Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM $200 off regular price at two important Internet sellers. Both Adorama and B&H have an instant rebate of $200 on the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens. Instead of $489 the Sigma is sold for $289 (Adorama | B&H). That’s 41% less the official price! The Sigma’s specs:
eBay seller bigvalueinc has the Canon EOS-1D X at the incredible price of $5,907.82 (click here). I want you to know that the seller has a positive rating that in the last times has gone down to 98,1%. It has always been part of my trusted pool of eBay sellers, and the seller gets featured on eBay's Daily Deals. The usual price of the EOS-1D X is around $6,700.
Tokina announced two new lenses, the AT-X Pro DX 12-28mm f/4 for APS-C sensors, and the TX 70-200 f/4 PRO FX VCM (with image stabilization). Especially the latter is going to compete with the offerings of the various brands. It is interesting to note that Tokina decided to extend the focal range with the new wide angle zoom, compared to the current 12-24mm f/4 . The build quality is at the usual high standards. No information about price and availability, but both lenses should ship in Japan by the summer of 2013. The 12-28mm should have a price tag similar to the Tokina 12-24mm f/4 AT-X (price & specs).
Yesterday a group high ranked Canon officials met 20 journalists from Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The meeting was held at the headquarter of Canon Inc. in Shimomaruko, Tokyo, Japan.
Tatsuo Yoshioka, Senior General Manager ICP Strategic Management Planning Center – Image Communication Products Operations Canon Inc., said that the compact and video camera market decreased in 2013 but the DSLR market increased more than 10%.
Ken-ichi Shimbori, Advisory Director – Group Executive ICP Group 2 – Image Communication Products Operations Canon Inc., head of the DSLR group, presented the market shares: 45% in the world and 43% in Asia. The merit, according to Mr. Shimbori, goes to three key concepts featured on Canon DSLRs: fast AF, easy operation and high image quality. Mr. Shimbori said the EOS 6D is the most compact and lightest full-frame camera in the world. The reason for the high image quality relies in the gap-less microlenses featured on Canon’s digital sensors.
Masato Okada, Executive Officer – Group Executive of ICP Group 1 – Deputy Chief Executive of Image Communication Products Operations Canon Inc., said that the supremacy of Canon DSLR cameras is related to the high quality of Canon’s EF lenses.
A Canon EOS 6D reviews round-up. The full-frame EOS 6D is selling very good around the globe, check its prices at the following shops: Amazon, B&H, Adorama, Canon USA, J&R, Digitalrev, eBay, rent it at Borrow Lenses. If you are located in the US, then B&H has a cool EOS 6D deal going on: the 6D body with a Lowepro – Adventura 170 Shoulder Bag and a Lexar – 16GB SDHC Memory Card Professional Class 10 UHS-I memory card for $1899 (click here, price shows up after having added the item to the cart). Or take the EOS 6D plus the EF 24-105mm f/4.0L and the memory card for $2499 (click here). This deals are part of the rebate programs that expire on Saturday, 2/2/2013.
Let's start with the core specifications of the EOS 6D:
20.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
3.0″ Clear View High Resolution LCD
DIGIC 5+ Image Processor
Built-In Wi-Fi and GPS Connectivity
Full HD 1080p with Manual Controls
11-Point AF with Center Cross-Type Point
63-Zone Dual Layer Metering Sensor
Extended ISO Range of 50-102400
Up to 4.5 Full Resolution FPS
Built-In HDR and Multiple Exposure Modes
The EOS 6D is a hot piece of gear, says The Online Photographer. By taking inspiration from the car market, and using the Corvette as example, they conclude that the high price of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III (price & specs) leads people to get a 6D:
The theory is that the high price of the 5D Mark III is driving peoples' interest into the waiting arms of the 6D. The 6D has a lot of the higher model's goodness, for such a big price cut that it tips the balance of most peoples' interest from the high-horsepower body to the more “sensible” model.
Makes sense, imho. And the following ISO comparison by RiceHigh between the EOS 6D and the EOS 5D Mark III also makes sense, since we know that the 6D sensor performs better as long as noise is concerned. They tested ISO 100 to 12800 (all pictures here), using the following setting
1. Camera mounted on a sturdy tripod (a giant Gitzo) and shutter was triggered via the original Canon remote cable switch;
2. Picture Style was reset to Standard, with all parameters all left at factory defaults. Other image settings such as Auto Light Optimizer and High ISO NR etc. were reset to their factory default values. Large Fine JPEGs were produced directly out of both cameras;3. One-shot AF with 50/1.2L with Central AF point selected;4. For ISO 100 to ISO 1600, the lens aperture was set at f/8, whilst from ISO 3200 to 12800, the lens was set to f/16 – This was particularly required with the 6D for its low maximum shutter speed of only 1/4000s;
It is always good to know how to use a camera and how its settings work. Canon recently published a set of online video tutorials (source: The Digital Picture). The following topics are covered:
Basic Overview
The Auto Options
Image Quality
Multiple Exposure Shooting
In-Camera HDR
In-Camera RAW and JPEG Processing
Auto Exposure Bracketing
Low Light Shooting
Composition Aids
Auto Focus System Basics
Basic Video Operation
Time Code Operation Basics
Finally, a full review by ephotozine. The review comes with a lot of samples and videos. They “highly recommend” the EOS 6D, writing in the conclusion:
The Canon EOS 6D feels like it's an improvement over the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and gives most of what you get with the 5D Mark III, but with the addition of GPS and Wi-Fi, as well as the excellent 20.2 megapixel sensor for improved noise performance, but with a fraction of the price of the 5D Mark III, making this an excellent camera for those wanting a full-frame Digital SLR.
Image quality is impressive with excellent colour both in photos and on the rear screen of the camera, and noise performance is excellent. Focus performance is good with 11 point auto focus that works down to -3EV, and as long as you are not using live view it is very quick and reliable.For anyone looking to upgrade from an earlier Canon camera, the Canon EOS 6D delivers some of the latest features such as Wi-Fi, GPS, built in HDR shooting, and reasonably quick continuous shooting at 4.5fps. The camera feels extremely well built, and pleasantly compact and light-weight for a full-frame Digital SLR, making it an enjoyable experience to use.
They also produced the nice video below, a menu walk-through.
A serious review about the Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.4 lens was something I was waiting for. Many things are more than ok in this lens: the Rokinon 35mm’s price ($479), the focal length, and an f/1.4 aperture. We previously featured various reviews about Canon and Sigma 35mm lenses (here, here, here). So, how does the manual aperture and manual focus Rokinon compare? Let’s first see the core specs:
Fast f/1.4 Wide-Angle 35mm Lens
For APS-C & Full-Frame Image Formats
Hybrid Aspherical Lenses — Sharp Images
Multi-Layer Coating to Reduce Flare
Minimum Focusing Distance of 12″
Removable Petal-Type Lens Hood
The guys over at fstoppers tested the Rokinon both for still photography and videography. Here are some excerpts from their review:
The construction is solid metal and the paint finish is very uniformly applied and resistant to chipping and scuffing.
Barrel distortion was basically a non-significant factor when compared to lenses like the Canon 17-40 and 16-35 II. This is an absolute blessing for photographers who do work for designers and architects, as bowed lines and a ‘fisheye’ effect are pretty much unusable as a final product
Contrast and sharpness are absolutely superb
Color rendition is absolutely fantastic
slight bit of vignetting when shooting wide open
There are many test shots made with the Rokinon, so be sure to check them out.
incredibly impressed with this lens in the low light environments
color and contrast straight without adjustments is fantastic
The conclusion sums up the pros of this amazing lens:
-Sharp throughout all aperture ranges, even at 1.4 the sharpness is commendable
-Colors are very snappy, contrast is crisp, no noticeable color casts
-Construction of lens is phenomenally solid, also balances very well on most SLRs
-Size and texture of focus rings allows for follow focus attachments very easily for video applications (e.g. follow focus modifications)
-Fast aperture for manageable price, especially when compared to Nikon and Canon equivalents
-Beautifully smooth operation of all moving parts (aperture and focus rings)
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