Does The EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x Have A Design Issue?

200-400

The EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x is still an entity without price (though >$10000 are rumored), with no release date, and not available for those who would like to have it. The latest murmuring about the reasons for the delay are suggesting that there could be a design issue. Quoting CR:

The latest […] is that the lens has needed a redesign in regards to the “bump” that holds the built-in 1.4 TC. […] it was brought to the attention of Canon at the Olympics that some pros were complaining that the “bump”, or a function of the “bump” got in the way of something. Again, what the something was wasn’t elaborated upon.

[via CR]

 

A New Forum For Canon Users (By Canon Itself)

Canon's press release:

New Canon Forum Provides A Platform To Ask Questions, Get Answers And Share Experiences With Peers

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., November, 13, 2012 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the launch of the Canon Forum, where enthusiasts can communicate with one another to trade personal tips and techniques to get the most out of their Canon products and post personal product experiences.

“We are very excited to offer our customers a place to ask questions, interact and learn more from their fellow Canon users,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “With the rise of social media, Canon recognizes the importance of connecting users to each other for information-sharing purposes.”

Users can browse the Canon Forum page, forums.usa.canon.com, and then register to join or start a conversation. To help organize the various topics being discussed in the Canon Forum, there are five boards now open: Camera, Printer, Cinema EOS, Camcorder and General Discussion.

The addition of the Canon Forum adds to the growing number of Canon U.S.A. social media sites that are currently available. The other sites you can visit directly from the Internet and through links provided within the forum are:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/canonusa

YouTube: www.youtube.com/canonusa

For more information about Canon U.S.A., please visit: www.usa.canon.com

Rumor: Canon’s 2013 Roadmap (Lenses, New Rebel, EOS 70D, High Res DSLR)

One of my sources informed me about Canon's 2013 roadmap. The source is reliable, was right in the past. So, here comes the rumor:

  • New EOS video lenses before the end of January 2013. No hints about specs or focal lengths
  • New EOS-M lenses in Q1 (February-March). The source was referring to prime lenses, possibly a 35mm or 50mm faster than f/3.5 (f/2.8 was suggested), could have image stabilization.
  • At least two new DSLRs before March 2013. One being a new Rebel, the other most probably the EOS 70D
  • And finally: the rumored high megapixel DSLR (at least 46MP) could be announced during Q3. Unfortunately no specs here, except that it will have 6fps, and a newly designed sensor with very good low ISO performance. No hints about the name, but it will not have the “D” in the name. It's said to be something “very new” and specifically aimed at studio photography. Prototypes already undergoing tests.

My take: sounds all plausible. Unfortunately, without specifications it's hard to get an idea. Moreover, translation was difficult and I can't be sure something didn't get lost in translation. Nevertheless:

  • Canon will most probably announce some more lenses for the EOS-M mount. At least they should, imo.
  • The EOS 60D is definitely due to be replaced by an EOS 70D. I think this is the most reliable of the rumors listed above
  • The high resolution DSLR was already rumored in the past. The only new spec (6fps) is credible. The previous rumor was about 10fps, which sounds weird to me. A 10 fps camera with 46MP needs lots of processing power, and a very performing hardware. 6fps are more close to what is feasible with a 46MP sensor.

 

Humor: Meet The Vidiot, The Flasher, The Macro Freak, And More Clueless DSLR Users

This funny little video was made by Sony to push its mirrorless camera offerings. The video makes fun of eight stereotypes of DSLR shooters that have no clues about what they are doing. Sony created the Youtube account DSLR Gear No Idea to post this video.

Hilarious thing. Meet the following kinds of people with lotsa gear and no idea about how to use it: the foreign correspondent, the status updaters, the f-stop fusspot, the flasher, the sideline hero, the macro freak, the lens spotter and the vidiot. Needless to say: the video is going viral. Have fun!

[DSLR Gear No Idea via PetaPixel]

 

A Little Bit Of Everything

Street Photography And Telephoto Lenses: A Challenge That Works

The milk carton golfer. 90mm – Image credit: Napier Lopez

Very interesting post by Napier Lopez on PetaPixel about street photography, and about telephoto lenses used for this purpose. The focal lengths that are normally recommended (and used) for street photography are roughly between 28mm and 50mm. And there is a good reason for that: focal lengths of 35-50mm are more or less equivalent to the perspective humans have, i.e. they correspond to the angle of view of our eyes. That’s why a 50mm lens is called “normal”; according to Wikipedia: normal lens is a lens that reproduces a field of view that generally looks “natural” to a human observer under normal viewing conditions. Everyone who is into street photography (I am) has his own recipe on that matter, and telephoto lenses may appear to be not the best choice for street photography. Indeed, they are a powerful tool for that purpose, yet not necessarily easy to use. I am often using telephoto lenses when I am out to shot on the streets, mainly to shot candids.

The post, in the authors words, tries to “challenge the most basic tenet most serious street photographers will tell you: that you need a wide-ish or normal lens in order to do the genre properly, and that you need to get close“. The article tackles the following points in regard to street photography and telephoto lenses:

  • Shooting candid: with a telephoto lens you can take pictures without getting noticed
  • The artistic element you may add to your pics due to the background flattening effect of telephoto lenses
  • Z-Axis and perspective. This one is very interesting (check the picture above) Quoting Lopez:
    • People generally think of telephoto lenses as capturing less space than a wide angle lens for a given framing, but this isn’t totally true. If you’re framing your subject similarly, the compositional space you lose on the 2D plane, you can essentially regain on the Z axis. Meaning, since you have to stand further from your subject for equivalent framing, you get more space in between the camera and your subject to work with, space that so often goes unused. Although photography is a 2 dimensional medium (usually), that doesn’t mean the option to express yourself through the third dimension isn’t there. It just takes a little more work.
  • You are not loosing the intimacy and the human element just by using a telephoto lens

An article that’s absolutely worth to be read, even if street photography is not among your main interests. You can follow Napier Lopez on 500px.

[via PetaPixel]