Industry News

Canon Announces The EOS 70D

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Canon has unveiled the latest in their XXD lineup today with the launch of the 70D.  It features a 20.2 megapixel APS-C sensor with their new Digic 5+ (3x faster than Digic 5) chip that will allow up to 7fps continuous shooting.  As well as sensor advancements, Canon have also introduced a new auto focus system which has an impressive 19pt array with all points being the more accurate cross-type variety.  An all cross type AF system is unique at this time.  On top of this the maximum iso is boosted to 12,800 (up from 6400 on the 60D) and …

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Zoom H6 Audio Coming In August

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B&H updated their site today with more information on the the Zoom H6 audio recorder.  The Zoom H4 has been the go-to portable DSLR audio solution for the last three or four years but Samson’s Zoom H6 is now on the horizon and looks set to ship in August.  The unit is available to pre-order now if you really want to grab it as soon as it arrives. The H6 features up to 6 tracks of recording compared to the previous 4-track H4 and it also features interchangeable modules on the top to switch out microphones or add additional XLR …

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Canon 200-400 F4 L IS 1.4x Finally Announced

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I’ve honestly lost track of how many times I have written about this lens.  That wouldn’t be that unusual apart from the fact that this lens had not even been officially announced yet, let alone available to purchase! A couple of years ago (or maybe even three?)  Canon put a development announcement out there and showed the world the first concept, a super tele zoom with a built in converter.  Why would they do this you might ask ?  They don’t normally do things like that.  Well Nikon have had a 200-400 f4 for an eternity, maybe even ten years.  …

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Pre-Order the New Canon 200-400 F4 L IS

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Well yes it finally happened, many years after we first knew about this lens!  You can pre-order the lens using the links below.  I expect this to be in very high demand and short availability so if you really want one then act FAST.

The 5D Mark 3 Just Got Way More Awesome

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Canon have released firmware update 1.2.1 today for the 5DMK3 which is one of the most comprehensive firmware feature additions ever seen for a Canon camera.  You can download it HERE. Here is a list of the changes made with this firmware: Of course the big news here is uncompressed output from the HDMI port as this allows film makers to plug in external recording devices and record to other formats directly like ProRes or DNXHD in a much less compressed way then you can create files in camera.  Video recording quality should be vastly improved with this.Also important is …

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Sigma Canada To Give Away Thousands of Dollars in Prizes

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I got an e-mail from my friends at SIGMA Canada this morning to tell me all about a new competition that they are having for Canadian students. Be quick though as submissions are only being taken until the end of the month.   Sigma Canada is giving away 3 – $3000 cash (tuition) prizes, as well as 3 – $1000 gear prizes, to full-time college or university photo students. ——————— The Sigma Scholarship Contest illustrates Sigma’s decades of technological advancement and innovation in the industry, and a desire to empower and support aspiring photographers. Who like Sigma capture and portray …

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New Firmware & Features for Canon C100, C300 and C500

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Canon announces firmware updates for EOS C500, EOS C300, EOS C100 and improvements to Cinema RAW Development software London, UK, 3rd April 2013 – Canon has today announced the development of firmware updates for three of its ground-breaking Cinema EOS System cameras, as well as a selection of new functions for its Cinema RAW Development (CRD) software. The upgrades are the latest to be developed in response to feedback from imaging professionals, demonstrating Canon’s continued commitment to supporting the needs of the professional video community. Following the release of the upgrades, the EOS C500, EOS C300 and EOS C100 will …

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Canon Quietly Announces 35mm Cine Lens Development. New EF 35mm L II on the way ??

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Canon put out a press release today, a few days prior to NAB, announcing the development of a new 35mm cine lens to match their growing set of cinema primes.  This lens was conspicous  in its absence before with a 14, 24, 50, 85 and 135mm in the lineup.  These cinema lenses are based on the optics of existing L-Series still camera lenses and the speculation is that there was no 35mm in the launch lineup because a new 35mm still lens was in development and it would make more sense to base the cine lens around those newer optics …

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Canon Launches XA25 and XA20 HD Cams

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Like many people, I was a big fan of the Canon XA10.  The diminutive little HD cam really created a new niche for ultra-portable professional video camera with it’s dual XLR mic inputs and it was widely adopted for all manner of productions including trips to the North Pole! Just a few days prior to NAB, Canon have unwrapped the XA10s successor and added some killer new features to create what looks to be a great pro package for those that need a b-cam or just for traveling light.  Photographers like myself can put a little cam like this to …

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Nikon’s New APS-C Compact Camera Features 28mm f2.8 Lens

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Nikon have jumped into the large sensor compact camera market tonight with the launch of the CoolPix A.  Leaving the stupid name aside, this actually looks like a nice little camera.  The DX format sensor is mated with an 18.5mm f2.8 lens which offers a 28mm equivalent in 35mm terms.  An optional optical viewfinder gives you a decent framing option and a 16MP sensor will no doubt deliver decent images given Nikons recent success with DX cameras.  They also announced some other Coolpix camera which frankly I couldn’t care less about so I’ll skip that one 🙂 The Coolpix A …

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Nikon Announces New 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

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Nikon has today announced an updated version of the 10-yr old 80-400.  All mod-cons as expected including 4-stop VR.  $2700 is a pretty hefty price tag but recent lenses such as Canon’s 70-300 L IS have proven that pro quality lenses can come in the form of wide ranging zoom using modern technologies. This will be an intriguing package for Nikon shooters , especially given modern ISO capabilities that render lenses with smaller maximum apertures a lot more useful…. Press Release MELVILLE, N.Y. (March 4, 2013) – Today, Nikon Inc. introduced the AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, a versatile …

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Phase One Updates Their IQ Backs & Adds WiFi

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I’m not a medium format shooter but I do stay abreast of things in that area and I liked what I saw from Phase One when they launched the IQ series about 18 months ago.  Today they have announced an upgrade to the new IQ260 and IQ280. These new backs add built in Wi-Fi capabilities for reviewing your images instantly on an iPad using the Capture Pilot software.  It also allows wireless control of the cameras.  These things are as serious as it gets when it comes to photographic equipment these days!  Built in USB3 for super fast downloading of …

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