Milky Way Time-Lapse with a Surprise: A Meteor Exploding in Atmosphere

A Milky Way time-lapse with an unexpected surprise. A meteor exploding while entering the atmosphere. Not something you can get on video by planning it, though there are two photographers lucky enough to capture it.

The video above was made by Wes Eisenhauer in South Dakota in mid-September, using a Canon EOS [shoplink 254]5D Mark II[/shoplink] and a 16-35mm lens.

Milky Way Time-Lapse

Eisenhauer was not the only lucky photographer to capture this very meteor explosion. Ben Lewis shot the video below in Iowa using a Canon [shoplink 7139]EOS 6D[/shoplink] and 35mm lens.

A meteor exploding in the atmosphere is called a “bolide fireball”, more about it at the American Meteor Society.

[via PetaPixel]

Stormscapes2 – An Astonishing Time Lapse Video

The amazing video above was made by Nicolaus Wegner, and it took him 5 months to put it together. He says:

High plains storms are some of the most beautiful and wild in the world. I spent May – September 2014 photographing all types of severe weather in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado. This time lapse project is a result of that effort. From rainbows to tornadoes, there is a little bit of everything in here.

To realise the time lapse video he used an [shoplink 254]EOS 5D Mark II[/shoplink] and [shoplink 7139]EOS 6D[/shoplink], and [shoplink 246]EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM[/shoplink], [shoplink 168]EF 70-200 f/4L IS[/shoplink] and Rokinon 14mm lenses.

Kudos!

Music: “Leader” by MODE

[via TwistedSifter]

 

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS Review (and video)

Dustin Abbott reviewed the new Canon [shoplink 21480]EF 16-35mm f/4L IS[/shoplink] lens, and it’s once more an enthusiastic review of this lens.

In the conclusion he writes:

This lens is good…really, really good. It is so competent that you have to stretch to find criticisms. What is even more true is that this lens is going to serve hundreds of thousands of photographers around the world very, very well. I added a number of fantastic images to my portfolio during the review period, and I would have no hesitation to add this lens to my own kit as the primary wide angle option. If you are in the market for a new landscape lens, look no further. If you feel you need the f/2.8 aperture for event work or some other purpose, the [shoplink 246]EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM[/shoplink] may still be the better lens for you […]. Many photographers have already embraced Canon’s newest wide angle zoom and have discovered that the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS is the lens they have been looking for from Canon for a long time!

This is an exhaustive review with many samples, covering a lot of details of the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS. See here all the 16-35mm f/4L IS reviews featured on Canon Watch, they are all very, very positive.

Canon EF 16-35 f/4 IS price check: [shopcountry 21480]

EF 16-35mm f/4L IS

World-wide price check after the break 

Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS DxOMarked

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS

DxOMark tested Canon’s new ultra-wide [shoplink 21480]EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM[/shoplink] zoom lens.

With a DxOMark score of 22 points the Canon EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM is generally a good performer. It has good peak sharpness, particularly in the center at 16mm from f/4 onwards, reasonable transmission of 4.5Tstops and low vignetting, though it’s still noticeable wide-open, particularly in the extreme corners at 16mm and more generally in the periphery at 35mm. Sharpness varies throughout the zoom range, as you might expect with a zoom but thanks to some curvature of field this lens has a rather complicated optical performance. At 28mm the lens has somewhat soft corners at full aperture, a marked increase in sharpness across the field at f/5.6 and then at f/8 a return to the lower edge performance seen at f/4. Geometry is good though (particularly at 20mm); there’s no difficult to correct moustache type distortion, only some barrel distortion at 16mm and slight pincushion from 24mm.

More at DxOMark.

Canon EF 16-35 f/4 IS price check: [shopcountry 21480] Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS

Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L II Review (Night and Landscape Photography)

[shoplink 246][/shoplink]

Nature photographer David Kingham felt the pulse of Canon’s [shoplink 246]EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM[/shoplink] lens (not the new 16-35mm f/4L IS) to see how well the lens suits for night photography and general landscape shooting. The focus is on night photography, David Kingham says:

[…] this lens performs very well at f/4 and okay at f/2.8, as I said earlier, not the best for night, but it is very good. With the Canon 6D I can easily take shots at ISO 12,800 to compensate for this loss of light at f/4.

The lens was tested on a [shoplink 7139]Canon EOS 6D[/shoplink]. The review comes with a huge set of sample pictures shot at night, and discusses coma and other artefacts that are typical for night photography. In the conclusion he writes:

 I have to say that I absolutely love this lens, it will never leave my bag. For landscape photography it’s stunning and a joy to use. For night photography it’s okay. […] When I’m backpacking or hiking though, this is the perfect lens that I can use during the day and night when weight is a major consideration. If you hate the idea of carrying around 3 lens for night photography this is the lens for you. […]  There’s always trade-offs when looking for an all-around lens, in this case I think the trade-offs are quite reasonable, I highly recommend this lens.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM price check: [shopcountry 246] [via David Kingham]

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS Review (ephotozine)

EF 16-35mm f/4L IS

ephotozine reviewed Canon’s new ultra-wide [shoplink 21480]EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM[/shoplink] zoom lens. The outstanding sharpness, excellent build quality and super-fast auto-focus are among the highlights of the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS. In the conclusion ephotozine writes:

There can be no doubt that from an optical standpoint, this is one of the finest wide angle lenses Canon has produced to date. Images are razor-sharp across the frame from maximum aperture and CA levels are kept well under control.

The slightly wavy distortion pattern, and vignetting that never seem to go away may put some people off this lens, but at least these issues can be corrected by software afterwards. The price will be the bitterest pill to swallow, especially as the f/2.8 lens from Canon is actually less expensive at the moment. The price will probably settle at a more reasonable level as time passes though.

Even with the odd niggle, they probably won’t be enough of an issue to put most prospective buyers off what is currently Canon’s sharpest wide angle lens to date.

Yep, this is a great lens. See also what Lensrental’s R. Cicala, who disassembled the lens, has to say about the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS:

Now that I’ve seen the insides I’m very optimistic that this lens will be less likely to deteriorate optically over time, and will be more easily corrected when it does.

The EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM does not come at a bargain price, it’s $1,199 in the US.
Canon EF 16-35 f/4 IS price check: [shopcountry 21480]