Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 8th June 2012 – Canon UK & Ireland today unveils two new compact, lightweight lenses - the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM. Showcasing a number of new features, including continuous autofocus in Movie mode, both models offer superior image quality and enhanced flexibility to enable photographers of all skill levels to capture both stills and movies of practically any subject.

Fast, accurate autofocus for film-makers and photographers 
As well as offering full-time manual focus controls when shooting stills, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM are both also ideal for aspiring movie makers, allowing them to focus more accurately during shooting. The perfect companion lenses to the new EOS 650D, both models feature new stepper motor technology (STM), enabling fast, continuous focus when recording moving subjects - ensuring movies will be smoother and clearer than ever before.

Offering enhanced AF performance with high-speed, high-precision focusing, the two new lenses make it easy for photographers to capture more spontaneous shots, with exceptional detail and clarity. This is particularly useful for documentary, action or travel photography. With a minimum focusing distance of 0.39m and 0.3m respectively, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM allow you to get even closer to the action whilst keeping the subject in perfect focus.

EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM – versatile, high-performance zoom

Offering a focal range of 18–135mm, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM has been created to offer photographers a compact, versatile zoom lens which can be used to capture a variety of subjects, from portraits to landscapes and action shots. Ensuring high-quality stills at slow shutter speeds, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM features an intelligent optical Image Stabilizer which offers a 4-stop advantage over non-IS models. The lens will also sense whether the photographer is shooting normally or panning, engaging the most appropriate IS mode to capture the best possible image. When shooting movies, Dynamic IS automatically engages, countering any shake caused by the videographer’s movement to produce smooth, stable footage. 

For subtle background blur when exploring shallow depths of field in stills and movies, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM features a circular aperture with an Electro Magnetic Diaphragm (EMD) which permits highly-accurate control over aperture settings. High image quality is also assured throughout the zoom range thanks to four groups of lens elements including one Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) and one Precision Molded Optics (PMo) element to counter chromatic aberration. Canon’s optimised Super spectra coatings on each lens element also reduce ghosting and flare, ensuring images require minimal post-processing.

EF 40mm f/2.8 STM – super-slim, high image quality

The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is Canon’s first EF pancake lens with a fixed focal length of 40mm and wide f/2.8 aperture, making it ideal for photographers who want a versatile, compact and lightweight lens for portrait, reportage, travel or landscape situations. Precision control over the circular, seven-blade aperture is enabled by the EMD, producing a beautiful bokeh effect and an aspheric lens with Super spectra coatings ensures optimal image quality from the centre of the lens to the periphery for stunning shots of practically any subject.

EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM – key features

• Versatile 18-135mm zoom range – perfect for travel 
• Smooth, quiet STM focusing when shooting movies on compatible cameras 
• Dynamic Image Stabilizer for smooth movie footage 
• Fast autofocus with full-time manual override 
• Minimum focusing distance of 0.39m 

EF 40mm f/2.8 STM – key features

• Portable pancake design 
• Smooth, quiet STM focusing when shooting movies on compatible cameras 
• Fast f/2.8 maximum aperture for low-light shooting 
• Close focus to 0.3m 
• Fast, quiet AF for pin-sharp results 
• Great image quality right across the frame 

Pricing and Availability

The EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is available from July 2012, priced at £479.99/€569.99 RRP incl. VAT. 

The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is available from 15th June 2012, priced at £229.99/€279.99 RRP incl. VAT.

Canon Launch the EOS 650D

Canon have finally made the EOS 650D official, along with a couple of new lenses. The 650D does not replace the 600D, instead sitting just above it as a new model and just below the 60D. On offer is the same 18 megapixel stills, but on a new sensor that has phase detect added to it.
This is very exciting as phase detect allows for continuous autofocus during video capture. The sensor uses phase detect for the initial focus acquisition, then switches to the standard contrast detection to pull everything into pin sharp focus. All sounds very exciting.

This coupled with the news lenses, a 40mm and an 18-135mm, sounds very appealing. These two new lenses are stamped with an STM monicker, which means that have a stepping motor. In laymans terms this allows the lens to smoothly transition between focus points, rather than jump to focus. This should eliminate that awful hunting that we see on the current lineup of Nikon DSLR cameras and other brand compacts. Only time will tell if and how well it works, but it certainly sounds like Canon have done their homework.

On top of all this the 650D gets a new capactivie touch screen, a dedicated video switch and some nice auto-secene modes and filter effects thrown in for good measure.

Check out this first look from What Digital Camera.

And an overview from TechCentury.

Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera

Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera ... this company took the NAB audience by surprise & announced this new 2.5K video camera that captures direct to SSD & features thunderbolt. Check out this video for the full details.

Useful Links
Company website http://www.blackmagic-design.com

Adobe Launch Photoshop CS6 Beta

SAN JOSE, Calif. — March 22, 2012 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® CS6 beta, a preview of what’s to come in the next release of the industry standard in digital imaging, is available as a free download from Adobe Labs. Customers can download the beta, try out the experience and provide feedback to the product team. Packed with groundbreaking new innovations,featuresand incredible performance enhancements, Photoshop CS6 beta is available for the Mac OS and Microsoft® Windows® platforms. The final release is expected in the first half of 2012.

“Photoshop CS6 will be a milestone release that pushes the boundaries of imaging innovation with incredible speed and performance,” said Winston Hendrickson, vice president products, Creative Media Solutions, Adobe. “We couldn’t wait to share this beta of Photoshop CS6 with our customers and are looking forward to hearing from them and seeing the ways they are incorporating the beta into their daily creative workflows.”

New Features in Photoshop CS6 Beta
Photoshop CS6 beta demonstrates Adobe’s focus on huge performance enhancements, imaging magic and creativity tools that offer customers a new experience in digital imaging. Key features include new additions to the Content-Aware tools: Content-Aware Patch allows greater control by letting users select and duplicate an area of an image to fill in or “patch” another, and Content-Aware Move lets users select and magically move an object to a new place in the image.

In addition, the Photoshop CS6 beta offers all the features of Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended, such as new 3D editing features and quantitative imaging analysis capabilities. These features will be included in the shipping version of Photoshop CS6 Extended when it becomes available.

Pricing and Availability

The Photoshop CS6 beta is available immediately as a free download in English and Japanese. At installation, users will be required to provide an Adobe ID to complete a one-time login and online product activation.

Geekanoids Photo Critique - February 2012 Result - Colour

Throughout February everyone got busy with their cameras and submitted some awesome photos to the February Flickr Group. I would like to say a big thank you to all those who took part. The next Photo Critique will be in April, so keep an eye out on the Geekanoids Channel for details.

The best ten photos below (in no particular order) have all been discussed in the video above and the best photo has been chosen. Courtesy of the kind people at Albelli UK, the photographer of the winning photo has been awarded a £60 voucher to spend at www.albelli.co.uk which can be used against an order of a wonderful photo book or other photo related item.

WATCH THE PHOTO CRITIQUE VIDEO HERE.

Red by fitzlaurafitz [February Winner]

Trails of Light by Thomas Shortley

Some Wrist Stuff by ABJ73

Unamed by PhotoGeek1976

Papercraft by Scoph

Red Brick by iderren

Market Panels Close Up by fruitycomputer

Many Layers by J.PerkProductions

Colour by ErnstVijsma

Day #35 - The Rose by Andy Nico

Geekanoids Photo Critique - January 2012 Result - Street

Throughout January everyone got busy with their cameras and submitted some awesome photos to the January Flickr Group. I would like to say a big thank you to all those who took part.

The best ten photos below (in no particular order) have all been discussed in the video above and the best photo has been chosen. Courtesy of the kind people at Albelli UK, the photographer of the winning photo has been awarded a £30 voucher to spend at www.albelli.co.uk which can be used against an order of a wonderful photo book or other photo related item.

Sleeping #9 by Casaper

Unamed by electrotek

Day #13 The Market by Andy Nico

Indieo by swingking85

SNPC - Year 2 - Instruction #7 Pink by fitzlaurafitz

Unamed by Mauro Saranga

Prime Pink by LoWinterSun

Big Issue by CJ Ware

Bikes by Olly Fallon

Waiting by Samlui54321

Canon Launches PowerShot G1 X

London, UK, 9th January 2012 – Canon today introduces the PowerShot G1 X – a revolutionary new compact camera with a large CMOS sensor, designed to produce DSLR levels of image quality and control in a highly portable metal body. Created for professional and serious photographers, the PowerShot G1 X creates a prestigious new category at the top of Canon's legendary G-series line-up, and redefines the

performance achievable from a compact camera.

A high-quality camera in its own right or the perfect complement to a professional DSLR, the PowerShot G1 X combines EOS sensor technology with DIGIC 5 processing power, a new precision Canon lens and extensive manual control – creating the finest compact camera Canon has ever produced. Designed to be highly portable, the PowerShot G1 X features a zoom lens which retracts into a discreet, robust metal body, providing photographers with an unimposing camera that delivers high quality images and superior handling.

Professional levels of image quality

Incorporating Canon-developed technologies and expertise trusted by professionals worldwide, the PowerShot G1 X offers a level of image quality previously only possible with a Canon DSLR. It's Canon's first compact camera to feature a large, 4:3 aspect, 14.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor measuring 18.7mm x 14mm – similar in height to the APS-C sensors used within EOS DSLR models. Featuring the same pixel size and structure as the EOS 600D, and a surface area approximately 6.3 times larger than the sensor in the acclaimed PowerShot G12, it provides DSLR image quality in a body small enough to carry anywhere.

The increased sensor size allows photographers to have greater control over the depth of field, with increased potential to creatively and artistically isolate a subject from its background. Improved dynamic range enables users to accurately capture shadows and highlights within the same frame, while the 14.3 Megapixel resolution allows for the output of large-sized prints, or permits images to be cropped for more powerful compositions.

The PowerShot G1 X also features a range of benefits that result from the advanced CMOS sensor technology developed within Canon's EOS range. On-chip noise reduction ensures images are clear, even at high ISO speeds, while a 4-channel read-out provides high speed image capture – ensuring fast, responsive performance in all conditions.

Combining the large sensor with the DIGIC 5 image processor, the HS System in the PowerShot G1 X sets new standards for low-light performance, with a maximum fullresolution ISO range of 100 to 12800 – a level never before seen in a Canon compact. Photographers can shoot using the ambient light in even the darkest of conditions, capturing natural shots with incredible detail and low noise – providing a powerful basis for low-light photography.

Precision lens technology

Developed using the same design, manufacturing and quality processes as the world renowned EF lens range, the lens in the PowerShot G1 X is built to achieve professional levels of image quality. Utilising Ultra high refractive index Aspherical (UA) elements and precision glass moulding technology, the lens achieves both a compact size and pin-sharp clarity for the most discerning of photographers. The lens retracts compactly into the camera body while offering a flexible 4x optical zoom range of 28mm – 112mm, giving photographers the option to use the zoom creatively and change the framing and perspective of their shot. A 6 blade aperture also combines with the largesized sensor to produce beautiful background blur.

To help ensure optimum image and Full HD movie clarity, the lens features a 4-stop optical Image Stabilizer (IS), allowing photographers to shoot in darker conditions and use shutter speeds up to four stops slower than would be possible without IS. The optical Image Stabilizer is supported by Intelligent IS which analyses the focal length, focal distance and type of camera movement and applies the most appropriate Image Stabilizer mode1. For example, when a panning motion is detected, Panning IS is activated and stabilises in only one direction for more artistic capture of movement across the frame. Hybrid IS technology is also included to capture macro subjects without the blur associated with shift camera shake.

The lens also includes an in-built 3-stop Neutral Density (ND) Filter, permitting the use of wider apertures in bright light to achieve a shallower depth of field, or to use slower shutter speeds to intentionally blur motion.

Extensive control

Following on from the control historically offered by the PowerShot G-series, the PowerShot G1 X offers Full Manual Control with shooting mode and exposure compensation dials for quick and intuitive access to a range of settings. For maximum control over the final image, the PowerShot G1 X fits seamlessly into the EOS photographer's workflow, supporting 14-bit RAW capture for smooth gradations and natural colours which can be fine-tuned using the supplied Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software.

Giving photographers the option to capture split-second action, the PowerShot G1 X features High-speed Burst HQ, capturing bursts of six full-resolution shots at 4.5fps to freeze fast-moving action. Alternatively, users can shoot continuously at 1.9fps right up to card capacity in JPEG format – ensuring longer sequences of action are captured.

High quality, Full HD movies

The PowerShot G1 X supports Full HD (1080p) movie capture instantly at 24fps, via a dedicated movie button. Taking advantage of the camera's large CMOS sensor, users can experience high quality movies, even in low light conditions, with the shallow depth of field associated with a larger sensor. Additionally, the 4x optical zoom can be used whilst filming, offering versatility, while stereo sound is also captured.

Nikon D4 Wireless Control Demo

The new mega awesome flagship Nikon D4 was announced and now we get to learn that it has a wireless control UI built right into the camera. The Nikon WT-5 attachment looks like it allows you to connect through many different devices. In this demo an iPad 2 is used.

Geekanoids Photo Critique - November 2011 - Water

Throughout November everyone got busy with their cameras and submitted some awesome photos to the November Flickr Group. I would like to say a big thank you to all those who took part.

The best ten photos below (in no particular order) have all been discussed in the video above and the best photo has been chosen. Courtesy of the kind people at Albelli UK, the photographer of the winning photo has been awarded a £30 voucher to spend at www.albelli.co.uk which can be used against an order of a wonderful photo book or other photo related item.

I'm Thirsty by MRoberts531

Bird Bath Reflection by ABJ73

Water by apple99man

Drops by swingkin85

Deep Sea Treasure by Adrian

Mask by Russ_08

Waterboot by iderren

Little Haven by 20feettall

Good to the Last Drop by corvette_barb

Floating Fire Department by fajfar

Nasa with a Nikon

Check this out, simply awesome time lapse footage taken with a Nikon D3S. They were taken by Ron Garan, Satoshi Furukawa and the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from between August and October, 2011.

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Nikon 1 System Launch - part three

Nikon 1 System Launch - part three from What Digital Camera.

Nikon 1 System Launch - part two

Nikon 1 System Launch - part two from What Digital Camera.