Canon refurbished gear deals still live (80D $799, M3 $300, M3 with 18-55mm $350, and more)

eos m3

The Canon Store still has some excellent deals on refurbished cameras. All refurbished item from the Canon Store come with 1 year Canon USA warranty.

Looking for something different? Click the links below and look for the gear you want.

A Bit of Everything

Above: Kelvin White Balance for Awesome Urban Photography – The PixelHobo


Keep the Focus – A Meditation Guide for Street Photographers (free ebook) – Thomas Ludwig

Panoramic images: Creating panoramic – Canon Professional Network

Gear of the Year: Carey’s choice – Canon PowerShot G9 X – DPReview

Tamron announced a new sensor that Exceeds Far Beyond Human Visual Capability – Mirrorless Rumors

Canon lens construction – Canon Professional Network

100 million EF lenses : Canon Ambassadors reveal their favourites – Canon Europe

How to Take Professional Photos of Your Vacation – Laura Morita/Canon DLC

Which Canon Cameras Maintain Autofocus with Extenders at f/8 Max Aperture? – Shutter Muse

Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 Astrophotography Review – Lonely Speck

The smiles behind the style: an enduring creative partnership – Lorenzo Agius on his career (CPN)


Below: 100 Photographs: The Most Influential Images of All Time Trailer – TIME

Canon patent for EF 600mm f/4 IS DO lens

jpa_428200685_000002

That may become a killer lens if it ever goes to production. Canon files a patent for a n EF 600mm f/4 IS DO lens. “DO” stays for diffractive optics.

Will this lens eventually replace the existing EF 600mm f/4L IS II? Not necessarily. DO optics are usually of smaller size than their counterparts without DO, so the lens referred in the patent could well be an addition to the line-up.

  • Patent publication number 2016-200685
    • Release date 2016.12.1
    • Application date 2015.4.9
  • Example 1
    • Focal length 585.00
    • F number 4.12
    • Half angle of view (degree) 2.12
    • Image height 21.64
    • Lens total length 335.32
    • BF 66.92
[via Egami]

Canon EOS M5 real-world sample pictures (DPReview)

canon eos m5 mark ii

Canon EOS M5: [shopcountry 40697]

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

DPReview posted a set of 103 sample pictures shot with the new Canon EOS M5.

The user manual for the Canon EOS M5 can be downloaded at Canon USA. Good to learn about the features of the EOS M5.

Customers perceive Canon as having Faster Service Times and Higher Tech Support Satisfaction Over Major Competitor, survey suggests

canon

Click for a larger version of the infographic

Canon’s the best! Canon press release:

Canon Releases Survey Results Confirming Consumer Perceptions of Faster Service Times and Higher Tech Support Satisfaction Over Major Competitor

MELVILLE, N.Y., December 5, 2016 – Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the findings from a nationwide third-party blind survey that compared customer perceptions concerning the speed of service and quality of tech support offered by Canon and Nikon. The survey was conducted among photographers (primarily professional, semi-professional, and advanced amateur) in November 2016 and found that customers perceive Canon’s service times to be faster than Nikon’s and that customer satisfaction with tech support is higher for Canon than it is for Nikon.

“Our customers need service they can count on,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, President and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We are very proud of our achievements in delivering world-class service and support. By making customer service an integral part of our business model, we are positioned to meet and exceed the changing needs and expectations of our customers.”

Key Survey Findings

  • Ultra-Fast Service: 76.9 percent of Canon customers who have had a service experience in the last 18 months indicated that the speed of their service was either ultra-fast or fast compared to 64.7 percent for Nikon.
  • Support Matters: 90.4 percent of Canon customers indicated that they were completely satisfied or satisfied with the technical support they received, as compared to 73.7 percent of Nikon’s customers.

Canon has made significant investments in service and support programs and operations, starting with the opening of their first call center in Chesapeake, VA in 1995. The Company prides itself on providing 100 percent in-house U.S. technical support. When it comes to call center operations, keeping all tech support calls in-house allows the Company to tightly control the quality and depth of the tech support provided. Canon maintains full control of its customers’ repair transactions, unlike other industry players that may rely on local third-party service providers to augment their service processing. This is a key differentiator for Canon and is one of the factors that allows the brand to control quick turn-around times and quality service.

About the Ultra-Fast Canon Service & Support Team

  • Support Across the Country: Canon’s Service & Support Network spans from the East to the West Coast (reaching as far as Honolulu, HI) with 10 locations totaling more than 300,000 square feet of space devoted to serving customers. Canon has two call center locations – in Virginia and New Mexico – which boast an average wait time of only 78 seconds to talk to a live tech support representative. There are also three locations in key metropolitan areas that specifically cater to professional customers, in addition to four factory service locations that serve all customers. Canon also has a Customer Care Center, which offers a service drop-off point at its corporate headquarters located in Melville, NY. In the spring of 2017, the Canon Hollywood Professional Technology & Support Center will relocate to Burbank, CA. In this new location, Canon service and support will be enhanced even further to assist the growing number of professional filmmakers and broadcast production clients in Southern California.
  • It’s More Than Just Support: The Canon Experience Center located in Costa Mesa, CA, not only offers service, but is also home to Live Learning workshops and seminars that provide opportunities to learn the latest photography, video, and printing techniques. Additionally, both the Costa Mesa and Lyndhurst, NJ, locations house product showrooms where customers can explore the latest Canon products.
  • 100 Percent U.S.-Based Team: Canon provides 100 percent U.S.-based tech support that is completely in-house staffed with over 600 “all Canon” employees. Canon’s combined nationwide service and support network is comprised of over 1,100 expert service and support team members who maintain full control of service quality and speed of repair transactions.

In addition to announcing the results of this survey, Canon has also launched a new digital advertising campaign that highlights the Company’s knowledgeable tech support staff and efficient service times that average 2.82 days (1.59 days for Canon Professional Services (CPS) Platinum members)1.

Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II review (best 35mm F1.4 prime available, DPReview)

EF 35mm f/1.4L II

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II: [shopcountry 34159]

At a glance:

  • EF Mount L-Series Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/1.4-22
  • Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics
  • Two Aspherical Elements, One UD Element
  • Subwavelength and Fluorine Coatings
  • Ultrasonic Autofocus Motor
  • Full-Time Manual Focus Override
  • Weather-Sealed Design
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm

DPReview posted their Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II review. And it is all a praise for the new EF 35mm f/1.4 II.

From the conclusion:

Canon has thrown everything it’s got at the 35mm F1.4L USM MkII, with a ground-up remake of the MkI original from 1998. This is a lens with the most advanced and innovative optics, heavy duty construction, and lightning autofocus – the whole nine yards. It is priced accordingly.

Every aspect of performance is best in class, and it’s the joint-sharpest lens we’ve ever tested […]. It’s especially impressive at F1.4, with very high sharpness extending right to the edges. The new BR Optics layer does its job of keeping chromatic aberrations under control, with unusually low levels of axial CA […]

This is the best 35mm F1.4 prime currently available. On performance overall, it leaves all-comers floundering in its wake with outstanding image quality, especially at F1.4, and extra-robust build. Some rivals come close optically, but none offers a total package to match the Canon 35mm F1.4L USM MkII. Read the review…

Clear words for a lens that sells at $1,649.