[Rumor] EOS 1D-X shipping to selected customers

Lot of Canon related rumors this month. Latest murmurs are telling that the EOS-1D X finally started shipping, but just to a selected few:

I’ve received good info that production samples of the Canon EOS-1D X have begun shipping to preselected lucky photographers. I’m told it’s for Euro 2012 and Olympic photographers, so they can get familiar with the camera.

The EOS-1D X is scheduled to ship in June 2012, for the rest of us.

[via CR]

[Patent] Canon’s New EF 600mm f/4 and EF 400mm f/2.8 Lenses

600mm f/4
400mm f/2.8

Japanese site egami (Google translated) spotted two new Canon patents. The patents refer to the EF 600mm f/4 and the EF 400mm f/2.8 lenses. The lenses will have reduced size and weight. The 600mm will have 15 elements in 9 groups, the 400mm 14 elements in 9 groups (more specs below). Performance charts:

Performance Chart 600mm f/4
Performance Chart 400mm f/2.8

More specifications (machine-translated)…:

  • Patent Publication No. 2012-88427
    • 2012.5.10 Release Date
    • 2010.10.18 filing date
  • Example 1
    • Focal length f = 585.00mm
    • Fno 4.12
    • Image height 21.64mm
    • Length 468.50mm lens
    • BF 90.78mm
    • 15 sheets of 9 group lens configuration
    • One aspherical surface a
    • 2 UD glass sheet
    • One fluorite
    • A plane diffraction
  • Example 2
    • Focal length f = 391.86mm
    • Fno 2.88
    • Image height 21.64mm
    • Length 367.51mm lens
    • BF 50.01mm
    • Lens Construction 14 elements in 9 groups sheet
    • 2 2 aspherical surface
    • 1 UD glass sheet
    • One fluorite
    • A plane diffraction
  • Group 3 consists of positive and negative positive
  • Inner Focus (group 2)
  • Strengthen the refractive power of the front lens group, and to shorten the overall length, the sensitivity is increased, it is difficult to manufacture and assembly
  • The number of lens group at the end of the super-telephoto lens is determined by the balance of the total length and chromatic aberration
    • And shorten the length and reconcile, the correction of chromatic aberration, the number will increase
      • It is important to the length of each degree
    • Weight of the first lens group, 70% to 9 on the whole
      • Canon patents is reduced to three the first group
      • Aspherical and one eye in group 1 group, field curvature correction, the distortion
      • Diffractive optical element and the second two groups in the first group, the chromatic aberration correction
[egami via CR]

[Rumor] More Canon Mirrorless Information Leaking (June Announcement Confirmed)

www.davidriesenberg.com

I report and sum up the Canon mirror-less news i got in the last few days. My source told me that a Canon mirror-less camera will indeed be announced next month, in June. I’ve been told that the camera will  have a 4:3 ratio sensor and that it looks a little like Nikon’s V1 (but will be much much better a camera than the V1 :-) ). This means it will could have the sensor of the PowerShot G1 X (good!) and it will have a modern look, not vintage-style as other mirror-less cams. Unlike most of the renderings and concepts we saw floating around the Web in the last months, the upcoming Canon mirror-less cam will not be a vintage designed range-finder camera. In other words: it will not look like the Fuji X100 or the Olympus E-M5.

No mention so far about the lens-mount it will have. I wonder if the pancake lens I reported about yesterday has something to do with the upcoming mirror-less system camera by Canon. I mean: a pancake lens seems to be made for ILCs, but will it mount natively or will it need an adapter? That’s a big question in my opinion. There is such a lot of outstanding Canon lenses that I really hope Canon will deliver an easy yet fully functional way (read: adapter) to use these lens on its upcoming Interchangeable Lens Camera. I heard also some rumors saying that the camera will/could have an EF-S mount. Given the race to always smaller ILC bodies, I think this is not very plausible. But then: who knows.

What follows are my very own thoughts about the whole Canon mirrorless 4/3 thing:

  • I hope Canon will make a light-weighted camera – I always had DSLRs, and as much as I like them, I do not like the bulk that comes with them
  • Let us use the whole range of EF lenses in their full functionality (i.e. all features including IS and AF, camera controlled aperture and exposure)
  • We want the EF-adapter, do not overprice it!
  • Give us full cross-compatibility with the EOS system
  • Give us some light and small prime lenses (and maybe a couple of zooms) made specifically for the ILC
  • Give us a cool kit lens, but make it really cool & smart
  • Give us an ILC with high ISOs, and with good high ISO performance (Canon, you can do it!)
  • Please keep the price at a reasonable level, at least lower than $800 (kit lens included) – The PowerShot G1 X is a fine camera with an outstanding lens, but a little overpriced IMHO
  • And finally: surprise us with an amazing sensor. Canon has so much sensor science and skills, they can do it.

There is only one thing given for granted: June will be a hot month for Canon fans! :-)

[Rumor] EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake Lens

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Looks like Canon will announce a new, affordable so-called pancake lens in June (no, not the one in the picture above), together with the T4i/650D and a mirrorless camera. “pancake” because such a lens is small and light. It’s rumored to be an EF 40mm f/2.8, and it will not be an “L” lens. Price should be <$300. This would be a nice addition to the huge Canon lenses family. An EF-S 18-135 IS II is also rumored to be announced in June. Lot’s of news coming from Canon next month!

[via CR]