Canon won 4 TIPA awards for the Canon EOS 70D (price & specs), the Powershot G1 X Mark II (price & specs), the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens (price & specs), and for the Dual Pixel CMSOS AF technology that’s featured on the 70D and the EOS C100.

Canon press release:

Canon celebrates 20th straight year of Technical Image Press Association awards with wins for camera products and technology

TOKYO, April 23, 2014—Three Canon camera products and one Canon technology were recognized with “Best Photo and Imaging Product” awards by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), representing 29 photo and imaging magazines from 16 countries across five continents. The four award-winners are: the EOS 70D digital SLR (DSLR) camera, the PowerShot G1 X Mark II digital compact camera, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x super-telephoto zoom lens, and Dual Pixel CMOS autofocusing technology.

Best DSLR Advanced: EOS 70D

Named “Best DSLR Advanced” by the TIPA jury, the Canon EOS 70D features an APS-C-size approximately 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and the DIGIC 5+ image processor, making possible a fast continuous shooting speed of up to approximately 7 frames per second and a maximum standard ISO of 12800,1 which can be extended up to ISO 25600. The camera is also equipped with a 19-point all cross-type AF system. Earning special praise, however, was the EOS 70D’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF, which the judges called a “breakthrough.” The innovative autofocusing technology makes possible improved tracking capabilities when shooting video to ensure smooth focusing performance similar to that achieved by video camcorders, and fast autofocusing performance when capturing stills during Live View shooting. Other features mentioned by the TIPA jury were the camera’s Vari-angle touch-screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor II, which offers approximately 1.04-million-dot resolution, and built-in Wi-Fi, which allows image-sharing via CANON iMAGE GATEWAY as well as the transfer and saving of images to a smartphone using the EOS Remote application.2

This is going viral. The video shows how a couple of Air Canada baggage handlers were moving the passenger’s luggage that had to be gate-checked because oversized for the plane cabin’s overhead bin. Filmed last Thursday by a passenger on the plane.

The advice is: take your gear out if you have to handle your luggage over for gate-checking! Air Canada is investigating the incident, and most probably will find who is responsible. But still: gate-checked luggage is not where you should keep your precious gear, so is not checked-in luggage in general.

When I travel by plane my gear is always with me in the cabin. It helps to be among the first in the boarding queue, as sometimes they discover at the end that there is not enough space left over in the overhead bins, and you are asked to gate-check your luggage even if it is not oversized. In this case I would politely tell them that I have some $$$ of photographic equipment that has to board with me.

Happy Easter! :-)

[CBC News via PetaPixel]

Also Amazon now has the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens available for pre-order at $949. To see all my coverage of this killer lens that sells at a killer price click here. The Sigma costs a fourth of the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 ($4000) and has a performance that comes seriously close to the Zeiss.

Kuuvik Digital released version 1.3 of Kuuvik Capture, an advanced Canon EOS remote control application for Apple MAC OS X computers. This version extends camera support and introduces a more economical licensing scheme. New cameras are also supported:

• Canon EOS 100D/Rebel SL1/Kiss X7
• Canon EOS 700D/Rebel T5i/Kiss X7i
• Rebel and Kiss variants of all previously supported xxxD/xxxxD models

A 15-day free trail version of Kuuvik Capture can be downloaded here. For the complete list of new features and changes consult the release notes. You can learn more about Kuuvik Capture here, or watch a series of video.

Supported cameras, system requirements, pricing and more after the break.

Above: Canon original tripod mount – Below: Berlebach’s tripod mount (image courtesy of photoscala.de)

German manufacturer Berlebach offers an alternative tripod mount socket for Canon’s EF 200-400 f/4 (price & specs), EF 400mm f/2.8 (price & specs), EF 500mm f/4 (price & specs), and EF 600mm f/4 (price & specs) lenses.

Berlebach’s tripod mount is more compact than the original one and should also reduce vibrations.

Press release (machine translated):

Canon Telephoto Adapter Berlebach

Berlebach ® Stativtechnik in Mulda has developed a compact foot for tripod mounting of telephoto lenses from Canon, on the one hand have been much smaller than the original foot and on the other hand, allows the use of UniQ / C and Arca Swiss-compatible quick-change systems. The price of the Tele-adapter is (RRP including VAT) EUR 49.

With the telephoto adapters for Canon 400/600 mm ( http://www.berlebach.de/?bereich=details&id=514 ) and the original Berlebach-release plates are the Canon telephoto lenses 4,0 / 200-400; 2,8 / 400; 4,0 / 500 4,0 / 600 on all UniQ/C- and Arca Swiss-compatible quick-change systems usable. The replacement of the original foot-flung through the telephoto adapters Berlebach with its considerably thinner design reduces space requirements, which can be the Canon telephoto lenses pack much easier for transport. In addition, possible oscillations are determined by the compactly built Adapter Berlebach significantly reduced and improved handling achieved by an optimized center of gravity.

To use the adapter, the four screws securing the original Canon-foot must be solved with an M3 hex wrench. With the same screws Berlebach adapter is then fastened to the lens. After the release plate with two 1/4 “or a central 3/8” Münzschlitzschraube (s) is fastened to the adapter. When using an original Berlebach-release plate adapter accesses as in the profile of the plate so that the combination can be completely rotationally fixed to the axis of the lens on a tripod head. Depending on the length of the release plate, this is for balancing both when mounted on the adapter, as well as the respective position in the quick-change system according to forward and backward movable. When using AC drives from other manufacturers may result in restrictions on the twisting safety.

[via photoscala.de]