CanonWatch

Canon mirror-less concept by D. Riesenberg

In an interview with Amateur Photographer, Panasonic UK’s Lumix G product manager Barnaby Sykes said that “Panasonic expects Canon to launch its first CSC in 2012.” There is one more interesting analysis made by Mr. Sykes: “the continued loyalty of many photographers to major camera brands such as Canon, owing to their long photographic heritage, continues to pose a ‘massive challenge’ to Panasonic, despite the firm’s success in the CSC arena.“. In other words: Canon user prefer to wait for Canon to releaser their own mirrorless system instead of jumping the ship by using one of the current mirrorless systems.

And while we are talking about a Canon mirror-less camera (I expect it to be announced at Photokina), have a look at the interview a Canon manager gave to Japanese magazin impressjapan:

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The possible light-leaking issue of the EOS 5D Mark III is making people curios. And while it is true that if your cam is working as expected (and as it should) with mounted lenses there is no “real issue”, it is still worth to trace down this thing. Let’s see it from a hacker’s perspective: it is not a problem you should be worried about, nevertheless I want to know if it is there. And then: is the 5D Mark III the only canon digital body that is (possibly) affected by the light-leaking issue I reported in my previous post? At canonrumors they decided to test all the Canon bodies they have in stock. Results in short…:

This is an issue that is heavily discusses in forums and on the web. People are reporting that their 5D Mark III’s are leaking light through the LCD panel on the top of the camera body. The leak seems to affect metering. There is a way to test if your body has the problem: put the cap on the body and cover the viewfinder, then put the cam in “P” mode at ISO 800 and turn on the LCD backlight. If the leak is present, the shutter speed will change after having turned on the backlight. Unfortunately there is more. The same issue seems to show up if a flashlight is firing on top of the LCD panel. And finally: there is also some people reporting that direct sunlight or strong light coming from top to down is also affecting the metering. I have two videos explaining the issue.

The test procedure summarized:

• Remove lens and place the body cap on the camera
• Apply the viewfinder cover on the viewfinder (to block any light from entering the camera)
• Set ISO to 800 and camera mode to “P” (should set a shutter speed of approx. 10 sec)
• Either turn on a flashlight near the top LCD panel or turn on the backlight for the top LCD panel
• If light-leaking is present, the shutter speed will change to 5-8 seconds

Here the videos…

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Dpreview just posted a gallery of real-world sample images shot using a production-standard Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

We’ve been out shooting with a range of lenses and in a variety of lighting conditions with Canon’s latest full-frame DSLR, superseding our preview gallery that was shot with a pre-production camera. The gallery includes some shots processed with Adobe Camera Raw and a shot using the camera’s multiple exposure feature.

See the gallery here

AdoramaTV Pro puts Canon’s and Nikon’s newest Full Frame pro DSLRs, the 5D Mark III and D800, head to head in a video shootout. In the video moiré on the 5D Mark III looks much better controlled than in the D800. Another thing that caught my attention was to see how much detail the 5D maintains at high ISOs (>6400) while well controlling the noise.

They compare:

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I found a good >4min video about Canon’s new AF system on CPN’s site. The video is about the EOS 1D X, but since the 5D Mark III sports the same AF system what is told in the video applies also to the latter. Let me first sum up the AF system.

The Canon EOS-1D X and 5D Mark III DSLRs feature an advanced 61-point AF system. The new AF system delivers consistent focusing performance, independently from which kind of subject you are framing or from possible bad light sonditions you may encounter.

Mike Owen (European Professional Imaging Communications Manager) talks about the key features and advantages of the new 61-points AF system that comes with 41 cross-type sensors and five dual-cross type AF points for even more precision. There is also motorsport photographer Frits van Eldik in the film, talking about his first impressions with the new AF system: “The 61-point system on the EOS-1D X is so quick and accurate, and has AF points spread over a wide field, that it allows you to focus very accurately”.

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Apple just released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.12 (click here to download). Support for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III RAW files has been added for Aperture 3 and iPhoto ’11.

Let’s go into another round of what is starting to look as a Battle of the Giants.

Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III vs Nikon’s D800. Both full-frame, the Nikon having a 36MP sensor, Canon a 22MP, and costing respectively $2,999 (Nikon) vs $3,499 (Canon). Announced and released more or less at the same time, these two cameras are heating up the discussion in dedicated forums and allover the web. Which one is better? Which camera has the better AF? Which one has better ISO performance, and so on and so forth.

It’s obviously never really an easy issue to compare cameras – do you prefer mere technical specification (are you engineering-oriented?), or do you like field-tests (do you prefer real-world performance analysis)? And it’s is even more difficult if the cameras you want to compare are similar, both the most advanced in their league, and perform both very good. Sure, the D800 has some features that make it shine out: lower price tag, high-res sensor, very good performance at lower ISOs (and more). The Canon, on the other side, comes with a sensor that has a surprisingly “low” resolution, given the high-res-sensors-run most camera manufactures have embraced (but then: 22MP is not low-res, it’s high resolution but not the MP champion the D800 is). The Canon shines out with an advanced Auto-Focus system, well controlled moire and aliasing, and very good high ISO performance. I don’t think you can state one is better than the other. Sure, they have different strengths (and weaknesses), and at the very end it is up to your preferences and needs. Are you mostly a studio shooter, do you need to make extreme crops, do you need a 36MP to earn your living (or simply have lots of Nikon lens)? – Then the D800 may be better suited for your needs. On the other hand, if you are a wedding photographer,  need a camera that adapts to many different situations, are you mainly shooting in low-light and (and have lotsa Canon lens)? – Then the 5D Mark III may be your choice of default. In this post I concentrate on the AF system and on noise performance. How do the cameras compare?

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This was published on Canon UK’s site:

Issue

This issue relates to customers who are using the Digital Photo Professional (DPP ver.3.11.10) RAW image processing software with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III digital camera.

We have identified an issue that prevents users of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III from processing their RAW format images when using Digital Photo Professional Version 3.11.10, the RAW image development software that is bundled with the EOS 5D Mark III.

Answer :

This is a great deal by Adorama starting today, April 5 at 8pm EST. Use coupon code S0401201. The offer expires 4/30/2012, but usually these kits sold out pretty quick. If you are seriously looking for a good EOS 7D deal this may be your opportunity – click here to check this Canon deal. The $2,999.96 $2,599.96 (after having applied the coupon code) kit comes with an EF 24-105 F/4L IS USM lens, and much more. The full kit includes:

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