Canon EOS M5 greater than the sum of the parts (and better engineered than Sony A6xx), Thom Hogan states

canon eos m5 mark ii mirrorless
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Canon EOS M5 at a glance:

  • 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 7 Image Processor
  • 2.36m-Dot EVF, Touch and Drag AF Control
  • 3.2″ 1.62m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
  • Built-In Wi-Fi with NFC, Bluetooth Smart
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF
  • Up to 9 fps Shooting and ISO 25600
  • Digital IS 5-Axis Image Stabilization

Nikon shooter Thom Hogan posted his thoughts about the photo gear of 2017.

He has a positive opinion about the Canon EOS M5 (specs & price), and what he has to say about is something I second:

The Sony cameras tend to be technical wizards. That Sony packs all that they do in the little A6xxx bodies is remarkable, but that isn’t without consequences. We’ve had heat issues at times. The offset EVF makes for a strange and awkward hold on such a small body. We’ve got Sony’s Tiny Buttons to deal with again […]

Meanwhile, Canon made the smallest DSLR you’ve ever seen. It holds like a DSLR, it shoots like a DSLR (even has a DSLR sensor), and it is controlled like a DSLR. They just put the already small SL2 into a shrink ray machine, tweaked a couple of things, and ended up with what has to be the smallest APS-C camera that handles well.

No, the focus speed isn’t Sony wiz-fast. No, the frame rates aren’t Sony wiz-fast. No, the deep shadows aren’t Sony wiz-post processable. No, there isn’t 4K video. No, no, no.

And yet, the M5 is an example of where the sum of the parts is greater than the sum of the parts, while the Sony A6xxx bodies tend to be the sum of the parts coming up as  less than the sum of the parts […]

What Thom Hogan is saying is that the EOS M5 is better thought, designed and engineered than Sony’s A6xx cameras [specs & price] . He also points to the major issue Canon’s EOS M system has: the lack of quality lenses. Learn more about Thom Hogan here.

I own an EOS M3, not M5. I had a chance to play around with an EOS M5 for a few days. I was impressed by the ergonomics and had a lot of fun using it. It delivers DSLR image quality, no need to discuss that. It may have taken Canon a long time to jump on the mirrorless bandwagon, but with the EOS M5 Canon again showed that when they decide to make something they make it for good.

Canon EOS M5: [shopcountry 40697]

Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L MACRO sample photos (Photography Blog)

The Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L (for RF mount)
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Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro: [shopcountry 47501]

At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/32
  • Two Ultra-Low Dispersion Elements
  • One Aspherical Element
  • Air Sphere and Subwavelength Coatings
  • Maximum Tilt: +/- 8.5°
  • Maximum Shift: +/- 12mm
  • Minimum Focusing Distance: 10.6″
  • Maximum Magnification: 0.5x

Photography Blog posted a set of sample images shot with the Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro (on an EOS 6D Mark II). Original files (JPG and raw) are available for download and for your pixel peeping pleasure.

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II is Casey Neistat’s new vlogging tool, here is why

Canon eos 6d mark ii deal
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Canon EOS 6D Mark II: [shopcountry 46185]

EOS 6D Mark II at a glance:

  • 26.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 7 Image Processor
  • 45-Point All-Cross Type AF System
  • Full HD Video at 60 fps; Electronic IS
  • 3.0″ Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Movie Servo AF
  • Native ISO 40000, Expanded to ISO 102400
  • 6.5 fps Shooting; Time-Lapse & HDR Movie
  • Built-In GPS, Bluetooth, & Wi-Fi w/ NFC
  • Dust and Water Resistant; SD Card Slot

Video blogger Casey Neistat now uses a Canon EOS 6D Mark II (price & specs)  for his job. He switched from a Panasonic GH5. The reason? Better auto focus with Dual Pixel AF and better depth of field.

[via Fro Knows Photo]

Interview with the developers and engineers behind the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS lens

Canon Ef 85mm f/1.4L
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Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS at a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/22
  • One GMo Aspherical Element
  • Air Sphere and Fluorine Coatings
  • Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • Dust- and Water-Resistant Construction
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm

As I wrote many times, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS is the hottest Canon lens of 2017.

Canon Asia’s Snapshot site posted an interview with the engineers and developers who thought, designed and built the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS (price & specs).  The interview comes in two parts, part one is here and part two here. An excerpt from the interview:

When the product planning department requested development of this lens, our development department was initially stumped by the high degree of difficulty in the design. When equipping large aperture lenses with image stabilisation, the arrangement of the focus and image stabilisation groups is an important factor for determining the size and weight of the lens. Lenses with a small f-number (large aperture) characteristically have large diameter glass. The image stabilisation group, which is a part of the optical system, needs to be able to move to compensate for camera shake, which naturally makes the group heavy. An actuating force is also required to drive the group, and this further adds to the lens’ size and weight. Therefore, the development team’s first impression was that it would be almost impossible to develop the reasonably-sized, appealingly-priced 85mm f/1.4 lens with image stabilisation that the product planning department had requested.

Well, they managed to do it. This lens is a masterpiece. Kudos Canon!

More Ef 85mm f/1.4L IS coverage here. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS is in stock and sells for $1,599 at Amazon US,  Adorama, Canon Store, and B&H Photo.

More Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS order/pre-order links (if available in the respective countries):

[shoplist 46811]

Canon starts fully automatized indoor farming with robots, report

canon rumors

Canon is active in various markets, here is another one I didn’t know about: automatized indoor farming.

Nikkei Asian Review reports:

TOKYO — Canon Electronics plans to open an entirely automated vegetable factory in 2019, seeking to lower costs by applying homegrown robotics technology to a burgeoning industry where stable profits remain tough to cultivate.

The Canon unit will convert empty space at a Gunma Prefecture facility into an indoor farm initially dedicated to growing lettuce and other green, leafy vegetables friendly to hydroponics. Robots will handle everything from planting seeds and transplanting seedlings to harvesting and packaging crops for shipment. Details such as annual production scale and sales targets will be settled later.

The company will partner with other businesses for know-how on managing the factory and building sales networks. Canon Electronics is also considering building a second such factory in western Japan.

The unit makes some of the manufacturing machinery on the automated production lines in Canon’s domestic camera business. Its delicate automation technology from that precision machinery will be put to use developing green-thumbed robots for the company’s new factory plan. Read the report…

Is Canon getting ready to jump into the pot revolution that just started in the US? :-) Just kidding, they are going to grow “lettuce and other green, leafy vegetables friendly to hydroponics”. Or what…?

Can’t wait to meet one of Canon’s “green-thumbed robots”.

Canon Encourages Everyone to See the Impossible Through Innovation (at CES 2018)

See the Impossible
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Canon press release:

Empowering Visionaries Everywhere, Canon U.S.A. Invites Innovators To Its Booth At The 2018 Consumer Electronics Show

Canon Encourages Every Business to See the Impossible Through Innovation

MELVILLE, N.Y., December 27, 2017 – Continuing its innovative path this year, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to welcome visionaries back to its booth at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV (Booth #16206). This year, the booth welcomes back visionary FoxTales. An experiential marketing technology company that works with brands to create immersive shareable moments, FoxTales has created a “face painting in the dark” experience with Canon’s ME20F-SH Multi-Purpose camera to showcase its low-light video capabilities. Joining FoxTales this year will be a myriad of new visionaries focusing on manufacturing, retail, sports and entertainment. Each visionary will showcase how they leverage Canon’s rich heritage of sensor and optics technologies, innovations and manufacturing to help shape their vision.

“CES 2018 marks our persistent trajectory of redefining the boundaries of innovation and creating business solutions for more imaging related products,” said Eliott Peck, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. and chairman & CEO, Canon Information Technology Services, Inc. “We learned, we listened, and we look forward to continuing on this journey as we introduce new visionaries that are leveraging Canon technologies in ways that inspire new concepts of imaging.”

The visionaries to be highlighted by Canon at CES 2018 include:

  • Fellow Robots, helping revolutionize the retail industry one robot at a time through machine learning and shelf analytics that simplify the inventory process, will display two robots to engage in real-time inventory scanning demonstrations using Canon cameras and sensors.
  • Highlighting the manufacturing world, Cablevey Conveyors, a clean and gentle way to move materials around production facilities, will demonstrate how Canon cameras are used to help cable conveyors systems operate.
  • Those interested in technology driven marketing & advertising in sports and entertainment verticals can remote control a simulated stadium camera offering easy breezy in-seat fan engagement experience. Brizi, the company behind BriziCam, will provide attendees the opportunity to test camera zoom capabilities of Canon cameras from a “field” away.
  • Anyone looking to examine their backswing or work on their short game can tee off with a golf simulation experience from About Golf leveraging Canon projectors.

Also appearing in the booth will be Silhouette, which creates 3D educational models utilizing 2D prints from a Canon inkjet printer, The Crowley Company, a leader in digital imaging technologies for the archival preservation and records management industries, and Tome, which develops AI enterprise software for connected products and mobility solutions.

Further expanding its focus on innovation, Canon hosted their first-ever Code Canon hackathon. Focusing on the possibilities of imaging and creating unique trail-blazing solutions, more than 80 developers, engineers, designers, entrepreneurs, startup and fresh code teams gathered in New York City for two days to work on exciting solutions in imaging for commercial applications. Visitors to the booth can learn more by watching the Code Canon hackathon video.

New to the booth this year, Canon will showcase its lineup of inkjet card printers, thermal re-transfer ID card printers and label printers offering convenient on-demand printing that yields professional quality output. This new lineup empowers customers in a variety of markets to create print materials in-house, such as security credential cards, encrypted ID cards, product labels and business cards on demand that meet their everyday business printing needs.

Additionally, Canon will show its impressive lineup of consumer and professional imaging products including cameras and printers such as the PowerShot G1 X Mark III, Canon’s first point-and-shoot camera to feature a APS-C sensor and the latest lineup of PIXMA series printers as well as displays showcasing the Company’s world-class technologies, optics, sensors and processors. Canon will also display its wide range of service and support capabilities at the booth.

Please visit Canon at the 2018 CES Show at Booth #16206 in the Central Hall and follow Canon throughout the show on Instagram at @CanonUSA and Twitter at @CanonUSAimaging. Use #CanonCES to join the conversation and visit our website at www.usa.canon.com.

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