Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
I’ve seen this date in the rumor mill a couple of times now, and it now appears to be in full swing with a press conference scheduled by Canon for March 25. No details on which one it might be, but popular opinions suggest either a Rebel series update (EOS 500D) or a 1D Mark III update.
Fire away with your thoughts or derogatory remarks (just keep it clean) in the comments below.
I couldn’t resist doing a video with the 5D Mark II and EF 17-40mm f/4 L of the Bellagio fountains while in Vegas for PMA. Unfortunately, the embedded version is nowhere near as crisp as the original file. You can see a higher quality version on the actual YouTube page here (just click the HQ icon).
I would love to share the original file; however, it is 1.23 GB, which is larger than the online video sharing that I know of will allow. The version that I uploaded to YouTube was compressed to 883MB.
Does anyone know of a free solution to get the original video file online? I just don’t have enough bandwidth to share it on my server.
UPDATE: Here’s the original 1.23GB file as hosted on DropBox. Right click and “Save As…”
The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II is a step down from the Pro9500 Mark II; however, it is still capable of solid performance and 13″ x 19″ size prints. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More details from Canon’s press release below.
The eight-color PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer – cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, photo magenta, photo black, red, and green – delivers an even glossiness and vivid color experience rivaling that of positive film for photographers. The Pro9000 Mark II’s impressive quality and speed are the result of the Canon FINE print head technology coupled with the Company’s high-performance, high-density 6,144-nozzle print head which is capable of producing nearly invisible ink droplets of two-picoliters. Thanks in part to an enhanced double encoder system for media control, the PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II achieves three times faster print speeds over its predecessor, producing a bordered 13″ x 19″ size black and white photographic print in approximately 1 minute, 23 seconds2.
The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer is scheduled to be available in May for an estimated selling price of $499.993.
Canon announced the PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II at PMA 2009. The Pro9500 Mark II delivers pro-quality prints at sizes up to 13″ x 19″. Check availability at Amazon.com.
More details from Canon’s press release below.
The new PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II Photo Printer features ten pigment-based ink colors – photo black, matte black and gray as well as cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, photo magenta, red and green, allowing users the benefit of a wide color gamut for stunning color prints, as well as three levels of black for true black-and-white photographs. Designed for the pro and “pro-sumer” photographers, the PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II provides outstanding resolution and droplet control utilizing Canon’s double-encoder system to produce high-quality portfolio pieces or gallery-quality prints for the marketplace. The Pro9500 Mark II delivers rich detail, texture and tone plus extraordinary color reproduction in the green, red, yellow and orange color ranges resulting in breathtaking photo-art. Employing the Canon Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) technology along with a sophisticated 7,680 nozzle print-head structure, the Mark II model provides significantly faster production times, delivering approximately one-and-a-half times faster color print speeds on a 13″ x 19″ bordered print1,2 than the previous model.
The printer’s matte black, photo black and gray inks reduce metamerism and provide high-density blacks and truly neutral monochrome prints. Metamerism is an effect in some printed “black-and-white” images where composite gray inks (achieved with combinations of cyan, magenta and yellow ink) make image areas appear a different color hue under different lighting conditions (such as sunlight, fluorescent light and incandescent light). This aberration is due to the differences in spectral reflectance properties of each of the composite colors.
The Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II Photo Printer is scheduled to be available in May for an estimated selling price of $849.993.
While Canon’s booth was huge at PMA 2009, the biggest new camera present was actually quite small – the PowerShot SX1 IS. Fortunately, Canon had several pre-production models on display for attendees to fondle handle. The new (for US shooters) 10MP superzoom camera handles almost exactly like the junior-spec’d PowerShot SX10 IS, with the exception of the a slightly larger LCD screen. [Read more…]
Adorama has a ton of Canon Refurbished gear right now. Many of these items ship for free.
Here’s some of my top picks:
Canon 1D Mark III – $2999.95
Canon 5D – $1399.95
Canon 40D – $699.95
Canon 30D w/ Lens -$599.95
Canon EF 100-400mm L IS – $1199.95
Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS – $349.95
Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS – $199.95
Canon PowerShot S5 IS – $239.95
Just got a heads up email from the folks at B&H that the Canon 5D Mark II is in stock while supplies last.
Canon Rumors received an email yesterday stating that the Canon EOS 500D / Rebel XSi replacement would be announced June 23, 2009 instead of at PMA. Additionally, the tipster claims that an EF-S 30mm f/2 lens will be released alongside it. (Source)
Kudos to Canon if they are going to put out an EF-S 30mm lens (48mm equivalent on full frame) – a nice “normal” lens for Rebel/xxD shooters.
We are pretty sure that there is no 1D Mark III replacement due at PMA 2009; however, the anticipation is building for such a replacement as the 1D Mark III ages and lags behind Nikon in many people’s minds.
Another rumor from a so-called Canon exec surfaced recently on the DPR forums:
A colleague is the editor of a large media outlet who has just recently been ‘lunching’ with Canon Sales exec’s in relation to the purchase of the new to be released 1DMk4.
Considering the MkIII was released in Feb 07 this is probably no surprise based on Canon’s 18-24 month update cycle.
The Mk4 will bring in to line recent upgrades seen in the 5DMk2, such as 920k LCD, Movie mode & revised AF and higher ISO capabilities.
No release date was offered.
There are a couple of problems with this info. First, Canon’s update cycle for pro-level bodies is 3 years, not 18-24 months. Second, the 5D Mark II has no revised AF – it’s the same as the 5D, only one cross-type sensor. If the 1D Mark IV had the “revised AF” of the 5D Mark II, it would be worthless as a sports photographer’s tool.
A little further down in the forum thread, a couple of forum posters speculate about the use of a 16 megapixel full frame sensor in the 1D Mark IV, while still maintaining 10 fps. I think this would be a solid setup; however, I’m curious to hear how sports shooters feel about the loss of the 1.3x crop on their long lenses?
More Canon 1D Mark IV Rumors.
MacWorld has posted a review of the Canon 5D Mark II.
For users who’ve been wanting a full-frame SLR, there’s no doubt that the EOS 5D Mark II is a great option. Kudos to Canon for taking a great camera and finding ways to make it better.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.