Canon Celebrates Filmmakers as a Sustaining Sponsor of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival
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Canon sponsors the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Canon press release:

Canon Celebrates Filmmakers as a Sustaining Sponsor of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival

MELVILLE, NY, January 22, 2020 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, returns as a Sustaining Sponsor to the 2020 Sundance Film Festival (January 23 – February 2) in Utah. Canon will celebrate filmmakers with programming at the Canon Creative Studio, located at 592 Main Street. At least 57 of the 240 films and projects that will screen as part of this year’s slate — over 23 percent — are shot using Canon equipment.

Canon Creative Studio
Canon will host Sundance Film Festival attendees for hands-on, interactive displays of Canon equipment, panel discussions moderated by American Cinematographer and IMDbPro, and refreshments at the Canon Creative Studio (592 Main St; open Friday, January 24th from 11am-5pm and Saturday, January 25 – Monday, January 27th, from 11am-7pm). Inside the studio, guests can touch-and-try the latest Canon gear, including the EOS C500 Mark II cinema camera and Sumire Prime cinema lenses, which are now available and shipping. Also on hand will be Canon’s complete line up of Cinema Cameras, as well as Canon’s CINE-SERVO, COMPACT-SERVO, EF and RF lenses, as well as the new EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR camera.

Guests can have their headshots taken by professional photographer Michael Ori, who will be shooting with the EOS-1D X Mark III, and receive an 8” x 10” copy of their portrait, printed on-site with the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 Professional Inkjet Printer. All portraits will be available online at orimedia.com/sundance in Feburary after the fesitival.

The Canon Creative Studio will feature two nights of Magic Hours, co-hosted by IMDdPro (January 25th) and Adorama Rental Company (January 27th). Each event presents opportunities to network with companies and organizations that share Canon’s mission to support filmmaking. On Sunday, January 26th, Canon will toast creativity behind the lens at the eighth annual invite-only Raise Your Glass with Canon cocktail party, co-hosted by American Cinematographer.

Canon will also continue its partnership with American Cinematographer, the world’s leading publication dedicated to motion imaging and the art and craft of professional cinematography. The magazine’s editors will be on-site at the festival and several of its contributors will moderate a series of six in-depth panel discussions at the Canon Creative Studio. The panels will be streamed through Facebook Live via American Cinematographer’s page. American Cinematographer’s website, ascmag.com, will also feature a series of online interviews with Sundance cinematographers, along with additional articles exploring cinematography trends at the festival, all sponsored by Canon.

For a full schedule of events for Canon’s activities at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and to request access to attend, please visit our Sundance website or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Join the conversation with #CanonCreativeStudio.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L Review (exemplary performance, DPReview)

Canon RF 85mm F/1.2L Review
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DPReview posted their Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L review. The RF 85mm f/1.2L is one of the so called “boutique lenses” for the EOS R full frame mirrorless camera system, which means it is expensive.

From their conclusion:

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM is about as removed as it could be from the sea of small, light mirrorless lenses we’ve seen in recent years, whose handful of optical foibles are intended from the outset to be masked by in-camera corrections. It’s unashamedly big, weighty and pricey, and those photographers prepared to tolerate this will be rewarded with exemplary performance.

There’s little to grumble with its build quality, and the stated weather resistance is reassuring. Focusing speeds are impressive – albeit not class-leading – for a lens this substantial. While the motor itself isn’t the quietest – and consequently not really suitable for use during video recording – speed and accuracy is arguably more important here than discretion. Manual focus users may prefer a more tactile focusing ring, but the process of manually focusing itself is positive, particularly once you adjust the focusing ring’s response and call on the various in-camera focusing aids.

[…] minor frustrations aside, this lens shines brightly. Very brightly. Sharpness is superb wide-open, and this continues to be the case as you close down the aperture.

Read the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L review at DPReview

More Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L review stuff is listed here, and you won’t find a review that’s not praising this lens.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L: Amazon USA, Amazon CA, B&H Photo, Adorama, Digitalrev, KEH Camera, eBay US, Canon USA, Canon CA, BestBuy

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L key features and description:

  • Focal length: 85mm
  • Aperture range: F1.2-16 (1/3 EV stops)
  • Filter thread: 82mm
  • Close focus: 0.85m (2.79 ft.)
  • Maximum magnification: 0.12x
  • Diaphragm blades: 9 (rounded diaphragm)
  • Hood: ET-89 round-shaped hood (supplied)
  • Length / Diameter: approx. 103.2 x 117.3 (4.06 in. x 4.62in)
  • Weight: approx. 1,195g (approx. 2.63lbs)
  • Optical construction: 13 elements in nine groups
Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS Review (a lot to offer, Photography Blog)

Canon RF 24-240mm F/4-6.3 IS Review
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Photography Blog posted their Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS Review.

The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS is a compact and lightweight zoom lens for the Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless system, and it’s one of the less expensive lenses for the system.

From their conclusion:

The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS is the most versatile all-in-one lens currently available for the EOS R camera system, and thankfully it bucks the trend of most super-zooms by actually being a good performer in terms of the image quality.

[…] In conjunction with the EOS RP, this is truly a combination that you could carry round all day without noticing, without any real compromises in terms of the build quality. Sure, some degree of weather-proofing would have been nice, but given the price, this is hardly a surprising omission.

In terms of features, the RF 24-240mm has a lot to offer for what is after all a non-L-series lens, most notably built-in image stabilisation worth up to 5-stops. It’s also the first full-frame lens to feature Dynamic IS for smoother results while shooting video.

Read the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS review at Photography Blog

More Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS review stuff is listed here.

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS: Amazon USA, Amazon CA, B&H Photo, Adorama, Digitalrev, KEH Camera, eBay US, Canon USA, Canon CA, BestBuy

Click here to open the rest of the article

The Canon ME20F-SH Honored With Technology & Engineering Emmy Award

Canon ME20F-SH
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Canon’s ultra high sensitivity Canon ME20F-SH camera was honored with a Technology & Engineering Emmy award.

We covered the Canon ME20F-SH many times. The impressive low light sensitivity of the Canon ME20F-SH make it the “camera that sees in the dark” and it seems it is doing it very well. . This is a camera for specialised applications

Canon press release:

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Honors Canon’s Impressive Ultra-High Sensitivity Full-HD Camera

MELVILLE, NY, January 21, 2020 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that its parent company Canon Inc. will be recognized at the 71st Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards for the ME20F-SH Ultra-High Sensitivity Full-HD Camera. Presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), the Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards honor development and innovation in broadcast technology and recognize companies, organizations and individuals for breakthroughs in technology that have a significant effect on television engineering. The Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards will be presented on April 19th, 2020, during NAB 2020 in Las Vegas.

“We are grateful to receive this esteemed recognition for our revolutionary ME20F-SH camera,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and COO, Canon U.S.A. “This marks Canon’s fifth Emmy, an accomplishment we are immensely proud of. This award is a testament to the company’s commitment and vision for developing imaging tools that help creative professionals see what was previously considered impossible.”

Canon’s remarkable ME20F-SH is a multi-purpose camera that can achieve ISO sensitivity of over 4,000,000 and employs an enhanced version of a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor for Full HD video. Its compact, modular body design allows easy custom configurations for diverse usage scenarios. Since its introduction in July of 2015, this unique camera has been used by visionary cinematographers and productions such as National Geographic’s groundbreaking Earth Live broadcast in 2017. The program aired live video from remote wilderness sites around the world, utilizing the ME20F-SH for the nighttime locations to capture images of nocturnal creatures that would have otherwise gone unseen. While capturing video in extreme low-light conditions often requires the use of infrared illumination (a technique that only yields video in monochrome), 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.

The ME20F-SH employs an EF mount, allowing users to make use of the Company’s extensive lineup of interchangeable EF lenses. 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.

For more information about Canon ME20F-SH Ultra-High Sensitivity Full-HD Camera, please visit, usa.canon.com.

Canon Rumor: Not Two But Three New EOS R Cameras To Be Announced In 2020

Canon Rumor
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After yesterday’s Canon rumor suggesting (or better: reaffirming) some announcement dates for two upcoming, new EOS R cameras, the same source now suggests there might be three new EOS R cameras.

Please note that the moniker we use here have been suggested by the rumor mills and are not official Canon denominations.

Let’s start with the high resolution EOS Rs, which we believe, and wrote, will be announced first, in February 2020. If the announcement is that close (before CP+) then we should soon see some serious leaks.

Next is the EOS Rm, a camera rumored to be even more inexpensive and entry-level than the EOS RP. But is this possible, given that the EOS RP currently sells for less than $1,000? Take this with a pinch of salt because we do not think it’s real. This camera might get announced in May 2020. But then: how can Canon make a full frame mirrorless camera that’s less expensive than the EOS RP?

Then there is a possible, third Canon EOS R camera coming in 2020. And we know as good as nothing about this one. Will this one be a sports camera? Or is this just the EOS R Mark II? Here too, don’t forget the pinch of salt. We have no timeframe for the announcement. it could in May 2020 instead of the EOS Rm but it might also happen later in 2020. It could also be that Canon is not going to make a Mark II version of their first full frame mirrorless camera and that “EOS R” was a one time moniker, though we are inclined to believe there will be a Mark II.

Finally, there is also an EOS-1D X equivalent EOS R camera we think Canon has up their sleeves. However, we do not think this EOS R camera will be released in 2020. It’s most likely a 2021 affair. This would allow Canon to first release more high-profile RF mount lenses.

As always, your opinion is welcome, so sound off in the comment section while you wait for the next Canon rumor.

Source: Canon Rumors

Canon Believes The Future Is HEIF Image File Format And Not JPEG – Here Is Why

HEIF Image File
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Canon seems to be committed to the HEIF image file format over the traditional JPEG format.

Let’s start with what the HEIF file format is. According to Wikipedia:

High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF), also known as High Efficiency Image Coding (HEIC), is a file format for individual images and image sequences. It was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and is defined by MPEG-H Part 12 (ISO/IEC 23008-12). The MPEG group claims that twice as much information can be stored in a HEIF image as in a JPEG image of the same size, resulting in a better quality image. HEIF also supports animation, and is capable of storing more information than an animated GIF at a small fraction of the size.

So far so good. But why would Canon embrace HEIF over JPEG? In the video below, Gordon Laing from Camera Labs discusses what sets HEIF apart and what the differences are compared to JPEG.

What do you think, do you prefer JPEG or HEIF?