Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Canon’s Rebel T4i Pixel-Level AF Sensors; Mirrorless Next?

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Rebel T4i

The Rebel T4i is the first Canon DSLR to feature full-time AF in video mode.  The past Canon DSLRs have featured the ability to force an AF confirmation using a slow and clunky contrast-detect method, which was simply unusable during video capture.  Another AF confirmation option has been to use the cameras’ phase detection sensors; however, this caused a blackout during live view thanks to the mirror flipping down in front of the image sensor.

The folks over at Chipworks [via Image Sensors World] tore down a Rebel T4i to get a look at the image sensor and reveal phase detection sensors mixed among the pixels.  This is something that Canon has been cooking on for a while. (Note this patent application that I discussed back in 2010.)

Chipworks Cano Rebel 4i pixel-array-ir

And while we’ve seen this concept implemented in prior cameras (notably the Fuji F300EXR point and shoot camera and Nikon 1 Series), Canon has gone about it in a technically different way to make it effective for DSLRs. [Read more…]

 

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Delayed Until September

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Canon 24-70mm

Canon has been on a roll lately in the delay of lenses.  So it should come as no surprise that the highly anticipated Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens has been delayed until mid-September 2012.

The new 24-70mm f/2.8L lens was announced back in February (and was slated for availability in April 2012) alongside the Canon 24mm and 28mm prime lenses (both of which were slated for a June launch and are now readily available). This delay will put the refreshed 24-70mm lens availability at 7+ months after announcement (assuming Canon doesn’t delay it again).

[via Rob Galbraith]

5 Killer Canon Lenses for Video

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SMAPP put together the above video that highlights 5 Canon lenses that are great for shooting video on Canon HDSLRs.  While I haven’t used all of these, I found their insight to be particularly compelling for uses of the 14mm and 135mm.  And, while I use the 24-105mm regularly, I hadn’t considered the 135mm + 1.4x extender as an alternative to the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens in my kit.

The full list of “killer” lenses is as follows.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM

Canon 1.4x EF Extender III

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

[via FStoppers]

Canon 1D X In-Stock Soon?

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Canon 1D X

Several sources around the web are reporting that US retailers will be getting their first shipments of the Canon 1D X this week.  While you shouldn’t expect to see 1D X actually in stock this week, this is a good sign that pre-orders will start being fulfilled on this long-delayed camera.

This also means that we’ll start seeing some real-world usage from the 1D X filter onto the web.  It’s been a long time since I first got hands on the 1D X back in October 2011.  I sure didn’t think that it would be nearly nine months later before the camera shipped.

DSLR Average Online Purchase Price Increases By More Than $350 from 2011

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Online buyers of DSLR cameras pay $1,291, on average, for their camera, up from $937 in 2011, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera Online Buyer ReportSM released last week.

I was a little surprised to read those numbers, considering the affordable DSLR options available now – with cameras like the Nikon D3200, Rebel T3 and Sony A37.  However, I’m also a little curious if the consumer move toward affordable mirrorless cameras like the Sony NEX-F3 and Olympus E-PM1 has impacted these figures (which may not be factored into “DSLR” sales evaluated by JD Power).

Additional notes from the report points to Pentax’s lead in buyer satisfaction and durability.  Finally, note that these scores are based on consumer surveys rather than objective test data.

More excerpts from the press release below. [Read more…]

Canon Refurbished Gear 20% Off at Canon Store

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Canon 7D

The Canon Store online has 20% OFF Select Refurbished EOS Digital Cameras and Refurbished Lenses with coupon code 20SLR612.

Notable deals with this coupon code include a Canon 7D for $1087 (compare at $1699 new retail) or a Canon 60D w/ 18-135mm kit for $831 (compare at $1299 new retail).  See the full inventory on Canon’s website.

I’ve bought refurbished Canon gear before and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again – especially when savings like this are available.

Canon Mirrorless Camera Rumored for July 24 Unveiling

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Canon Mirrorless

Rumors of a Canon mirrorless camera are heating up with July 24 being the unveiling date, according to Canon Rumors.

The camera is further rumored to use a different mount than the current EF and EF-S DSLRs.  An increasingly popular theory is that the upcoming mirrorless line of cameras will adopt the Canon G1 X sensor format, which equates to a roughly 1.85x crop factor.  This is larger than both the Nikon 1 Series (at 2.7x) and the Micro Four Thirds standard (at 2x).

Of course, the advantage of an interchangeable lens design over the G1 X would simply provide better lens selection.  My biggest problem with the G1 X is the rather slow aperture on the long end at f/5.8, as well as the minimum focus distance of 4.3 feet.

Nikon’s rather odd 1 Series format doesn’t quite stack up to other mirrorless camera offerings thanks to the much smaller sensor.  However, Panasonic and Olympus are squeezing a lot of goodness out of the smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor and lenses.

In my book, Sony’s NEX line is the mirrorless system to beat.  Sony uses a larger APS-C image sensor and still manages to keep the cameras very compact.  Lenses like the 16mm f/2.8 and Sigma’s excellent 30mm f/2.8 lens let the NEX models compete in the size department with other smaller-format cameras.  And, Sony’s fast autofocus and fluid video capture match or best just about everything else out there.

Let’s see if Canon can step up the game with a solid offering next month (even if it is a little late to the game).