Reviews: Canon IXUS 255 HS (techradar), Powershot N (cnet) And Powershot SX280 (photographyblog)

Canon ELPH 330 HS
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Specs:

  • 12.1MP CMOS Sensor
  • Canon 10x Optical Zoom Lens
  • 35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 24-240mm
  • 3.0″ LCD Monitor
  • Continuous Shooting Rate of 6.2fps
  • Full HD 1920 x 1080 Video
  • Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • Intelligent IS Image Stabilization
  • Canon HS SYSTEM

techradar reviewed the WiFi-enabled Canon Powershot IXUS 255 HS (ELPH 330 HS in the US, available with a $30 discount for $199 at B&H and Adorama). In the conclusion they write:

Overall, the Canon IXUS 255 HS is a solid, dependable, easy to use point and shoot camera. With its full price of £230/US$230/AU$280, it sits comfortably in its price bracket, shared by rival cameras such as the rugged Fuji XP200, stylish Nikon Coolpix S9500 and ultra wide-angled Panasonic SZ9.

You can power on and take a shot within a matter of seconds, making it almost as quick to use as your always-to-hand smartphone, but with a resulting image quality that far outstrips its mobile competitors. It also offers an array of useful functions without cramming too much in for gimmick value, making it simple and easy to handle.

The Canon IXUS 255 HS is capable of producing some excellent images, with plenty of detail and vibrant colours. Pleasingly, we also found the HD video shooting to be good, making it useful for those who want to shoot the occasional home movie too.

Canon Powershot N
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Specs:

  • 12.1MP High Sensitivity CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • 8x f/3.0 Optical Zoom Lens
  • 28-224mm Focal Length Equivalency
  • 2.8″ Capacitive Tilt-Touch LCD Panel
  • 1080p Full HD Video Capture
  • Built-in Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • One-Touch Mobile Device Connect Button
  • Creative Shot Mode

cnet reviewed the WiFi-enabled Canon Powershot N ($299), a true fun-cam. In the conclusion they write:

The Canon PowerShot N acts as a nice complement to a smartphone camera. You get some optical zoom with excellent optical image stabilization, very good photo and video quality (certainly better than typical phone camera quality), and built-in Wi-Fi so you can still share your shots almost as easily as you can when you shoot with your phone. And it’s all in a tiny attention-grabbing package.

PowerShot SX280 Review
Specs:
  • 12.1MP High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
  • 20x Optical Zoom Lens
  • 35mm Focal Length Equivalent: 25-500mm
  • 3.0″ LCD Monitor
  • Full HD 1080p Video Capture at 60fps
  • Built-in Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization
  • Hybrid Auto Mode
  • GPS Tracker

Finally, photograhpyblog reviewed the WiFi and GPS-enabled Canon PowerShot  SX280 ($329). In the conclusion they write:

The same 25-500mm, 20x zoom lens offers a broad focal range that makes it possible to frame up subjects near or far in pretty much an instant, pretty amazing given the size of the SX280 HS which is only a little larger than most compacts. The GPS system has been speeded-up, so that the waiting time for a lock on the nearest satellite is shorter, while wi-fi makes its first appearance on a Canon travel-zoom. As with Canon’s other wireless compacts, though, it doesn’t offer all of the features of rival systems and is a little difficult to both setup and use. Using both GPS and wi-fi quickly drained the battery, so buy a couple of spares if you want to take full advantage of the camera’s features.

Canon C100 vs EOS 7D Video Comparison

How do the Canon C100 and the Canon EOS 7D compare? It’s a $5500 (C100) vs $1300 (7D) affair and they have different sensors, but it is interesting to see where the differences are. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM was used on both cameras.

Canon C100 with a $1000 discount at: Adorama and B&H
Canon EOS 7D price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA [via planet5d]

More Videos Taken With Canon EOS 50D And Magic Lantern RAW Hack (and comparison with 5D Mark II)

How cool is it to get RAW video output from a 5 year old camera that was never thought to be a video camera? Pretty much cool in my opinion. Kudos to the skilled Magic Lantern hackers for their Magic Lantern RAW hack.

There is more video footage shot with the modified 50D that showed up. Check the videos above and below. It also means that the hardware of the EOS 50D has always been able to shot video. There is a discussion going on about the Magic Lantern RAW hack in the Magic Lantern forum.

This could be the right time to get an EOS 50D on eBay, before the price will raise because of the newly discovered possibilities.

[via nofilmschool and motionvfx]

 

Head To Head Review: Canon Powershot G15 vs. Nikon Coolpix 7700

Powershot G15

Interesting comparison by photographic authority dpreview.

A head to head comparison of the Canon PowerShot G15 and the Nikon Coolpix 7700, both very popular high end compact cameras for enthusiasts. While it obvious that each one has its strengths and weak points – the G15 has a faster lens (f/1.8) and the 7700 a longer zoom range, just to make an example – the Canon Powershot G15 comes out as the winner – even if with a very small advantage. Let’s see the core specs (taken from B&H‘s product pages)

 PowerShot G15  Coolpix 7700
 12.1MP CMOS Sensor  12.2MP CMOS Sensor
 3.0″ LCD Monitor  3″ Display With 921K Resolution
 5x Optical Zoom 6.1-30.5mm Lens  7.1x 28-200mm Zoom Lens (35mm Equiv.)
 28-140mm 35mm Equivalent Focal Length  f/2.0 Maximum Aperture
 DIGIC 5 Image Processor  High-Speed Shooting at Up to 8 FPS
 1080p HD Video Capture  Subject Tracking Auto Focus
 12800 ISO  19 Scene Modes
 Intelligent IS Image Stabilization  Full-Size Accessory Shoe for Accessories
 10fps Continuous Capture  In-Camera Creative Special Effects
 RAW & JPEG Capture  RAW & JPEG Capture

In the conclusion, different aspects are considered:

  • Design and Handling: While the P7700’s flip-out LCD is appealing, [dpreview thinks] that the G15’s smaller, more rugged body and optical viewfinder give it a slight edge.
  • Features: Canon Powershot G15 is winner
  • Performance: Canon Powershot G15 is winner
  • Movie mode: Coolpix P7700 (thanks to mic input and manual exposure control)
  • Image quality: Coolpix P7700 (by a hair)

The final word by dpreview:

The Canon PowerShot G15 narrowly beats the Nikon Coolpix P7700 in our competition here, but it’s a close-run thing. The G15 offers a fast lens, very good image quality, a compact yet solid body, snappy performance, and plenty of manual controls. And then there’s the optical viewfinder which, while not great, is better than nothing. About the only things on our wish list are an articulating LCD display (like on previous models), faster frame rates in movie mode, and a bit sharper images, though the latter is subjective.

The Canon Powershot G15 gets a Gold Award (76%), the Nikon Coolpix 7700 a Silver Award (75%).

Canon PowerShot G15 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Nikon Coolpix 7700 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

[via dpreview]

 

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS Review (The Phoblographer)

EF 28mm

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

The Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM lens wasn’t highly regarded when it was announced. The price tag and questioning about the need of IS for a wide angle lens were the main critics. However, things changed. First of all, the lenses price dropped in the months after its announcement, and for the time being the EF 28mm f/2.8 IS is on sale with a $150 discount (in the US) and has a price tag of $649. That’s rather ok for a lens with such good characteristics. Let’s see the specs (taken from Adorama’s product page):

  • Optical Image Stabilizer provides up to 4 shutter speed stops ofcorrection.
  • Ring USM, high-speed CPU, and optimized AF algorithms for fast autofocusing.
  • Full-time manual focus for manual adjustment while in AF mode.
  • Aspherical lens elements improve peripheral image quality.
  • Circular diaphragm (7 blades) delivers beautiful, soft backgrounds.
  • Silent and smooth operation makes it suitable for video shooting.
  • Minimum focusing distance: 0.23m.
  • Compact design

The Phoblographer had his hands on the EF 28mm, and they were fairly impressed by the super fast AF, the brilliant colors, the build quality and the small size. The lens was tested using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. In the conclusion they write:

We really have to admit: we’re extremely pleased with what Canon is doing with this lens so far. The colors are awesome, the blur free possibilities is an excellent bonus, the sharpness is brilliant, and focusing is like I gave my 5D Mk II steroids. When you consider the fairly affordable price too, you’ll realize that you’re getting quite a sweet deal.

The review comes with plenty of sample images. IQ is really good, though there is some vignetting. I own the previous iteration (without IS) and it always was a lens that I loved to use. On an APS-C sensor the Ef 28mm becomes a (more or less) normal lens.

[via The Phoblographer]

35mm Comparison: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG vs Canon 35mm f/2 IS vs Canon 35mm f/1.4 L

35mm Comparison

Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

If you happen to love 35mm lenses this review is for you. The Phoblographer compared the Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG, the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS and the Canon 35mm f1.4 L lenses (using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

35mm Comparison

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

While the EF 35mm f/2 IS is the fastest focusing lens, the Sigma 35mm gets high appraisal (as in other reviews), not least for the build quality. Check the sample images for image quality. In the conclusion they write:

In our tests, we found Sigma’s lens to be best for what it is worth. Not only does it exhibit excellent image quality, but it also focuses fast enough and has a metal exterior. However, we have to say that the 35mm f2 IS seems like a better buy than the 35mm f1.4 L at the moment. The added value of IS plus a smaller package really make this lens worth the money. Where the 35mm f1.4 L takes the lead though is in bokeh rendering. It really is quite marvelous–especially when photographing a couple at a wedding.

[via The Phoblographer]

35mm Comparison

Canon 35mm f1.4 L
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA