In Stock Status: Canon EOS-1D C, Sigma 17-70mm And 120-300mm

Sigma’s lenses announced at CES 2013 and the Canon EOS-1D C are in stock at B&H

Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM $499 (click here)

  • Aperture Range: f/2.8-22Hyper Sonic AF Motor

    Optical Stabilizer

    Macro Capabilities

    Compact and Lightweight TSC Construction

    FLD, SLD, and Aspherical Lens Elements

    Super Multi-Layer Coating

    Compatible with Sigma USB Dock

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM $3599 (click here)

  • Aperture Range: f/2.8-22
  • Fast Constant Maximum Aperture
  • Optical Stabilizer
  • Hyper Sonic AF Motor
  • Dust- and Splash-Proof Construction
  • FLD and SLD Lens Elements
  • Super Multi-Layer Coating
  • Compatible with Sigma USB Dock

Canon EOS-1D C $11999 (click here)

 

Update – Canon Announces The PowerShot N (Pre-Order Options)

Canon Announces The PowerShot N
All Canon PowerShot compact camera announced today can be pre-ordered at Adorama (click here) and PowerShot N at B&H (click here).
Canon PowerShot N price and availability check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Canon PowerShot N first impressions at DPreview, hands-on with video at engadget. PowerShot N pictures at The Verge.
The PowerShot made for fun! The PowerShot N ($299, click here) is a compact camera with a tilting touch screen, a 12MP sensor, Digic 5 CPU and an 8x zoom. And it has WiFi connectivity so you can upload pics and video to your favorite social network, or to your smartphone. Read the press release below to learn about the PowerShot N.

London, UK, 7 January 2013– Canon today unveils the PowerShot N- a totally new type of camera that offers a different approach to capturing creative, spontaneous photos and sharing them instantly with social networks. The unconventional square design, innovative zoom and shoot operation lens rings and tilting touch screen encourage people to capture their world from a fresh angle, whilst the new Creative Shot mode automatically generates a selection of unexpected creative treatments with every shot taken. The perfect smartphone companion, the PowerShot N has been designed to simplify image sharing with intuitive Wi-Fi connectivity allowing a new generation of high-quality, artistic images and Full HD videos to be shared in near real-time1.

Inject every shot with artistic flair

Thanks to the new Creative Shot mode, anyone can impress their friends and followers with unique, creative images that offer a different perspective on a typical scene or subject. When an image is captured in Creative Shot mode, the PowerShot N intelligently analyses the scene and determines which of a host of creative elements could enhance the scene or offer a different creative angle. Multiple variables including composition, exposure, point of focus, white balance, gradation and contrast are considered before five alternative versions of the original shot are automatically generated, which can then be shared at the touch of a button.

Alternatively, a creative edge can be added to a single shot with Canon’s creative modes, including Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Toy Camera Effect and Monochrome. Users can also add drama to a movie clip with Super Slow Motion Movie mode.

Combining creative flexibility with point-and-shoot ease of use, the PowerShot N features new Hybrid Auto mode which records the four seconds before every shot in 720p resolution, before using Canon’s acclaimed Smart Auto technology to determine the best settings to capture the perfect shot. At the end of each day, the four-second clips are merged into one to tell the “behind-the-scenes” story of the day’s images – perfect for adding new context to an online album.

Shoot and share in an instant

Making it the ultimate mobile companion, the PowerShot N features integrated Wi-Fi and one-touch connectivity to smartphones or tablets, thanks to the Mobile Device Connect Button. Users can upload images or movies to social networks such as Facebook ® and YouTube™ just moments after they’ve been captured, no matter where they may be. Once home, the best shots can be printed wirelessly or transferred to a PC thanks to the swift, reliable connection. The GPS via mobile feature, using the free Canon smartphone app, can also add location information from a GPS-enabled smartphone or tablet to an image, allowing users to share the exact location of their fun with friends.

Revolutionary design, ‘Any Way Up’ operation

The unusual, eye-catching design of the PowerShot N sets this model apart from every other – just like the images it captures. The compact, symmetrical design, tilting touch screen and an innovative system of lens rings – the twist lens ring can be turned in either direction to operate the zoom function, while a second ring is used as the shutter release – allow the camera to be used any way up, even upside-down, unleashing the ability to view the world from a completely different perspective.

The advanced capacitive 7.1 cm (2.8″) touch screen also allows users to control essential functions, such as focus or the shutter, with a simple touch, and review their images with familiar, intuitive gestures. Available in white or black, the square, metal body is dominated by a 28mm, 8x optical zoom lens, making it easy to shoot groups and landscapes. Thanks to Canon’s advanced ZoomPlus technology, which provides detailed, full-resolution shooting with up to 16x zoom, users can also get even closer to the action or frame a subject tightly for compositions with impact.

Measuring just 78.6 x 60.2 x 29.3 mm when the screen and lens are closed, the PowerShot N’s extremely compact dimensions allow it to be slipped into any pocket and carried anywhere, so scenes, subjects and situations that might usually be missed can now be immortalised in the superb quality offered by Canon’s advanced compact imaging technology. USB charging also provides added convenience, allowing the camera to be charged quickly and easily on the move.

Canon signature image quality

Despite its compact size, the PowerShot N inherits much of Canon’s latest imaging technology to deliver superior, Canon-quality images and movies. Combining a high-sensitivity 12.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor and an advanced DIGIC 5 image processor, the HS System featured in this camera supports a maximum ISO of 6400 to produce sharp and clear images in challenging low-light conditions.

The powerful 8x optical zoom lens is supported by Intelligent IS, which automatically applies the most appropriate image stabilisation for smooth video and crisp stills. Complementing the artistic still images, Full HD video (1080p) can also be recorded.

PowerShot N key features:

  • Creative Shot
  • Unique design
  • 8x zoom, 28mm lens; Intelligent IS
  • HS System: 12.1 MP CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5
  • Wi-Fi; GPS via mobile
  • Mobile Device Connect Button
  • Any Way Up operation; Tilt-up touchscreen
  • Full HD video capture
  • Hybrid Auto; Smart Auto (58 scenes)
[via engadget]

 

Sigma Will Showcase New 17-70mm f/2.8-4 And 120-300mm f/2.8 Lenses At CES

120-300mm f/2.8

 

Sigma will showcase their new 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM and 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lenses at CES 2013. Sigma Japan published the press releases, 17-70mm here, and 120-300mm here.

The 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens is part of the Sports line-up, has Optical Stabilization, a Hyper Sonic Motor, and a new weather sealing. The lens does not extend when focusing or for zoom. No information about the price so far, the lens with Canon mount should be available next month.

The 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM is part of the Contemporary line-up. It is said to be smaller by 30% than comparable lenses. It features low dispersion glass elements and a special low dispersion element. No pricing so far, the lens for Canon mount should be available this month.

 

17-70mm f/2.8-4
[via digicame-info]

 

Update – Why You Should Better Not Use An SD Card With The EOS 5D Mark III

Better Not Use An SD Card With The EOS 5D Mark III

Update: Reader AI pointed out that the post was incomplete. Thanks AI. You can read it in the comment section. I post his comment here:

Jeff Cable said…
As many of you have pointed out, the degradation in speed will occur when you are attempting to use both the CF and the SD to write files. If you have an SD card in the camera and are not writing to it, you will be fine. I am not sure why you would want that (except for overflow), but this is the case.

Someone also brought up the speed difference in writing RAW+JPEG vs RAW+RAW. This is also true on the 1Dx. I believe that this is due to the fact that the camera has to process the file twice (once for RAW and once for JPEG) which takes longer than clearing two RAW files from the buffer. I was hoping to shoot RAW+JPEG at the Olympics with the 1Dx but will now shoot RAW+RAW only.
June 25, 2012 6:12 PM

So, the slow down issue only affects someone if your writing images to both cards, at the same time. You will get normal, native speeds on either card if your only writing to one or the other….

While having both a CF and an SD card slot is certainly a good feature, unfortunately it appears that there is an issue with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III (price & specs).

Photographer Jeff Cable found out that using an SD card slows down buffer and write speed of the EOS 5D Mark III. While the 5D Mark III supports the UDMA7 CompactFlash protocol (speed up to 90MB/sec) it seems it does not support the UHS-1 (ultra high speed) standard for SD cards. What does that mean? It means that whatever SD card you will use, the 5D Mark III will always write 20MB/sec instead of 45MB/sec (which conforms to the UHS-1 specs). And that’s not all of the bad news: if you pull both a CF and an SD card in your 5D Mark III, the cam will switch to the slowest speed for both cards. In other words: your pricey UDMA7 CF card will perform at lame 20MB/sec.

The solution: use only the CF card. The solution #2: Canon please fix this with a firmware update!

[BorrowLenses.com via slrlounge]