Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Review

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG HSM
View Post

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art: [shopcountry 41663]

At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.4 to 16
  • Two Low Dispersion Elements
  • One Aspherical Element
  • Super Multi-Layer Coating
  • Hyper Sonic AF Motor, Manual Override
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
  • TSC Material, Brass Bayonet Mount
  • Compatible with Sigma USB Dock

Photographer and reviewer Dustin Abbott concluded his exhaustive review of the new Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens. The new Sigma 85mm gets a lot of attention and talk, and Dustin Abbott’s real-world review highlights what makes this lens so interesting.

While not being without flaws, having a “fairly strong amount of chromatic aberration“, the overall impression of the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM is very good. From the conclusion:

[…] the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 ART is pretty fabulous.  It is impressively sharp at all apertures, has the lowest vignette I’ve yet seen from an 85mm lens, and has fantastic light transmission.  The lens is beautifully built, has an exceptional nice manual focus ring, and focuses extremely quickly and quietly.  It is also the best focusing ART series lens that I’ve used, with much more consistent, reliable results (though focus accuracy drops when using outer focus points).  The bokeh is quite smooth, the transition and fall off from the lens is good, and images look great.  It is a great performer in the studio, and should be a serious consideration for portrait shooters.

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM sells for $1,199, a more than fair price for the optical performance this lens delivers. Dustin’s review comes with many sample pics and discusses all aspects the lens.

A closer look to the bokeh quality of the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM:

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II with PIXMA PRO-100, filter kit, cleaning kit and photo paper – $1,649

EF 70-200mm
View Post

At a glance:

  • Outstanding optics: The lens is constructed of a combination of fluorite and ultra low dispersion lens elements, which reduce aberrations and result in high-contrast, sharp images.
  • 2 Image Stabilization modes: Mode 1 is a general mode for still photography, and Mode 2 smoothes up and down movements when panning with a moving subject.
  • Fast focus: USM ultrasonic autofocus motor is fast, smooth and quiet; manual focus override is available even in AF mode.
  • Focus range limiter: You can set the range of focus distances, to either 3.9′ to infinity or 8.2′ to infinity; both shorten focus times. These are great tools especially for sports photography.
  • Great bokeh: The curved aperture blades create a perfectly round aperture at all settings, promoting pleasing out-of-focus areas and round specular highlights.
  • Rugged build: The lens is sealed against dust and moisture.

Authorised Canon retailer Adorama has a very good bundle deal with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. The bundle includes:

  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens, USA
  • Canon PIXMA PRO-100 Professional Photo Inkjet Printer
  • Pro Optic 77mm Digital Essentials Filter Kit
  • Pro Optic Complete Optics Care and Cleaning Kit
  • Canon SG-201 Photo Paper Plus Semi-Gloss, 13×19″, 50 Sheets

The bundle is on sale at $1,649 after $250 instant rebate and $250 mail-in rebate (instructions). Free shipping. Will not last long. Compare to regular $2,099 for this kit.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III DxOMarked (sharpest EF 16-35mm f/2.8L to date)

EF 16-35mm f/2.8L

At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to 22
  • Three Aspherical & Two UD Elements
  • Subwavelength & Air Sphere Coatings
  • Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
  • Internal Focus; Full-Time MF Override
  • Fluorine Coating on Exposed Elements
  • Dust- and Water-Resistant Construction
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm

The Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III, a professional lens for news and event photographers, has been put on DxOMark’s benchmarks. It’s best iteration of the series so far. It’s an expensive lens, selling at $2,199, but its performance is top notch.

An important lens for many news, sports and event photographers who need speed and top performance at f/2.8, the improvements to edge sharpness on the new EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III will be appreciated. If it’s a lens you’re using on a daily basis, the improved resolution together with enhanced durability, including dust and water resistance, are probably enough to justify an upgrade from the ageing Mark I and II iterations. At $2199 it’s an expensive proposition though, not to mention big and heavy and, if you can live without its ‘fast’ f/2.8 maximum aperture, the cheaper, smaller and lighter 16-35mm f/4L version offers very similar image quality and sharpness as well as image stabilization. Cost aside however, the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III is the best performing version of this lens Canon has produced and delivers excellent results. Read the review…

EF 16-35mm f/2.8L

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III: [shopcountry 40054]

Canon Patent for RGWB 12 image sensor array

canon patentCanon patent for an RGWB image sensor.

  • Patent publication number 2016-208093
    • Release date 2016.12.8
    • Application date 2015.4.15
  • Canon patent
    • RGBW 12 array
    • Generate resolution data and color data, synthesize resolution data and color data, upconvert, process with mosaic processing (Bayer conversion), demosaic order

An excerpt from the patent literature after the break.

[via Egami]
Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon Announces AirPrint Support for 4 New Models in Canon PIXMA Wireless Inkjet All-in-One Printer Lineup

canon pixma
View Post

The new printers are the PIXMA TS9020, TS8020, TS6020 and TS5020, announced today. Canon press release:

Canon U.S.A. Announces AirPrint Support for Four New Models in the PIXMA Wireless Inkjet All-in-One Printer Lineup

Delivers Seamless, Convenient Mobile Printing From iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

MELVILLE, N.Y., December 15, 2016 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today that this series of four new printers, PIXMA TS9020, TS8020, TS6020 and TS5020, now support Apple® AirPrint wireless1technology.  Beneficial for consumers and home office professionals alike, AirPrint2 allows users to seamlessly print photos, email, web pages and documents wirelessly from iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod® touch devices, without the need to download or install any device drivers.

In addition to these four new printers, the other PIXMA printer models currently compatible with AirPrint wireless technology include:

  • PIXMA MG7720 Wireless1 Inkjet All-In-One Printer
  • PIXMA MG6820 Wireless1 Inkjet All-In-One Printer
  • PIXMA MG6821 Wireless1 Inkjet All-In-One Printer
  • PIXMA MG6822 Wireless1 Inkjet All-In-One Printer
  • PIXMA MG5720 Wireless1 Inkjet All-In-One Printer
  • PIXMA MG5721 Wireless1 Inkjet All-In-One Printer
  • PIXMA MG5722 Wireless1 Inkjet All-In-One Printer
  • PIXMA iP8720 Wireless1 Inkjet Crafting Printer

For a full list of all the printers from the Canon PIXMA lineup that support AirPrint wireless technology, please visit www.usa.canon.com/AirPrint.