Canon EOS M5 greater than the sum of the parts (and better engineered than Sony A6xx), Thom Hogan states

canon eos m5 mark ii mirrorless
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Canon EOS M5 at a glance:

  • 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 7 Image Processor
  • 2.36m-Dot EVF, Touch and Drag AF Control
  • 3.2″ 1.62m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
  • Built-In Wi-Fi with NFC, Bluetooth Smart
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF
  • Up to 9 fps Shooting and ISO 25600
  • Digital IS 5-Axis Image Stabilization

Nikon shooter Thom Hogan posted his thoughts about the photo gear of 2017.

He has a positive opinion about the Canon EOS M5 (specs & price), and what he has to say about is something I second:

The Sony cameras tend to be technical wizards. That Sony packs all that they do in the little A6xxx bodies is remarkable, but that isn’t without consequences. We’ve had heat issues at times. The offset EVF makes for a strange and awkward hold on such a small body. We’ve got Sony’s Tiny Buttons to deal with again […]

Meanwhile, Canon made the smallest DSLR you’ve ever seen. It holds like a DSLR, it shoots like a DSLR (even has a DSLR sensor), and it is controlled like a DSLR. They just put the already small SL2 into a shrink ray machine, tweaked a couple of things, and ended up with what has to be the smallest APS-C camera that handles well.

No, the focus speed isn’t Sony wiz-fast. No, the frame rates aren’t Sony wiz-fast. No, the deep shadows aren’t Sony wiz-post processable. No, there isn’t 4K video. No, no, no.

And yet, the M5 is an example of where the sum of the parts is greater than the sum of the parts, while the Sony A6xxx bodies tend to be the sum of the parts coming up as  less than the sum of the parts […]

What Thom Hogan is saying is that the EOS M5 is better thought, designed and engineered than Sony’s A6xx cameras [specs & price] . He also points to the major issue Canon’s EOS M system has: the lack of quality lenses. Learn more about Thom Hogan here.

I own an EOS M3, not M5. I had a chance to play around with an EOS M5 for a few days. I was impressed by the ergonomics and had a lot of fun using it. It delivers DSLR image quality, no need to discuss that. It may have taken Canon a long time to jump on the mirrorless bandwagon, but with the EOS M5 Canon again showed that when they decide to make something they make it for good.

Canon EOS M5: [shopcountry 40697]

Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L MACRO sample photos (Photography Blog)

The Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L (for RF mount)
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Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro: [shopcountry 47501]

At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/32
  • Two Ultra-Low Dispersion Elements
  • One Aspherical Element
  • Air Sphere and Subwavelength Coatings
  • Maximum Tilt: +/- 8.5°
  • Maximum Shift: +/- 12mm
  • Minimum Focusing Distance: 10.6″
  • Maximum Magnification: 0.5x

Photography Blog posted a set of sample images shot with the Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro (on an EOS 6D Mark II). Original files (JPG and raw) are available for download and for your pixel peeping pleasure.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS review (highly recommended, ePhotozine)

canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS
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Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS at a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/22
  • One GMo Aspherical Element
  • Air Sphere and Fluorine Coatings
  • Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • Dust- and Water-Resistant Construction
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm

ePhotozine posted their full review of the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS (price & specs). A lens that’s gathering a lot of attention, and many positive reviews for the right reason.

From ePhotozine’s conclusion:

Gorgeous and expensive, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM lens is [a] thing of beauty. There is no doubt that it performs superbly and produces exceptional images, efficiently and with outstanding ergonomics.

There are definite cost choices in that Canon offer a very low priced f/1.8 version, or, looking at the opposite argument, for only just under £200 more the f/1.2 comes into view.

Many may find it surprising that there has been a hole in the Canon range for this f/1.4 lens, which is certainly the classic offering for most other marques. It could be the perfect compromise between cost and speed, but in the end the choice will be a very personal one. What is quite certain is that the new Canon lens will not disappoint. Read the review…

The reviewer praises the excellent sharpness, low distortions and low CA, a great bokeh, fast and accurate AF. And all these goods come for a price, which is over $1,800.

More Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS coverage here. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS is in stock and sells for $1,599 at Amazon US,  Adorama, Canon Store, and B&H Photo.

More Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS order/pre-order links (if available in the respective countries):

[shoplist 46811]

Yongnuo announces YN 14mm f/2.8 lens for Canon mount

YN 14mm f/2.8
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Yongnuo YN 14mm f/2.8 at a glance:

  • Focal Length 14mm
  • Lens Structure 9 groups 12pcs
  • Diaphragm Leaves 7pcs
  • Minimum Aperture 22
  • Minimum Focus Distance Approx 0.2m
  • Maximum Amplification Factor Approx 0.15x
  • Drive System DC Motor
  • Maximum Diameter and Length Approx Φ86×105mm
  • Weigh tApprox 780g

Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo announced a ultra-wide angle lens for Canon mount, the YN 14mm f/2.8. The YN 14mm f/2.8 looks very similar to Canon’s 14mm lenses. Interesting detail: the Yongnuo YN 14mm f/2.8 has a USB port for firmware updates. Although the new Yongnuo lens looks similar to Canon’s 14mm f/2.8 II lens it’s not a clone. As for the time of writing neither the price nor the shipping date are known.

From Yongnuo:

A Professional Lens of Capturing Grand View

YONGNUO Ultra-wide Angle Prime Lens YN14mm F2.8

114° Ultra-wide Angle

The diagonal angle of view is about 114°. For YN14mm F2.8 helps to collect the vast landscape and giant structures, it’s easier to show a grand and solemn atmosphere.

High-precision,Ultra-low Dispersion and Aspherical Lens
It carries two high-precision aspherical glass lenses, one of which adopts ultra-low dispersion lens, which effectively compensates various optical aberration,  minimizes chromatic aberrations, and provides excellent sharpness and color correction.

Precision-machined Abnormal Dispersion Lens

YN14mm 2.8 adopts 1pcs of abnormal dispersion lens, which helps to better control the dispersion problem from super-wide angle and large aperture, and, helps to improve second order spectrum.

Glass Optical Lens, Multilayer Coating

It adopts glass optical lens and multilayer coating technology to effectively increase light transmittance and minimize backlight ghost image and glare.

Firmware Upgrade

YN14mm F2.8 is equipped with USB port. The users can download the latest firmware from the official YONGNUO website and update the lens to keep the best compatibility and performance.

F2.8 Large Aperture

With F2.8 bright and large aperture, background blurred, subject highlighted.

Focus Modes: Auto Focus (AF) and Manual Focus (MF)

YN14mm F2.8 supports auto focus and manual focus. The focus mode can be selected according to practical requirement.

7 pieces of Aperture Blades

YN14mm F2.8 has 7 pieces of aperture blades, which helps to take picture of circular defocused spots and helps to reduce the aperture and take picture of 14-star effect.

Durable Metal Mount

YN14mm F2.8 adopts chrome-plated and high-accuracy metal mount. It’s wearable, corrosion-resistant, and highly consistent with the camera.

Focus Distance Indicator

YN14mm F2.8 is equipped with focus distance indicator. It’s convenient for you to judge the distance and the depth of field.

Gold-plating Technology

The metal contacts adopts gold-plating technology,which brings the advantages of excellent signal transduction ,perfect image quality and new performance breakthroughs.