Most Liked Canon Watch Reader Pics

Mike Darter –  large male polar bear rests before heading out onto the icy Hudson Bay for hunting season. (Manitoba, Canada)

Here is the round-up of the most liked reader pics of the week. Thanks all for your great pics,we had a lot of them last week. NOTE: if you posted your photo late in the week it will be evaluated next week. Nothing gets lost :-)

How it works:

1) Submit your picture with a short description on Canon Watch’s Facebook page
2) Like and comment the pictures from other readers on the Photo Stream
3) A selection of the most liked pictures will be posted every Sunday here on Canon Watch

Show us what you can do with a Canon camera!

Andre Yabiku‎ – Seeking the next meal – Shot with G1X

 


Jessi Dunn Photography‎ – Taken with Canon 5D Mark III and EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens.

 


Mike Darter‎ – Polar Bears sparring in Churchill before continuing onto icy Hudson Bay to hunt ringed seals. Canon 6D/ 300mm f/2.8

 


Thomas Emberson‎ – Near the end of last summer, this (the exposures) was shot with a 7D, 10-22mm lens at 22mm, ISO160. The arch is from the Marget Hunt Hill bridge in Dallas, about 30-45 minutes after sunrise.

 


Jeremy Kuzub‎ – EOS-M, lens filter: Boeing 737 window

Canon Patent to Increase Dynamic Range of Sensor

Canon Patent

Egami (translated) spotted a patent filed by Canon for a new sensor technology that expands the dynamic range of the sensor with a thin polysilicon layer applied on top of the photodiode layer of a sensor.

As far as I understand the patent, the polysilicon layer’s thickness is not the same for all the underlaying photodiodes. This influences the sensitivity of the photodiodes through the transmittance of light, which is attenuated by the film according to its thickness. The result are pixels (=photodiodes) with different light sensitivity.

Looking at the image above, it seems that there is one pixel with a thicker layer for each pixel with a thinner layer. The layer thickness appears to act on the the exact area where the photodiode detects the incoming photons.

An interesting patent that points to a new sensor technology. Hard to say if this tech will show up soon, for instance in the again rumored high megapixel cameras expected for 2015.The technology described in the patent does not refer to a given class of sensors, nor to a sensor size. It’s a technology that could find its way in any future Canon sensor.

Canon sensors are often critiqued for having a dynamic range below the competition, and thus getting lower DxOMark scores for their sensors. It appears Canon is going to address the issue.

Machine translated patent description:

  • Patent Publication No. 2014-175553
    • Published 2014.9.22
    • Filing date 2013.3.11
  • Canon patent
    • Optical attenuation film is arranged by polysilicon over the photoelectric conversion portion
    • Transmittance of light depends on the optical attenuation film is its thickness, thickness varies depending on the pixel
    • Small pixel transmittance is, the opening area is small
    • RGB any of the color filter
    • Transmittance R <G <B
[via Egami]

Black Friday deals here.

Canon EOS 6D Killer Deals Still Live

Canon EOS 6D

Two Black Friday killer deals for the Canon EOS 6D are still live:

  • Canon EOS 6D  by Top Rated eBay seller 6ave (99.2% positive ratings)
  • HOT: Canon EOS 6D bundled with PIXMA Pro-100 photo printer, paper etc for just $1,249 after $650 mail-in rebate (instructions), by authorised Canon dealer B&H Photo (limited time)

Need a lens for your 6D? Adorama has refurbished Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lenses for on eBay.

All Black Friday listings, lot of deals are still there and many are very good (5D3, 70D, T5, lenses, etc).

Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Pancake Lens Review (photozone)

20140915_thumbL_eflens_efs243q

Photozone analysed Canon’s new pancake lens for APS-C cameras. The EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM has more to offer than the low price might suggest. The only weak point of the lens is vignetting.

From the conclusion:

[…] nothing wrong with the optical performance of the new Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM. This is especially true for the bitingly sharp center but even the border and corner quality is on a very high level straight from f/2.8. The low amount of lateral CAs contributes to the very high sharpness perception. The barrel distortion is low and rarely an issue. On the downside, the lens produces a rather massive amount of light falloff at max. aperture but stopping down to f/4 solves most of the issue already.

A lens with good build quality that offers a lot of bang for the bucks. Photozone gave the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM a “highly recommended”.

  • EF-S Mount Lens/APS-C Format
  • 38mm (35mm Equivalent)
  • One Aspherical Element
  • Optimized Lens Coatings
  • STM AF Motor Supports Movie Servo AF
  • Micro-Stepping Drive Aperture Mechanism
  • Full-Time Manual Focus Override
  • Rounded 7-Blade Diaphragm
  • Slim Design Measures Less Than 1″-Thick

Canon’s EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens is shipping for $149 from Amazon US  | Amazon Germany |  B&H Photo | Adorama

Big Black Friday Canon Deals Round-Up (updated)

Black Friday Canon Deals

So here we are. It’s Black Friday. A select shopping list for Canon gear and accessories.

Adorama’s Black Friday page, check also deals on the frontpage. Adorama’s Canon deals:

Top deals (continuously updated, some deals limited time):
  • Canon EOS 6D  by Top Rated eBay seller 6ave (99.2% positive ratings)
  • Canon Rebel T5 with EF-S 18-55mm IS II lens by eBay seller blutek (99.3% positive ratings)
  • HOT: Canon EOS Rebel T5 with 18-55mm and 75-300mm Lens Holiday Bundle with memory card and bag on sale for $449 at Amazon US
  • Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG APO OS on sale for $769 at Adorama ($300 off)
  • Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM on sale for $1,099 at Adorama ($300 off)
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III on sale for $3,099 after $300 mail-in rebate, sold by authorised Canon dealer B&H Photo. More 5D Mark III kits with $300 mail-in rebate here
  • SanDisk 32GB Extreme Plus UHS-I SDHC Memory Card (Class 10) – $19.75 at B&H ($17 off)
  • SanDisk 64GB Extreme Plus UHS-I SDXC Memory Card (Class 10) – $39.95 at B&H ($34 off)
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens, and bundled with PIXMA Pro-100 photo printer, paper etc for just $3,349 after $650 mail-in rebate (instructions), a killer deal by B&H Photo.
  • HOT: Canon EOS 5D Mark III bundled with PIXMA Pro-100 photo printer, paper etc for just $2,749 after $650 mail-in rebate (instructions), a killer deal by B&H Photo.
  • HOT: Canon EOS 6D bundled with PIXMA Pro-100 photo printer, paper etc for just $1,249 after $650 mail-in rebate (instructions), killer deal by B&H Photo (limited time)
  • HOT: Canon EOS 5D Mark III at eBay seller Big Value Inc (99.4 positive ratings), lowest price ever seen
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III at eBay seller All New Shop (99.2 positive ratings), lowest price ever seen
  • HOT: Canon EOS 70D (refurbished) on sale for $699 at the Canon Store (use promo code HOLIDAY at check-out for free 2-Day shipping)
  • Canon EOS 70D (refurbished) with 18-55mm IS STM on sale for $799.99 at the Canon Store (use promo code HOLIDAY at check-out for free 2-Day shipping)
  • Canon EOS 70D (refurbished) with 18-135mm IS STM on sale for $849.99 at the Canon Store (use promo code HOLIDAY at check-out for free 2-Day shipping)
  • Canon EOS 6D at seller Big Value Inc on eBay (99.4 positive ratings)
  • Up to 40% off on Topaz Labs plug-ins and software (use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY2014 at checkout)
  • Up to 50% off on Perfect Photo Suite 9 and other onOne software.
  • B&H Deal of the Day: Samsung 32GB Galaxy Note 2014 Edition 10.1″ Wi-Fi Tablet (white) on sale for $329 ($270 off)
  • HOT: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS on sale for $299 at B&H Photo ($300 off!!)
  • $300 off on select Canon products at the Canon Direct Store
  • 30% off on 500px Plus and Awesome subscriptions
  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/ 2.8 L IS II at seller Big Value Inc on eBay (99.4 positive ratings)
  • HOT: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L on sale for $1389 after $200 mail-in rebate at Adorama, includes 1 year camera lens service plan, Pro Optic 77mm essential filters kit, Flashpoint CapKeeper lens cap leash, Adorama cleaning kit,
  • Apple 27″ iMac with the 5K display on sale for $2,299 (instead of $2,499) at B&H Photo (Black Friday, limited time)
  • Amazon US has the Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye lens for Canon on sale for just $199. Limited time offer.
  • Amazon Gold Box deal: Canon PIXMA MG5520 Wireless All-In-One Color Photo Printer with Scanner, Copier and Auto Duplex Printing, Black (Tablet Ready) – on sale for $44.99
  • SanDisk Memory Cards Extreme & Ultra Series discounted at B&H PHoto
  • Lexar High Speed Memory Cards discounted at B&H Photo
  • Canon Rebel T5 with EF-S 18-55mm IS II lens and accessories on sale for $399 (B&H, $150 Black Friday discount)
  • HOT: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens for by Adorama on eBay
  • Canon Rebel T5 kits starting from $399 at B&H Photo
More general Black Friday links

USA:

Canada: Amazon Canada’s Black Friday deals page

Europe: Black Friday deals at Amazon UK | Amazon France | Amazon Germany | Amazon Italy | Amazon Spain