Remains of the day: More news of the last 24h

Photographer Hacks An EOS 5D Mark II To Mount Leica Lenses

Image credit: Robert Benson

Robert Benson, a photographer based in S. Diego, wanted to use his Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1 (around $6,500, ) lens. But he didn’t have a Leica for that purpose, so he decided to modify a Canon EOS 5D Mark III to mount Leica Lenses.

I modify 5dmk2 cameras and turn them into Leicas. But why? Here’s a little background: I have this $6500 exotic Noctilux 50mm f1 Leica lens, and didn’t have a camera to put it on. Couldn’t afford the M9 at the time, and wasn’t sure I wanted to afford it, so I decided to cut into a Canon 5dmk2 and modify it to accept Leica M lenses; all of them. I can do this modification for you.

He describes the procedure (isn’t that easy). R. Benson is doing this modification on your EOS 5D Mark II bodies if you want. He does everything (including getting an EOS 5D Mark II) for $2950

The modification isn’t easy; nearly impossible for the average person to do it. For modifications, the camera is completely dissasembled and the mirrorbox is stripped of its components and removed. The mirrorbox is then machined by a precision machinist – 30 years experience with hyper-minute detail – to the correct flange distance for Leica, 27.8mm.

The mirrorbox is reinforced with a two-part plexiglass frame. It is further reinforced with a 3mm thick piece of steel which serves as the lens mount. As a result, the mirrorbox is more durable than when it came out of the camera, and strong enough to hold even the weirdest, heaviest rangefinder lenses out there, from which there are hundreds. Everything is put back together by a factory trained camera technician.

Are you wondering which Leica lenses you can mount on the hacked EOS 5D Mark II?

It is custom modified to accept Leica rangefinder lenses and their equivalents. The camera has a 42mm or 39mm threaded mount – lenses – like all leica screwmount lenses, mount to the camera. If you want to use a bayonet M mount, you just use a screwmount flange, which I send with the modified camera. This goes in place of the bayonet mount on your lens(s).

There are sample images for you to check.

Image credit: Robert Benson
[Robert Benson via PetaPixel]

Remains Of The Day: Canon News Of The Last 24h

Latest Canon EOS 7D Mark II Rumor Suggests 25Mp and Announcement January 2013 (with EOS 700D, and no 70D)

canbody

The latest Canon EOS 7D Mark II rumor says Canon will announce the camera in January 2013 (before CP+, possibly during PMA). The Canon EOS 7D Mark II might be announced along with the EOS 700D, and there should not be an EOS 70D for some time. Instead of the EOS 70D, the EOS 7D with a reduced price tag will target the market share of the EOS 60D.

Regarding the (rumored) specs of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II: 10fps and a sensor with no more than 25MP.

It's also said that Canon is leaking false rumors to track leaks. :-)

[via NL]

 

Canon EOS 650/T4i Got DXOMarked (and falls behind the EOS 600D/T3i)

Canon EOS 650DT4i got DXOMarked

The Canon EOS 650/T4i got DXOMarked and now we have the rather unsatisfying result. Whatever you might think about DXO Marks they are here and we have to take it in account. Sure, it’s a purely engineering measure and it doesn’t tell the whole story. But they are an indicator for the sensor, its performance and properties. Not only the Rebel T4i/650D falls behind the Rebel T3i/600D, the previous iteration of the series, but it falls very short also when measured against its competitors (Nikon D3200 (click here for specs) and Sony SLT-A65 (click here for specs)). The DXOMark of the EOS 650D/Rebel T4i is 62, the 600D/T3i has 64.

I was surprised to read what DXOMark says about the the auto-focus of the EOS 650D/Rebel T4i: “innovative, quick, quiet, and powerful hybridized autofocus. In video mode, the autofocus operates continuously and takes full advantage of the emerging new line of lenses equipped with Stepping Motor (STM) technology“. This sounds good, especcially after the very critic review of the EOS M made by Engadget. Both cameras mount the same, hybrid sensor with dedicated photosites for auto-focus.

Don’t get too much impressed with these scores. Sure, they have something to say. But a feature-packed modern DSLR like the EOS 650D has much more to offer.

EOS 650D/Rebel T4i price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA [via DXOMark]