brush) can be extremely frustrating. I welcome the attention Canon is paying to this issue.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Getting the Canon EOS Rebel T1i / 500D DSLR Review started - I have posted a high ISO noise comparison between the T1i/500D, 50D, XSi/450D, XS/1000D and the 5D II. The above-ISO-800 noise comparisons between the T1i and the 50D may surprise you.
 

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Updated: Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens Review

ISO 12233 chart results from the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III have been added. Near record-setting is the combination of corner softness (check 50mm), distortion (both barrel and pincushion) and CA (check 200mm) this lens delivers.

 
B&H has the still hard-to-find Canon LP-E6 Battery in stock.

 
Canon Speedlite Flash manuals are now available online. While very useful, these manuals are low quality (scans) with relatively large file sizes. Download them at Canon USA Support. I have also linked to the specific manuals from the individual Canon Flash Reviews on the site:

Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash Buy
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash Buy
Canon Speedlite 220EX Flash Buy
Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Buy

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Chuck Westfall's May Tech Tips are online at TheDigitalJournalist.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Gone: B&H has the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens in stock.

 
Updated: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens Review

ISO 12233 chart results from both the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III and the Canon EOS 50D have been added. A focal length range example/comparison has also been added.
 

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A Photography Gear Buy & Sell Forum has been added to the site.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

B&H Photo has the new Canon Speedlite 270EX in stock. (thanks Jerry)

 
Updated: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens Review

ISO 12233 chart results from the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III have been added.

 
Tamron celebrates Mother's Day with a $50 rebate on the Tamron AF 18-270mm VC Lens. Rebate is valid from May 5, 2009 through May 12, 2009 and as usual, the lens must be purchased from an authorized retailer.

Buy the Tamron AF 18-270mm VC Lens at:

B&H Photo
Amazon.com
Adorama

Here is the Tamron 18-270mm VC Lens Rebate Form.

 
B&H Photo has the new Canon Speedlite 270EX in stock. (thanks Jerry)

Monday, May 4, 2009

Amazon.com has the Canon LP-E6 Battery in stock.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The Canon Spring-Summer 2009 Camera, Lens and Flash Rebates are now available. This program in in effect from May 3 - July 11, 2009. Some great gear is included and the savings on some of these items is big. Once again, these are rebates that everyone can love - they are instant.

Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras
Canon EOS 50D + EF-S 18–200mm IS Lens Buy - $300
Canon EOS 50D + EF-S 18-55mm Lens Kit + EF-S 18–200mm IS Lens Buy - $300
Canon EOS 50D + EF 28–135mm IS Lens Kit + EF-S 18–200mm IS Lens Buy - $300
Canon EOS 50D + EF-S 18-55mm Lens Kit + EF 70–300mm IS USM Lens Buy - $150
Canon EOS 50D + EF 28-135mm Lens Kit + EF 70–300mm IS USM Lens Buy - $150
Canon EOS Rebel XSi + EF-S 18–55mm Kit (Black) + EF-S 55–250mm IS Buy - $200
Canon EOS Rebel XS + EF-S 18–55mm Kit (Black) + EF 75–300mm III Buy - $100

Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
Canon EF 200mm f/2.0L IS USM Lens Buy - $500
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens Buy - $200
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens Buy - $130
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens Buy - $100
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens Buy - $100
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens Buy - $100
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens Buy - $80
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens Buy - $75
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens Buy - $70
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens Buy - $50
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens Buy - $50
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM Lens Buy - $40
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens Buy - $40
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens Buy - $35
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens Buy - $30
Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens Buy - $30
Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Lens Buy - $20
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Buy - $15

Canon Speedlite Flashes
Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash Buy - $50
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash Buy - $30
Canon Speedlite 220EX Flash Buy - $30
Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Buy - $70
Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX Buy - $50

The Canon Lens and Flash Rebate Form and Canon DSLR Rebate Form are available for download, but as with the other Canon instant camera and lens rebates, the forms are not needed.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

New Canon EOS 50D + Canon PIXMA Printer rebates are available. Buy a 50D and a PIXMA MP980, PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II or PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II and get a $300, $400 or $500 rebate (respectively). Rebates are also available for these printers alone. (thanks Matthew)

These rebates are available at B&H Photo and Adorama. New Tamron Lens Rebates are available.

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Posted to: Canon News   
Post Date: 5/1/2009 12:00:00 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
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