Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2011

Canon EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM Announced

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Refreshed versions of Canon’s popular 500mm and 600mm super-telephoto lenses will be available, respectively, in May and June 2011.

The Canon EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM offer reduced weight and greater durability over their predecessors.  The addition of two fluorite lens elements should also provide better image quality over the older lenses as well.

In addition to other features, the new lenses offer a feature aimed at HDSLR shooters, which Canon calls “Power Focus.”  According to Canon, “This mode allows manual rack focusing to be operated smoothly by turning a playback ring that is normally used for the focus preset function.  Both low-speed and high-speed focus shifting are available.”

All these improvements come at a price though.

The EF 500mm F/4L IS USM will retail for $9,499.00 (check availability at B&H Photo and Amazon), while the 600mm F/4L IS USM will retail for $11,999.00 (check availability at B&H Photo and Amazon).

Complete details and more images for the new lenses are below. [Read more…]

 

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM (w/ Built-in 1.4x Extender) Under Development [UPDATED]

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Canon is in the process of developing a new 200-400mm f/4L IS lens that features a built-in 1.4x extender.  With the built-in extender, the lens will have a maximum focal length of 560mm.

This is great news for Canon DSLR shooters who have been clamoring for a lens equivalent to the highly-regarded Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR lens.

While Canon has not provided a release date or pricing info for the new lens, a prototype of it will be on display at CP+ in Japan this week.

Here’s a couple of photo of the new beast-of-a-lens:

You can read more about the new lens in the official press release below. [Read more…]

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS, ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS Announced

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The Canon PowerShot SX230 HS is a new 12.1MP camera that is powered by Canon’s DIGIC 4 processor.  The SX230 HS sports a 14x zoom lens (approx. 28-392mm equivalent) with image stabilization, along with a 3-inch LCD.  Additionally, the SX230 HS can capture 1080p HD video as well as super slow motion video.

The Canon PowerShot SX230 HS should be available in March at an initial retail price of $349.99.  Check availability on Amazon.com.

In addition to the SX230 HS, Canon has also announced several new PowerShot ELPH models – the ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS.

Lots of product shots and details on the new ELPH models below. [Read more…]

Schneider-Kreuznach to Make Micro Four Thirds Lenses

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Schneider-Kreuznach has announced that it will develop lenses compatible with the Micro Four Thirds system (e.g., Panasonic GH2, Olympus E-PL2, etc.).  No word on when the first batch of lenses for these cameras will be announced or what the prices might be, but one would expect that we’ll see something (at least a concept) by CliQ 2011.

Zeikos Battery Grip for Canon 60D Now Available

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For those Canon 60D owners out there looking for a cheaper battery grip, the Zeikos grip for the Canon 60D just arrived at B&H Photo.

While I haven’t tested the Zeikos grip with the Canon 60D, I compared the Zeikos and Canon grips for the 5D Mark II.  There isn’t as much of a price disparity between the 60D grips as there was with the 5D Mark II grips; however, at $100, the Zeikos for the 60D is still almost half the price of the Canon version.

Panasonic Announces Prices for Lumix GF2 and New Compact Cameras

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Panasonic has announced pricing on some of its recently-introduced Lumix digital cameras.

The Panasonic Lumix GF2 will carry a retail price of $499.95 for the body only.  The GF2 and 14-42mm lens kit will retail for $599.95, while the GF2 and 14mm prime lens kit will retail for $699.95.  The Lumix GF2 should be available later this month.

You can check on availability for the Panasonic Lumix GF2 at B&H Photo, Adorama and Amazon.com.

All of the new Lumix compact cameras will be available in March 2011, with prices and retailer availability links below. [Read more…]