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Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Canon BG-E2N Battery Grip Review

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The Canon BG-E2N is a battery grip for the Canon 40D. Both were announced simultaneously in August 2007. The BG-E2N replaces the older BG-E2 grip. As such, it will also work with the Canon 20D and 30D. Basically, the difference between the two is that the new model has better sealing for weather resistance.

There’s really nothing sexy about the features of battery grips like this one. You either like’em or you don’t. Personally, I like’em. I find that the ease of use of my camera is increased and it is simply more functional than without the grip. Obviously, there are times that arise when you may not want something this bulky attached. For those times, I simply remove the grip and go on with my shooting.

The BG-E2N mounts to the bottom of the camera, with the protruding adapter you see on the left in the picture above being inserted into the battery compartment of the camera. The door to the battery compartment actually removes to facilitate the use of the grip.

Once mounted, you get the ability to shoot with your camera vertically and your right hand set more naturally along the right side of the camera. This is thanks to the shutter release button on the grip (seen in the bottom left of the above image). The great thing about the shutter release is that it feels just like the shutter release on the camera, so it’s quite natural. Additionally, the grip has a main dial, AE lock/FE lock and AF point selection controls for easier vertical shooting, as well as a tripod mount thread on the bottom. The AF point selection comes in rather handy for me, as I almost always select a different AF point when I flip to vertical shooting. For me, it’s a must have.

Where to Buy

First off, consider going to your local camera store (and I don’t necessarily mean Wolf Camera at the mall). By going to your local camera store, you’re supporting your community and you just might build a lasting relationship with people you can rely on when you need some help or answers. If you’re buying online, I recommend sticking with Amazon, B&H Photo or Adorama. These three vendors are reliable, trustworthy and generally have the best (legitimate) prices. Additionally, purchasing your camera or accessories through these links helps support this site.

[tags]canon, bg-e2n, review, specs, 40d, 30d, 20d[/tags]

 

Canon EOS 40D Firmware Update Version 1.0.5

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Canon has released firmware version 1.0.5 for the Canon 40D. It is currently available through Canon Japan’s website.

This firmware update (Version 1.0.5) incorporates the following improvements and fixes.

  1. When playing back images just after recovering from Auto Power Off, the display now shows the last image played back.
  2. During remote shooting, images are now displayed on the camera’s LCD monitor right after they are taken.
  3. Corrects a warning message in Korean that appears when updating the firmware.
  4. Corrects errors in the Spanish menu screens.
  5. Corrects a phenomenon that prevented printing with some print systems.
  6. Corrects a rare phenomenon in which file numbers or image numbers were sometimes skipped.
The Version 1.0.5 firmware being released this time is for cameras with firmware up to Version 1.0.4. If the camera’s firmware is already Version 1.0.5, it is not necessary to update the firmware.[tags]canon, 40d, firmware, update, 1.0.5[/tags]

Canon 5D Mark II Unofficially Official?

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A poster over at fredmiranda.com forums pointed out that he was filling in the bug/feedback form on his Capture One beta 4 software when he noticed that the Canon 5D Mark II was an option to select as a camera model. If you recall, we saw similar leaks prior to the release of the Canon 40D earlier this year. Here’s a screen capture for the 5D Mark II:

You can see it for yourself on the Report a Bug page. Follow all the Canon 5D Mark II rumors on this page.

[tags]canon, eos, 5d mark ii, rumor, news, capture one, release, pma[/tags]

Canon 1D Mark IIIn or IV Rumors

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With the recent hoopla over Nikon’s new D3 and with the Canon 1D Mark III autofocusing issues, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Canon shooters are calling for an all-out replacement of the camera with a new iteration of the camera. Well, the rumors weren’t too far behind. That’s right, rumors of a 1D Mark IV or Mark IIIn have started to rear their ugly head. Here’s some of the rumored specs floating around the web:

  • Same form factor as current 1D series
  • Full Frame 16MP sensor (no more 1.3x crop cameras)
  • ISO 100 to 6400 (expandable to 50 and 12800)
  • Live View with contrast detection AF and HD Video capture (It is rumored that this will revolutionize photo journalism and meet growing requirement for web news video and cross media feeds).
  • Capable of capturing stills from HD Video (but only at 2MP resolution)
  • 1.3x crop mode with viewfinder masking and reduced size RAW (10MP) with significantly improved buffer for cropped RAW images
  • 10 fps

Time will tell, but this could be out by Fall 2008. Photokina anyone?

As always, I’ll keep you posted.

UPDATES

2/22/09: More rumors of a 16MP sensor, no dates yet. Read more.

2/10/09: 1D Mark III replacement will not appear at PMA 2009. Read more.

2/2/09: Rumors of PMA 2009 release. Read more.

5/1/08: Rumored June announcement along with the Canon 5D Mark II.  Read more.

[tags]canon, 1d, mark, iiin, iv, rumor, af, autofocus, nikon, d3[/tags]

Canon USA/Europe Issues Statement re: EOS 1D Mark III Focusing Fix

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The information can be found in the FAQ section of the Canon Europe Self-Service site. [UPDATE: Canon USA has issued a formal statement as well.] More information on the history of this issue can be found on this page. The following information is from Canon Europe:

Title

Why do I experience inconsistent Auto Focus (AF) behaviour with my EOS-1D Mark III?

Case Id: 72525

Applicable models

EOS-1D Mark III

Solutions

Phenomenon:

The focus or AF tracking is inconsistent when using the Artificial Intelligent (AI) servo continuous shooting mode under high temperatures in particular.

Cause:

In the digital SLR camera, EOS-1D Mark III that was launched in May this year, Canon has found that some cameras have an adjustment problem with the mirror for AF. The adjustment problem means for the affected products that the focus is not stable or that the Auto Focus tracking is not right when using the AI servo continuous shooting under high temperatures in particular.

Affected products:

The products that could have this problem can be identified as explained below. If the serial number on the bottom of the camera is between 501001 and 546561, it could contain one of the AF mirrors with the adjustment problem.

Support:

For customers who have affected products and are experiencing these problems, we are making preparations to offer free of charge repairs planned to start from late November. We will announce additional details about the repair process on our Web site as soon as they become available.

In case you have questions about this or other issues, please contact Technical Support using the button at the end of this message. Alternatively you can also call our Helpdesk. Please click here for the phone number.

We offer our most sincere apologies to all affected customers who have been inconvenienced by this issue.

Last modified date: 01-Nov-07

[tags]canon, 1d, mark iii, focus, fix, problem, recall[/tags]

Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens Now Available

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The new Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is now available at Amazon (w/ free shipping), B&H Photo and (soon) Adorama. For $199, it’s a heck of a deal! If you’re not familiar with this lens, it was introduced along with the Canon 40D this August. I expect that this will become the kit lens in the Canon Rebel XTi replacement due in Jan./Feb. 2008.

More on the EF-S 18-55mm IS lens:

Developed in response to consumer demand for a high-quality yet affordable optically image stabilized lens, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS standard zoom lens adds a phenomenally flexible lens to the EOS 40D SLR shooter’s imaging arsenal. While it features the wide-angle to mid-range zoom flexibility of its non-IS predecessor, this new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens offers the significant advantage of a true lens-shift image stabilization system that yields up to a full four stops of image-shake correction.

The higher performance provided by Canon’s lens shift IS system (compared with the in-camera sensor shift type offered in some competitive SLRs) includes the ability to optimize the lens performance for specific shooting situations such as low-light, long-zoom or movement while shooting (or virtually any combination of the three). What’s more, the shooter can see the image stabilization effect in the viewfinder. As the image already appears steady, more accurate framing and composition is possible, the AF point can be placed more precisely, and the photographer can concentrate on the optimal shot more comfortably.

Compact and lightweight, the optional EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens is manufactured by Canon specifically for the EOS 40D SLR and any other EOS SLR that takes EF-S lenses including the EOS 30D, EOS 20D, EOS 20Da, EOS Digital Rebel XTi, EOS Digital Rebel XT and the original EOS Digital Rebel camera.

[tags]canon, 18-55mm, is, ef-s, lens, price, availability[/tags]

Canon Powershot G9 Review at DP Review

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DP Review has finally posted its review of the Canon G9:

IQ-wise the G9 is about as good as it gets in a compact camera (at low ISO – once you get to ISO 400 the gap between most decent cameras is very narrow), and physically it puts virtually everything else to shame.

There are a whole lot more reviews of the Canon G9 on this page.

[tags]canon, powershot, g9, review[/tags]