DxO Optics 8.1.2 has been released. Among many new features, support for the [shoplink 7139]Canon EOS 6D (price & specs)[/shoplink] has been added (in the Elite version of the software). Around 300 new camera and lens combinations have been added to the DxO Optics Modules library, there are now of 10,000 available Optics Modules.

DxO Optics Pro achieved the goal it set in early 2012 to have 10,000 DxO Optics Modules available by the end of 2012. Developed in the laboratory using an exclusive calibration process, DxO Optics Modules contain tens of thousands of data points about the intrinsic characteristics and flaws of each camera and lens. This database, unique in the entire world, allows DxO Optics Pro to automatically correct all the optical flaws in RAW and JPEG images – distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberrations, lens softness – with an unrivaled level of quality.

Read the announcement here.

• CanonWatch Readers Work: see what you can do with a [shoplink 2431]Canon EOS 5D Mark III (price & specs)[/shoplink] and a GoPro HD2, by Jussi Hellsten, watch it below…
• JHP: Kuudes Aisti 2012 from Jussi Hellsten Photography on Vimeo.
• Fresh 4K footage shot with Canon EOS-1D C (price & specs) shows impressive resolution and sharpness (VIDEO) –> watch it here
• A Time-Lapse of a Train Journey Through the Four Seasons –> read it here
• Flickr Commons marks 5-year anniversary with galleries of most-viewed pics –> read it here
• The Outer Child: Portraits That Make Adults Look Like Their Inner Child –> read it here
• A Chemical History Of Photography –> read it here
• Fstoppers Interviews Calvin Hollywood: Conceptual Photographer And Photoshop Master –> read it here
• This Guy Stole Photography From The Wrong Person… Me –> read it here
• Juice Up Your Camera Batteries with the Sun Using the Freeloader and CamCaddy –> read it here
• In Photos: Remembering the Terra Nova Expedition –> read it here
• Transcend Announces Copy Protected Memory Cards –> read it here
• Photog Receives Laminate Flooring After Ordering a [shoplink 2431]Canon EOS 5D Mark III (price & specs)[/shoplink] From Dell –> read it here
• 4 Uses for Lightroom’s Graduated Filter Tool –> read it here
• High ISO Shooting Tips –> read it here

B&H has a Canon EF Cinema kit with the following lenses in stock: Canon CN-E 24mm T1.5 L F, Canon CN-E 50mm T1.3 L F Cine, Canon CN-E 85mm T1.3 L F Cine Lens. The price of the kit is, well, $14,220 (click here).

• Prime Lenses for EF-Mount Cinema Cameras
• Three Key Focal Lengths (25, 50, 85mm)
• Very Fast T1.3 & T1.5 Maximum Apertures
• Each Lens Has a Rounded 11 Blade Iris
• Matching Physical Dimensions
• Designed for 4K Resolution
• Excellent Low Light Capability

BCN Inc., has released the final market shares percentages of the 2012 sales in Japan. These are the results of the digital video and camera market:

Digital camera (integrated lens)
Canon 17.6
Sony Corporation 16.5
Nikon Corporation 14.1
Digital camera (SLR)
Canon 52.7
Nikon Corporation 35.1
Sony Corporation 7.1
Digital camera (SLR mirror-less)
Olympus 29.8
Panasonic 23.3
Sony Corporation 20.1
Digital video camera
Sony Corporation 40.2
Panasonic 24.8
JVC Kenwood 18.2

Canon doesn’t rank among he first three for MILC shares. Blame the AF of the Canon EOS M. And in Europe and the US? Check the Amazon rankings:

US ranking (Click here).
DE ranking (Click here).
UK ranking (Click here).
FR ranking (Click here).

• How to REALLY Use Flickr (And Make It Onto the Coveted Flickr Explore) –> read it here
• HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY CANONWATCH: 10 MORE Myths About Photography –> read it here
• 2013 Photography Grants and Sponsorships List –> read it here
• Video Interview with Master Photo Retoucher Amy Dresser –> read it here
• 10 Superb Examples of Photography with Selective Colors plus Photo Contest –> read it here
• Photos of Empty Shoes with Shadows and Reflections –> read it here
• Stunning Portraits: Manipulating White Balance –> read it here
• Ever wanted to weather seal your lens/camera? An absolutely genius & simple Kickstarter wants to help you do just that –> read it here
• Angelina Jolie Shoots Herself…With a Camera…For Marie Claire –> read it here
• Photos Showing the Strange Similarities of Human Cities and Human Neurons –> read it here
• 3 Tips for Better Black and White Conversion using Lightroom –> read it here
• Landscapes V3 Is One Heck Of An Epic Timelapse –> read it here
• An Incredible Interview With The Master Of All Things Portraiture, Greg Heisler –> read it here

Let me start with a absolutely geek post by R. Cicala and lensrentals team. They teared down three lenses, among them the [shoplink 2160]Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 Mark II (price & specs)[/shoplink] (the other two are Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 AF-S and the [shoplink 5013]Tamron AF 24-70mm f/2.8 VC (price & specs)[/shoplink]). Tear down in the sense they opened the lenses and had a look deep inside. A pretty technical post that will appeal to the engineers among us. Lots of images of the various steps. Check it out!

The Digital Picture had a look at the image quality of the [shoplink 8251]Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM (price & specs)[/shoplink]. ISO 12233 resolution chart, distortion and vignetting test results are available. Excerpt:

The 24-105 L delivers a sharper image at 50mm f/4. Sharpness improvement at 70mm brings the 24-70 f/4 L IS back up to near equality with the 24-105 L. These two lenses perform more similarly at f/5.6 and at f/8, results from these two lenses are nearly comparable. Again, the results are similar at f/11.

Leaningcameras reviewed the Canon EF 24-70mm f/4 IS. In the conclusion they write:

The end result is that this is a great f/4 lens. It has stabilization which works extremely well, it is sharp, produces notably good results overall, and has the macro bonus.

The same guys also compared the Canon 24-70mm f/4 IS to the [shoplink 230]Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM (price & specs)[/shoplink], and talk about their findings in the following video:

They also made a video comparing the Canon 24-70mm f/4 IS to the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC:

Another comparison between the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS and the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS comes from Ketan Gajria’s blog. Samples and crops provided.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM price check: [shopcountry 230]

Tamron AF 24-70mm f/2.8 VC price check: [shopcountry 5013]

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM price check: [shopcountry 2160]

Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM price check: [shopcountry 8251]