Dragonfly Telephoto Array is made of 10 Canon 400mm f/2.8 IS II lenses, and sees the faint structure of the universe

Dragonfly Telephoto Array
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We wrote about this project time ago. Now it evolved and we won’t miss the news.

The Dragonfly Telephoto Array belongs to the University of Toronto’s Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics. The ten EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II make up for approximately $100,000. The lenses were mounted on ten SBIG STF-8300M CCD cameras, and that makes up for another whooping $20,000. There is also a Paramount ME-II robotic telescope involved, which is yours for just $135,000.

What is the thing good for? Quoting:

Dragonfly is designed to reveal the faint structure [of the universe] by greatly reducing scattered light and internal reflections within its optics. It achieves this using ten, commercially available Canon 400mm lenses with unprecedented nano-fabricated coatings with sub-wavelength structure on optical glasses.

There are some research paper available if you are into this sort of scientific things:

[via DIYP]

Canon sponsors Hack the Visual hackathon in London

Canon press release:

Canon sponsors Hack the Visual hackathon in London

LONDON, 27 May 2015 – Canon, a leader in imaging solutions, is sponsoring the ‘Hack the Visual’ 48-hour hackathon event, to engage with talent in London’s Tech City and support the creation of new digital imaging ideas and applications to enrich people’s lives.

The event, organised by Imaging Mind – 26 to 28 June at IDEALondon – aims to bring together over 100 participants and challenge them to uncover the hidden possibilities of imaging and technology and bring new perspectives on visual culture.

“Digital technology has transformed visual culture over the past couple of decades. With almost one trillion images forecast to be taken this year alone, we believe the way people will live with photos will be profoundly different in the future. We see a huge opportunity to innovate in this field by embracing today’s creative technologists,” says Alberto Spinelli, Director of Digital Services at Canon Europe.

“Last month we acquired London based start-up Lifecake, accelerating the development of our digital consumer services proposition. The Hack the Visual event will help us to build relationships with more talent in this space that we can potentially help nurture and grow and pave the way to broadening our digital ecosystem,” Spinelli continued.

“Anyone with a passion for visuals, regardless of whether that stems from a technology or an art perspective, is welcome. The best ideas are generated when teams come from a diverse mix of backgrounds and experience. We want people to embrace the true spirit of a hackathon, to share, collaborate, have fun and really run wild with their ideas.” commented Floris van Eck, CEO, Imaging Mind.

Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon Rebel T6i and Rebel T6s laboratory test (DPReview)

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DPReview added their lab report on the ongoing Canon Rebel T6i/EOS 750D and Rebel T6s/EOS 760D review.

The new Rebels are available:

Canon Rebel T6s price and availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA; Canon Rebel T6i price and availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

rebel t6s

[via DPR]

Canon EOS M3 review (Techradar)

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Techradar reviewed the Canon EOS M3. Not an entirely positive review. In the conclusion they write:

The M3 has some tough competition and as with the original M, the new camera is capable of producing high quality images that are at least a match for those from cameras such as the Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Sony Alpha 6000. However, the occasionally frustrating autofocus system and Canon’s lack of commitment to the system, with a failure to bring out an enticing line-up of lenses or accessories, means that those looking for a smaller alternative to an SLR are better off looking elsewhere.

Inexperienced photographers are less likely to be concerned about the limited number of directly compatible lenses and will be happy with the step up in image quality in comparison with a point-and-shoot compact camera or the average smartphone. Nevertheless, there will be times when they struggle to get the subject sharp.

At some point in the review they say that “the 18-55mm kit limits detail resolution significantly“. While I do not really cover that, it makes me think about the rumor of a new EF-M 18-55mm IS STM lens I got some weeks ago. To see all our EOS M3 coverage click here.

Canon EOS M3 availability and price check for your country:
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS M3 now shipping! The EOS M3 is not on sale in the US, and is available in Europe only as kit with the EF-M 18-55mm IS STM lens (Amazon Italy, Amazon Germany, Amazon UK). You can order the EOS M3 also at DigitalRev (ships internationally). DigitalRev’s price at checkout is inclusive of all taxes and customs for customers from Asia and the EU (and possibly a better price than Amazon), for customers from the US, taxes depend by the state. Detailed M3 specification can be read here.

Specs:

  • 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor
  • Hybrid CMOS AF III
  • Powerful DIGIC 6 processing
  • 3.0 inch (1040k) ClearView II Tilt Touchscreen
  • 49 Point AF & 4.2 fps continuous shooting
  • Scene Intelligent Auto
  • Stunning 1080p movies at 24, 25 and 30 fps
  • Creative Assist
  • Wi-Fi, Dynamic NFC, remote control and sharing

EOS M3

[via Techradar]

Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R shipping June 5th

Thanks Doug!

It appears the new high resolution Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R cameras will start shipping next Friday, June 5th. That’s what the product page at Adorama suggests (see image above). Orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis.

Pre-order the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R:

Canon EOS 5DS availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA, Canon EOS 5DS R availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS 5DS
Image: © Canon

Canon lost trial in patent infringement cause (sensor technology)

Canon Rumors Color Calibration
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Company Intellectual Ventures accused Canon of patent infringement. Canon lost. Two image sensor patents are concerned: US6,221,686 “Method of making a semiconductor image sensor” and US6,023,081 “Semiconductor image sensor.”

Delaware Intellectual Property Litigation published a document with the motivations (see pages 11-19).

By Memorandum Opinion entered by The Honorable Sue L. Robinson in Intellectual Ventures I, LLC, et al. v. Canon Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 11-792-SLR (D.Del., May 18, 2015), the Court granted plaintiff’s alternative motion for a new trial regarding infringement of U.S. Patent Numbers 6,121,960 (“the ‘960 patent”) and 5,754,348 (“the ‘348 patent”) after concluding that defense counsel in his closing argument improperly played the role of expert witness by inferring from factual testimony that the accused devices did not meet the claim limitations arguments.  The court found such argument to be contrary to a pre-trial agreement that defendant would not present any evidence of non-infringement, including evidence of a lack of a subjective intent to infringe, particularly given that the Court previously barred certain testimony from plaintiff’s witnesses on the topic during the trial.

[via Image Sensors World]