Canon and Sony News for Jul 2014 (Page 5)

From the Profoto Blog:

"There are days when the whole world seems to smile upon you. But there are also days when the forces of nature seem to conspire against you. This shoot belongs in the latter category…

The shoot was done at Långtora Airfield outside Stockholm, which is the airfield where my gliding club is based. The look we were going for was a modern version of the flying ladies of the 1940s. Quite a few of the classic Hollywood stars flew gliders. The particular glider we were borrowing for this shoot was used by the Danish air force during the 1940s to train fighter pilots. Some people at the club claim that the gilder was once flown by Greta Garbo. But that fact is still to be verified…

Lighting-wise, we planned to shoot with sunlight and Collapsible Reflectors only. I wanted a subtle and natural backlight in the images, and Collapsible Reflectors are great for that. The fact that Profoto offer ten different Collapsible Reflectors in six fabrics (black, white, silver, sunsilver, gold and translucent) would be helpful, as that allowed us to create different light characters and moods by simply replacing one Collapsible Reflector with another.

That was the plan. But as it turned, the forces of nature refused to cooperate."

Read the entire article on the Profoto Blog.

B&H carries Profoto Collapsible Reflectors.

Site vistor Mark J. sent us a great tip – Microsoft has a freely downloadable program for producing GIFs, called Microsoft Research Cliplets.

After learning about the program, I simply had to try it. I went to the local park to capture a video of its fountain in action (shown above).

Check out the video below to see how it works.

From Sigma:

Thank you for your purchasing and using our products.

We are pleased to announce the availability of the update of SIGMA Optimization Pro and it is now available for download. Since the version under SIGMA Optimization Pro 1.2.0 does not recognize 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art, we have upgraded it to adapt the new 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art.

Please update your SIGMA Optimization Pro 1.2.0 to latest version.

http://www.sigma-global.com/download/en/

We appreciate your continuing support for our company and products.

B&H carries the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens.

Canon Japan has posted an announcement regarding an EOS M2 "double zoom" kit – containing the EOS M2, EF-M18-55mm IS STM & EF-M 55-200mm IS STM Lenses – to be available in August. Canon Japan also announced a new color for the EOS M2, "Beiburu" (Bay Blue) that will join the already familiar white, red and black models around that time.

Note: The Bay Blue version of the EOS M has been around quite some time. Apparently, the color is new to the EOS M2.

From the Nikon USA YouTube Channel:

Nikon Ambassador, Corey Rich shows us how he sets up a great time-lapse while capturing a beautiful landscape photo at the same time, using his camera's built-in intervalometer. For more information on your Nikon D-SLR's intervalometer, please refer to your camera's instruction manual.

B&H carries the Nikon D800, D800E and has the new D810 available for preorder.

From PC Mag:

Microsoft said the deal covers patents for digital imaging and mobile consumer products, among other things.

Canon is the latest company to ink a patent licensing deal with Microsoft.

The deal provides Microsoft and Canon with access to licenses for each other’s patent portfolios. Exact terms were not disclosed, but Microsoft said the agreement covers a broad range of products and services each company offers, including certain digital imaging and mobile consumer products.

“This collaborative approach with Canon allows us to deliver inventive technologies that benefit consumers around the world,” Nick Psyhogeos, general manager and associate general counsel of the IP Licensing of the Innovation and Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft, said in a statement. “Microsoft believes cooperative licensing is an effective way to accelerate innovation while reducing patent disputes.”

The two companies have worked together before. In 2009, Microsoft said that Canon was among the first firms to sign up for a licensing program for its Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) technology.

Microsoft said it has now inked more than 1,100 patent licensing deals since its IP licensing program started in Dec. 2003. Many of the headlines surrounding that program have focused on Microsoft’s efforts to license its Android-related patents (Yes, Android).

From MindShift Gear:

MindShift Gear has just released the first dual-purpose round filter case for outdoor photography. The Filter Nest is two bags in one: a padded, zippered pouch protects delicate filters from dust and scratches in the field and a removable insert allows for compact packing.

The Filter Nest is belt-mountable and compatible with MindShift Gear’s rotation180° Panorama and rotation180° Professional backpacks for quickly accessing filters while setting up a shot. Plus, the grab-handle with SR buckle enables photographers to hang the Filter Nest from a tripod to suit workflow for rapid filter changes when speed counts.

MindShift Gear has the Filter Nest available for order.

From JerseyShooter's Blog:

"Once in a while, when you are ready to resign things to being just the way they are and give up, the planets align, the clouds part, and the gods smile down, making everything right again. Well, perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit. However, my initial testing of the new firmware Version 1.01 for the Canon mount Sigma 120-300 f2.8 “Sports” lens is complete and things are looking good.

To briefly recap, my issue with the lens and original Version 1.00 firmware was basically two-fold. First, despite all sixteen adjustable focus points available in the Sigma Optimization Pro software being perfectly calibrated using the USB dock, the lens would badly front-focus in between the 200mm and 300mm settings. Second, the lens required completely different Optimization Pro focus parameter settings for the 1D Mark III and 1D Mark IV compared to Canon’s other bodies like the 7D, 5D Mark II and 50D. This meant my lens was either “set up” to work with my 1D bodies, or my other bodies, but never ALL my camera bodies at once. I began my testing with a very methodical approach. I needed to find out first if the new firmware fixed the issue of the different parameter requirements for the different bodies. I also wanted to get a baseline to see how different my new Optimization Pro setting would be from my old ones, and I wanted to do it for all my different camera models."

From the looks of post, JerseyShooter is quite impressed by the new firmware. Check out his full post for all the details.

The Canon USA YouTube Channel has posted on-camera tutorials covering the Built-in GPS and Time Coding Operation for the EOS 6D.

Canon EOS 6D On-Camera Tutorial Videos

• Basic Overview
• The Auto Options
• Image Quality
• In-Camera RAW and JPEG Processing
• Composition Aids
• Low Light Shooting
• Multiple Exposure Shooting
• Auto Exposure Bracketing
• In-Camera HDR
• Basic Video Operation
• Built-in GPS Technology
• Time Coding Operation Basics

B&H carries the Canon EOS 6D.

eBay seller "ala2200" has posted an auction for a Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM lens (review). (thanks Matt)

Right now the top bid is only $2,025.00 – and that's especially reasonable considering the used value of the lens is upwards of $100K+.

Caveat Emptor: While the seller has a good feedback rating, it's not someone we're familiar with and the listing appears a bit suspect. We suggest proceeding with extreme caution when purchasing expensive gear from unknown sources.

Update: The auction listing has been removed.