Canon updates Digital Photo Professional (and other software) to support latest MILCs and DSLRs

Canon Digital Photo Professional
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Canon released new version of their photo software.

Digital Photo Professional (ver. 4.8.20), EOS Utility (ver. 3.8.20), and Picture Style Editor (ver. 1.20.20) now support the following Canon cameras:

  • EOS Kiss M/EOS M50
  • EOS REBEL T100/EOS 4000D/EOS 3000D
  • EOS Kiss X90/EOS REBEL T7/EOS 2000D/EOS 1500D

Digital Photo Professional 4.8.20 now supports MOV movies and MP4 movies shot with a camera compatible with Digital Photo Professional.

The software updates can be downloaded from here.

Canon announces entry acceptance schedule for New Cosmos of Photography 2018 

canon rumors

Canon press release:

Canon announces entry acceptance schedule for New Cosmos of Photography 2018 

TOKYO, February 28, 2018—Canon Inc. announced today that the company will begin accepting entries for its New Cosmos of Photography 2018 (41st edition) photo competition on April 18. To promote the competition as a global photo contest, experts from outside Japan have also once again been invited to judge this year’s competition.

Entries for New Cosmos of Photography 2018 will be accepted between April 18 and June 6, 2018, while the Excellence Award Selection Committee is to meet in July to choose seven Excellence Award winners and fourteen Honorable Mention Award winners. Later, in November, the Grand Prize selection committee is scheduled to meet to select one Grand Prize winner from among the seven Excellence Award-winning entries.

The Grand Prize winner of this year’s competition will receive not only JPY 1 million in prize money and a Canon product, but as an added bonus will be granted the right to hold a solo exhibit at the exhibition of winning entries for next year’s New Cosmos of Photography. Additionally, to encourage the continued pursuit of their creative activities, 2018 Excellence Award and Honorable Mention Award winners will each receive prize money and the right to display their works at this year’s exhibition of winning entries.

The New Cosmos of Photography is Canon’s cultural support project to discover, nurture, and support new photographers who pursue new possibilities in creative photographic expression. Launched in 1991, this year marks the 28th iteration of the annual contest, which, since its 25th iteration in 2015, has expanded to accept digital submissions (stills and video). What’s more, promoting the competition as a global photo contest that elevates photographers and videographers playing an active role in the current art scene, this year’s seven judges will include the Artistic Director of the Dutch photo and video exhibition Unseen, Emilia van Lynden, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) Curator Emerita of Photography Sandra Philips.

The New Cosmos of Photography encourages the creation of original works that push the boundaries of photography’s potential and systematically assists and nurtures award winners through exhibitions and published collections of their winning works as well as through publicity on the New Cosmos of Photography website. To date, the New Cosmos of Photography contest has accepted 27,406 entries from both individuals and groups, and has turned out a great number of outstanding photographers who are enjoying widespread success around the world. As a result, the contest has come to be regarded today as a gateway to success for new photographers.

For additional information about this year’s New Cosmos of Photography competition, visit the New Cosmos of Photography homepage (click here).

Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF officially announced

Tokina Opera 50mm F/1.4
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Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF at a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
  • Ring-Shaped Ultrasonic AF Motor
  • Electric Diaphragm Mechanism
  • Weather-Sealed Construction

Tokina announced the Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF lens for full frame DSLRs.

The Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF is not available for pre-order right now, but B&H Photo notifies you when it is. The new Tokina lens is expected to be release to the general public Summer 2018. It will be on display at CP+.

Tokina press release:

KENKO TOKINA CO., LTD. IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE NEW TOKINA OPERA 50MM F1.4 FF, A PREMIUM FULL-FRAME LENS FOR HIGH-END DSLR CAMERAS

Overview

About opera series

With the debut of opera 50mm F1.4 FF we are launching a new series of next generation premium full-frame lenses for high-end DSLR cameras called “opera” series.

Opera series is designed to perfectly match recent high-spec full-frame DSLR cameras, which keep requiring high quality optics to be used with. In addition to originally high-valued Tokina AT-X series, this new opera series is positioned as top premium series of full-frame size lenses and will be further expanded with other lenses of related specifications and performance.

In modern society the word “opera” is commonly used to express general genres of stage art. In Italian it means work or work of art. As an omitted art genre definition opera comes from “opera musicale” that means a piece of music work. In Latin opera comes from “opus” and in contemporary language “magnum opus”, “opera magna” still has a meaning of “great literary, artistic or intellectual work”. We chose the name “opera” for a new premium full-frame DSLR lens series thinking of a lens that will help photographer in creating real “work of art”.

About the product

The debuting premium full-frame lens for high-end DSLR cameras in opera series is 50mm F1.4 FF (FF – Full-Frame). Designed for full-frame format DSLR cameras, opera 50mm F1.4 FF adopts a ring-shaped ultrasonic motor for autofocus drive module. Weather sealing prevents from dust and moisture to come inside the lens body. For the first time in Tokina line up Nikon mount model incorporates an electric diaphragm mechanism. The direction of the focus ring rotation fits the genuine Nikon and Canon lens.

Mounts: Nikon F, Canon EF Sensor size: full-frame format

Mounts: Nikon F, Canon EF
Sensor size: full frame format

About sales release:
Sales release: Summer 2018

A prototype of Tokina opera 50mm F1.4 FF will be displayed at CP+2018 Kenko Tokina booth location: Exhibition Hall(1F), booth # G-57

Canon to invest $4.69M to grow lettuce in automated factories

canon rumors

Next step in Canon’s bid to conquer automatised indoor gardening (no, it’s not pot).

Nikkei Asian Review reports:

TOKYO — The Canon group and a cross section of other Japanese companies are teaming up to grow leafy greens in factories.

About 10 investors will provide funding to Vitec Vegetable Factory, a farming arm of electronics trader Vitec Holdings. Canon Electronics, a unit of the office equipment maker, and Ryonetsu Kogyou, an electronics supplier, will each provide about 10% of the money, or around 500 million yen ($4.69 million).

The Development Bank of Japan will contribute about 4% of the funding.

Vitec Vegetable Factory currently runs three plants in Japan. Under a new business plan that takes effect in April, it intends to have eight factories for lettuce, kale and other leafy vegetables running by the end of the fiscal year through March 2021.

Canon Electronics will provide automated systems for seeding, harvesting and shipping to Vitec’s vegetable unit. This will be Canon’s first time sharing its automation technology with an outside party. The company hopes to soak up more farming expertise that it can later use on its own.

One of the locations, in the central prefecture of Ishikawa, is expected to be capable of producing 4,400 tons of leafy vegetables a year, or 120,000 pieces a day. This would make it Japan’s largest facility of its kind.

[via NAR]

Off Brand News: Sony announce new Sony α7 III

Canon Eos R6 Vs Sony α7 III
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Sony α7 III at a glance:

  • 24MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor & Front-End LSI
  • 693-Point AF System & 10 fps Shooting
  • UHD 4K30p Video with HLG & S-Log3 Gammas
  • 2.36m-Dot Tru-Finder OLED EVF
  • 3.0″ 922k-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • 5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilization
  • ISO 204800 & Pixel Shift Multi Shooting
  • Built-In Wi-Fi and NFC, Dual SD Slots
  • USB Type-C Port, Weather-Sealed Design

Pre-order the Sony α7 III at B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Sony press release:

Sony Expands Full-frame Mirrorless Lineup with Introduction of New α7 III Camera
Versatile New Model Combines all the Latest Imaging Technologies into a Compact Package

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 26, 2018 – Sony Electronics, a worldwide leader in digital imaging and the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer, has today introduced yet another impressive addition to their full-frame mirrorless camera lineup, the α7 III (model ILCE-7M3).

Sony’s unmatched innovation within the image sensor space is at the forefront of the new α7 III, as it features a brand new 24.2MPi back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with increased sensitivity, outstanding resolution and an impressive 15 stopsii of dynamic range at low sensitivities. By combining this sensor with a variety of impressive features including extreme AF coverage of 93%, fast shooting at up to 10 fpsiii with either mechanical shutter or silent shootingiv, diverse 4Kvi video capabilities and more, Sony has created a new tool that gives all types of creators – from enthusiast to professional – the ability to capture content in new and different ways than they ever have before.

“We are continually pushing to deliver more for our customers – more versatility, more functionality and most importantly, more innovation,” said Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging for Sony Electronics. “With the new α7 III, we’ve taken many of our newest and most advanced imaging technologies from the acclaimed α9 and α7R III models and paired them with an all-new 24.2 MP back-illuminated sensor to deliver the ultimate full-frame camera for enthusiasts, hobbyists and professionals alike. It’s a camera that punches far above its weight class in every capacity. Combined with our impressive selection of 26 native full-frame E-mount lenses, it provides a level of performance that is simply unmatched in the industry.”

Click here to open the rest of the article

The Canon EOS M50 is a “strategic model”, Canon exec states

Canon Eos M50 Mark Ii
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Canon released some statements about the new EOS M50 (canon rumors), and about the company’s future mirrorless plans. Masahiro Sakata, president of Canon group member Canon Marketing Japan, gives some insights in Canon’s mirrorless strategy.

When asked about a possible high-end mirrorless camera, Mr. Sakata said “we will look at the timing and consider it”.

Excerpts from Nikkei Asian Review report:

TOKYO — Canon will shift more of its focus to mirrorless cameras, a change in strategy spurred by sharp growth in the market.

The company boasts a commanding share of the global single-lens reflex market but was reluctant to enter the mirrorless field over concerns about cannibalizing SLR sales.

Canon said Monday that it will release an entry-level mirrorless camera next month. The product is positioned as “a strategic model” for mirrorless cameras, according to Masahiro Sakata […]

Canon hopes that the new product will attract demand from families, including mothers who enjoy taking pictures of their children.

[…]

With mirrorless cameras rapidly gaining popularity and rivals like Sony breaking into SLRs, Canon decided it must “actively roll out products for a growth market even if there is some cannibalization,” Sakata said.

[…]

The company is making efforts “to be able to respond to customer needs in any region by offering both SLR and mirrorless cameras,” said Go Tokura, a Canon executive officer.

Read the report at Nikkei Asian Review.

The Canon EOS M50 was announced yesterday, and it is Canon’s first mirrorless camera to do 4K video. For hands-on videos and more information on the EOS M50 click here.

Pre-order Canon EOS M50 in USA & CANADA: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Pre-order Canon EOS M50 in UK: Park Cameras | Canon UK | Wex Photo Video | Amazon UK

Pre-order Canon EOS M50 in GERMANY: Canon Germany | Wex Photo Video

Pre-order the Canon EOS M50 in ITALY: Canon Italia