Canon Sends Out Invites For March 22 Event; Canon 70D Inbound?

There have been rumors suggesting Canon might announce a new product—possibly the 70D—this month, and low and behold, press invites have gone out for an event on March 22. These aren’t your ordinary invites, either.

Recipients were sent a secretive black box containing a nondescript silver pen. So? So, the pens actually contain a hidden message one can only see in a dark room. That’s some Bond-level spy stuff right there.

The pen is actually branded PowerShot, so perhaps in addition to the possibility of the 70D, Canon will announce one or two other shooters for the spring season. It’s unclear what time the announcement begins, but we do have a date, so we’ll keep an eye out leading into next Friday.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Nikon Coolpix A: Point-and-Shoot Body With DSLR Dreams

The Nikon Coolpix A looks like any old point-and-shoot: compact, attractive and handy as a possible vacation camera. But this is far from your typical shooter, and in fact further blurs the line between gear for professionals and the average consumers—at a cost, both in literal and figurative terms.

In the Coolpix A, Nikon managed to cram a DX-format sensor—16.2-megapixel APS-C—inside of a 4.4 x 2.6 x 1.6-inches body. Consider, if you will, how large a comparable professional DSLR is, and there’s reason to scoop this up for casual street photography, or maybe some easy landscape shots. The results, as you can see below, look pretty fantastic, showing off the Coolpix A’s range in different lighting situations.

The first downside is that the 18.5mm (equivalent to 288mm on a full frame) lens is fixed, and doesn’t zoom. That might not jive in a lot of shooting scenarios, but it’s a sacrifice. The max aperture of f/2.8 will be great for low-light situations when coupled with an ISO range of 100 to 25600. That black and white profile is an example.

Users will get plenty of advanced settings and manual modes, including a manual focus ring and multiple Scene Modes. There’s also a 4 frame-per-second burst mode to better capture action, and a dashboard menu on the LCD, along with additional body controls.

There’s no optical viewfinder, interchangeable lens support or zoom, but it’s compact, produces high quality results, and creeps toward what you’d expect in some of today’s entry-level DSLRs. But it’s also $1,100, which is a hefty price tag for something that sacrifices on features for size. Look out for the Coolpix A when it grops next month.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Kickstarter Project Adds Canon L-Series Level Environment Protection To Any DSLR Lens

I’ve got a lot of Canon gear, but only one L-series lens of my very own, and that’s also the only one that features a rubber gasket where the lens mounts to the body to keep out dust and moisture. It’s a shame that it isn’t included in any other lenses (including some pricey Sigma glass I own), because it’s a relatively inexpensive component and one that can really help prolong the life of your body and lens. That’s why a new Kickstarter project called Dust Donut is such a great idea.

The project, from Joshua Tree, Calif.-based photographer Tyler Sterbentz, adds basic weather sealing to any Canon EF Mount lens (including third-party offerings from Sigma, Tamron and the like) starting at just $20 for a single unit pre-order pledge. That covers about 75 percent of the lenses available from Canon itself for EF-mount bodies, according to Sterbentz, and gets rid of the need for photographers to use lens covers and skins to achieve the same effect.

[Source: TechCrunch]

Nikon reveals D5200 SLR with D7000-taunting specs: 24MP sensor, 39-point AF, wireless port

The trusty D5100 and D7000 have held sway over Nikon's low-to-mid DSLR range for around 18 months now, but come December and there'll be a new option driving a wedge right between them. The D5200 will still fulfill the role of a lightweight "advanced beginner" model and physically it's the spitting image of the D5100, but at the same time it brings some fundamental and distinctly D7000-like photographic improvements to try to excuse its £720 (body-only) recommended retail price. (Update: that equates to around $1,150, but Nikon tells us that there's no official US pricing or arrival date at this time.)

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read the full story]

Canon's upcoming 5D Mark III firmware update brings uncompressed HDMI output support, enhanced AF functionality

Proud owners of that sleek and relatively powerful Mark III will be happy to know Canon has just announced a firmware update for its flagship 5D model. The Japanese camera maker is touting this upcoming release as one that will bring clean HDMI-out support to the EOS shooter, which should be great for folks who would like to monitor their recordings in real time. Additionally, Canon's improved the Mark III's AF functionalities yet again; this time out by enabling the unit's auto focus system to adequately adjust to the type of lens that it is paired with. Unfortunately, it looks like users will have to wait a little while to install the new firmware, as the company won't be making it available until April of next year -- at which point it can be grabbed from the soon-to-be bookmarked source link below.

[Source: Engadget]

The Canon EOS M Mirrorless is Here (almost)

Canon has announced their entry into the mirrorless camera market with the EOS M, due to be available around October 2012.

"An 18-megapixel interchangeable-lens compact system camera small enough to take anywhere. Enjoy simple creative controls and superb low-light performance for stunning images."

It sports a nice compact body and a large APS-C sized sensor. From what I have seen online, it does look like a bit too much plastic and not enough metal has been used, so I just hope the build quality is as good as the camera actually looks… which is very sexy.

"The EOS M keeps performing at its best, even when light levels get low. Hybrid autofocus ensures pin-sharp photographs and evaluative exposure metering picks the most appropriate shutter speed and aperture. Shoot hand-held pictures in low-light conditions without using flash or a tripod, thanks to a maximum sensitivity of ISO 12,800 (expandable to ISO 25,600)."

Alongside there are also two lenses, a 22mm and an 18-55mm, both of which are dedicated to the EOS-M line, but also use the recently introduced STM (stepper motor) which uses the new phase detect AF for improved focus during video use. There is also a new dedicated flash and an EF/EF-S lens adapter, so you can use your existing canon lenses.

Keep an eye on Geekanoids for the full review when this becomes available.

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.

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.