Zeiss Milvus lenses first impression round-up

Above: Cinema5D about Why You Should Look Into the New Zeiss Milvus Lens Lineup

The Phoblographer reviews the Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/2 (B&H Photo | Adorama)

The Zeiss 35mm f2 Milvus lens is really nice, but it’s also very expensive. You’ll get excellent image quality, weather sealing, Zeiss colors, Zeiss sharpness and only a bit of fringing that can be eliminated. It also controls distortion well. However, with autofocus on the Tamron 35mm f1.8 along with weather sealing, better sharpness and image quality overall on the Sigma 35mm f1.4, and with both lenses having a more affordable price, it’s a very tough sell.

 

The Phoblographer about the Zeiss Milvus 21mm f/2.8 (B&H Photo | Adorama)

The Zeiss 21mm f2.8 Milvus lens is what we’ve been waiting for a while. At least, we have a lens designed for a DSLR that has weather sealing, the Zeiss branding, Zeiss build quality and Zeiss image quality. What more could you ask for? At an angle this wide, autofocus isn’t really a problem because you’re shooting objects that are so wide and with such a large depth of field that you shouldn’t worry about it.

 

Long article by Ming Thein, A visit to Zeiss and thoughts on the Milvus line

The Milvus is the start of [a] change at the consumer level: the lenses are also designed to be consistent in color and overall rendering, which is why we have new 1.4/50 and 1.4/85 lenses; the old ones did have a unique rendering but were not consistent even within the rest of the ‘classic’ line (which continues to remain available). Other lenses that do not match will also be redesigned – there is a reason why we now have only six lenses for launch, but far more in the classic line. There have also been significant mechanical changes: aside from a new external design (beware pinching between the end of the barrel and hood, though) and more secure hoods, the lenses now all have full weather sealing, more visible scales, better overall gripability and a selectable clicked or steeples aperture (for video) – there is a small toggle in the rear mount, similar to the Loxia line.

zeiss milvus

All Zeiss Milvus lenses are available for pre-order:

Latest Wishmors round-up (80D, 7D Mark III, 50mm f/1L, 6D Mark II) [CW0]

canon rumors

It’s time to post a round-up of the many fake rumors I got, christened “wishmors” (wishful rumors) by my humble self. Please note: I don’t consider any of these wishmors to be plausible. I report this stuff for the sole purpose of fun, and to let you know what sort of suggestions fill my inbox.

We start with the EOS 80D (more 80D wishmors here and here):

EOS 80D will support focus peaking [editors note: this one could eventually turn out to be true, CW1]

What about an EF 50mm f/1.0L lens?

On Q2 2017 you will see this as an actual product if the engineers manage to keep the weight under control.
Canon is working on a II version of EF 50mm f/1.0 L which will have higher resolving power and incorporate the new lens element found in 35mm f/1.4 II.
The autofocus motor has been upgraded significantly. It’s fast to autofocus but there is a trade-off: the lens weights a lot.
Initially the management wanted the new 50mm f/1.0 to be available for release in Q2 2015. The project was delayed when engineering couldn’t keep the weight under control. The current goal is to release the lens in Q2 2017.
Optically, the lens exhibits almost no coma. It’s designed for use in the f/1.0 – f/2.8 range and for this reason its optical performance won’t be as good after f/2.8.
It will ship in a new kind of packaging in gold color. All Canon imaging products will gradually adopt the new box design.
There will be no printed user instructions in the box, instead there will be a downloadable PDF on Canon’s website. The same will be true for all new Canon lenses.
The price is expected to be very high, much higher than the current 50mm f/1.2. I have no information on something more specific.

The EOS 6D Mark II

Canon’s 6D Mark II is imminent and will introduce support for JPEG2000, a better image format. Standard JPEG will still be the default format and work as before, but photographers will have the option to enable JPEG2000 shooting from the menu.

Time ago we had a rumor about the top LCD becoming a color display

The color top LCD isn’t only a blue skies project, it will be put in future EOS DSLRs, it will be touchscreen and will support functions like: histogram, liveview, touch input for changing settings, and other things.

The EOS 7D Mark III  gets already a mention (the EOS 7D Mark II was announced September 2014)

Canon is developing 7D Mark III, it’s a slight update of Mark II tentatively scheduled for release sometime in 2017. The specs of the released product might change but for the moment it’s 24 MP, DPAF, and has a high-durability non-swivel touchscreen which is disabled by default but can be enabled through the menu and its use is entirely optional. No CF slot, it has dual SD UHS-II.

And I also have this info: Canon wants to release updates to its cameras more often but the updates will be less revolutionary, the Rebel and xxD (e.g. 80D) lines will test new technologies and sensors before they appear in the 7D line.

This is just a selection of the wishmors I get :-) Enjoy life!

Canon EOS M3 Underwater Housing announced (Nauticam NA-EOSM3)

Nauticam announced their underwater housing for the Canon EOS M3, the Nauticam NA-EOSM3. Details and Specifications:

  • Depth Rating: 100m
  • Dimensions: 195mm W x 127 mm H x 104 mm D
  • Weight: 1.09kg
  • Model Number: 17322
  • USA Retail Price: $1450

Press release [via Dive Photo Guide]

Announcing Nauticam Support for Canon EOS M3
A full-featured, ergonomic housing for the Canon MIL flagship.

Nauticam is pleased to announce the release of the NA-EOSM3, the newest offering in the largest lineup of precision aluminum underwater camera housings available today.

eos m3
Click here to open the rest of the article

Enthusiast-grade EOS M4 and new EF-M lenses coming, says Canon’s Masaya Maeda (8K, 4K, 120MP & 250MP sensors, new EF-S lenses, high-end inkjet printers coming soon, and much more)

EOS M3
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Imaging Resource posted a long and revealing interview with Mr. Masaya Maeda, Senior Managing Director and Chief Executive of Canon Inc’s Image Communication Products Operations. The interview was taken at Canon Expo 2015 in NYC.

One of the things you can read in the interview is that Canon will soon release a new line of high-end inkjet printers. According to Mr. Maeda, this may happen very soon. There is also talk about Canon’s strategy in the lens department. All the new lenses released in the last 5 years have been engineered with the EOS 5Ds and EOS 5Ds R in mind. Mr. Maeda talks about 8K and 4K, the 120MP and 250MP sensors, reveals that new EF-S lenses will be announced.

Obviously, there is a question about Canon’s plans with mirrorless technology.

Q: […[ What is Canon’s strategy relative to mirrorless, and are you in any danger of being left behind in that market? Many competitors have not just a range of bodies, but a very large collection of lenses for them, as well.

Masaya Maeda: As I mentioned before when I talked about lenses, for all of the products, we are working from the top of the pyramid. Going forward […] we will put more effort into mirrorless, and also, naturally, we will continue to expand the EF-M lens group. In the very near future, I think that Canon will come out with a mirrorless camera that you would really like.

Masaya Maeda: I promise.

Sounds a bit like a deja vu to me (thanks lw). Another interesting question regards Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology.

Q: […] Dual Pixel CMOS AF has had a huge impact on autofocus performance, especially for video. We understand that it’s also a very expensive technology to manufacture. Can the cost come down as you gain more experience in manufacturing, or will it always cost quite a bit more than conventional sensors? And is there a chance we would eventually see it in Rebel-class cameras? Dual Pixel would especially benefit EOS M, where you don’t have the separate phase-detect system; is cost the overriding reason we haven’t seen it there?

Masaya Maeda: You are exactly right here. In the future, I would really want to introduce the Dual Pixel CMOS AF on projects in the Rebel-class cameras. We’re working on that.

An EOS M4 camera with Dual Pixel AF on board would make a huge difference. There is a lot more in the interview with Mr. Masaya Maeda.

Canon EOS M3: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA