Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Canon 1D Mark IV – Early 2010 [Rumor]

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Not the Canon 1D Mark IV

Rumors of a Canon 1D Mark IV have been floating around since not too long after the criticisms of the autofocus performance for the Canon 1D Mark III came to light.  Rumors were swirling prior to the announcement of the Canon 7D that the 1D Mark IV might surface this Fall.  Those rumors have since died down.

As I’m sure you are aware though, when one rumor dies, there are plenty more ready to fill in the gaps.  The latest rumor is calling for a Canon 1D Mark IV announcement in early 2010 or around the “end of January” as one Canon Rumors tipster puts it. [Read more…]

 

Hands-On: Canon 7D and 100mm F2.8 L Macro Hybrid IS

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Canon 7D and 100mm F2.8 L Macro Hybrid IS

After some personal fondling time with the Canon 7D and 100mm F2.8 L Macro Hybrid IS lens at Pepcom, I expect that those who pre-ordered the camera will likely not be disappointed – so long as the image quality lives up to the expectations once we see results from a production model.

Right off the bat, it’s clear that the 7D adds a bit of twist in terms of buttons, which may require a bit of a learning curve if you’re used to the 5D Mk II and 50D. However, the buttons are all laid out very well and it just takes a bit more memorization.

On the lens front, the 100mm Macro lens takes some very amazing photos and doubles as an excellent portrait lens, albeit a bit long when paired with the 7D’s APS-C sensor. How does it stack up against the Nikon D300s, a camera that wasn’t too far away from it (as Canon and Nikon always seem to be placed right across from one another at events)?  Keep on reading for more of my hands-on report on the Canon 7D.

[Read more…]

Point-and-Shoots to Suit Your Personality

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Maria Sharapova and her Canon Powershot Diamond Collection

Camera manufacturers design point-and-shoot cameras for the specific needs and wants of consumers the same way that they target their DSLRs to different professional markets. While we as photographers will always sing the praises of how awesome our DSLRs are, the general population will opt for a “nice” point-and-shoot. We know many of these people and they make come to us asking camera questions. Here’s a round up of cameras for the different personalities in your life. If they’re a student, link them over to my post on Back-To-School digital cameras.

Author’s Note: The camera’s above are a special series of Canon Powershots that Maria Sharapova designed with Canon. They were available in a contest.

[Read more…]

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZE Lens for Canon DSLRs

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Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZE Lens for Canon DSLRs

Carl Zeiss announced the Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZE lens for Canon DSLRs (EF-mount) today. Zeiss already produces an 18mm f/3.5 Distagon T* lens for Nikon F-mount and Pentax K-mount cameras.  Canon users should be pleased that Zeiss is continuing its comitment to the EF-mount.

The new ZE lens should be available Fall 2009 at an initial price of EUR 1049.00.  No official word on US prices yet; however, if it matches up with the existing Nikon and Pentax mounts, expect it to be around $1250 in the US.  Check availability on Amazon.com.

More details in the news release below. [Read more…]

Canon’s Most Important Product Launch Ever?

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As if the Canon 7D wasn’t enough, Canon has apparently been dropping invites for “one of their biggest and most important product launches in its history.” It looks set to go down on September 29.

“In the autumn the Canon one of their biggest and most important product launches in the company’s history and we hope you can attend. During a lunch date you are welcome to listen to CEO Jouko Tuominen, Marketing and trend analyst Magnus Lindkvist, when they’re talking about

future trends and success factors in an increasingly digitalized everyday.

Date: 29 September

Time: Cl. 11-13

An invitation with more details coming soon. Welcome!

A picture of one, as I understand it, has created a large box with a red rag over. One side of the box looming, cardboard-colored, without pressure. Should mean something to professional direction. Hopefully not a new color laser …

Canon 1D Mark IV anyone?  Pro video gear?  The infamous Canikon (people still email me on this wanting more details)? A copier that makes perfect copies of Chuck Norris? Anyone?

Take your guess or offer your insider information in the comments below.  Closest to the actual product gets 40 kudos (that’s points, not candies).

[Fotosidans forum & G-translate via DPR forum]

Hands-on: Canon G11, SX120 IS, SX20 IS, and S980

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g11-front

While we were hoping to finally see the new Canon DSLR cameras, we were treated to a slew of new point-and-shoots that target specific camera users and that each show off uniqueness and individuality. The rundown includes the G11, SX20, SX110, S980 and S940. Though my hands-on time with each was very brief, here are my experiences.

[Read more…]

Hands-on: Canon S90

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s90-front

The Canon S90 is a new tempting point-and-shoot even for a pro shooter like myself (as well as other journalists.) The camera was announced today by Canon during a press event at the Museum of Natural History today in NYC. This camera is targeted towards professionals and enthusiasts that want a compact camera of some sort that can deliver better image quality than most of the other point-and-shoots out there. Granted, the camera seems to be able to deliver so far on the promise.

[Read more…]

Great Telephoto Zoom Lenses

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Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8

Now that you’ve read about 50mm lenses, lenses to help you learn and how camera lenses are made, the time has come to check out what telephoto lenses are possibly best for your system. Every photographer should have at least one just in the case the situation arises where you need a longer piece of glass to get that shot. Of course, some systems do telephoto zooming better than others. If you want to switch from one system to another system you’ll learn that some systems may give you the actual results you want in a different package. As a paparazzo in training, I’m learning this first hand.

Here’s a list of those great lenses are your system. [Read more…]

Lenses and Gear for Shooting Events

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Some of us that read this blog make a living or some extra income from shooting events. These events require specific tools: such as good, fast lenses at certain focal lengths. Today I received a question from someone that wants to go into event photography but wants to know what type of gear to get.

Hey Chris,

I’ve got a Canon 40D now and friends, people I meet and family are all asking me to shoot their events. They want anything from their parties, bbqs, baby christenings, etc. What equipment should I look into? Should I stay with my 28-135mm kit lens? Will I need a flash? I don’t want to spend too much money either.

-Mike

First off Mike, congratulations: while the fact that you have a nice big camera will encourage everyone around you to constantly bother you about taking their photos and then uploading them on Facebook and other sharing sites, you should be able to make some sort of profit from it all. There are a couple of factors and things that you need to keep in mind before going out there and shooting on top of buying equipment. [Read more…]