Rumor: First Picture Of Sigma 24-70mm f/2 Lens Leaked

Sigma 24-70mm f/2

Take it with a grain of salt: I can’t say if this pic is authentic. It appears that the first picture of Sigma’s rumored 24-70mm f/2 DG OS HSM lens for full-frame DSLRs may have leaked on the web. I reported yesterday that Sigma is supposed to make a full-frame lens that is as innovative as the company’s 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM lens for APS-C sensors, that’ s a lens with constant f/2 and a zoom range 24-70mm. If the picture above is real, then the announcement shouldn’t be too far away. Kudos Sigma for another revolutionary lens!

[fotospekter via megapixel]

More Canon EOS 70D Test Footage (AF test, video quality test, sample pics)

BBC’s Johnnie Behiri (source: lensvid) had a chance to play around with a pre-production model of the Canon EOS 70D. While he was pretty impressed with the innovative Dual Pixel CMOS Auto-Focus of the 70D, he was less impressed with its image quality. According to Behiri the image seems to be on the soft side, noisy with moire and aliasing artifacts. However, he also stresses that used a pre-production model of the 70d, things can (and hopefully) will change when the 70D goes into production and will (presumably) have another firmware on board. The video below is the image quality test.

Canon EOS 70D
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS 70D

Next, we have two videos (source: imaging-resource) that definitely show how well Canon’s new Dual Pixel CMOS AF performs in real life (spoiler: very impressing). The videos come from the Japanese site Nikkei Trendy, and show the performance of the EOS 70D’s AF combined with face recognition: the child in the video is tracked while he is running.

More AF test, this time for stills, come from Japanese site Kakaku Magazine.

Finally, for another round of test sample pics, check optyczne.pl.

Sigma Announces (Paid) Lens Conversion Service and Extends Warranty to Four Years

Lens Conversion Service

Now it is official. Sigma announced its new and revolutionary lens mount conversion service for any of their recent “Global Vision” lenses. They will charge from $80 to $250, depending by the lens. The following lenses are included in the service:

Lens Conversion Service

More information here, there is also a FAQ here, service policy details are here. At the same time Sigma announced they will give a four year warranty on all new products.

Sigma’s press release:

Sigma Corporation’s New Mount Conversion Service Enables Lens Use across Camera Systems

Manufacturer announces first-ever mount change option, as well as universal, four-year warranty for all products

RONKONKOMA, N.Y.–Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced a revolutionary new, fee-based service that will enable the company’s Global Vision lens owners to change their lens mounts for use on different camera systems.

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Discounted Canon Kits: Rebel SL1 (EOS 100D), Rebel T5i (EOS 700D), EOS 60D, EOS 7D

Discounted Canon Kits

Adorama has a set of Canon DSLR kits with savings up to $500 for 60D kits (click here), up to $200 for Rebel T5i (EOS 700D) kits (click here), up to $300 for EOS 7D kits (click here), and up to $200 for SL1 kits (click here) . Some examples:

  • Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with EF-S 18-55mm IS and 55-250mm IS II Lens, 16GB SDHC Memory Card, Camera Bag – $200 instant rebate – final price $899 (click here)
  • Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with 18-55mm IS Lens – Bundle – with 75-300mm Lens, 16GB SDHC Memory Card, Camera Case – $150 instant rebate – final price $849 (click here)
  • Canon EOS Rebel T5i with 18-135mm IS & 55-250mm IS II Lens, 16GB SDHC Memory Card, Camera Bag – $200 instant rebate – final price $1199 (click here)
  • Canon EOS Rebel T5i  with 18-55mm IS & 55-250mm IS II Lens, 16GB SDHC Memory Card, Camera Bag – $200 instant rebate – final price $999 (click here)
  • Canon EOS 7D with EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS & EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Autofocus Lens – $300 instant rebate – final price $2149 (click here)
  • Canon EOS 7D with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM AF Lens – $300 instant rebate – final price $1849 (click here)
  • Canon EOS 60D body only – $200 instant rebate – final price $699 (click here)
  • Canon EOS 60D with EFS 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens – $200 instant rebate – final price $999 (click here)
  • Canon EOS 60D with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Autofocus Telephoto Zoom Lens – $500 instant rebate – final price $1049 (click here)
  • Canon EOS 60D with EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens & EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Autofocus Telephoto Zoom Lens – $500 instant rebate – final price $1349 (click here)

Discounted Canon Kits

Rumor: Canon Going To Launch A Cloud-Based Photo Sharing Service On August 21?

Canon Rumor

Yesterday Photography Bay broke the news with an announcement Canon will make on August 21. Initial speculations considered the possible announcement of the successor of the Canon EOS M. However, I have been told that the announcement has nothing to do with new cameras. Instead, most probably Canon will announce a cloud-based photo sharing service. I have been told (thanks) that Project1709 will go out of the beta test status and will be made available to the general public (it is currently by invitation only). So folks, no new gear in August.

Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review – First Impression

EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review

Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
[shopcountry 14076]

Please note: I am not a professional lens reviewer/tester. In this post I write about my first impressions with the lens, in the next days (I am very busy these days) I will post test series shot at all apertures, so anyone can check image quality and other issues. Stay tuned.

When Canon announced the EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM last month I was surprised: rumors were suggesting primes and zooms for the EOS M, a ultra wide angle lens wasn’t expected. And I was happy since I love wide angle lenses. Luckily I was able to get a production copy of the third lens Canon made for the EOS M system. It is since then the lens I use more often on my EOS M, it is the funniest, but not the cheapest. The EF-M 11-22mm has a price tag of around €400 in Europe. If you follow Canon Watch you probably know that the EF-M 11-22mm will not be sold in the US (for the time being). If you live in the US your best bet to get this lens is DigitalRev. More after the break.

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