Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS servo zoom first sample footage (pre-production model)

CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS
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Canon C300 Mark II (B&H Photo | Adorama) at a glance:

  • Covers Super 35 & APS-C Formats
  • EF Mount
  • T4.4 Constant Maximum Aperture
  • 9-Blade Iris
  • Parfocal with Minimized Focus Breathing
  • Compatible with Servo Lens Controllers
  • Optional Control Grip
  • Image Stabilization & Auto Focus Support
  • 180° Rotation for Focus
  • Lightweight at only 2.65 lb

Canon’s CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS servo zoom is a hot piece of gear for news and documentary shooters. Even if it is selling for over $5,000, it has to be considered “affordable” compared to other cine zoom lenses.

Newsshooter posted some exclusive video footage shot with a pre-production CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS. They used a Canon C300 Mark II for the tests. The C300 Mark II had beta firmware on board to make it work with the CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 L IS.

They write:

If the pre-production sample is anything to go by then I think Canon have a winner on their hands. It might not be as long, or as wide as the ideal lens, but then it isn’t the price of a Fujinon Cabrio or Canon’s own CN7. It is a much more usable run-and-gun lens than the average stills zoom and the range is very usable. And for the price there are currently few alternatives. Read the review…

Canon EF 85mm F1.2 vs Sony 85mm F1.4 GM comparison

Ef 85mm
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Canon EF 85mm F1.2: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Gary Fong compares Canon’s tried and true EF 85mm F1.2 lens against Sony’s latest G Master 85mm F1.4 lens. The Sony 85mm F1.4 got a lot of press lately and it’s interesting to see how it compares to one of Canon’s most regarded lens.

Please note that there is a small typo in the video: the Canon images are shot at f/1.2 and not f/1.8. You can download all test shots from Gary Fong’s dropbox folder, and compare them by yourself.

[via Sony Alpha Rumors via PetaPixel]

Zeiss Milvus Distagon 50mm F1.4 review (dressed to impress)

Zeiss Milvus 50mm F1.4
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Zeiss Milvus Distagon 50mm F1.4: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Zeiss Milvus Distagon 50mm F1.4 at a glance:

  • EF Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/16
  • 4 Anomalous Partial Dispersion Elements
  • 1 Aspherical Element
  • Distagon Optical Design
  • Zeiss T* Anti-Reflective Coating
  • Manual Focus Design
  • Anodized Metal Barrel, Rubber Focus Ring
  • Weather-Sealed Construction

Another interesting review by photographer and reviewer Dustin Abbott. The Zeiss Milvus Distagon 50mm F1.4 lens is examined.

The 11 minutes video above is all about first impression, handling and build of the Zeiss Milvus 50mm. The 18 minutes video-review below is the review itself and will tell you all the rest you want to know about the Zeiss Milvus 50mm F1.4, and breaks down the image quality.

If you prefer you may go for the written review. From the conclusion:

Zeiss lenses are for connoisseurs, and those that own them deeply appreciate them. I’ve appreciated the Milvus 50 for its beautiful build, being great to handle, and for a wonderfully artful rendering. I’m so glad that the Milvus 50 was able to bring a whole new level of resolution to their 50mm focal length without losing the beautiful “Zeiss look” of the images. The Milvus manages to be artful rather than clinical and manages to retain a lot of the goodness of the Otus series with a whole lot less sticker shock. At $1199 (US Market) the Zeiss Milvus Distagon T* 1.4/50mm is expensive, but not unreasonably so. It is heavy, but so is the Sigma 50mm f/1.4. It has a superb build that also now has excellent weather resistance and excellent optics. If you don’t mind (or even prefer) manually focusing, it’s probably the next best thing to the Otus 1.4/55…and it will hurt your wallet a lot less.

Dustin Abbott’s review comes with many sample pics and comparisons with other lenses.

zeiss milvusZeiss Milvus Distagon 50mm F1.4: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

[via Dustin Abbott]

Canon EOS 80D review (ephotozine)

Eos 90d
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Canon EOS 80D: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS 80D at a glance:

  • 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
  • 3.0″ 1.04m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
  • 45-Point All Cross-Type AF System
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF
  • Expanded ISO 25600, Up to 7 fps Shooting
  • Built-In Wi-Fi with NFC
  • RGB+IR 7560-Pixel Metering Sensor

ephotozine posted their Canon EOS 80D review. The EOS 80D is getting pretty good press out there. From the conclusion:

Live view focus and shutter response has been improved and there is now almost no difference between shooting through the optical viewfinder and rear screen in terms of speed and camera responsiveness. With new auto white balance options, you can choose whether you want warm results or more accurate white results, which is excellent for product shots, and it’s great that you have the choice of both, without having to set white balance manually, or correct images later, which could save someone hours of additional work. There are also new options regarding image sharpness, and with the new 24 megapixel sensor you can get sharp, detailed images straight from the camera, with lower levels of noise than the 70D. Read the review…

The Canon EOS 80D user manual can be downloaded (click here). Good if you want to have a closer look to the EOS 80D’s features.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II vs Nikon D5 (video)

Eos-1d X Mark Ii
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Canon EOS-1D X Mark II: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II at a glance:

  • 20.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • Dual DIGIC 6+ Image Processors
  • 14 fps Shooting, 16 fps in Live View
  • DCI 4K Video at 60 fps, 8.8MP Still Grab
  • 61-Point High Density Reticular AF II
  • 3.2 inch (1.62m) Touchscreen LCD Monitor
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Movie Servo AF
  • ISO 100-51200 (Expanded to 409600)
  • Built-In GPS
  • CFast & CF Card Slots

11 minutes video by Tony & Chelsea Northrup, Canon EOS-1D X Mark II vs Nikon D5. Two flagships for sport and wildlife photography (and obviously much more).

Canon EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM review (Photography Blog)

EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM
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Canon EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM:  B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM at a glance:

  • EF-S Mount Lens/APS-C Format
  • 28.8-216mm (35mm Equivalent)
  • One UD Element & One Aspherical Element
  • NANO USM Autofocus System
  • Image Stabilizer and Dynamic IS
  • Compatible with PZ-E1 Power Zoom Adapter

Along with their Canon EOS 80D review, Photography Blog also posted the review about Canon’s new kit lens for APS-C DSLR, the EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM featuring NANO USM technology.

From the conclusion:

Image quality is pretty good rather than outstanding. Centre and edge sharpness isn’t great throughout the zoom range at the maximum aperture, but stopping-down by one stop sharpens things up considerably, whatever focal length you use. Chromatic aberrations aren’t very well controlled, though, and there’s obvious geometric distortion at the wider focal lengths and some obvious corner shading at the maximum aperture. The lens also doesn’t ship with a hood, which is only available as an optional and rather expensive accessory.

The EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM gets 4 starts out of 5, and is rated as a “relatively small, lightweight and versatile zoom lens for APS-C DSLR owners that delivers pleasing results for both stills and video“.

[via Photography Blog]