Weekend Deal: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS $800 ($350 off, Amazon)

EF 24-105mm f/4L IS

Great deal by seller Get It Digital on Amazon. The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens is on sale for just $800.95 (click here). That’s $350 off, regular price is $1150. Found the deal at dealsrunner.com.

Product description:

  • 24-105mm standard zoom lens with f/4 maximum aperture for Canon EOS SLR cameras
  • 1 Super UD glass element and 3 aspherical lenses minimize chromatic aberration and distortion
  • Ring-type USM system delivers silent but quick autofocus (AF); full-time manual focus
  • Image Stabilizer technology steadies camera shake at up to 3 stops; weighs 23.6 ounces
  • Dust- and moisture-resistant; measures 3.3 inches in diameter and 4.2 inches long; 1-year warranty

This easy-to-use standard zoom lens can cover a large zoom area ranging from 24mm wide-angle to 105mm portrait-length telephoto, and its Image Stabilizer Technology steadies camera shake up to three stops. Constructed with one Super-UD glass element and three aspherical lenses, this lens minimizes chromatic aberration and distortion. The result is excellent picture quality, even at wide apertures. Canon’s ring-type USM gives silent but quick AF, along with full-time manual focus. Moreover, with dust- and moisture-resistant construction, this is a durable yet sophisticated lens that meets the demands of advanced amateur photographers and professional photographers alike.

Canon DLC Article: Reading and understanding lens MTF charts

MTF charts
MTF charts of the highly popular [shoplink 230]Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM[/shoplink] lens (image credit: Canon USA)
Canon Digital Learning Center posted an interesting article about MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) Charts.

Most photography and video enthusiasts have seen “MTF” (Modulation Transfer Function) charts for different lenses, but perhaps have not been entirely clear on exactly what they communicate. We know they’re supposed to give an indication of a lens’ expected optical performance, but beyond that it may be a bit of a mystery. We’ll try to move past the technical terms and explain them here in a real-world way.

[via CDLC]

Canon C300 Video-Reviews (P. Bloom and others)

EOS C300

The Canon EOS C300 and C300/PL are discounted to $13,999 at B&H (click here) and Adorama (click here).

Let’s start with a short SciFi movie (That Day) shot by Philip Bloom on the Canon C300. Bloom says (source: creativeplanetnetwork):

For my part as DP, I had to decide which camera I was going to shoot this on, how to shoot it, and what I needed to achieve this. I decided upon the C300…why the C300? Well first off it is my newest camera and I really wanted to see it pushed in this situation. I was looking at the F3 which would have worked great, but for me this camera made more sense. Especially as it’s the EF version and there would be some hand-held work. Those IS lenses are a dream for that.

 

Zac Nicholson shot No Place On Earth, a movie about how 38 Ukrainian Jews hid from the Nazis for 18 months in 1942. About the Canon C300 he says (source: motionvfx):

I had been using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II for a lot of my own documentaries and narrative experimental work. (…) I think Canon was the first to understand what they had created for filmmakers in the DSLR market, and then to push that beyond its boundaries into new areas. For a long time I had been waiting for something I would be comfortable shooting movies with that didn’t use film. The EOS C300 camera was what I had been waiting for. I have heard other filmmakers praise the EOS C300 camera, and everything I saw from it was extraordinary. Plus, I’d be able to use my Canon EF lenses with the EOS C300 camera. As soon as the EOS C300 camera became available I bought one, and it has exceeded my expectations. I have been shooting with it ever since and it’s basically been my workhorse, the camera I hope to shoot with every single time I go out. There were a lot of things that we did with the EOS C300 camera for No Place on Earth that were in environments that were so difficult to shoot in that we could not have physically or logistically done them with a larger digital cinematography camera, especially one requiring assistants. The EOS C300 camera provides a small, almost DSLR-like shape and structure, which is highly portable and maneuverable, and yet it gives you a sensor that can match those of the larger digital cinema cameras.”

 

The utility of the C300 in shooting documentaries is well known. Rick Gershon made the film Surviving the Peace: Angola, documenting the problem of people in Angola, still struggling with landmines 10 years after the end of the civil war. About the C300 he says (source: motionvfx):

Despite the few things that bothered me about the C300, I found it to be a phenomenal verite-style documentary camera. In fact, for this type of work, given the form factor and features of the camera, in my opinion, there is not a better camera out there right now for guys like me. (…) Working with the C300 in a documentary setting was a really great experience. I was truly blown away with just how user friendly the camera was and how quickly I became comfortable with it. And of course the footage speaks for itself.

 

Finally, a short video by Italian filmmaker Aldo Ricci. The video is in Italian and has English subtitles. C300 vs Maserati, good challenge! :-)