Do You Think Canon Made A Huge Mistake?

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Did Canon make a huge mistake when they told Viltrox not to market auto-focus lenses for the RF mount?

The reason for Canon’s reaction are patent infringements, i.e. violation of Canon’s intellectual property. So, was this a dumb move, besides being an overzealous move? Me thinks third party RF mount lenses would benefit the EOS R system as a whole. But who am I to judge?

Christopher Frost posted a video-essay where he analyses and discusses Canon’s decision. The video lasts 7 minutes and is definitely worth your time.

Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Canon EOS R7 Review (lot of camera for reasonable money, D. Abbott)

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Here is a Canon EOS R7 review. The Canon EOS R7 is Canon’s first APS-C mirrorless camera with RF mount and users and reviewers seem to love it.

At a glance:

  • 32.5MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
  • 4K60 10-Bit Video, HDR-PQ & C-Log 3
  • 30 fps E. Shutter, 15 fps Mech. Shutter
  • 2.36m-Dot OLED EVF
  • 1.6m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
  • Sensor-Shift 5-Axis Image Stabilization
  • Dual UHS-II Memory Card Slots
  • Multi-Function Shoe, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
  • RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens

Dustin Abbott posted his comprehensive Canon EOS R7 review. From his conclusion:

[…] the Canon EOS R7 is a lot of camera for a reasonable amount of money.  It has a lot going for it, from the blistering burst rate in either mechanical (3FPS faster than the EOS R3) or electronic shutter mode to the excellent, high resolution 32.5MP sensor.  This is a tool that makes it easy to capture images in a wide variety of situations.

The focus system is largely borrowed from the EOS R3, which means that it is among Canon’s best, and the great focus and blistering frame rate is held back only by buffers that fill a little too quickly.

Canon does ergonomics extremely well, and the EOS R7 feels great in the hand and is intuitive to operate.

At a price point of $1499 USD, this is the spiritual successor of the very popular 7D series.  It is reborn in mirrorless form and is all the better for it.  The EOS R7 does things the 7D could only dream of, and despite a decade of inflation since the last 7D model, the price remains the same.  Canon has jumped into the RF APS-C space very ably, but now they need to fully commit with a wide range of RF-S lenses that will make the system – and not just the camera – competitive.

Read the whole review at Dustin Abbott’s website…

As usual, Dustin Abbott’s reviews come with test charts, sample pics, dynamic range tests, and much more. D. Abbott also provides a video-review that someone might prefer to the written review. It’s here for your viewing pleasure.

More Canon EOS R7 information, reviews and more is listed here.

Canon EOS R7: [shoplist 69416]

This Canon EOS 5D Mark II Has More Than 2.2 Million Shutter Actuations

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Call it a venerable camera, call it the legendary Canon EOS 5D Mark II (released in 2008), call it whatever you want but do not forget that this camera has almost 2.3 million shutter actuations. Not bad, eh?

User FoxTailWhipz posted a video on YouTube where he presents this truly venerable piece of gear. He says:

Make sure to watch until the end for some crazy statistics! Have you ever seen a camera with this high of a shutter count??

Enjoy the video.

Anyone here with a Canon camera that has more shutter actuations? Let me know and I might post about it.

[via DPReview]

Canon Patent: Automatic Self-composing Selfie Stick (extends, retracts, changes angle)

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You read it right. This Canon patent application might refer to a selfie stick that automagically adjusts length and angle to take the perfect selfie.

Canon patent application 2021040089 (published 9/26/2022, Japan) discusses methods and technology for an automatically self-composing, robotic selfie stick. From the patent literature:

An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device capable of adjusting the composition in real time when taking a selfie.

An imaging apparatus as one aspect of the present invention includes an imaging unit, an extendable rod attached to the imaging unit, a grip provided on the rod, and a target composition and a current composition of the imaging unit. control means for adjusting the composition of the imaging unit based on the difference, wherein the control means controls the focal length of the imaging unit, the first angle between the imaging unit and the rod, the grip unit and the At least one of a second angle with the bar or the length of the bar is changed to adjust the composition.

The Canon patent’s selfie stick adjusts the composition of a selfie by recognizing the subject and automatically extending or retracting the stick, and by adjusting the angle. A fully automatic composition for the perfect selfie.

The Canon patent was spotted by Digicame Info. More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Laowa 58mm f/2.8 APO 2x Macro Review (great value, D. Abbott)

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Here is a Laowa 58mm f/2.8 APO 2x Macro review by one of the most serious and professional gear reviewers you may find. The The Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO has been just announced, and sells at $499 at Venus Optics.

Dustin Abbott posted his exhaustive and complete Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO review. From Mr. Abbott’s conclusion:

[…] I’m delighted with the Laowa 58mm F2.8 APO 2x Macro. While it is very similar in many ways to the 90mm F2.8 APO 2x Macro, the wider focal length opens up a lot of different and unique opportunities. Very close macro is a little more difficult due to the closer working distance, but I do think that is compensated for by the versatility of the focal length for other subjects.

It is that versatility that makes this such an appealing option, much like my Voigtländer 65mm but with more macro capabilities […]

When you look at the price tag (about $500 USD) relative to the competing lenses, the Laowa really starts to feel like a great value, particularly if you tend to do your macro work utilizing manual focus anyway. Modern mirrorless bodies eliminate a lot of the sting of doing macro work, and you can’t argue with the kinds of results you can get from this lens. This is a top-notch value lens, and should be near the top of your macro list if you own a Canon, Sony, Nikon, or Leica mirrorless body and would prefer a slightly wider angle of view in your macro lens.

Read the full review on Dustin Abbott’s website…

The review comes with test charts, sample pics, and much more. As usual, D. Abbott also posts a video-review that someone might prefer to the written review. It’s here for your viewing pleasure.

More reviews by Dustin Abbott are listed here.

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Firmware Update For Canon C70 Released

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Canon released a firmware update for the Canon EOS C70, which resolves an issue that emerged in July 2022.

Canon EOS C70 firmware 1.0.4.1 incorporates the following fix:

1. Fixes an issue, in which, in rare instances, the camera cannot be normally operated when operating the REC button with the camera set to the [Continuous Recording] function.

You can download Canon EOS C70 firmware 1.0.4.1 here.