Be one of the first to check out the soon to be launched EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x at the EOS Experience Roadshow happening this weekend! We’ll be at Cathay Orchard Cineleisure this 4-6 January from 11am-10pm! See you there!
Ok, “soon to be launched” could mean this weekend, and also in a few weeks, or months, who knows. We are patiently waiting! :-) Pre-orders are yet not possible.
Gizmodo published their short review of the Canon EOS 6D (price & specs). They praise the excellent image quality, low light performance, and all the rest of the goods that you get with Canon’s entry level full frame DSLR. But…there is a big “but”: video performance of the EOS 6D is not au pair with the quality of still images. The 6D can not hold up to the outstanding video capabilities of its bigger brother, the EOS 5D Mark III (price & specs). The problem are serious moire issues, clearly visible in the crops in the video above. Gizmodo writes:
In comparing still image quality, we found the 6D to produce nearly identical results as the 5D Mark III—that is to say, beautiful. You will not be disappointed with this camera’s terrific abilities to produce low-noise pictures at high ISOs. Sharpness is great, only slightly exceeded by Nikon’s D800 or D600.
Video, however, is another story. All signs pointed toward the 6D sharing the same great video quality of the 5D MK3. The thing that the 5D3 does so well—that no other DSLR has accomplished—is reducing moire patterns (rainbow-like bands along detailed surfaces). But the 6D fails where the 5D3 prevailed. Moire is rampant. This single failure ruins the 6D as a viable alternative to the 5D3 for professional video.
The moire issues of the EOS 6D have already been discussed over the net, if future reviews will replicate and confirm the problem it would be a pity for an otherwise so awesome EOS 6D, which, btw, produces less sensor noise than the EOS 5D Mark III.
It appears that a price between $2750-2850 is getting standard at high profile shops on eBay.
First Canon EOS 5D Mark III deal of 2013. Top Rated (Plus) seller getitdigital (99.7% positive rating) has the EOS 5D Mark III body on sale for . Limited quantity.
Another EOS 5D Mark III deal is offered by Power Seller bigvalueinc (98.1% positive rating). The EOS 5D3 body is on sale for .
Everything about this lens feels super solid. I’ve had other staffers hold it and proclaim that it feels like an entirely metal lens. When putting a Zeiss lens right next to it though, it is clear that this lens’s exterior is not made of metal. However, if you squeeze the lens, it feels even more solid than previous optics made by Sigma.
[…]
So far, I’m still quite head over heels for the lens. The wide open and stopped down performance is really quite good and it’s made me reach for my 5D Mk II much more than I used to. In many ways, its breathed new life into the camera.
The build quality so far is stellar and is the way it feels in my hands. And for the price, I really can’t see anyone going wrong with this lens.
The price is one of the big points of this lens, at $900 it is ways cheaper than the equivalent brand lenses.
It’s remarkably sharp, even wide open, outperforming not only its Canon, Nikon and Sony equivalents, but also the far more expensive Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 in lab tests. Chromatic aberration is also impressively well controlled (both lateral and longitudinal), distortion is low and vignetting more-or-less typical for its class. The rendition of out-of-focus regions is generally quite attractive, although complex backgrounds can end up looking rather ‘fussy’. The overall result, though, is a lens that delivers fine-looking images with the minimum of fuss, shot after shot.
It appears as if Sigma made a definitely outstanding lens. Quoting DPreview:
Every now and then we come across a camera or lens that hits a sweet spot of image quality, usability and price that makes it an easy recommendation. The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM is just such a beast – it manages the impressive trick of being substantially cheaper than the camera manufacturers’ equivalents while matching or beating them optically. If you’re after a top quality fast prime at this focal length it should be right at the top of your short list, and it easily earns our top award.
Image credit: ephotozine
Finally, ephotozine (also with sample images) reviewed the Sigma:
Even at f/1.4, sharpness in the centre portion of the frame is excellent, although as you might expect at such a fast maximum aperture, sharpness towards the edges of the frame falls away to just below good levels. This is still very good performance for a lens of this type. Stopping the lens down improves sharpness across the frame with clarity towards the edges of the frame reaching very good levels by f/2. Peak sharpness across the frame is achieved at apertures between f/4 and f/5.6 where the clarity achieved in the centre is outstanding, and sharpness is excellent towards the edges of the frame.
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