An Introduction To Canon Tilt-Shift Lenses By Vincent Laforet

Canon Tilt-Shift Lenses
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II

The Canon Digital Learning Center posted the first video of a 3 parts series about the basics of tilt-shift lenses. The host is no less than Canon Explorer of Light Vincent Laforet.

Join Explorer of Light Vincent Laforet on location in New York City as he shares practical examples of how to use Canon’s tilt-shift lenses for architecture, portrait, lifestyle, and tabletop photography. Learn how a tilt-shift lens can correct, enhance and dramatically change a composition.

In Episode 1, Vincent gives an overview of what a tilt-shift lens is and how it differs from other lenses in the EOS lineup.

In Episode 2, Vincent talks about the shift property of the lens and how it can be used to correct distortion and also aid in multi-shot stitching by showing a few practical examples from around the city.

In Episode 3, Vincent shows a few examples of how the tilt functionality of the lens can shift the plane of focus to create a miniature look as well as increase the focus plane.

Canon EOS C100 Dual Pixel Auto-Focus Real World Test

It is not since long that the Dual-Pixel CMOS AF unblocking firmware update for the C100 (Adorama | B&H) and C300 (B&H | Adorama) is available to the public, and Newsshooter reader Frank Redward already tested this feature and made a video about it.

Some excerpts:

The AF speed is so quick it puts the Panasonic GH2 and GH3 to shame.

I expected single-shot AF to work well. What I didn’t expect was that tracking focus is now quite possible and reliable. When subjects move past the camera you can maintain focus. Focus can also be held while zooming with lenses that are not Parfocal. This makes the whole experience of using stills zooms more similar to an ENG lens – all through the wonders of DUAL Pixel CMOS AF. DSLR lenses were never designed to work like this but it works because the Dual Pixel CMOS AF is just so fast.

Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF is fantastic and works for me. It’s not 100% perfect but compared to what else is around it is amazing. It turns the C100 into a powerful real world shooting work horse. As an operator it adds a level of security and speed that’s very reassuring.

Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology was first featured on the EOS 70D(price & specs). For some good 70D deals see here.

[via newsshooter]

EOS C100 Dual Pixel

Canon EF Lenses 101 With Matt Kloskowski (Video)

CanonUSA on Youtube posted the first two videos of a 9 part series about Canon’s EF lenses.

Canon offers a wide range of EF lenses and lens accessories. In this 9 part video series you’ll learn all about lens basics, STM lenses, Macro lenses, Fisheye lenses, Tilt-Shift lenses, Wide Angle and Telephoto lenses. Your host for this informative series is professional photographer and educator Matt Kloskowski

The video below is the second video of the series:

In this video you’ll learn all about aperture, f-stop, focal length and a lot more. Your host, photographer and educator Matt Kloskowski takes you through the various lens categories and also explains some of the Canon nomenclature.

If you feel you have to learn about Canon’s EF lenses then these educational videos are right for you.

Samyang 24mm f/1.4 Gets Same DxOMark As Canon 24mm f/1.4L II

DxOMark felt the pulse of the manual focus Samyang/Bower/Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 (price & specs), and it turned out the Samyang got the same DxOMark score (31) as Canon’s Ef 24mm f/4L II lens (price & specs). The Canon is sharper and has less distortion but the Samyang produces less vignetting and chromatic aberration are better controlled at all apertures.

From the conclusion:

Although the Samyang is a phenomenal performer, when stopped its sharpness wide open doesn’t match that of rival high-speed designs. Given the modest pricing [$669] it will no doubt continue to be a popular model but it would be all the more attractive with the addition of automatic aperture control and perhaps AF-assist (though it’s often unreliable without experience). There’s another, often overlooked benefit from the inclusion of data transmission – EXIF data stored in Raw files could be used by third-party software suppliers to apply lens corrections. Future updates such as these would seem likely but for now the Canon mount version is overshadowed by the better performing rivals.

It is up to anyone to know if a manually operated lens like the Samyang is ok for their needs. The optical performance is very good and if you have at last a minimum of photographic experience, then this lens shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Samyang/Bower/Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 price check: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE Canon’s Ef 24mm f/4L II price check: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Specs and description after the break.

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Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM “Art” Review (Photography Blog)

Sigma 30mm f/1.4

Photography Blog reviewed the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM “Art” lens (price & specs) for full-frame APS-C DSLRs (45mm on APS-C). While this is one of Sigma’s recent lenses that get one good review after the other, the 30mm doesn’t convince on all fronts. Build quality is au pair with the Sigma 35mm (price & specs) and 18-35mm f/1.8 (price & specs) lenses. The Sigma 30mm appears to suffer from chromatic aberrations and is not fully sharp in the edges (you have to stop down to f/4 for good results). However, still a great lens at a competing price ($499).

From the conclusion:

The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC A lens […] offers acceptable sharpness wide-open at f/1.4 […], excellent build quality, lovely bokeh and fast and quiet auto-focusing, all at a surprisingly affordable price.

The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC A is tack-sharp in the centre from f/1.8 onwards, although you need to stop down to f/4 to get acceptable results at the edges of the frame. Disappointingly the lens does suffer from serious chromatic aberrations when shooting wide-open, along with obvious vignetting and some barrel distortion too.

There is also a set of sample pics shot with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and a Canon EOS 70D (price & specs).

[via PB]

More product description after the break.

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