112 MP B&W Sensor that Captures the Sun and the Stars in one Shot

 

You thought the Leica M Monochrom was the hippest camera you can get? Change your mind. Tucson, Arizona based Spectral Instruments gets the crown for the most amazing camera you can get (better you’re not on a budget). The sensor (part of their 1100 series) showcased in the video above is an 112 megapixel black and white CCD, no Bayer mask nor filter of any type. The sensor has a 95x95mm surface (APC-S: 25.1×16.7mm, 35mm film: 36×24 mm, medium format: 46×36mm). Do you have an idea about how much light such a sensor might capture? A whola lot! The dynamic range is so huge that this sensor can capture the sun and the stars in broad daylight. Spectral Instruments usually makes sensors for camera systems used in laboratory instrumentation or mounted on satellites. Now they want to make a camera for “normal” users. So, if you have some >$100,000 to spend (the cost of the sensor alone), then this is the camera for you. What ever are the $8,000 of the Leica M Monochrom? Nothing but a bargain… :-) Indeed, Spectral Instruments will not build such a camera if they do not get a response strong enough to motivate them. So, it’s up to all of us to make this happen. Spread the voice.

[via gizmodo via fstoppers]

 

Fashion Shots – Mused by EOS 5D Mark III

Just a quick post to point you to the work of my friend Mike Kobal. These are summer fashion shots done using a EOS 5D Mark III with the kit lens. If you want to see more pics taken with a 5D Mark III (and uploaded to Flickr) have a look here.

EOS 5D Mark III availability and price check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA.

World-wide EOS 5D Mark III availability and price check:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Samyang Lenses for Canon In Stock at B&H

B&H has four Samyang lenses with Canon mount in stock and ready to ship. These are mechanical things: no AF nor camera controlled aperture, but very good build quality at a decent price. All listed lenses are compatible with the APC-S format. The following lenses are available:


  • Samyang 14mm Ultra Wide-Angle f/2.8 IF ED UMC for $399.00 (click here). Core specs (review):

    • Ultra Wide-Angle 14mm Lens
    • Compatible With Full Frame Cameras
    • Compatible With APS-C Cameras
    • Hybrid Aspherical Lenses — Sharp Images
    • Multi-Layer Coating to Reduce Flare
    • Manual Focus Lens
    • Built-In Petal-Type Lens Hood

 


  • Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical Lens at $299.00 (click here). Core specifications (review):

    • Telephoto Portrait Lens
    • Designed For Full-Frame Cameras
    • Manual Focus
    • Minimum Focusing Distance of 3.3′
    • Hybrid Aspherical Lense — Sharp Images
    • Multi-Layer Coating to Reduce Flare

     

 


  • Samyang 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye Lens     at $299.00 (click here). Core specifications (review):

    • Ultra Wide-Angle 8mm Fisheye Lens
    • For APS-C Size Image Formats
    • Hybrid Aspherical Lenses — Sharp Images
    • Multi-Layer Coating to Reduce Flare
    • Minimum Focusing Distance of 12″
    • Built-In Petal-Type Lens Hood

 


  • Samyang 35mm f/1.4 WIDE ANGLE UMC lens at $499.00 (click here). Core specifications (review):

    • 12 elements in 10 groups inc. 1x aspherical & 2 HR elements
    • 8 blades
    • 0.3m min. focus distance
    • 111x83mm
    • 77mm filter size
    • petal-shaped lens hood, bayonet mount

EOS 5D3 and EF200mm f/2L IS USM & EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM Service Note

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Canon released a product advisory for the EF200mm f/2L IS USM & EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM lenses when used with an EOS 5D Mark III: It has been confirmed that when the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera is used with the EF200mm f/2L IS USM and some units of the EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM lenses […], the Lenses may emit an abnormal noise. This is not an issue of the 5D Mark III, it concerns the mentioned lenses. The units that are affected can be identified by the serial number. See the service note below to check if you have such an unit.

Click here to open the rest of the article

EOS 5D Mark III vs Nikon’s D800 & D4 video mode comparison by P. Bloom

Good comparison between three different full-frame cameras used to shot video. Philip Bloom compares the Nikon D4 with the Nikon D800 and the EOS 5D Mark III. It’s a 30 minutes review (conclusion at ~23:00) and it focuses on aliasing artifacts and low-light performance. Needless to say, the 5D Mark III has outstanding low-light performance and controls aliasing very good (check the 400% zooms!). The aliasing on the D800 is very bad, especially at 720p. So bad, that an additional aliasing filter was mounted on the D800’s sensor (to show how much it could be made better). On the other hand, the D800 has cleaner HDMI output and is generally sharper out of the box than the 5D Mark III. All in all the review shows once more that the 5D Mark III is a very good all-purpose camera. The video shows live-crops beside the recorded scenes (different high ISOs). Enjoy the video!

For the latest 5D Mark III pictures uploaded to Flickr click here. 5D Mark III availability & price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

 

Updated EOS 5D Mark III User&Owner Manual

Looks like there is an updated version of the EOS 5D Mark III user manual (according to this forum post). Not yet clear what changed from the first version of the user guide. The PDF of the manual can be downloaded here. If someone knows what’s the difference with the previous one please let me know.

For the latest 5D Mark III pictures uploaded to Flickr click here.
5D Mark III availability & price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA