Sigma 24-35mm f/2.0 DG HSM ART lens hands-on by LensRentals

Sigma 24-35mm F/2

Sigma 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM ART pre-order: Adorama and B&H Photo.

Roger Cicala of LensRentals did a quick test of the Sigma 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM ART lens for full-frame DSLRs. From the conclusion:

[…] the glass here is definitely way more than half full. We have, for the first time, a modern zoom lens that reaches f/2.0 aperture and is wickedly sharp. That’s an amazing thing all by itself and this is a unique optic. What is really amazing to me is that it sells for $1,000. That’s way less than either of the f/1.4 primes we tested against it, less than two of the f/2.8 primes, and less than an f/2.8 24-70mm zoom (granted that zoom does go all the way out to 70mm).

He also points out that the Sigma won’t probably be everyone’s lens. It’s not fast enough for those shooting with a prime lens (they’ll always choose f/1.4 lenses) nor does it have enough zoom range to get interesting as such. It’s another masterpiece by Sigma, that’s sure, and it comes at the usual exciting price tag below $1,000. Read the article at LensRentals.

Sigma 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM ART specifications:

  • EF Mount Lens/Full Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2 to 16
  • FLD & Special Low Dispersion Elements
  • Two Aspherical Elements
  • Super Multi-Layer Coating
  • Hyper Sonic AF Motor
  • Internal Focus; Manual Focus Override
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
  • Thermally Stable Composite Material
  • Compatible with Sigma USB Dock

Sigma 24-35mm f/2

Canon EOS 5Ds R in stock in USA (Adorama, B&H, Amazon)

Eos 5ds R

The Canon EOS 5Ds R is now in stock at US resellers: Amazon | B&H Photo | Adorama.

The EOS 5Ds R has the anti-aliasing filter effect removed. Specifications:

  • Full-frame 35mm 50.6MP CMOS sensor
  • EOS Scene Detection System
  • 252-zone TTL metering
  • 61-point high density reticular AF with 41 cross-type AF points
  • ISO range 100-6400
  • User-selectable shutter release lag time
  • Shutter speed 30-1/8000 sec
  • Flash sync 1/200 sec
  • Anti-flicker
  • Intervalometer and Bulb timer
  • 1.3x, 1.6x crop options
  • Full HD 1080/30p video
  • 5fps burst rate
  • 3.2-inch, 1,040k dot LCD monitor
  • Face recognition during Live View
  • External mic jack
  • USB 3.0 Support
  • Customizable control screen

Canon EOS 5DS: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA | Canon EOS 5DS R: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

eos 5ds

Canon’s First Ultra-High-Sensitivity Multi-Purpose Camera Features ISO Equivalent Of Over 4,000,000 (and costs $30k)

ME20F-SH

Canon announced the Canon ME20F-SH, a high-end video camera with a full-frame sensor, and a nice and compact design. The new Canon camera can record at ISO 4,000,000! That’s a low light champion that can see in the dark. At the core of the ME20F-SH is a 2.26 megapixel CMOS sensor. Back in 2013 we had a development announcement for exactly this kind of sensor (this sensor may also be related). The new ME20F-SH will be available in December at $30,000. A new Canon milestone not foreseen by any of the rumor sites. And, hey!, it’s a Canon full-frame mirrorless camera.

A Canon Professional Network article about the new Canon ME20F-SH:

Supporting image capture in situations where it previously would not have been possible, the ME20F-SH is ideal for use within specialist applications such as TV productions of nighttime wildlife, deep sea/cave exploration, astronomy and surveillance. The ability to install the camera in a semi-permanent location, with remote control operability also means that for documentary and natural history filmmakers, long term projects and events can be captured with minimum staffing. Due to the specialist nature and demand for this product, the ME20F-SH will only be available to selected partners.

Canon press release:

MELVILLE N.Y., July 30, 2015 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today has introduced the Company’s first multi-purpose camera, the new ME20F-SH, which delivers exceptionally high sensitivity to capture Full HD video with a minimum subject illumination of less than 0.0005 lux1 (at maximum 75 dB gain setting, equivalent to an ISO sensitivity of over 4,000,000). Nighttime surveillance and security, cinematic production, reality television, and nature/wildlife documentaries are just some of the ME20F-SH’s many possible usage applications. With the ability to capture color video in extreme low-light conditions and its simplistic and versatile design, the ME-20F-SH Multi-purpose Camera can be easily incorporated into existing infrastructures and systems to provide high-quality video capture even where subjects might not be seen with the naked eye.

Canon’s new multi-purpose camera employs an enhanced version of the 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor for Full HD video use that was originally developed by the Company in 20132. Its compact, modular body design allows easy custom configurations for diverse usage scenarios. While capturing video in extreme low-light conditions often requires the use of infrared illumination (a technique that only yields video in black and white), the ME20F-SH camera achieves impressive high-sensitivity performance enabling the capture of color Full HD video with reduced noise in low-light conditions without the need for infrared illumination.

Ultra-High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor Enables Color Video Capture in Extreme Low-Light Conditions

The ME20F-SH camera’s CMOS sensor has pixels measuring 19 μm square3, which is more than 5.5 times the surface area of the pixels on the CMOS sensor featured in select top-of-the-line interchangeable lens cameras4. Furthermore, the sensor’s pixels and readout circuitry make use of Canon proprietary technologies to achieve both reduced noise and exceptionally high sensitivity on subjects with a minimum illumination of less than 0.0005 lux. This multi-purpose camera allows users to discern subjects under even some of the dimmest lighting conditions, such as environments lit by artificial illumination or under a moonless night sky. Furthermore, similar to Canon’s Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography cameras, the ME20F-SH camera includes Canon Log and Wide DR, which make possible a wide dynamic range, delivering high-image-quality video results across a range of illumination environments, from low- to brightly lit conditions.

Canon’s Diverse Interchangeable EF Lens Lineup Enables Wide Range of Imaging Possibilities

The new ME20F-SH employs the same EF mount (Cinema Lock type) as Canon’s SLR cameras and Cinema EOS System-series of professional digital cameras, allowing users to make use of the Company’s extensive lineup of interchangeable EF lenses5. By letting users select the ideal lens based on their shooting or application requirements, taking into consideration such factors as angle of view and level of brightness, this multi-purpose camera facilitates a wide spectrum of imaging possibilities.

Supports various standard video-recording interfaces

Employing output-only 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI terminals, Canon’s ME20F-SH camera enables users working on location to output video via a single cable to a variety of peripheral equipment, including external recorders and monitors. Equipped with a φ2.5mm stereo mini-jack and a round 8-pin jack for RS-422, the multipurpose camera is capable of connecting with Canon’s RC-V100 Remote Controller (released in June 2014; sold separately)6. By allowing users to operate the camera or change settings from a remote location, the camera facilitates video capture from inaccessible locations as well as fixed-point surveillance. Furthermore, a φ3.5mm stereo mini-jack allows the camera to connect with an external microphone, enabling users working on location to output audio and video signals to connected peripheral equipment.

The Canon ME20F-SH is expected to be available in December 2015 at a suggested retail price of $30,000.

Product name ME20F-SH Multi-purpose Camera
Image sensor 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor (single), effective pixel count: approx. 2.26 million pixels
Minimum subject illumination Less than 0.0005 lux (at maximum 75 dB gain setting, equivalent to an ISO sensitivity of over four million)
Pixel Pitch 19 Microns
Lens mount Canon EF mount (Cinema Lock type)
Optical filters ND filter with two density levels (motorized manual / auto) IR cut filter (motorized manual)
Frame rates 59.94P / 59.94i / 50.00P / 50.00i / 29.97P / 25.00P / 23.98P
Gamma Canon Log, Wide DR, etc.
Video output terminals 3G / HD-SDI BNC jack (output only) Terminal count: 21080P / 1080i / 720P
HDMI HDMI connector (output only)
Genlock terminal BNC jack (input only)
Remote terminal φ2.5mm stereo mini-mini-jack (Canon-proprietary protocol)Round 8-pin jack (for RS-422, Canon-proprietary protocol)
Microphone terminal φ3.5mm stereo mini-jack
AF One-shot AF
Auto-exposure Combined interlocking (iris / gain / ND / shutter)
White balance AWB, color-temperature setting (setting range: 2000 to 15000 degrees Kelvin), natural light, light bulb, Setting A, Setting B
Digital teleconverter 2x, 4x
Power input 4-pin XLR DC11-17VTerminal block 2-pin jack DC11-17V
Operating temperature 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) to 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)
Body dimensions Approx. 4 inches (102mm) (w) x 4.5 inches (116mm) (h) x 4.4 inches (113mm) (d) (excluding protrusions)
Weight Approx. 2.4 lbs (1.1 kg) (body only)
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Canon EOS 7D Mark II and EOS 5D Mark III bundle deals with Wacom tablets

Canon Eos R7 Canon EOS 7D Mark III

Adorama has a set of Canon EOS 7D Mark II and EOS 5D Mark III bundle deals.

All EOS 5D Mark III kits include the Wacom PTH451 Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Tablet (worth $250):

  • EOS 5D Mark III body on sale at $2,499 after $300 instant rebate (reg. $2,799)
  • EOS 5D Mark III with with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens on sale at $3,099 after $300 instant rebate (reg. $3,399)
  • EOS 5D Mark III with EF 24-70mm f/4L IS lens on sale at $3,249 after $300 instant rebate (reg. $3,549)

All EOS 7D Mark II kits include the Wacom CTH480 Intuos Pen & Touch Tablet (worth $99.95):

  • EOS 7D Mark II body on sale at $1,499 after $300 instant rebate (reg. $1,799)
  • EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm IS STM lens on sale at $1,849 after $300 instant rebate (req. $2,149)
eos 5d mark iii
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5Ds R performance from the point of view of a wedding photographer (and impressive recovery examples)

Eos 5ds R

All pictures © Chris Giles and used with permission

Wedding photographer and Canon Watch reader Chris Giles posted an exhaustive and entirely real world review of the Canon EOS 5Ds R.

The review is particularly interesting to those who want to know how Canon’s 50MP DSLR performs at the end of the day. The EOS 5Ds R is the one with removed anti-aliasing filter. You won’t find lab scores in Chris’ review, but some very useful examples about shadow recovering and the (amazing) degree it can be pushed to. Have a look:

eos 5ds r
You can recover a LOT from 5Ds R files

There are more examples where Chris shows that you can produce a clean and good looking photo by recovering up to 4 stops in Lightroom.

Comparing the EOS 5Ds R to the EOS 5D Mark III (operation wise):

All the 5D3 issues are gone, the card write speeds are massively improved, (you can format a 128gb SD card instantly vs 3-4 seconds on the 5D3) and there is no difference in card buffer write speed either using dual or single cards

eos 5ds r
EOS 5Ds R set to ISO 12800 – Straight out of camera with no noise reduction

Chris was also positively impressed by the EOS 5Ds R’s dynamic range. He found it much improved, and from his point of view, the 5Ds R features Canon’s best sensor ever, colours are great as always but these are good straight out of the camera. Talking about dynamic range, I would like to quote Chris once more:

[…] people are screaming for dynamic range, not that they need it, it’s just the in thing right now. We have super huge megapixel sensors, great user interfaces on the cameras so there’s few gaps left to be filled…. so in comes dynamic range. Often over-looked is that at around ISO 400-800 dynamic range falls off across all sensors […]
This is the result of a +4 stops recovery in Lightroom! Go see the original pic...
This is the result of a +4 stops recovery in Lightroom! Go see the original pic…

Chris makes 8.7GB of sample pics available for download and for your pixel peeping pleasure. Please note that a donation is requested to get the download link. The 191 raw files are made up of ISO ranges up to 12800 from the following cameras: Canon 5DSr, 5D3, 1DX, A7ii and the Pentax 645z. Also included is a selection of  images underexposed on purpose by 4 stops, so you can try on your own how much you can recover.

If you are on the fence for Canon’s new megapixel monsters, then I recommend to have a look at Chris’ review. This is especially true if you happen to be a professional photographer meditating over the next tool to buy to get the job done, or done better. Some Canon lenses and how they do on the EOS 5Ds R are also discussed

Canon EOS 5DS: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA | Canon EOS 5DS R: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

eos 5ds

[via Chris Giles Photography]