If you logged on to the internet this morning / evening you will have no doubt come across the ‘Canon See Impossible‘ countdown that is currently spreading like wildfire across the rumour websites. The somewhat cryptic teaser really does not provide much insight into what this announcement will be. At the risk of going out on a limb I find it highly unlikely that this will be a new camera body announcement. The prose smacks to me of some sort of printer / media announcement. Possibly some sort of new product, tool or feature that helps get images from camera to print. The advert also appeared as full two-page spread in the New York Times so Canon has thrown some considerable marketing budget behind this announcement. The good news is the clock is ticking down and in less than twenty four hours the answer will be revealed. Edit – It is worth noting that this announcement appears confined to Canon USA. Nothing else to my knowledge in other countries. Any new High Mega Pixel announcement would almost certainly involve Canon Japan. Read into this what you will…
Category: Equipment
Photographic Equipment
Canon Higher Resolution Sensors are Coming in the “Very Near Future”
I don’t normally make blog post entries relating to rumours and information about future cameras and sensors that are as yet vapourware. There is already lots of information and rumours on the internet and we really don’t need yet another rumour site. However, this instance is somewhat unique as the information comes directly from a Canon Executive and it is to my knowledge the first real tangible communication from Canon about a future high resolution sensor being unveiled soon.
Masaya Maeda – Managing Director and Chief Executive, Image Communication Products Operations at Canon was interviewed at the recent Photokina in Germany and had this to say when asked about higher resolution sensors in future Canon cameras.
Currently no Canon camera offers more than 22MP. Do your DSLR customers ask for higher resolution?
“Yes. We know that many of our customers need more resolution and this is under consideration. In the very near future you can expect us to show something in terms of mirrorless and also a higher resolution sensor.”
What does “In the very near future” mean?
Well, it could mean anything from a week to six months or possibly even a year so there really isn’t much here that you can take to the bank. Suffice to say it is at least nice to see confirmation that a higher resolution sensor will be soon unveiled.
Personally, I am not holding my breath. Whilst more pixels would be nice for certain applications, the Canon 1DX does everything I need at the moment (in fact, I just ordered a second one) and remains the single best DSLR I have ever used to date. Thats a comment you can take to the bank.
Canon Announce new 16-35mm F4L IS Lens – The Last Piece of the Puzzle?
Those of you who follow my blog regularly know that it is not often that I write about new equipment. Equipment and gear are hot topics in photography and in a nutshell ‘gear talk’ equals ‘internet hits’ so there is good reason to throw in regular equipment posts (and many websites do just this). However, I view lenses and cameras very much as tools of the trade. Outside of the service they provide to help me create photographs they are not something I feel compelled to write about all that often. Every now and again however, a new piece of equipment gets announced that catches my attention and today was one of those days.
If you are a Canon shooter like myself you are no doubt well aware of the gaping hole in the current lens line-up. Specifically, a good (sharp to the corners) wide angle zoom lens suitable for use on a full frame sensor. The current 16-35mm F2.8L MKI and MKII and 17-40mm F4L are sadly lacking in this area (and thats being polite). A high quality wide -angle zoom is really the only lens missing from Canon in what is otherwise an outstanding lens line up. The 24-70mm F2.8L MKII is arguabley the best mid range zoom on the market for 35mm cameras and the 70-200mm F2.8L IS MKII is also outstanding. The 200-400mm F4L IS with inbuilt 1.4 Teleconverter simply has no peer and stands alone as the ultimate telephoto zoom lens. Add a high resolution wide angle to this mix and Canon really does have the perfect lens line-up where flexibility of zooms is required. And the great news is we just might get such a lens with this new announcement: Canon today announced the new 16-35mm F4L IS lens and the initial MTF charts (although theoretical) look very promising.
According to Canon: The 16-35mm F4L IS lens has been introduced as an alternative to the current 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens and incorporates an Optical Image Stabilizer. While the f/2.8 lens offers a faster maximum aperture, the stabilization system in the new lens compensates up to 4 stops to reduce blur when shooting with slower shutter speeds. And as an L-series lens, it provides the best Canon has to offer in terms of dust and water resistance, as well as overall durability.
Optically, its combination of three aspherical and two UD lens elements minimizes aberrations throughout the zoom range and contributes to the creation of beautiful high-contrast images. A flourine lens coating reduces ghosting and flares and its circular 9-blade aperture enables pleasing background blur. The Lens Hood is included with the lens to block stray light from entering the lens.
An inner focusing system, combined with ultrasonic autofocus motor (USM), realizes fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus and, when necessary, full-time manual focus is available. The minimum focus distance throughout the zoom range is 11″ and its filter thread diameter is 77mm. L-series lenses are designed to meet the utmost in physical and optical standards and are regarded as a high point in the Canon DSLR lens line. The EF mount of this 16-35mm f/4L is designed for full-frame cameras, such as the current Canon 1DX and 5DMKIII cameras.
There will probably be much ado on the internet over the coming days about this lens sporting an F4 aperture, but quite honestly for landscape F4 is just fine. For the sort of photography I do where I am often shooting from zodiac or ship the flexibility of a 16-35mm is a huge boon and an F4 aperture is plenty fast enough with high ISO cameras like the 1DX. I would envision most landscape images being shot around F5.6 – F8 with this lens. The observant amongst you may note from the specifications that this new lens sports a nine blade aperture diaphragm where as the current 16-35mm F2.8L IS MKII uses seven. I would not be surprised if we see a MKIII version of the 2.8 lens announced this September at Photokina complete with all new optics and nine-aperture blades (just saying).
In the meantime, the new 16-35mm F4L IS lens is already available for pre-order from B&H Photo for $1,199 USD. Am I going to buy one? You bet – I already placed my pre-order.
What’s in my Camera Bag?
With the many different approaches to camera gear it can be quite interesting and insightful to see what gear photographers carry with them into the field as they go about their work. I have picked up a number of good equipment tips and packing techniques over the years from other photographers who have joined me on a workshop or expedition. To this end, InMyBag.net are featuring the equipment I have carried with me to Iceland this winter. InMyBag.net is a new destination website which showcases photographer’s best work, delves into their philosophy, and more interestingly has a nosey in their camera bag!
New Zealand South Island Experience and Victoria’s Great Ocean Road
In a few short days I am heading back to New Zealand for a workshop tour of the magnificent South Island with my friend Phillip Bartlett and our group of participants. The South Island of New Zealand is an incredible part of the world and boasts spectacular mountain alps which run down the spine of this amazing country. These mountains plunge almost straight into the sea on both sides of the country. It is the only place in the world I know of where alpine mountains plunge straight into temperate forest that directly hugs such a rugged and wild coastline. I was in the South Island of New Zealand only a few weeks ago completing a week long commercial assignment and I very pleased to be returning again so soon. On this trip we will be circumnavigating the South Island and taking in the best of its many iconic locations as well as visiting some of its hidden treasures and lesser known areas. We will be chartering a helicopter with doors removed for photography over the alps and enjoying a private boat charter for playful Dusky Dolphins and Sea Lions off the coast of Kaikoura. If you want to get an idea of what this tour is going to be like be sure to watch the short tester video below.
Packing for this trip is somewhat of a challenge for me as I am quite keen to take my newly acquired Canon 600mm F4L IS MKII Lens (why own it if you don’t intend to carry it) as well as the 200-400mm F4L Lens – for both Sea Lions, Dusky Dolphins and Albatross in and around Kaikoura. I plan to carry these two lenses to both Iceland and Namibia in March this year so this trip to New Zealand is an ideal opportunity to see how they travel together on international flights. These two lenses add up to a not insignificant amount of weight, but perhaps of more immediate concern is the sheer bulk and space they require inside the camera bag. With both of these lenses in my Gura Gear camera bags there is little room for much else. Nevertheless it never ceases to amaze me just how much gear can be squeezed into the Bataflae 32L bag. So, after some trial packing I will be carrying the following on this trip: (I know this is a ridiculous amount of equipment but I am a person who prefers to carry it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.) Just as a side addendum to this; I used to think I carried a lot of equipment, but then I worked with a video guy last year in the Arctic who redefined what it meant to carry a lot of gear!)
Gura Gear Bataflae 32L Camera Bag
- Canon EOS 1DX
- Canon EOS 1DS MKIII
- Canon 600mm F4L IS MKII (Lens hood goes in the checked luggage bag)
- Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS MKII
- Canon 24-70mm F2.8L MKII
- Canon 24mm F3.5L TSE MKII
- Canon 17mm F4L TSE
- Canon 1.4 TC MKIII
- LEE Filter System including Graduated ND filters and Polariser
- Cable Release and other accessories
- 15″ MacBook Pro, back-up hard drive, card reader and accessories
- Canon 200-400mm F4L IS with inbuilt 1.4 TC (incredibly this does fit in the Chobe!)
North Face Rolling Thunder Duffle *
- Clothes and Personal Items
- Really Right Stuff Tripod, BallHead and Jobu Gimbal Mount
* I really like the North Face Rolling Thunder Duffle as a travel bag. It is extraordinarily tough and copes very well with the rigours and violence that checked luggage is exposed to (I really have no idea what baggage handlers do behind the scenes but I am sure it involves some sort of contact sport with people’s luggage). The only downside to this bag is it weighs eleven pounds or five kilograms empty. On flights with a 20 kilogram luggage limit that is one quarter of the limit before you start putting things like clothes in it. Thankfully many of the airlines I travel with these days have more reasonable 25 to 30 kilogram luggage limits and I can usually get close enough to these limits to avoid excess luggage charges.
Victoria – The Great Ocean Road
Just before I depart for New Zealand later this week I will be leading a private three day trip down Victoria’s spectacular Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road is home to some iconic Victorian scenery including the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, The Wreck Coast and more. It has been nearly a year since I last photographed this part of Victoria and I am looking forward to spending a few days in the field in my home state and sharing these amazing locations with my first time visitors. I am offering further one-on-one private workshops here in Victoria by appointment and based around my existing travel schedule both this year and next for anyone who would like to experience the best of this part of Victoria. Please contact me to discuss timing, cost and availability if you are coming to Australia in the near future.
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 