Weekend Recap for May 26 - June 1, 2013

"This is The-Digital-Picture.com's Weekend Recap for the week ending June 1st, 2013

In the news...

It was an unprecedented week for Canon firmware updates. First off, Canon released firmware updates for the 1D Mark IV, 1Ds Mark III, and 1D Mark III – all firmware updates enabled the center AF point to autofocus when the camera is used with the EF 200-400mm F4L USM lens when used with the internal Extender and an external 1.4x Extender.

Second, Canon released a 1D X firmware update that incorporated several bug fixes including slow autofocus when using a speedlite’s AF assist beam.

Third, Canon announced a firmware update for the 1D C. Along with a few bug fixes, the new firmware provides support for 25p (PAL format) video recording in 4K resolution. Owners will have to send their cameras into Canon Service in order to update their 1D C’s firmware.

And fourth, Canon released an updated firmware for the WFT-E7A Wireless File Transmitter that corrected a couple of issues from previous versions.

On Wednesday, Canon celebrated a manufacturing milestone – the production of its 90-millionth EF-series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras. And, just in case you’re curious, the 90-millionth lens produced by Canon was a 24-70mm f/2.8L II.

On Friday, B&H and Adorama started shipping the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with built-in Extender. We have one headed our way and look forward to putting it through its paces.

On Saturday, we posted Adobe’s response to questions regarding Creative Cloud. Adobe notes that many photographers desire a more-tailored program specific to their needs. Adobe is currently exploring photography-specific options. They are also formulating solutions that will allow Creative Cloud customers to access their existing files even after their subscription lapses. Expect more announcements from Adobe soon.

In site news and reviews...

On Thursday, Bryan posted the image quality results for the Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD Lens and added the lens’s information to the Lens Specifications Tool on the site.

On Friday, Bryan tentatively announced a new feature to the site – star ratings for gear reviews. Keep in mind, we realize it’s very difficult to represent all aspects of a lens – image quality, build quality, AF speed, etc. – with a single rating. However, it is a work in progress so please bear with us.

On Saturday, Bryan added product images for several lenses to the site’s Lens Product Image Comparison Tool. Check out the tool found in the site’s menu bar for all the site’s lens comparison images.

And, for our deal of the week…

On Saturday, we posted a deal from DigitalRev where you could get a Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens for $369.00 – more than a 32% savings off the normal retail price of $549.00.

This has been the The-Digital-Picture.com’s Weekend Recap. Thanks for listening, and as always, happy shooting!"