Canon have announced a new zoom lens, the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II, featuring a four-stop image stabiliser. Available seperately, or bundled with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II when bought with the EOS 550D, 600D, or 60D.
More details here.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Canon News: Firmware v1.1.0 released for 1D Mark IV
Canon have released new firmware for their 1D Mark IV, now at version 1.1.0. Updates are:
- Improves the writing/reading speeds when using UDMA 7-compatible CF cards.
- Fixes a phenomenon that occurs when using high-capacity (32 GB or greater) CF cards: If either a CF card with only a little available space remaining or the battery is removed and then reinserted into the camera, and then the user attempts to start shooting movies immediately, shooting may stop.
- Corrects some mistakes in the menu screens displayed in Arabic and Portuguese.
Monday, 30 May 2011
Canon News: Firmware 2.0.9 released for 5D MkII
Canon have released a new version of firmware for its popular EOS 5D MkII DSLR, version 2.0.9. It fixes/improves the following:
- Improves writing/reading speeds when using UDMA 7-compatible CF cards.
- Fixes a phenomenon where the IS function will not work when custom function C.Fn III-2 is set to [5: IS start] and the lens attached does not have an AF stop button. This is because custom function C.Fn III-2 allows users to assign IS start to the AF stop button on the lens
- Corrects misspellings in the menu screens displayed in Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai languages.
Available to download from here.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Canon News: Firmware 1.0.1 released for EOS 600D
Canon have released a new version (1.0.1) of its firmware for the Canon 600D. It has the following enhancements:
- Clarifies the feature guide description of the digital zoom function for movie-shooting that appears on the camera’s LCD monitor.
- Fixes the phenomenon in which, in rare cases, a computer connected to the camera with a USB cable cannot recognize the camera.
More details available here.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Nikon News: AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens
Nikon have launched a new 50mm lens, the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G.
- Compatible with FX and DX (75mm equiv.)
- Only 185g
- Decicated silent-wave motor (SWM)
- Weather-sealed metal mount
- Supplied with a lens hood HB-47, and a soft pouch CL-1013
More details here.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Canon News: EOS 1100D (T3) launched
Canon have updated their entry-level DSLR to the EOS 1100D.
Vital stats are:
- Superior 12-megapixel image quality
- On-screen Feature Guide
- Creative Auto and Basic+
- HD video capture
- ISO 100-6400 sensitivity
- Wide-area 9-point AF system
- 63-zone iFCL exposure metering
- 6.8cm (2.7”), 230,000-dot screen
- Use with all EF and EF-S lenses
More details here.
Canon News: EOS 600D (T3i) launched
Canon have updated the 550D to the 600D (also known as the T3i) - and it seems to be a relatively minor incremental upgrade rather than any new breakthroughs, taking a few features from its elder sisters, the 60D and 7D:
- Swivel LCD screen
- Ability to remotely control flashes
- A 'feature guide' to help you make the most of the camera (hmmm)
- iFCL metering
- A new 'Movie Digital Zoom' 3x or 10x crop, retaining full HD (obviously something's got to give though...)
I got a bit bored (i.e. underwhelmed) reading the rest of the press release, so there's more information here.
Canon News: Updated 'Big Dogs' announced
After a bit of a pause, Canon have now offically announced the upgrades to two of its flagship L lenses - the new 500mm f/4 L IS II and 600mm f/4 L IS II.
They're not exactly cheap at £8999 and £11299 respectively, but come with some new features to tempt you:
They're not exactly cheap at £8999 and £11299 respectively, but come with some new features to tempt you:
- They're much lighter (but still 3.2kg and 3.9kg respectively)
- Redesigned internal optics
- Improved image stabilisation
- water-repellant Fluorine coatings on front and back lenses
Canon News: 200-400 f/4 L IS USM Extender 1.4x on its way
As part of a clutch of new announcements from Canon, the one that's caught my eye is that Canon are developing a new lens - a 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM lens... with an incorporated 1.4x extender (extending the range to 280-560mm - on a non-cropped body).
It's due out in 2011 and has the potential to offer a great compromise of useful telephoto focal length, relatively low aperture and hopefully weight. Lions in the Masai Mara will have to get used to perfecting their smiles looking into this I think...
Pricing is hard to guess, but Nikon's 200-400 f/4 in the UK is around £5k, so it's certainly going to a painful upgrade for those looking to move from their 100-400 lens.
It's due out in 2011 and has the potential to offer a great compromise of useful telephoto focal length, relatively low aperture and hopefully weight. Lions in the Masai Mara will have to get used to perfecting their smiles looking into this I think...
Pricing is hard to guess, but Nikon's 200-400 f/4 in the UK is around £5k, so it's certainly going to a painful upgrade for those looking to move from their 100-400 lens.
Friday, 31 December 2010
2010 - My year in photography
Well, here we are at the end of another year and I've managed to keep-up doing some photography in my free-time. Here are the highlights, with some more detail below:
Botswana/Zambia - October 2010
Twitter
- Photographed both leopard and wild dog in Botswana - both lifetime ambitions!
- Treated myself to the new Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS II USM Lens
lens - mini review below - Created a Facebook page
- Have over 140 followers on my Twitter account
- Earned over £320 in microstock, 160% of my £200 target
- More prints available for purchase on Photobox
A huge thanks to friends and family whose positive encouragement has helped me tremendously.
Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year!!!
Botswana/Zambia - October 2010
In October, I was lucky enough to go to Botswana, as well as pop into Zambia to see the Victoria Falls. You can see more of my photos on my Facebook page, but here are a couple of shots I'm happy with (except for the cropping on the first!):
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM
I've had the 70-200 F/4 non-IS lens for several years and it's been a great travel companion to some amazing places like Costa Rica, Namibia and the Arctic. It's light, relatively small and can generate superb quality images. However, it had its drawbacks for wildlife photography, predictably being lack of image stabilisation and only an f/4 maximum aperture. In wildlife photography, making the most of light is essential as it's often in low-light when animals are most active. In fact, I'd hired the soon-to-be-replaced Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens
for a couple of the trips (from the excellent Lensesforhire.co.uk).
for a couple of the trips (from the excellent Lensesforhire.co.uk).
The new Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS II USM Lens
wasn't cheap (I got it from Jacobs for £1700), but it's an amazing lens. The improved depth-of-field has been great and four stops of IS incredible. I use it on a EOS 40D, so am not really doing it justice, but in terms of an upgrade for wildlife photography, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
wasn't cheap (I got it from Jacobs for £1700), but it's an amazing lens. The improved depth-of-field has been great and four stops of IS incredible. I use it on a EOS 40D, so am not really doing it justice, but in terms of an upgrade for wildlife photography, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
Facebook Page
As part of trying to build a social media precence, I've created my own Facebook page, allowing a wider audience to see some of my photos. It's early days at the moment, but something I hope to develop next year.
Twitter is great and on numerous occassions, it's alerted me to something going on in London which I've popped out to photograph Feel free to follow me to keep-up with my photographic expolits...
Microstock
Well, my foray into microstock continues and it's not been too bad a year, beating my £200 annual target to earn £321.21. Of course it's not enough to give up my day job, but with a portfolio of between 60 and 100 photos on four main active sites, it certainly helps contribute towards near equipment. Here's the summary for 2010:
| ShutterStock* | $142.36 |
| iStockPhoto* | $188.82 |
| StockXpert | $15.28 |
| Dreamstime* | $50.06 |
| DepositPhotos* | $20.80 |
| BigStockPhoto* | $03.00 |
| TOTAL ($USD) | $420.32 |
| Fotolia* | £41.00 |
| TOTAL (£1=$1.50) | £321.21 |
| % of £200 target | 160.60% |
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Sigma News: New Firmware 1.01 for SD-15
Friday, 24 December 2010
Nikon News: New online Nikkor lens selection tools
Nikon have launched a couple of innovative tools on their website to help you in your selection of next Nikkor lens:
Nikkor Lens Simulator - allows you to compare different focal lengths, with FX / DX lenses / bodies
Nikkor Lens Positioning Map - an innovative visual representation of Nikkor's lenses, by maximum aperture and focal length, allowing you to select and compare ones you're interested in
Nikkor Lens Simulator - allows you to compare different focal lengths, with FX / DX lenses / bodies
Nikkor Lens Positioning Map - an innovative visual representation of Nikkor's lenses, by maximum aperture and focal length, allowing you to select and compare ones you're interested in
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Nikon News: Updated Firmware for D7000
Nikon have updated firmware for the D7000, to Version 1.01. Bright spots were sometimes noticeable with live view mode or movie recording of especially dark scenes or subjects. Occurrence of this issue has been reduced.
More details here.
More details here.
Canon News: updated firmware for 550D / Rebel T2i
Canon have updated its firmware for the 550D / Rebel T2i, to version 1.0.9, which fixes a phenomenon in which tone jumps become noticeable in some images, depending on the shooting scene, when shooting with the Auto Lighting Optimizer settings (Low / Standard / Strong).
More details here.
More details here.
Canon News: updated firmware v1.2.3 for 7D
Canon have released Version 1.2.3 of its 7D firmware, fixing the following:
- a phenomenon in which the settings of the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 revert to the default settings when both the camera and the ST-E2 are set to auto power off.
- a phenomenon in which the Macro Ring Lite (MR-14EX, MT24-EX) and slave flashes do not sync while shooting wirelessly.
Friday, 17 December 2010
Canon News: Updated 60D firmware 1.0.8
.Canon have released updated firmware for the mid-range 60D. Version 1.0.8 is a maintenance release and corrects potential overexposure when using built-in/external flash with the following lenses:
- EF 300 f/4 L IS USM
- EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
- EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM
- EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Nikon News: new SB-700 Speedlight
Nikon have launched a new Speedlight flash, the SB-700
More details here.
Nikon News: new 35mm and 200mm prime Nikkor lenses
Nikon have launched a couple of new Nikkor lenses.
AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.4G
- Professional, wide-angle FX-format lens.
- 35mm focal length (DX equivalent: 52.5mm) with fast f/1.4 aperture.
- Outstanding optical performance: boasts an aspherical lens element for superior resolution and contrast.
- Bright Viewfinder image.
- Nano Crystal coat reduces ghost and flare.
- 9-blade rounded diaphragm opening for super-smooth bokeh.
- SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for quiet and accurate autofocus.
- Durable weather-sealed magnesium body.
- Detachable hood and soft case included.
More details here.
AF-S NIKKOR 200mm F2G ED VRII
- Professional telephoto lens.
- 200mm focal length (DX equivalent 400mm) with fast f/2 aperture.
- Vibration Reduction II (VR II) stabilization system with Normal and Active modes. Lets you use shutter speeds that are up to 4 stops slower.
- Nano Crystal coat reduces ghost and flare.
- Three focus modes: instant manual focus override (M/A), manual (M) and instant auto focus override (A/M) that prioritizes autofocus even when the focus ring is in use.
- Closest focusing distance: 1.9 m.
- Three ED (Extra low Dispersion) and one super-ED glass elements ensure high resolution and superior contrast.
- SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for quiet, accurate autofocus.
- Durable weather-sealed magnesium body with meniscus glass to protect the front element.
Nikon news: D7000 mid-range DSLR launched
Nikon have launched a new DLSR, the D7000.
- 16.2 megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor
- High ISO (100-6400) light sensitivity - extendable up to 25600
- EXPEED 2: Nikon’s advanced image processing engine
- Durable design with magnesium alloy top and rear covers
- Twin SD card slots: SDXC compatible
- Razor-sharp 39-point AF system
Canon News: High-end G12 and SX30 IS PowerShots launched
Canon have launched a couple of high-end compact cameras, the PowerShot G12 and PowerShot SX30IS, replacing the G11 and SX20IS respectively.
G12
More details here.
G12
- HS System
- High-sensitivity 10 MP CCD
- 28mm wide, 5x zoom lens, Hybrid IS
- 7.0 cm (2.8") vari-angle LCD, Electronic Level, OVF
- Front Dial, Full Manual & RAW
- HD movies, HDMI
- High Dynamic Range mode
- Smart Auto
- Multi-Aspect Shooting
- Extensive accessory system
More details available here.
SX20 IS
- 20x wide-angle (28mm) zoom lens with IS
- 12.1 MP CCD
- 2.5” vari-angle PureColor VA LCD
- Smart Auto mode with Scene Detection Technology
- DIGIC 4
- Motion Detection
- Face Detection
- Enhanced i-Contrast
- HD movies (720p) with HDMI output
- Hot shoe for external flash
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