Canon 8-15 F4 L USM Fisheye Review

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The Canon EF 8-15 F4 L fisheye lens is one highly anticipated piece of glass !  First announced back in Autumn 2010 this is not a replacement of any existing lens, but an all new design with unique potential.  Canon originally started with the 15mm f2.8 fisheye which was designed before the digital days.  This lens provided a full 180 degree field of view on a full frame camera but users of 1.6 or 1.3 crop cameras were left with slightly less fishy look to their images.  On the Nikon side of things, Nikkor released a beautiful 10.5mm fisheye for …

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Think Tank Modular and Skin SALE

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I’m not sure I can ever remember Think Tank having a SALE before so this warranted a quick post.  Especially since I’ve just reviewed one of the things they have put on sale. Just last week I reviewed the Skin set from Think Tank and having used it on a couple of assignments now I can say that I’m totally sold on it.  I would recommend it over the regular modular set BUT both the Skin and the modular set are on sale for this limited time offer. 20% off AND receive a FREE gift when you check out. Think …

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Canon 5dMKII used for action sequences in Captain America movie.

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I just received this press release from Canon and I thought it was pretty interesting.  It seems that we can now add Captain America : The First Avenger, to the list of Hollywood feature films to use the Canon 5dMKII in their production.  The small size of the camera makes it ideal for POV shots and sequences like car chases.  The 5dMKII is a few years old now but it seems that nobody has eclipsed it’s video performance yet.  Full info after the break. Full release: LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., August 1, 2011 – Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging, …

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Will we see a Canon 1dMKV in the near future ? Getty photographer drops a clue….?

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Getty images sport’s photographers are amongst the best in the world and it’s a known fact that Canon and Nikon seek their opinions on various aspects of new products and often lend them new equipment for testing prior to the official launch.  I follow a number of Getty’s top shooters on Twitter and an interesting conversation popped up today between a few of them.  Richard Heathcote has been lent one of Canon’s new 400mm f2.8 MKII lenses to try out.  Check out his photo of it below which reveals a new style hard case and new style of lens cap …

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Canon’s New 8-15mm F4 L Fisheye Hitting Stores Now

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The long awaited Fisheye zoom lens from Canon is finally finding it’s way onto store shelves this week in several places.  I have written about this lens before and provided some of the first samples of it last month.  I hope to have one in my hands within the next few days myself and I will be doing a thorough review at that time.  This is a lens that will be fantastic for my line of work so it’s exciting to know it’s finally coming.  Some stores do have long waiting lists for this one so if you fancy picking …

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Photographers Guide to Google +

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Google + is the new hot ticket in town for fans and user of social media.  I was hesitant about it to begin with and wasn’t sure I really wanted anything more the Twitter and Facebook but the reponse to G+ has been overwhelmingly positive during the initial roll out.  In fact it took me many months to gather as many followers on Twitter and Facebook as I have on G+ in just a week.  What’s interesting to me is that it isn’t all the same followers.  I never publicized my G+ account on twitter at all so people are …

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Think Tank Skin Set Review

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Last month I went to France to shoot the 24 Heures du Mans in Le Mans and before I left I grabbed a few extra items to make my assignment a little easier. First up was the Think Tank Hydrophobia 300-600 rain cover. The next think I wanted to do was take a look at the Think Tank Skin system to carry some additional items around with me while I was shooting.  A lot of you know me for my winter sports photography and for that I use a variety of specialized bags from F-Stop but this time I needed …

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Canon Increases Prices On Lenses That Aren’t Even Available Yet

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Somewhat disappointing to report today that Canon has indicated the recommended list prices of all these lenses are to be increased to the following new prices.  All the lenses apart from the 800mm are not even out yet.  The price of these new Canon super tele lenses is HUGELY increased over the price of the old MKI versions so they’d better be incredible pieces of glass!  Whilst this probably indicates we are getting closer to a release date, I was told today that as of yesterday at least, Canon Canada still has absolutely no timeline for the Canon 8-15mm lens.  …

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Samson Launches New Zoom H2N Audio Recorder

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Samson’s audio products have cropped up a few times on my site and for good reason, they represent good value for money.  I reviewed the Zoom H1 recently and found the sound quality to be very good but the $99 price tag left the build quality a little to be desired.  The Zoom H4N has been mentioned several times as well and has become a somewhat ubiquitous accessory for DSLR budget film making with it’s 4 channel control.  Samson have today updated their H2 model to a new H2N which looks to be a great middle lineup addition.  Priced at …

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NIkon launches wallet friendly 40mm Macro Lens

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Nikon just launched a new lens in the DX lineup, the AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G.  Destined for a price tag of only $279.99 and coming to the US in August. Full release MELVILLE, N.Y. (July 12, 2011) – Nikon Inc. today introduced the new lightweight and versatile AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens to provide Nikon DX-format shooters macro capabilities at an affordable price point. Ideal for intimate details or general portraiture, the new AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.53 feet (6.4 inches) to allow users to capture …

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Think Tank Hydrophobia 300-600 V2 Rain Cover Review

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NOTE: Think Tank have now launched a V3 version of this rain cover that is improved in several ways, and also much cheaper, in response to competition in the marketplace. Please head here to get the details about the new Hydrophobia covers, which also now come in an expanded range of sizes to fir DSLR and mirrorless systems. You guys know I’m a big fan of Think Tank’s photo accessories and I use several of their solutions on a regular basis for my photography business.  Last month I flew to France to cover the 24 Heures Du Mans, arguably the …

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Interview on Slopefillers

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The ski resort industry website, Slopefillers, just published an interview that I did with them. Download the PDF here.