Canon EOS 6D Reviews Round-Up (The 6D Is Hot!)

Canon EOS 6D Reviews

A Canon EOS 6D reviews round-up. The full-frame EOS 6D is selling very good around the globe, check its prices at the following shops: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA. If you are located in the US, then B&H has a cool EOS 6D deal going on: the 6D body with a Lowepro – Adventura 170 Shoulder Bag and a Lexar – 16GB SDHC Memory Card Professional Class 10 UHS-I memory card for $1899 (click here, price shows up after having added the item to the cart). Or take the EOS 6D plus the EF 24-105mm f/4.0L and the memory card for $2499 (click here). This deals are part of the rebate programs that expire on Saturday, 2/2/2013.

Let's start with the core specifications of the EOS 6D:

  • 20.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • 3.0″ Clear View High Resolution LCD
  • DIGIC 5+ Image Processor
  • Built-In Wi-Fi and GPS Connectivity
  • Full HD 1080p with Manual Controls
  • 11-Point AF with Center Cross-Type Point
  • 63-Zone Dual Layer Metering Sensor
  • Extended ISO Range of 50-102400
  • Up to 4.5 Full Resolution FPS
  • Built-In HDR and Multiple Exposure Modes

The EOS 6D is a hot piece of gear, says The Online Photographer. By taking inspiration from the car market, and using the Corvette as example, they conclude that the high price of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III (price & specs) leads people to get a 6D:

The theory is that the high price of the 5D Mark III is driving peoples' interest into the waiting arms of the 6D. The 6D has a lot of the higher model's goodness, for such a big price cut that it tips the balance of most peoples' interest from the high-horsepower body to the more “sensible” model.

Makes sense, imho. And the following ISO comparison by RiceHigh between the EOS 6D and the EOS 5D Mark III also makes sense, since we know that the 6D sensor performs better as long as noise is concerned. They tested ISO 100 to 12800 (all pictures here), using the following setting

1. Camera mounted on a sturdy tripod (a giant Gitzo) and shutter was triggered via the original Canon remote cable switch;

2. Picture Style was reset to Standard, with all parameters all left at factory defaults. Other image settings such as Auto Light Optimizer and High ISO NR etc. were reset to their factory default values. Large Fine JPEGs were produced directly out of both cameras;3. One-shot AF with 50/1.2L with Central AF point selected;4. For ISO 100 to ISO 1600, the lens aperture was set at f/8, whilst from ISO 3200 to 12800, the lens was set to f/16 – This was particularly required with the 6D for its low maximum shutter speed of only 1/4000s;

Canon EOS 6D Reviews

It is always good to know how to use a camera and how its settings work. Canon recently published a set of online video tutorials (source: The Digital Picture). The following topics are covered:

  • Basic Overview
  • The Auto Options
  • Image Quality
  • Multiple Exposure Shooting
  • In-Camera HDR
  • In-Camera RAW and JPEG Processing
  • Auto Exposure Bracketing
  • Low Light Shooting
  • Composition Aids
  • Auto Focus System Basics
  • Basic Video Operation
  • Time Code Operation Basics

Finally, a full review by ephotozine. The review comes with a lot of samples and videos. They “highly recommend” the EOS 6D, writing in the conclusion:

The Canon EOS 6D feels like it's an improvement over the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and gives most of what you get with the 5D Mark III, but with the addition of GPS and Wi-Fi, as well as the excellent 20.2 megapixel sensor for improved noise performance, but with a fraction of the price of the 5D Mark III, making this an excellent camera for those wanting a full-frame Digital SLR.

Image quality is impressive with excellent colour both in photos and on the rear screen of the camera, and noise performance is excellent. Focus performance is good with 11 point auto focus that works down to -3EV, and as long as you are not using live view it is very quick and reliable.For anyone looking to upgrade from an earlier Canon camera, the Canon EOS 6D delivers some of the latest features such as Wi-Fi, GPS, built in HDR shooting, and reasonably quick continuous shooting at 4.5fps. The camera feels extremely well built, and pleasantly compact and light-weight for a full-frame Digital SLR, making it an enjoyable experience to use.

They also produced the nice video below, a menu walk-through.

Canon EOS 6D Reviews

Canon EOS 6D price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

 

Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical Lens Review (Fantastic Value For The Money)

Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical Lens Review

A serious review about the Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.4 lens was something I was waiting for. Many things are more than ok in this lens: the Rokinon 35mm’s price ($479), the focal length, and an f/1.4 aperture. We previously featured various reviews about Canon and Sigma 35mm lenses (here, here, here). So, how does the manual aperture and manual focus Rokinon compare? Let’s first see the core specs:

  • Fast f/1.4 Wide-Angle 35mm Lens
  • For APS-C & Full-Frame Image Formats
  • Hybrid Aspherical Lenses — Sharp Images
  • Multi-Layer Coating to Reduce Flare
  • Minimum Focusing Distance of 12″
  • Removable Petal-Type Lens Hood

The guys over at fstoppers tested the Rokinon both for still photography and videography. Here are some excerpts from their review:

  • The construction is solid metal and the paint finish is very uniformly applied and resistant to chipping and scuffing.
  • Barrel distortion was basically a non-significant factor when compared to lenses like the Canon 17-40 and 16-35 II. This is an absolute blessing for photographers who do work for designers and architects, as bowed lines and a ‘fisheye’ effect are pretty much unusable as a final product
  • Contrast and sharpness are absolutely superb
  • Color rendition is absolutely fantastic
  • slight bit of vignetting when shooting wide open

There are many test shots made with the Rokinon, so be sure to check them out.

Now to the video performance

Rokinon 35mm F1.4 EOS Mount Lens Review from Peter Donaghy on Vimeo.

Excerpts from the video part of the review:

  • incredibly impressed with this lens in the low light environments
  • color and contrast straight without adjustments is fantastic

The conclusion sums up the pros of this amazing lens:

-Sharp throughout all aperture ranges, even at 1.4 the sharpness is commendable
-Colors are very snappy, contrast is crisp, no noticeable color casts
-Construction of lens is phenomenally solid, also balances very well on most SLRs
-Size and texture of focus rings allows for follow focus attachments very easily for video applications (e.g. follow focus modifications)
-Fast aperture for manageable price, especially when compared to Nikon and Canon equivalents
-Beautifully smooth operation of all moving parts (aperture and focus rings)

Not bad for a lens that has a price of $479. So, here is the Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA [via fstoppers]

Last Days Of Canon Rebates (Lenses, 5D3, expires 2/2/2013)

 

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Last days of the Canon Lens and DSLR rebates folks!

B&H has special offers on lenses and EOS 5D Mark III kits that will expire soon, that is on 2/2/2013. So hurry up if you want to get the deals. Savings go up to $400 for lenses!

  • to see all lenses on rebate click here
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III body only for $2,975 (click here), free: SanDisk – 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card Extreme 400x UDMA
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera Kit with Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM for $3,499 (click here)free: SanDisk – 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card Extreme 400x UDMA

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Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM (IS works really well)

Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM
Image courtesy: The Phoblographer

The Phoblographer had his first impressions on the Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM (price & specs). All we knew about the lens (i.e. build quality, ergonomics etc) is confirmed. They praise the excellent image stabilization. In the conclusion they write:

[…] first reaction on hearing about this lens was one of confusion, I didn’t get the point of another midrange zoom. Especially since the range fell right within the 24-105mm f4L IS and it was more expensive. Regardless of this initially negative opinion, I thought I’d give it a change and see how well it performed. When it arrived and I put it on my camera for the first time, two specific things stuck out to me that I liked, it was a great size/weight for a professional zoom, and the IS works really, really well. Part of the reason I gave up my zoom lenses, was that I hated the bulk and weight of them after so many years of lugging them around, this new 24-70mm f4L IS is a great size and not too heavy which means it could be a fantastic travel lens. It handles well, focuses fast, and so far, has impressive image quality. I’m going to dive further into the qualities in my full review, but so far, I think it is a nice lens. I will leave you with a few more image samples for now including a couple shots at full macro.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

[via The Phoblographer]

 

New Sigma 30mm Lens For Canon Mount Announced At CP+

New Sigma 30mm

Sigma announced new lenses at CP+, only one for Canon mounts: the newly designed 30mm F1.4 DC HSM, part of its “A” (Art) line-up:

SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM”, the large-aperture standard lens with an angle of view equivalent to 45mm on a 35mm camera, is a superb go-to lens for artistic photography on an APS-C format digital SLR. Offering the bright F1.4 aperture and an angle of view extremely close to that of human vision, this lens is ideal for many different types of photographic expression.

Featuring an advanced design and the latest manufacturing technologies, SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM, the large-aperture APS-C format standard lens delivers the highest level of image quality worthy of the Art line. The photographer can leverage the shallow depth of field that creates beautiful bokeh for snap shots, portraits, landscapes, and many different styles of photography.

The SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM can be preordered at B&H (click here)

Sigma’s product description:

1. Our Art line delivers high-level artistic quality
Sigma is organizing all its interchangeable lenses into three product lines; Contemporary, Art and Sports. Designed with a focus on sophisticated optical performance and abundant expressive power, our Art line delivers high-level artistic expression. Developed with the maximum emphasis on artistic touch, they are designed to meet the expectations of users who value a creative, dramatic outcome above compactness and multifunction. Along with landscapes, portraits, still-life, close-up and casual snaps, they are perfect for the kind of photography that unleashes the inner artist. Ideal for studio photography, they offer just as much expressive scope when capturing architecture, starry skies, underwater shots and many other scenes.
2. A large aperture F1.4 standard lens
Sigma pioneered the large-aperture APS-C format standard lens category with its 30mm F1.4 lens in 2005. Now that we have reorganized all our lenses into three product lines, we are proud to introduce the fully updated “SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM”. Offering the shallow depth of field of F1.4 and an angle of view extremely close to that of human vision, this lens stimulates the desire to create and is ideal for many different types of photographic expression. The bright viewfinder also aids focusing and composition of images.
3. Outstanding image quality for enhanced photographic expression
Convenient angle of view of a standard lens challenges photographers’ expression. The SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM has outstanding optical performance in order to fully perform its best expressive quality at all shooting distances. Optimized power distribution minimizes field curvature thereby preventing a loss of image quality at the edges of photographs. The use of a double aspheric lens minimizes spherical distortion, astigmatism and coma. Coma of point light sources is minimized near the edge of the image, and an attractive round bokeh effect is produced at large-aperture settings.
4. Incorporating a Rear Focus system
The lens incorporates a rear focus system that prevents focus-dependent variation in aberration, making high-level image quality possible throughout the entire image. With their unchanging barrel length, these lenses also enhance balance and stability for the photographer. Furthermore, since the front of the lens does not rotate, polarizing filters can be used with extra convenience.
5.Flare and ghosting conscious design
From an early stage, flare and ghosting are thoroughly measured to establish the design which is resistant to strong incident light such as backlight. Sigma’s Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting, and provides sharp and high contrast images even in backlit conditions.
[Other Features]
  • Minimum focusing distance of 30cm
The maximum magnification is 1:6.8, making it excellent for close-up photography.
  • Hyper Sonic Motor
The HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a silent, high-speed AF function. Optimizing AF algorithm, smoother AF is achieved. It also enables full-time manual focusing capability which allows sensible focus adjustment by simply rotating the focus ring.
  • Incorporating Rounded diaphragm
The 9 blade rounded diaphragm creates an attractive round bokeh at large-aperture settings.
  • Design concept
The new product lines incorporate rubber for the attachment part of the provided lens hood. For better usability, the designs of the lens cap and AF/MF changeover switch have been improved. In order to ensure high accuracy of the product, all metallic parts and the new compound material, TSC (Thermally Stable Composite), which has a high affinity to metal parts, are housed internally.
  • Brass made bayonet mount
This lens incorporates a brass made bayonet mount which has both high accuracy and durability. A special treatment to reinforce its strength is applied to the surface giving it greater strength and making it highly resistant to long-term use.
  • Newly developed “USB DOCK” exclusively for new product lines
Attaching the lens to an optional USB DOCK (planned to be available in 2013) plugged to your computer and using dedicated software “SIGMA Optimization Pro”, you can update the lens firmware and adjust parameters such as focus.
  • Evaluation with Sigma’s own MTF measuring system “A1”
We used to measure lens performance with MTF measuring system using conventional sensors. However, we’ve now developed our own proprietary MTF (modulation transfer function) measuring system (A1) using Foveon 46-megapixel direct image sensors. Even previously undetectable high-frequency details are now within the scope of our quality control inspections. The SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM will all be checked using this “A1” before they are shipped.
  • “Made in Japan”
All Sigma’s manufacturing right down to molds and parts is carried out under an integrated production system. We are now one of the very few manufacturers whose products are solely “made in Japan”. We like to think our products are somehow imbued with the essence of our homeland, blessed as it is with clean air and water, and focused, hard-working people. We pride ourselves on the authentic quality of Sigma products, born of a marriage between highly attuned expertise and intelligent, advanced technology. Our sophisticated products have satisfied professionals and lovers of photography all over the world, because our manufacturing is based on genuine craftsmanship, underpinned by the passion and pride of our experts.
[Specification] For Sigma
Lens Construction: 8 elements in 9 groups | Minimum aperture: F16 | Filter size: ø62mm | Angle of view (SD1): 50.7° | Minimum focusing distance: 30cm/11.8in. | Dimensions (Diameter x Length): ø74.2mm x 63.3mm/2.9in. x 3.5in. | Number of diaphragm blades: 9 (Rounded diaphragm) | Maximum magnification ratio: 1:6.8 | Weight: 435g/15.3oz.

 

Canon’s 2012 Financial Results

Canon's 2012 Financial Results

Canon released the financial results for 2012 (pdf file here). A graphical summary can be viewed here (pdf).

Quoting Reuters (source: The Digital Picture)

Japan’s Canon reports Q4 operating profit down 17.9 percent

TOKYO – Japan’s Canon Inc posted a 17.9 percent drop in quarterly operating profit on Wednesday, hurt by a strong yen and weaker demand for compact cameras as consumers switched to smartphones.

Canon says sales in China down more than 30 percent in 2012

TOKYO – Canon Inc said on Wednesday that its sales in China fell more than 30 percent in the year to December 2012, more than it had expected, due to a slowdown in that country and a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.

Canon forecasts 7.1 pct drop in 2013 compact camera sales

TOKYO, Jan 30 – Japan’s Canon Inc said on Wednesday it expected to sell 17 million compact cameras in the current business year ending in December, versus 18.3 million in 2012.

 

[via The Digital Picture]