Canon and Sony News for Apr 2011 (Page 2)

DxO Labs has added 45 new lens / camera combinations to the DxO Optics Modules library, providing supports for Canon, Samyang, Sigma, Tamron, and Zuiko lenses, for numerous Canon, Nikon, Fuji, and Olympus cameras.

Visit this page to see the new combinations.

DxO Optics Pro is available at B&H.

UPDATE: The EOS 7D firmware update has been removed from Canon UK's site.

Canon UK has posted EOS 7D firmware version 1.2.5: Mac OS X | Windows

Firmware Version 1.2.5 incorporates the following improvements and fixes.

1. Fixed a rare phenomenon in which there were rare cases where movie files taken could not be opened when repeatedly shooting movies with specific CF cards.

2. Fixed a rare phenomenon in which there were cases where "Err 02" appeared when repeatedly shooting still images with specific CF cards.

3. Fixed a phenomenon that occurred when using high-capacity (32 GB or greater) CF cards: If either a CF card with only a little available space remaining or the battery was removed and then reinserted into the camera, and then the user attempted to start shooting movies immediately, shooting would stop.

4. Improved the writing/reading speeds when using UDMA 7-compatible CF cards.

5. Fixed a phenomenon that occurred when custom function C.Fn 4-1 was set to assign IS start to the AF stop button on the lens: When used with lenses that do not have an AF stop button, the IS function would not work.

6. Corrected some mistakes in the menu screens displayed in Arabic and Portuguese. (This applies to models in overseas markets. The models for the Japanese market do not display those languages.)

An aperture comparison has been added to the Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro-Planar T* ZE Lens Review page.

You will also find some new product images on this page.

Canon Digital Photo Professional 3.10.1 Updater is now available for download.

Changes for Digital Photo Professional 3.10.1 Updater

1. Support added for images taken with the EOS Kiss X50 / EOS REBEL T3 / EOS 1100D, EOS Kiss X5 / EOS REBEL T3i / EOS 600D.If using an earlier version, images take with the EOS Kiss X50 / EOS REBEL T3 / EOS 1100D, EOS Kiss X5 / EOS REBEL T3i / EOS 600D will not be supported. Please update to version 3.10 or later.

2. Additional lenses now covered by correction of lens aberration. Including overseas models, images taken with the following six lenses are now covered by lens aberration correction.

EF 8-15mm F4L USM Fisheye, EF 15mm F2.8 Fisheye, EF 300mm F2.8 II IS USM, EF 400mm F2.8 II IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 III (an overseas model), EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS II

Distortion aberration correction for images taken with fisheye lenses (EF 8-15mm F4L USM Fisheye, EF 15mm F2.8 Fisheye) enables the user to select four types of effects that are not covered by ordinary distortion correction. Note that depending on the camera used, there are cases where images taken with applicable lenses may not be covered by aberration correction.

3. Added a function for circular masking. The new Circle option can be selected from the Ratio pull-down menu for the Trimming/angle adjustment tool. The behavior differs from when rectangles like 1:1 are selected in that selecting Circle will masking everything outside of the selected area.

4. When performing Noise Reduction processing, there were cases where the screen would momentarily turn magenta.

5. Fixed a malfunction involving PCs on which multiple versions of Photoshop are installed; there were cases where the Transfer to Photoshop command would be dimmed.

6. Fixed a malfunction in which attempting to display NR Preview while the highlight warning was displayed would cause the Preview screen to turn deep blue.

7. Fixed a malfunction that occurred if an image was overwritten by a newer version after a rating had been set; there were cases where the editing results were destroyed and the image reverted back to the settings when it was first taken.

8. Fixed a malfunction wherein white lines would appear in the displayed results if an image was displayed at 100% in the Edit Window or the Edit Image Window and the window was then scrolled.

9. Windows XP SP2 is no longer supported

If using this software in a Windows XP environment, please update Windows to Service Pack 3 before installing the software.

10. The limitation in Mac OS 10.6 of not being able to drag images to another folder from within the main window has been removed.

11. Mac OS 10.4 is no longer supported

The versions of Mac OS X that are supported by this software are Mac OS 10.5 and Mac OS 10.6 (only models that came with either Mac OS 10.5 or Mac OS 10.6 preinstalled). Also, this software does not support Power PC Macs.

Planning to shoot the Royal Wedding? So are an estimated 799 other photographers.

"The Canon Professional Services (CPS) team will be providing a range of services and support for accredited Canon professional photographers who are covering the Royal Wedding between HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton on 29 April."

Read more at the Canon Professional Network.

Capture NX v2.2.7 Updater (Nikon USA)
Capture NX v2.2.7 Updater (Nikon Europe)

Camera Control Pro 2.9.0 Updater (Nikon USA)
Camera Control Pro 2.9.0 Updater (Nikon Canada)
Camera Control Pro 2.9.0 Updater (Nikon Europe)

Capture NX 2.2.7 Updater

Support for RAW images captured with the D5100 has been added.

The following issues have been resolved.

In some rare cases, when the Highlight Protection function under Quick Fix in the Develop section of the Edit List was applied to RAW images, edges around highlights were darkened.

When the Image Dust Off function under Camera & Lens Corrections in the Develop section of the Edit List was applied to reduce reflection of dust on the image sensor in images, the results of this dust reduction were sometimes noticeable.

When RAW images captured with the camera’s auto distortion control function enabled were opened, or the Auto Distortion function under Camera & Lens Corrections in the Develop section of the Edit List was set to Automatic for a RAW image, Capture NX 2 sometimes quit unexpectedly.

RAW images sometimes could not be opened, or, when attempting to open a RAW image, Capture NX 2 sometimes quit unexpectedly.

Mac OS X only - When an image was saved with Capture NX 2, time of the Date Created information recorded to Exif data was sometimes not correct.

Camera Control Pro 2.9.0 Updater

Support for the D5100 has been added. However, the Custom Settings dialog, available from the Camera menu, cannot be used.

Support for the following D5100 features has been added.
- Shooting using the High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature
- Shooting in Special Effects mode
(However, still images cannot be captured and movies cannot be recorded in Special Effects mode when live view mode is enabled.)

Support for Mac OS X version 10.6.6 has been added.

I added the usual color block and fabric comparisons to the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D Review page.

I added a handfull of sample pictures to the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Review.

Canon has released updates for EOS Utility 2.10, Picture Style Editor 1.9.0 and RAW Codec 1.9.0 (select your OS). The updates are as follows:

Canon EOS Utility 2.10 Updater (2.10.1 for Mac OS X)

1. Added supported models: EOS Kiss X5 / EOS REBEL T3i / EOS 600D, EOS Kiss X50 / EOS REBEL T3 / EOS 1100D

2. Supports the function of registering background music to camera's memory card, Picture Style [Auto], Setting the Built-in flash functions (for supported models only)

3. Added a function of customizing the grid display in Remote Live View

4. Expanded a function to terminate the Live View display and Remote Live View of the camera in synchronization. (Target Model: EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS 7D, EOS 60D, EOS REBEL T2i / EOS 550D, EOS REBEL T3i / EOS 600D, EOS REBEL T3 / EOS 1100D) The operation specifications have been changed so that the camera's LCD monitor is turned off at the same time as the Remote Live View screen on the PC, if the "Sync with camera operations" is set to [Stop Live View] in the [Remote Shooting] tabe in Preferences.

5. Added a function of "In RAW+JPEG mode, only transfer JPEGs to the computer" in remote shooting.

6. Previous models (EOS 30D and EOS Kiss Digital X) are no longer supported. However, it is still possible to connect EU 2.10 with previous models.

7. Windows XP SP2 is no longer supported: If you are using EOS Utility on a PC running Windows XP, it is advisable to update the OS to Service Pack 3 before using the software.

8. Mac OS 10.4 is no longer supported. The Mac OS versions that are supported by this software are Mac OS 10.5 and Mac OS 10.6. (Only the models that are preinstalled with Mac OS 10.5 or Mac OS 10.6 are supported.) Also, this software does not support Mac PCs equipped with PowerPC.

9. Fixes a malfunction with the firmware update function (Mac version). Fixes a malfunction that when updating the camera firmware, EU cannot quit after copying the firmware from a Mac PC to a memory card in the camera through USB connection. (We have confirmed that even if this problem occurs, the camera firmware update has been carried out normally, so the camera can be used as is even after using EOS Utility for the firmware update.)

Canon Picture Style Editor 1.9.0

Support added for EOS Kiss X5/EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D, EOS Kiss X50/EOS REBEL T3/EOS 1100D.

Canon RAW Codec 1.9.0

1. Support added for new models. (EOS REBEL T3i / EOS 600D, EOS REBEL T3 / EOS 1100D)

2. The supported OSes have been changed. Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista (with no Service Pack) are no longer supported.

Zeiss has launched a redesigned lenses website.

Just posted: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Review

Canon Digital Photo Professional 3.9.4 Updater is now available for download. Select your OS to be presented with the download option.

Changes for Digital Photo Professional 3.9.4 Updater for Windows:

1. Changes the name "Art Filters" to "Creative Filters" (which is used in markets other than Japan) in the Japanese version to make the terms consistent. (This change only applies to the Japanese version and does not apply to other language versions.)

2. Support to address the compatibility problems in which the IPTC information could not be browsed in some applications. (Except for cameras which have a rating function in the camera, this IPTC compatibility problem does not occur for images which never used the XMP rating function in DPP 3.9.4.)

* Note that Canon Digital Photo Professional 3.10.0 shipped with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D.

(thanks Brian)

There has been no press release, but a complete Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR Lens page is now showing on Nikon's website.

Update: Nikon removed the referenced page.

According to Macworld, Apple has announced Final Cut Pro X during the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters Show.

"Apple says Final Cut Pro X has been rewritten from the ground up, with support for 64-bit, a user-interface redesign, and a whole host of new features. The software takes advantage of core Mac OS X features like Cocoa, Core Animation, Open CL, and Grand Central Dispatch to speed up and fine-tune performance."

Read the rest of the article at Macworld.

DxO Labs has added 52 new lens / camera combinations to the DxO Optics Modules library, providing support for Sigma, and Tokina lenses, for numerous Canon, Nikon, and Fuji cameras.

Visit this page to see the new combinations.

DxO Optics Pro is available at B&H.

B&H has posted six HDSLR Education Series for Cinema episodes with Shane Hurlbut. They are worth watching if you are interested in DSLR HD Video. Find the banner ad for the series near the top of the B&H home page.

Think Tank Photo has introduced the Retrospective 5 (press release).

The Retrospective 5 will be available at Think Tank Photo.

B&H is accepting preorders for the Nikon Me-1 Microphone. As with most B&H preorders, if you order this item, you receive this item in the first shipment.

B&H will be closing for Passover:

Our SuperStore and offices will close at 6:00PM EDT on Sunday, April 17th, in observance of Passover and will reopen on Wednesday, April 27th at 9:00AM EDT.

Orders must be placed by 12:00PM EDT on Sunday, April 17th in order to ship before the Holiday. Orders placed after this time will ship when we reopen. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patronage.

Place your B&H order this week to insure shipping before the holiday.

Canon U.S.A will be exhibiting at the 2011 NAB Show (press release) in Las Vegas, NV.

Manfrotto has added six new products to their already-extensive lineup:

Manfrotto 509HD
Manfrotto LED Lights
Manfrotto Photo-Movie Head
Manfrotto Video Remote Control
Manfrotto DADO
Manfrotto Snake Arm

Adobe has introduced Creative Suite 5.5 (press release).

Adobe Photoshop CS 5.5 (press release) will be the application of most photographer interest.

Canon has announced that EOS Movie Plug-in-E1 for Final Cut Pro Version 1.2 (press release) will be available for free download April 25th.

Delkin has announced a new, fast USB 3.0 Universal Memory Card Reader.

To feed the new card reader's appetite, pick up one of the also-announced Delkin 633X UHS-I SDHC Memory Cards.

The Delkin USB 3.0 Universal Memory Card Reader and Delkin 633X UHS-I SDHC Memory Cards are available for ordering at B&H.

Canon has today unveiled a trio of new video lenses. While not for the DSLR market, the new lenses are interesting to learn about nonetheless. The new Canon KJ20x8.2B is particularly interesting with its built-in 2x extender.

Canon FK14.5-60 Wide-Angle Cine Zoom Lens
Canon FK30-300 Telephoto Cine Zoom Lens

Canon KJ20x8.2B Portable HD Lens