Canon and Sony News for Feb 2020

 Thursday, February 27, 2020

I'm evaluating Canon EOS-1D X Mark III images, selecting a few for inclusion in the review, and thought I'd take a moment to share an image of another amazing-looking duck, the American widgeon. The goal of this short trip to the Chesapeake Bay, in addition to testing the 1D X Mark III in the field, was to photograph canvasback ducks. Like most other wildlife photographers, I'm opportunistic and it wasn't hard to be attracted to the beautiful American widgeon. The colors, patterns, and shapes of this bird's feathers are incredible.

Again, I was sitting in very cold water just upriver from the Chesapeake Bay wearing chest waders (and a heavy layer of fleece insulation under them) to enable a low camera position. The Wimberley WH-200-S Sidemount Head held the big lens and mostly submerged under the Wimberley was a Robus RC-8860 Vantage Series 5 Carbon Fiber Tripod.


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 2/27/2020 2:24:21 PM ET   Posted By: Bryan

Turn up the volume (unless you are at work)!

Set the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III to high speed continuous shooting mode and press the shutter release. This is the awesome sound you hear until: A. You release the shutter button. B. Your memory card is full.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Burst Mode

Do the extra two frames per second over the 1D X Mark II make a difference? Your ears will say "Yes":

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, then Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

Get in line: the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is available for order at B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | WEX

Don't want to wait? Rent the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III from Lensrentals.

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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 2/27/2020 11:36:46 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
 Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Resolution test results have now been added to the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Review page.

Here is the 1D X III vs. II comparison. The two cameras have similar resolution and appear similarly sharp, but the III is delivering cleaner results (see the fine converging horizontal lines in the top crop).

Get in line: the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is available for order at B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | WEX

Don't want to wait? Rent the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III from Lensrentals.

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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 2/26/2020 7:58:26 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
 Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Do you like your bird images cropped tightly or do you prefer some breathing room around your birds?

I shared a canvasback duck image earlier today and mentioned that I was struggling to decide which of two images I liked better. While that topic is fresh on my mind, I thought I would share the looser-cropped image and get your opinion.

Which image do you like better? The composition with the closer duck filling a greater percentage of the frame or the more-distant duck showing more surroundings?


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 2/25/2020 2:20:41 PM ET   Posted By: Bryan

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III arrived mid-afternoon and immediately the battery went on the charger. Setting up the camera came next (didn't wait for a full battery charge) and shooting the noise test followed. Late-night packing ensued and the road trip started the next morning.

The goal of this trip was to give the 1D X III a workout and the Chesapeake Bay ducks seemed a good choice.

One of the challenges I frequently encounter when photographing ducks is selecting the correct focus point(s) in time to get an image before the duck changes direction again. Those webbed feet can make 180° turns very fast but the 1D X III's new Smart Controller is a game-changer in DSLR focus point selection. Simply slide a thumb (even with a glove on) across the AF-ON button's Smart Controller feature and the AF point moves in the same direction. Keeping up with the ducks is now considerably easier thanks to the Smart Controller — this feature is awesome. I'm now less-satisfied with my other DSLRs.

When photographing ducks, I seldom appreciate a downward camera angle. This means getting the camera down to the level of the duck which becomes complicated when the duck is swimming. Sitting in the low-40-something-degree-F water just upriver from the Chesapeake Bay wearing chest waders (with a heavy layer of fleece insulation under them) was the option selected. Obviously, the camera cannot go right on the water level, especially with saltwater sometimes having splashing waves, but getting into the water helps reduce elevation.

Another aid to a flatter camera angle is using a long focal length lens. The longer the focal length used, the farther away the subject needs to be for proper framing and to frame a farther-away subject requires the camera angle to be raised, creating a closer-to-level shooting angle.

Prior to leaving for this short trip, I had a number of accessories sent to me for testing.

Holding the camera and lens in the river was a Wimberley WH-200-S Sidemount Head. The Wimberley Tripod Head II (full gimbal head including the cradle) is an awesome choice for holding a big lens. This head is very solid but the Sidemount version is even more rigid, weighs less, consumes less space, and provides a better handle (such as for lifting the tripod out of the river). The only downside to this side-mount head is that some lenses, primarily very large lenses with high-profile tripod feet, may not be perfectly centered over the head. This slight offset didn't seem to matter in my use with a 600mm f4L lens. My cradle will not likely see any future use.

Mostly submerged and holding the Wimberley Sidemount tripod head was a Robus RC-8860 Vantage Series 5 Carbon Fiber Tripod. This solid, heavy-duty tripod was a superb solution for anchoring (literally in this case) a 600mm f/4 lens on a pro body. I continue to be impressed by the quality of the Robus products, especially for the price. They are great values.

I might share another Canvasback photograph with you soon as I struggled to select between this one and a looser-framed shot (and many others). The warm lighting on this duck is from a setting sun and the blue water color is courtesy of a blue sky.


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 2/25/2020 10:23:14 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

From Sony:

Sony Expands Full-frame Lens Line-up with Introduction of New Large-aperture, Ultra-wide-angle Prime Lens

SAN DIEGO – February 25, 2020 – Adding to its extensive range of native mirrorless full-frame lenses, Sony Electronics today announced the launch of the new G Lens™ series FE 20mm F1.8 G (model name SEL20F18G), perfect for a variety of creative needs including portraits, astrophotography, landscape and street photography, as well as capturing impressive video. Ensuring exceptional G Lens resolution and bokeh, the FE 20mm F1.8 G is a compact, lightweight, ultra-wide prime lens – the widest full-frame prime lens in Sony’s E-mount lineup – giving users a new resource for stretching the boundaries of their artistic imaginations.

The impressive lens design features two advanced aspherical (AA) elements and three extra-low dispersion (ED) glass elements to suppress chromatic aberration and delivers high corner-to-corner image quality with minimal distortion, even at the maximum F1.8 aperture. It has excellent close-up performance, with a minimum focus distance of 7.5 inches (max. magnification: 0.2 times), and delivers beautifully de-focused backgrounds, or bokeh. For challenging subjects like night scenes or starry skies, the FE 20mm F1.8 G delivers crisp and clear images thanks to its advanced optical design that accurately reproduces point light sources with high contrast and minimum sagittal flare.

The compact design and versatility of the FE 20mm F1.8 G makes it the perfect all-inclusive lens for photographers and videographers. Weighing only 13.2 oz (373g), its small size and light weight make it truly mobile when used with compact E-mount bodies as part of a well-balanced system that is ideal for use on gimbals or accessory grips.

Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Lens On Camera

In addition, the use of two extreme dynamic (XD) Linear Motors delivers fast, precise and quiet autofocus for both stills and video shooting.

Designed to be dust and moisture resistant and having a fluorine front element coating, the FE 20mm F1.8 G is highly reliable and easy to operate. It also features a customizable focus-hold button and aperture ring with a click on/off switch and is compatible with a variety of 67mm filters for extra creative control.

“We’re driven by the needs of our customers and will continue developing the best tools to meet their creative ambitions,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Imaging Products and Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics. “Our 56th E-mount lens, the new FE 20mm F1.8 G, is fast, lightweight and extremely versatile, giving creators yet another compelling tool to help realize their vision.”

Pricing and Availability

The FE 20mm F1.8 G will be available in March 2020 for a suggested retail price of $899.99 USD and $1,199.99 CAD.

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Posted to: Sony News   Category: Sony Announcements
Post Date: 2/25/2020 10:08:47 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
 Monday, February 24, 2020

Noise test results (225 images) have been added to the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Review page.

Use the under- and over-exposed result sets for a look at the dynamic range. I'll add commentary to the results soon.

Here is the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III compared to the 1D X Mark II.

I've been spending a lot of time with this awesome camera — the shutter count is hovering around 6,000 mostly in-the-field shutter actuations and I have lots to share in the near future.

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is available for order at B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | WEX

Rent the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III from Lensrentals.

Please share!

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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 2/24/2020 8:49:01 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
 Friday, February 21, 2020

From the Syrp YouTube Channel:

In the past years, not only have smartphone video capabilities got a lot better, but the way these companies communicate and showcase their products to us has also improved hugely, creating this immediate feeling of “I want that” as soon as you watch one of their ads.

They figured out how to make that emotional connection between the product and you, the consumer. The fear of missing out is a powerful force that all smartphone brands leverage over and over again. But there’s one brand in particular that does it especially well: Apple.

Their marketing campaigns keep getting better and same goes for their storytelling. But there’s something impressively unique about their product shots. They always capture beautifully clean, crisp images and then take it to a whole new level by adding motion. In this video, we replicate from beginning to end three of the most popular product shots used in Apple commercials so you can do the same: the hero shot, the detail shot, and the context shot.

B&H carries Syrp products.

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Post Date: 2/21/2020 4:56:43 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Thursday, February 20, 2020

From Adobe:

Today (February 19) is Photoshop’s 30th birthday! For 10,950 days, artists, designers, photographers and many others have inspired the world with their imaginations using the practical magic of Photoshop.

Share the love with #PsILoveYou30 On this milestone day we celebrate the evolution that brought us here, from the first use of Photoshop (before Photoshop 1.0) to create visual effects for James Cameron’s movie, The Abyss … to the invention of the healing brush in Photoshop CS2 … to the wizardry of Content-Aware Fill … and all the amazing innovation in between. In 2016 we introduced Sensei AI and machine learning magic, resulting in many even more fantastic features including Select Subject, with of course much more to come. In 2019, Photoshop won an Academy Award, and we expanded it to new devices like the iPad.

We honor our long-standing collaboration of artists and engineers, where working together and with your feedback and inspiration we have built a tool that enables you to make the world a more beautiful place.

In celebration of this birthday, today we also release many great new features in both versions of Photoshop – on the desktop and on the iPad. Happy birthday, Photoshop! We will keep the magic rolling.

Photoshop on the desktop

Content-Aware Fill Workspace Improvements

Now you can make multiple selections and apply multiple fills without leaving the workspace. Use the new “apply” button to iterate your fills before committing. Click “OK” only when you are finished. In this release we’ve addressed a big customer request to sample all layers in the CAF workspace. These workflow enhancements are designed to reduce clicks, give you more control, and speed you to great results.

The most magical secrets of how Content-Aware Fill works are locked in a vault deep inside Adobe so I can’t tell you a lot about that. But I talked with the research scientists behind the feature to understand their approach to what we added today. A few releases ago we packaged all the CAF capabilities into a workspace. Since then we’ve worked closely with customers to further improve it, using customer-supplied images to ensure we solve your real-world problems. One of your top requests was to stay in the workspace to refine fills that need multiple CAF iterations – imagine removing something from behind many tree branches, or other tricky scenes with visual diversity. To do that, we now enable you to break the fill region into sub-parts to give you more iterative control to achieve a more realistic fill.

Lens Blur improvements

We’ve improved the output quality and performance of Lens Blur and put it on the GPU. This significantly improves the overall realism, including the sharpness and edges when using Lens Blur to synthetically blur the foreground, background or even the middle of an image.

The feature also now delivers more colorful bokeh via the specular highlights. This produces more realistic and pleasing results.

It’s a little boggling to me how we can add such realistic blur to a 2D image after capture. So I talked with one of our research scientists to get an idea of how the new and improved, GPU-driven Lens Blur works. The results are created by an algorithm the team built by studying the first principles of physics and how light interacts with objects in the real world. It is carefully tuned to simulate a 3D environment to create the most realistic results possible, while also consuming the least amount of compute power so you don’t burn up your machine. Lots of research and iteration occurred to make the feature. Several PhDs were involved. And now you can synthetically adjust the depth of field by dynamically manipulating the blur of a 2D image after capture in milliseconds.

Mac OS Dark UI support

Dark UI has been one of the more popular features of the Catalina Mac OS. Photoshop now supports the new dark mode. System dialogs like File>Open and File>Save now match the settings of your Mac OS.

If you have dark UI enabled, system dialogs will also be dark.

Performance improvements

You’ll discover some key performance improvements with a more buttery and seamless mousing experience. Clicking interactions like panning and zooming will feel smoother and more responsive. You’ll notice the biggest boosts on larger documents and when using the hand tool to zip around the canvas.

If you want to geek out, for stylus customers on Windows, you no longer need to use WinTab (you know who you are).

Photoshop on the iPad

Reminder: Photoshop on the iPad is included in all Creative Cloud plans that include Photoshop. If you are already a member, all you have to do to get started is download Photoshop on the iPad and sign in.

We promised you a continuous stream of new features in the iPad version of Photoshop and today we release a fresh batch.

This is a major release for Photoshop on the iPad. With the addition of the Object Selection tool, selections on the iPad takes a huge leap forward beyond anything available in any other apps on the device before today. Check out the video above by our own Russell Preston Brown that shows the power of this new feature. And, give it a try! Photoshop on the iPad is built using the same code base as Photoshop on the desktop. As you can see from the multiple releases we’ve delivered since we shipped the first version just three months ago, we are able to add new features with deep and rich capabilities and high quality output that matches that of the desktop very quickly. We are shipping these new capabilities as soon as the user experience has been adapted to the iPad and reimagined to take advantage of touch and mobility.

Object Selection tool

This feature was just released in Photoshop on the desktop at MAX 2019, three months ago. On the iPad we give you the same functions, with the same options and settings.

We’re hearing from customers that Photoshop on the iPad “helps them get closer to the pixels.” This feature is a great example of that, where the experience really shines in a touch environment when using the Apple Pencil. I encourage you to try it out.

Here’s a primer on how the new Object Selection tool relates to the Select Subject tool (which was released on the iPad in December). Both features are now in Photoshop on desktop and iPad. Both use Sensei AI and machine learning to automatically make a great selection. They each radically reduce the steps to results and each is tuned for common, but different use cases.

Select Subject finds and selects the main subject in your image with one click with no input or guidance from you. This is best used when you have one primary object you want to quickly isolate.

The Object Selection tool is designed to give you speed, but also more control over the selection process on more complex images. For example, it is the right tool if you have images with multiple objects, or when selecting a part of an object, or if you want this part but not that part, or need to isolate more than one object in an image. With the Object Selection tool, you draw a rectangular region or even a crude lasso around the area you want to select, and the tool automatically finds and selects the primary objects inside the defined region. This is demonstrated in the video at the top of the iPad section, where we have a selection that requires getting this part but not that part of the oranges.

Type settings

Type settings in this release brings many of the typographic controls you use in Photoshop on the desktop to the iPad. We added type layer, character and options properties. This includes tracking, leading, scaling, and formatting things like all/small caps, super/subscript. Kerning will ship in a future release.

How to give input on the iPad roadmap

We are so happy to get Photoshop on the iPad into your hands! Your experience, feedback and point of view have always been a critical part of our process, and we take that very seriously as we chart a path forward with the iPad. Please join our community forum to give feedback on what you would like to see in the future: feedback.photoshop.com. We look forward to your thoughts.

Cloud documents

In December we began rolling out major performance improvements to the upload and download experience of cloud documents for PSDs of 75mb and larger. On January 14, we expanded the improvements to apply to PSDs of 10MB or larger. Depending on the size of your file and your network performance, you can see up to 90% faster uploads and downloads with these updates.

Thank You

The new decade is off to a great start. Thank you to all our customers throughout all the years for your partnership and inspiration.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Categories: Adobe News, Photoshop News
Post Date: 2/20/2020 5:13:35 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Wednesday, February 19, 2020

From Tamron:

Model: A046
Product: 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD
Mount: Sony
Latest Version: Ver.2

This update improves the following issues which may rarely occur with certain settings.

  • The back monitor of camera instantly flashes when the shutter button is pressed halfway.
  • AF doesn’t work properly after the camera recovers from the sleep mode or power off.

Download: Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD Firrmware Ver.2

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Posted to: Sony News   Category: Tamron Firmware Updates
Post Date: 2/19/2020 5:18:37 AM ET   Posted By: Sean

From Nikon:

Nikon Z7 / Z6

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 2.20 to 3.00

  • Added support for ProGrade and Lexar CFexpress memory cards (Type B). For more information, see the Nikon website for your country or region.
  • Custom Setting a4 (Auto-area AF face/eye detection) now offers an Animal detection option that adds dogs and cats to the subjects supported by face- and eye-detection autofocus. As a result, the camera can now detect and focus on the faces and eyes of dogs and cats. Animal face detection (but not eye detection) is also available in movie mode.
  • Improved the functionality of subject-tracking AF (available when Auto-area AF is selected for AF-area mode) as follows:
    - Subject-tracking AF can now be initiated via the Fn1 or Fn2 button on the camera or the Fn1 or Fn2 button on the lens. Subject-tracking AF must first be assigned to the control using Custom Setting f2 (Custom control assignment) in Group f (Controls) of the CUSTOM SETTING MENU or Custom Setting g2 (Custom control assignment).
    - The behavior of the camera when tracking is end by pressing the AF-ON button or by pressing the shutter-release button halfway with AF-C (continuous-servo autofocus) and subject-tracking AF enabled in photo mode has been changed to more closely resemble that of the 3D-tracking option for digital SLR cameras.
  • Custom Setting f2 (Custom control assignment) in Group f (Controls) of the CUSTOM SETTING MENU now offers a Lens Fn2 button option, which can be used to choose the role played by the L-Fn2 button available on certain Z mount lenses (as of February 12, 2020, only the NIKKOR Z 70–200mm f/2.8 VR S).
  • Added support for the focus limit switch available on certain Z mount lenses (as of February 12, 2020, only the NIKKOR Z 70–200mm f/2.8 VR S).
  • Optimized the responsiveness of the switch to manual focus when the focus or control ring on a Z mount lens is rotated during autofocus. Note that the control ring only functions in this capacity when assigned the Focus (M/A) role.
  • Fixed the following issues:
    - When Viewfinder brightness was adjusted manually, brightness would sometimes change when the standby timer was restarted.
    - iOS devices running iOS 13 would sometimes display a Bluetooth pairing request when pairing was complete.
    - Horizontal lines would sometimes appear in photographs. (Nikon Z7 only)

Note: For information on the license for the open-source software included in the camera’s NVM Express driver, see “BSD License (NVM Express Driver)”.

Download: Nikon Z7 Firmware v.2.20 | Nikon Z6 Firmware v.2.20



Nikon Z50

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.00 to 1.10

  • Added support for the focus limit switch available on certain Z mount lenses (as of February 12, 2020, only the NIKKOR Z 70–200mm f/2.8 VR S). The lens Fn2 button is not supported.
  • Movie footage shot in self-portrait mode is now filmed using AF-F (full-time autofocus), regardless of the option selected for autofocus mode.

Download: Nikon Z 50 Firmware v1.10

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Nikon Firmware Updates
Post Date: 2/19/2020 5:08:34 AM ET   Posted By: Sean

Through midnight tonight Eastern Time, B&H has the Peak Design Everyday Messenger 15" Version 1 (Heritage Tan) available for $98.95 with free shipping. Regularly $198.95.

Product Highlights

  • Holds DSLR, 3 Lenses & Accessories
  • Rear, Dedicated 15" Laptop Compartment
  • Rear Interior Tablet, Document Sleeve
  • Front Access Panel, Interior Pockets

See today's full list of B&H Deal Zone Deals for excellent savings opportunities.

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Post Date: 2/19/2020 4:51:15 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Tuesday, February 18, 2020

With a Canon EOS-1D X Mark III in hand, it is time to set up the camera for use. Following are the 46 steps I took to make an out-of-the-box 1D X III ready for use.

  1. Open the box, find the battery and charger and plug it in. If you have another charged Canon LP-E19 (or LP-E4N) battery available, you can continue to the battery-required steps without a wait.
  2. While the battery is charging, unpack the other items you want from the box. For me, this is primarily the camera, the eye cup and the neck strap.
  3. Pause for a moment to grip the camera, taking in the 1-series camera awesomeness (right up there with new car smell) and the new-camera grippyness.
  4. Download the Canon EOS Solution Disk software (download) and install it on your computer. Canon Digital Photo Pro (DPP), EOS Utility and Lens Registration Utility are the options I install.
  5. Attach the eyecup
  6. Attach the neck strap (unless I am planning to use very large lenses)
  7. Record the camera's serial number and ensure that proper insurance coverage is in place.
  8. Important: Turn the vertical grip on (switch near top of vertical grip — why is this off by default?).
  9. Insert the battery (ideally, after charging completes).
  10. Power the camera on.
  11. The date and time setup screen will show at startup the first time. Use the Rear Control dial and the Set button to update this information.
  12. Insert one (or two) memory card(s) (format them via the tools menu option before taking pictures).
  13. Scroll through all of the menu tabs to configure the camera as follows:
  14. Shooting Menu, Tab 1: White balance: AWB-W (Auto: White priority)
  15. Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Picture Style: Neutral with Sharpness Strength set to "1" (Note: the low contrast "Neutral" picture style provides a histogram on the back of the camera that most-accurately shows me blown highlights and blocked shadows — I usually change the Picture Style to "Standard" in DPP after capture.)
  16. Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Lens aberration correction: All disabled (though I suggest leaving CA correction enabled for most uses — all adjustments can be applied in DPP)
  17. Shooting Menu, Tab 2: Img type/size: Use top dial to set RAW to "RAW" and Rear Control dial to set JPEG to "—"
  18. Shooting Menu, Tab 2: ISO Speed Settings: ISO Speed range: L(50)-H3(819200) (the defaults may be a better choice for most)
  19. Shooting Menu, Tab 2: Auto Lighting Optimizer: Off
  20. Shooting Menu, Tab 2: High ISO speed noise reduction: Off or Low (noise reduction is destructive to images details — I prefer to add NR sparingly in post. Having a noise reduction option enabled will provide a good base starting point for noise reduction settings for post processing in DPP.)
  21. Shooting Menu, Tab 3: Image review: 4 sec.
  22. Shooting Menu, Tab 3: Release without card: Disable (I highly recommend this setting change — it should be Canon's default)
  23. AF Menu, Tab 2: AI Servo 1st image priority: Focus (I want the images in focus more than I want the time-priority capture)
  24. AF Menu, Tab 2: AI Servo 2nd image priority: Focus +2 (same reason)
  25. AF Menu, Tab 4: Orientation linked AF point: Separate AF pts: Area + pt
  26. Playback Menu, Tab 3: Playback information display: Enable 1 and 3
  27. Playback Menu, Tab 3: Highlight alert: Enable (enable the "blinkies", flash portions of image that are overexposed during image review)
  28. Playback Menu, Tab 3: Playback grid: 3x3
  29. Playback Menu, Tab 3: Histogram disp: RGB (I want to monitor all three color channels for blown or blocked details)
  30. Playback Menu, Tab 3: Magnification (apx): 10x
  31. Tools Menu, Tab 1: Auto rotate: On/Computer only (this provides the always-largest playback image size on the camera LCD)
  32. Tools Menu, Tab 2: Viewfinder display: Viewfinder level: Show, VF grid display: Enable
  33. Tools Menu, Tab 2: Info button display options: Electronic level only
  34. Tools Menu, Tab 3: Beep: Disable
  35. Tools Menu, Tab 4: Custom shooting mode (C1-C3): Auto update set: Enable (see also: Configuring Custom Shooting Modes)
  36. Tools Menu, Tab 4: Copyright information: Enter author's name: [enter name]
  37. Custom Functions, Tab 1: Bracket auto cancel: OFF
  38. Custom Functions, Tab 1: Bracketing sequence: -0+ (captures shortest frames first and sequences images from dark to bright)
  39. Custom Functions, Tab 3: Restrict shooting modes: Enable all (adds C2 and C3)
  40. Custom Functions, Tab 4: Restrict drive modes: Disable: low speed continuous, Silent HS continuous, Silent LS continuous
  41. Custom Functions, Tab 5: Rec card, img size setting: Off (I don't use this button. being able to turn it off prevents inadvertent changes)
  42. Custom Functions, Tab 6: Av setting without lens: On (allows me to prepare the camera for a specific, not-yet-mounted lens)
  43. Custom Functions, Tab 6: Custom Controls: Smart controller: Direct AF point selection, Set: Mag/Reduce; Multicontrollers: Direct AF point selection; M-Fn2: One Shot/AI Servo
  44. Custom Functions, Tab 7: Smart controller: On
  45. Custom Functions, Tab 8: Default erase option: [Erase] selected
  46. My Menu: Add the first tab; Register the following options for Tab 1: Date/Time/Zone (great for monitoring what time it is), Format card, Mirror lockup, Anti-flicker shoot, Sensor cleaning
  47. Mount a lens, focus on a subject, and adjust the diopter (remove the eyecup)
I of course make additional menu and other setting changes based on current shooting scenarios, but this list covers my initial camera setup process.

To copy this configuration would mean that you intend to shoot similar to how I shoot — including shooting in RAW-only format. While my setup works great for me, your best use of this list may be for tweaking your own setup.

If you can't remember your own menu setup parameters, keeping an up-to-date list such as this one is a good idea. Anytime your camera is reset-to-factory state for some reason, such as when being serviced, you will be ready to restore your setup quickly while ensuring that you do not miss an important setting. If you purchase another same or similar camera, you will be able to quickly set it up.

More Information

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

Get your Canon EOS-1D X Mark III from B&H | Adorama | Amazon | WEX.

Rent the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III from Lensrentals.

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Post Date: 2/18/2020 8:42:56 PM ET   Posted By: Bryan

With the Rebel T8i data loaded into our specifications table, the Canon EOS Rebel T8i / 850D can easily be compared to the Canon EOS Rebel T7i / 800D.

At first glance, I found the changes in the Rebel T8i uninspiring but, after digging in, discovered the overall improvements in the new flaghip Rebel model to make a solid upgrade.

Here are the differences:

  • 4K video with clean 4K HDMI output
  • 7 fps continuous shooting (7.5 fs in Live View) vs. 6 fps
  • Eye detection AF in Live View
  • DIGIC 8 vs. DIGIC 7
  • CRAW vs. M-RAW, S-RAW
  • AF working range of EV -4—18 EV vs. EV -3—18
  • 220,000-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor vs. 7,560-pixel RGB+IR, 216 segments (18 × 12) vs. 63 (9 × 7)
  • Spot metering uses approx. 2.0 % of viewfinder vs. 3.5%
  • Built-in flash GN of 12 (lower) vs. 13.1 recycling in approx. 5 sec. vs. 3
  • Many mode dial options moved the Special Scene (SCN) mode with new "Smooth Skin" and "Group Photo" shooting modes
  • Rear control dial vs. control (arrow) keys
  • AF-ON button, loses the WiFi and Av buttons
  • NFC is gone
  • Supports vertical video
  • Battery life of approx. 800 vs. 600 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%)
  • CIPA weight of 18.2 vs. 18.8 oz (515 vs. 532g)

Check out the visual comparison between these two cameras.

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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 2/18/2020 9:48:46 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

From Tokina:

About compatibility of Tokina interchangeable lenses with Canon EOS R and Canon EOS RP mirrorless cameras (updated)

Thank you for using Tokina lenses.

We have thoroughly tested all current Tokina interchangeable lenses (Canon EF mount) with the Canon EOS R/Canon EOS RP mirrorless cameras and the Canon EF-EOS R mount adapter.

The results confirm that the current Tokina lens models showed no issues in general operation.

Currently, Tokina lenses are manufactured to show the best performance with the cameras updated with the latest firmware. There might be issues caused by the old firmware of the camera. If there are issues with the lens performance even if the camera firmware is updated to the latest one, please contact our official Distributors to require diagnostics service.

Furthermore, when using Tokina APS-C format lenses (Tokina DX lenses), in case the Cropping/Aspect ratio is set otherwise, it is necessary to reset it on "1.6x (Crop)" manually. When shooting with a different Cropping/Aspect ratio setting, vignetting is likely to occur.

About compatibility of Tokina interchangeable lenses with Nikon Z 6, Z 7 and Z 50 cameras (updated)

Thank you for using Tokina products.

We have thoroughly tested all current Tokina interchangeable lenses (Nikon F mount) with the Nikon Z 6, Nikon Z 7 and Nikon Z 50 mirrorless camera using the Nikon mount adapter FTZ.

The results confirm that current Tokina lens models showed no issues in general operations with the following exceptions:

Tokina opera 50mm F1.4 FF
Issue: Compared with general conditions depending on aperture value AF speed might be slower.

Tokina AT-X 70-200 F4 FX VCM-S (70-200mm f/4)
Issue: AF communication error. However, the lens will operate normally in manual focus mode.

Please, note that due to mount adapter FTZ specifications, the following Tokina lenses do not AF but will operate in manual focus mode:

Tokina atx-i 100mm F2.8 FF MACRO
Tokina AT-X M100 PRO D Macro (100mm f/2.8)
Tokina AT-X 107 f/3.5-4.5 DX NH Fisheye (10-17mm)
Tokina AT-X 107 f/3.5-4.5 DX Fisheye (10-17mm)

For any question about compatibility of Tokina interchangeable lenses with Nikon Z 6, Nikon Z 7 and Nikon Z 50 mirrorless camera contact us via contact form.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Tokina News
Post Date: 2/18/2020 8:06:37 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
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