Deal: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II – $99 (Amazon US)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

 

Thanks Sally!

Amazon US has the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens, also known as the “nifty fifty”, on sale for just $99. Note that the price shows up during the checkout process. Compare to $125. Free shipping in the US.

Though this is an inexpensive lens, and a lens made entirely out of industrial plastics (except for the optics), it is well-regarded for the bright aperture and the surprising (given the price) optical performance. In other words: That’s a lens every Canon shooter should have in his or hers bag, and at that price it is a no brainer.

New Tokina Cinema AT-X Lenses Available For Pre-Order (16-28mm and 11-16mm)

 

Tokina Cinema AT-XTokina Cinema AT-X

Tokina Cinema AT-X 16-28mm T3.0 (left) and Tokina Cinema AT-X 11-16mm T3.0 (right)

Adorama has Tokina’s new Cinema AT-X lenses available for pre-order. Both lenses are expected to ship April 2014.

Product description and specifications after the break.

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Philip Bloom Talks About Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF On The EOS C100 (Video)

Canon recently announced the possibility to unlock the innovative Dual Pixel CMOS Auto-Focus technology on the Canon EOS C100 (and C300) via a firmware update. We had a first impression about how Canon’s new AF technology works on the C100. Now it is Philip Bloom who tested Dual Pixel CMOS AF on the C100, and he shares his impressions in the video above (posted by Vimeo user Canon Pro).

Canon EOS C100: Adorama | B&H

Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology was first seen on the amazing EOS 70D [shoplink 14246](price & specs)[/shoplink].

Dual Pixel CMOS AF

Another Mention Of Canon’s High Megapixel DSLR (EOS 3D is back)

EOS 3DEOS 3D

The Canon-high-megapixel-saga grows on a new murmuring, and the fabled moniker “EOS 3D” is back again.

Latest rumors have it that Canon will announce a DSLR named “3D” later this year. The rumor suggests it will be sort of a bigger brother to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III [shoplink 2431](price & specs)[/shoplink], and not a camera that’s part of the EOS-1 series.

Specifications of the EOS 3D are said to be “broadly similar” to the 5D Mark III, but with “much higher” resolution and 4k video. Price will be higher than the first price of the 5D Mark III. The 3D should be available late 2015.

There is a small possibility, suggested by the rumor source, that the “3D” name was just the name of a prototype undergoing testing, and that the DSLR we are discussing here could indeed be the EOS 5D Mark IV.

Beside that “3D” is a moniker that is rumored since long (and probably never will be seen in the real world), it is also worth to mention that the latest “Canon high megapixel”-rumors are somewhat contradictory. The latest information I got was about a possible 3-layers sensor. I have also been told that this camera could be announced soon. However, Canon Rumors had word that there will be no Canon DSLR announcement at NAB 2014.

Hard to say how many salt is needed here. I don’t think we will ever see a Canon DSLR named 3D, but I think it is rather plausible it could be a name given to test units. I am also pretty sure Canon is working on a high resolution DSLR.

[via NL]

Another Canon Milestone: 250 Million Manufactured Cameras

CanonCanon

Two of Canon’s latest enthusiast and mid-range cameras: the [shoplink 19768]PowerShot G1 X Mark II[/shoplink] (left) and the [shoplink 14246]EOS 70D[/shoplink] (right)

Another achievement by the world’s first camera manufacturer. The joint production of DSLRs and compact cameras surpassed 250 million units. Canon press release:

Canon celebrates production of 250 million digital cameras

TOKYO, Japan, March 27, 2014—Canon Inc. today celebrated a camera-manufacturing milestone as combined production of the Company’s compact digital and interchangeable-lens digital cameras surpassed 250 million units on January 31, 2014.

Canon, a company that has continuously produced cameras since its founding in 1937, began producing and marketing digital cameras in the mid 1990s. In 1995, when film cameras were still the norm, Canon launched its first digital camera, the professional-model EOS DCS 3* digital SLR camera.

At the time, compact cameras were leading the digital shift within the camera industry. In 1996, Canon announced its market entry with the introduction of the PowerShot 600, the Company’s first compact digital camera. In 2000, amid the market’s rapid growth, Canon launched the IXY DIGITAL (PowerShot S100 or DIGITAL IXUS in markets outside of Japan), featuring a ground-breaking compact, stylish body design that set the trend for compact digital cameras.

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