Understanding How Canon Cinema RAW Works

The Canon Digital Learning Center published a in-depth article (updated) about how Canon’s Cinema RAW works. From the introduction:

As digital cinema camera technologies continue to evolve, one pattern has clearly emerged as the new flavor of our time: recording RAW camera sensor data. With the emergence of powerful post-production workstations, it makes theoretical sense that one would want to record all the unprocessed data the camera sensor has to offer and deliver it to post-production to process that data and create the final images we seek. Yet, in reality, the methodologies of implementing these steps seem as varied as the cameras themselves, suggesting that there are other factors at play that influence this seemingly straightforward concept.

Canon Cinema Lenses On Set and Behind the Scenes

Interesting video from Canon Pro’s Vimeo Channel. Description:

Around the world, noted filmmakers choose Canon Cine and EF lenses to bring their work to light. In this compilation of interviews and behind the scenes footage, these directors, cinematographers, documentary and commercial shooters share their experiences with Canon glass, from EFs, high-end zooms, zooms, compact zooms, and now the complete family of prime lenses.

Canon’s Cinema lenses are expensive toys, but deliver outstanding performance.

[via TDP]

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS DxOMarked (a good all-round choice)

EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS

DxOMark felt the pulse of another well known Canon work-horse lens, the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS (price & specs). They say it is “still a good all-round choice”.

  • Comparison Canon EF 100-400mm f4-5.6L IS vs. EF 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS (click here)
  • Comparison Canon EF 100-400mm f4-5.6L IS vs. Sigma 50-500mm f4-6.3 APO EX DG HSM vs. Sigma 50-500mm f4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM (click here)
  • Comparison Canon EF 100-400mm f4-5.6L IS vs. Canon EF 200-400mm f4L IS Extender 1.4x (click here)

In the conclusion they write:

Without doubt this lens is a popular model and it’s not difficult to see why. It has pretty good image quality throughout the range – though sharpness is confined to a relatively small area centrally at the initial aperture. Edge performance improves when stopped down but it’s not ideal where shooting in available light is usually the only option.

A new updated version is long overdue but when it arrives will likely have improved full aperture performance and a ticket to match, but for the time being this lens is competitively priced and remains a solid choice.

The Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS is on sale for $1559 at major US resellers (price shows up after added to cart): B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA.

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD Review (ephotozine)

 

The eBand coating delivers good results when shooting against the light – 1/320, f/7.1, 500mm, ISO 320

All pics used with permission.

ephotozine reviewed the Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD lens, Tamron latest image-stabilized ultra-zoom. Tamron made a lens that sells for $1069 and offers a lot of bang for the money. Good sharpness, a great telephoto range, and accurate and quick auto-focus are among the highlights of the Tamron 150-600mm (Adorama | B&H Photo), a lens that’s getting one positive review after the other. More details and sample pic after the break.

Click here to open the rest of the article

How To Fix An Annoying Design Flaw (Canon Powershot S120)

This happens to all of us, sooner or later: we bought new gear and there is something that’s totally wrong placed, or doesn’t really make sense, or can’t be used as supposed.

In this case the camera is the Canon Powershot S120, a well-performing, WiFi-enabled compact camera with good video capabilities. But there is a problem Casey Neistat couldn’t live with, and for a good reason: the microphones of the S120 are placed on top of the camera, where you spontaneously and normally place your fingers when holding the camera (see pic below). Result: bad sound quality since the mics are covered.

Watch Casey Neistat‘s ingenious solution to tackle the issue in the video above.

[via gizmodo]