From Sigma:
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the new SIGMA USB DOCK, the accessory dedicated for Contemporary, Art, and Sports product lines that enables you to operate lens firmware update as well as customization including the focus setting.
By connecting the USB cable to a computer, SIGMA USB DOCK enables photographers to update the lens firmware and adjust parameters such as focus. The adjustment is processed with special software (SIGMA Optimization Pro). The AF speed, focus limiter and OS function are also customizable for Sports lenses.
From Sigma:
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the new SIGMA 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM / DC MACRO HSM, the large-aperture APS-C standard zoom lens with a focal range that covers all your everyday needs along with macro functionality.
The most important features for a standard zoom lens for digital single lens reflex camera is to achieve high image quality, to meet the needs in various occasions and to be handy and compact.
The SIGMA 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM will clear away all the general concerns, such as a short minimum focusing distance, not a long enough focal length for telephoto shooting and a small aperture value. Mainly used for general-purpose photography, this everyday lens covers a range equivalent to 25.5-105mm on a 35mm camera. It’s surprisingly compact in size for a large-aperture lens that opens up to F2.8. Great for treasured snapshots of travel or family occasions, it also handles shots that are a little bit more creative. Designed to be the kind of lens you carry around with you all the time, it delivers simplicity and is so user-friendly it’s sure to satisfy even the most demanding of users.
Special Features:
Other Features:
*1. The closer the lens is to the object, the less effective the OS function is.
*2. For Sony and Pentax, OS function is not incorporated.
Preorder your Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM / DC Macro HSM Lens at B&H.
From Sigma:
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the new SIGMA 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM, the telephoto zoom lens that achieves superior performance redesigned to meet photographers' needs.
Conventionally, large aperture lenses for 300mm F2.8 have been loved by professional users due to their brilliant capability of depiction and bright aperture value. It has established a solid standpoint in the world of photography. Based on the concept that turning a 300mm F2.8 lens into zoom lens would enable photographers to expand the scope of shooting, we have developed 120-300mm F2.8 lenses and released them into the market. It is not simple to decide on a composition with a 300mm lens. Especially for sports and theatrical shows, shooting positions are almost always fixed and changing lenses could lead to missed photographs. By adding a zoom function with the large aperture 300mm F2.8 lens, it no longer requires other interchangeable lenses and rotation of the zoom ring will offer excellent framing. In other words, when conditions are difficult, this high-performance lens gives you more scope to express yourself in the shots you take.
Special Features:
Other Features:
* This lens cannot be used with film SLR cameras with the exception of the Nikon F6, Canon EOS-1v.
Preorder the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens at B&H.
ISO 12233 resolution chart test results have been added to the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM Lens Review page.
The Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM Lens results are remarkably better than the results from the replaced Canon EF 35mm f/2 Lens in the mid and peripheral (corner) areas of the image circle. Results in the center appear slightly better in the IS lens, but the differences are very slight - not surprising as the old lens was very sharp in the center.
Here is a Canon 35 IS vs. 35 non-IS comparison (use the mouseover feature to see the differences).
From Canon:
CAPTURE, CONNECT AND SHARE WITH THE LATEST CANON PRODUCTS AT THE 2013 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
Company Brings to Life “Image Incredible” through Interactive Experiences and Inspired End-User Photographs
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., January 4, 2013 - At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 8th, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, unveils the vision behind its 2013 lineup of connected digital cameras, camcorders and printers. Visitors to Canon’s booth (#13304) will be invited to explore “Image Incredible” with product demonstrations and on-site experiences designed to unlock creative potential and inspire users to express their individuality using the Company’s exceptional imaging technology products.
Upon entering the Canon booth, attendees will experience “Image Incredible” through inspiring visual displays, celebrity photographer guest speakers, staged performance showcases, interactive product demonstrations and social media activities. Canon’s mission to inspire creativity in customers of all levels will be seen throughout the show as end-user inspired images submitted to the “Project Imaginat10n” program will decorate the Company’s booth as well as adorn on-site advertising and signage as examples of how imaging inspires creativity in us all.
“Consumers are looking for higher performing and functioning products that work exceptionally on their own, as well as together, to push the boundaries of imagination and creativity,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A., “This year, we have created a space where this truly comes to life in unique and exciting ways, just like our products.”
Through interactive on-stage presentations, attendees will be immersed in the true meaning of “Image Incredible” as a series of end-user scenarios play out illustrating the various creative possibilities and wireless connectivity of Canon EOS cameras, PowerShot digital cameras, VIXIA camcorders and PIXMA printer products. Also on the Canon stage will be industry renowned photographers and cinematographers. Canon Explorers of Light (EOL) members, Jack Reznicki, Bruce Dorn, Vincent Laforet and Rick Sammon will be conducting presentations on various filmmaking and photographic techniques throughout the week. To further showcase the Canon booth theme, there will be a special gallery showcasing the works of various members of the EOL program.
Adding to the overall booth experience, attendees can touch-and-try a range of Canon high-performance optics and cameras by entering an in-booth tower that features 15 different EF lenses and DSLR cameras. Throughout the show, the Canon HD Theater will be showing a highlight reel of spectacular footage shot and captured on EOS and Cinema EOS equipment as the Company looks to enable both consumers and professionals to tell their story through video as well as still images.
To help bring the show experience to Canon fans, there will be a dedicated social media counter that will display Canon-related social media engagement through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the Canon Forum. Please visit the following Canon U.S.A. social media sites:
Facebook: facebook.com/CanonUSA
Twitter: @CanonUSAimaging #CanonCES
YouTube: youtube.com/CanonUSA
Canon Forum: forums.usa.canon.com
For more information on all of Canon’s products, please visit: www.usa.canon.com.
From the Norman Rockwell Museum:
Photography has been a benevolent tool for artists from Thomas Eakins and Edgar Degas to David Hockney. And to illustrators, always on the lookout for better ways to meet deadlines, the camera has long been a natural ally. But the thousands of photographs Norman Rockwell created as studies for his iconic images are a case apart. A natural storyteller, Rockwell envisioned his narrative scenarios down to the smallest detail. Yet at the easel he was an absolute literalist who rarely painted directly from his imagination.
Instead, he first brought his ideas to life in studio sessions, staging photographs that are fully realized works of art in their own right. Selecting props and locations, choosing and directing his models, he carefully orchestrated each element of his design for the camera before beginning to paint. Meticulously composed and richly detailed, Norman Rockwell’s study photographs mirror his masterworks in a tangible parallel universe. Photography opened a door to the keenly observed authenticity that defines Norman Rockwell’s art. And for us today it is a revelation to discover that so many of his most memorable characters were, in fact, real people.
See the full story and set of photographs at the Norman Rockwell Museum's website.
It is our understanding that Adorama's first Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM Lens shipment was sent from Canon yesterday (Mon, Dec 31st).