Coronavirus Forces Canon To Temporarily Shut Down 5 Factories

coronavirus eos R5
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Canon announced it is temporarily shutting down five factories on Japan’s Kyushu island because there are supply shortages from China because of COVID-19, better known as Coronavirus.

The factories will be shut down from March 2 to March 13, 2020. Nikkei reports (machine translated):

Canon said on May 28 that it will suspend operations at its five offices in Kyushu, which produce cameras and related products, for about two weeks from March 2 to 13. The supply of parts from China may become unstable due to the effects of the new coronavirus. The operation date will be re-assigned to a different date within the year, but details will be finalized in the future. The company hopes to maintain production efficiency by operating when parts supply is stable.

The target is a total of five manufacturing subsidiaries in Oita, Miyazaki and Nagasaki. The company produces SLR cameras, interchangeable lenses, network cameras (surveillance cameras), etc. At the moment, no employees have been infected.

Ricoh has also decided to suspend the operation of some of its production lines in Miyagi Prefecture, which has been shut down since March 21, until March 6. It was originally scheduled for February 28, but will be extended for a week. There is some concern that the supply of parts needed to make digital printing presses for printers from China is lagging, delaying delivery.

For the time being it’s unclear if this will affect the release of the Canon EOS R5, but it’s likely it will.

Canon EOS Ra Review – A Mighty Fine Camera (and not just for astrophotography)

Canon EOS Ra review
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Here is a Canon EOS Ra review. The Canon EOS Ra is a special EOS R camera dedicated to astrophotography.

What sets the EOS Ra apart? The Canon EOS Ra has approximately four times the transmittance of hydrogen-alpha light (656 nm) as the EOS R (see the press release here). Photographs of subjects that reflect a lot of infrared light will therefore appear redder than they actually are.

The Phoblographer posted their full Canon EOS Ra review. From their conclusion:

The Canon EOS Ra is a mighty fine camera. The build quality is fantastic, overall image quality is excellent, the camera is weather-sealed, has a wonderful LCD and EVF, and the images that come from the camera during daytime use are great too.

[…] The Canon EOS Ra is a serious piece of kit. It has been designed for photographers who are passionate about astrophotography, more specifically, deep space photography. If you plan on getting a telescope to attach the EOS Ra to, or if you already own one and the required T-adapters and mounts, you will get the most out of it. If you are just going to do regular wide-angle astrophotography, though, you’re better off looking elsewhere because the specialized Ha filter will be lost on you.

Read the review at The Phoblographer

While the Canon EOS Ra is not the best tool to take pictures in daylight, it delivers “surprisingly great image quality when set to daytime white balance“.

More Canon EOS Ra review stuff is listed here.

Canon EOS Ra: [shopcountry 59313]

Deal: Datacolor SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid – $39 (reg. $69, today only)

SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid
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Only for today (3/2/2020) B&H Photo has the Datacolor SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid on sale.

Get the Datacolor SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid at $39 instead of $69. Free shipping.

While $39 will likely not break your bank, there is an even less expensive way to calibrate autofocus on your lens.

More hand-picked deals are listed here.

Key features:

  • Fast, easy solution for your interchangeable lenses and recent DSLR bodies provides razor-sharp auto-focusing, using modern DSLR autofocus micro-adjustment technology
  • Compact, lightweight and durable, with integrated level and tripod mount, making this the most convenient way to adjust your own camera gear
  • Save time and hassle of sending your equipment in for service. Now you can check or calibrate your own lenses
  • Accurate and repeatable calibration of your lenses and recent DSLR bodies
  • Worthwhile investment to ensure your camera is focusing your lenses as precisely as possible
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Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS Review – Is “Defocus Smoothing” Worth The Money?

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 DS Review
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Here is a Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS review. The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS features Canon’s “Defocus Smoothing” otpical technology (see video below to learn more about it).

Lens Rentals reviewed the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS. They liked the “incredible sharpness”, fast and accurate AF, the “Defocus Smoothing” technology, and obviously the high quality build quality of a Canon L lens. They didn’t like so much the price (who does?) and the fact you loss approximately 1.3 stops of light with Defocus Smoothing.

From their conclusion:

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS left [the reviewer] conflicted. On one hand, its a really great lens with incredible sharpness. On the other hand, it’s an overpriced great lens with a gimmicky moniker. I love this lens and the images I was able to produce while using it, but I don’t think the Defocus Smoothing made the images any better or worse. For me personally, this lens has made me further my appreciation for the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L non-DS, as it shares the same level of sharpness without the $300 added to the cost.

Read the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS review at Lens Rentals

More Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS review stuff is listed here.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS: [shopcountry 60203]

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS key features and description:

  • RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.2 to f/16
  • Defocus Smoothing Coating for Soft Bokeh
  • Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics Element
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Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 Deal – $499 (free USB dock, reg. $799, today only)

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 deal Art DC ART
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Only for today (3/1/2020) authorised Sigma retailer Adorama has an excellent Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 deal.

Get the Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 DC HSM ART Lens (Canon EF mount) at $499. Compare at $799. Free shipping.

Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 deal key features:

  • This Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 Bundle comes with:. Plus Free Bonus items ( $59.00 Value) : Sigma USB Dock
  • This lens is part of Sigma’s Art line; deeming it well-suited to creative image making due to its large, constant f/1.8 maximum aperture and ability to produce aesthetic bokeh by way of a nine-blade circular diaphragm
  • One aspherical lens element, as well as the incorporation of SLD glass, help to minimize the appearance of distortions and aberrations throughout the zoom range and provide clear imagery with enhanced sharpness
  • The Hyper Sonic Motor provides fast, quiet and smooth auto focusing that is well-suited for use with video applications. This AF motor can also be manually overridden at any time by rotating the focusing ring, giving you the ability to fine-tune image sharpness through manual focusing
  • Constructed using a TSC compound material, this lens is lightweight while also exhibiting notable durability and resistance to environmental changes
  • An internal focusing and zooming mechanism helps to maintain a consistent overall lens length and a non-rotating front ring facilitates more efficient use of circular polarizers
  • Compatible with Sigma’s USB Dock and Sigma Optimization Pro software for fine-tuning your lens’ performance, updating its firmware and better suiting it to your needs
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