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› archive for January, 2010

Polaroid Decides CES Is Too Boring, Declares Lady Gaga Creative Director

Insert Whatever Jokes You Want HereSo, we’re creating a “WTF” category just for this because I cannot file this anywhere else. Polaroid yesterday announced they were name Lady Gaga creative director of a new line of fashion-based products. Now, I actually rather like Lady Gaga, she’s delightfully fun, and equally insane, but even I saw this press release and went ‘bwuuuuh? srsly?’

Which is better than my editor’s reaction, which was so spectacularly incredulous I wish I had a picture of it.

Anyway, this is apparently in all seriousness, hit the external link below to read the original press release.



Canon Updates 70-200mm f2.8 IS II USM Page, Hood Is Included

Just a quick update to yesterday’s confusion over the disparity between the press release and the product page as to whether Canon’s newly announced 70-200mm f2.8 IS lens comes with a hood. Today the product page agrees with yesterday’s press release, and the hood is listed as a supplied accessory. Glad that’s settled. Now go get on our wait list for one.



Nikon Updates Firmware For D3x, D3, D700, D300s

Nikon issued a buncha new firmwares, apparently to support those new boffo 64GB cards that’re starting to trickle out (like this one, maybe?). Anyway, I found this news at DPReview, and they have it laid out the best for getting ahold of those, so rather than reinvent the wheel I’m just going to float them some traffic and send you there to grab those. Just to remember to come back to us when you need the cameras themselves, k?



CES Update: Canon announces nine new HD camcorders

Canon’s covering their bases in HD camcorders this year. Three each in three ranges: There’s the flagship line of HF S with the HF S21, HF S20, and HF S200, the Compact line of HF M featuring the HF M31, HF M30, and HF M300, and the budget conscious HD user’s line of HF R wherein we find the HF R11, HF R10, and HF R100. The two digit lines (HF S21, HF M30) record to internal memory and external media, and the three digit lines record to removable (SD/SDHC) media only.

All of them record full 1080p HD video, the HF S and HF M series have the touch screen and Touch-Track tech (3.5″ screen on the S series and 2.7″ on the M series)

The HF S series starts with the HF S21, owning a 64gb internal drive with two slots for SD/SDHC cards, the 3.5″ touch screen LCD, an HD to SD downsampling function to ease your uploading (and presumably your use of the EyeFi wireless SD cards). The S21 has a 24p cinema mode, native 24p mode, and a 30p mode. Canon’s also included their Video Snapshot mode, which allows 2, 4, and 8 second clips for the guys and gals who don’t know when to quit taking footage. On top of that it takes 8MP stills. The HF S20 has all the same features but records to a 32GB internal drive -the HF S200 skips the internal drive and goes right to the dual SD slots.

The HF M series top model is the M31 and drops to a 32GB internal drive with one SD slot, 3.3 megapixel stills, a 2.7″ touch LCD, and records 60i with 24p and 30p progressive modes which record at 60i. The M30 has an 8GB internal drive with the same specs as the 31, and the M300 again skips the internal and goes right to the SD slot.

The budget conscious HF R series kicks off with the R11 with an internal 32GB drive, one SD/SDHC slot, a 20x Canon genuine HD video lens, keeps the video snapshot function, but lacks the touch screen of the above models. The R10 has the 8GB internal drive, three color options, and the same digs as the R11 otherwise. The R100, following the trend records directly to SD/SDHC cards.

For the full press release, read here.



CES Update: Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM, doesn’t ship with lens hood?

The first L lens to ship without a hood.

Canon's newest L offering, mm tasty. But whence this nudity?

Today we get wind of the new Canon 70-200 2.8L IS the version II. Boasting a closer minimum focus distance than its predecessor (1.2m/3.94 ft vs 1.3m / 4.3 ft.) and a purported 4-stops of Optical Image Stabilization against the 3-stop of the version I. Hot diggity it’s exciting, but no word this morning of price.

Canon’s specs table indicates that it doesn’t ship with the new ET-87 lens hood, but their press release says it’ll come with a tripod collar, lens hood, and lens pouch.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is supplied with a detachable tripod collar, a reversible bayonet mount lens hood and a lens pouch. The new lens is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in April, price to be determined.

Read more about this at Canon’s press release page: here. Get on our waiting list here.



Canon Announces 4 New A-Series PowerShots

Lotsa announcements today, so occasionally we’re going to just give you the corporate press release until we’ve had time to look it all over and parse out the useful bits in our usual helpful, Roberts fashion. Such it will be for now with Canon’s 4 new entries to it’s popular A-Series of PowerShots, famous of course for using AA power still. They’re also considered the entry market, but these days they’re becoming so highly specced that they’ll work for most people out there just looking to record some memories and do it well. Anyway, press release and gallery below. They are gorgeous this year, so take a look.

CANON U.S.A. ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW A-SERIES CAMERAS WITH CREATIVE EFFECTS FOR PERSONALIZING A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY
Lake Success, N.Y., January 5, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today unveiled four new PowerShot A-Series digital cameras offering entry-level consumers the opportunity to step-up their shooting experience with exciting new creative effects. In addition, for the first time, Canon offers a new rechargeable lithium-ion battery in two A-Series models, extending the battery lives of the cameras. The A-Series lineup, comprised of the PowerShot A3100 IS, A3000 IS, A495 and A490 Digital cameras, offer consumers enhanced photo-taking capabilities through an array of creative modes to help shape one’s personal photographic style.

“With the introduction of the new PowerShot A-Series cameras, Canon brings a new aesthetic design to our entry-level line and new features that enhance the camera’s overall performance and functionality,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “The new creative modes are designed to offer consumers the ability to customize their captured images and add personalization to the time-honored art of photography.”

read more


Samsung announces NX10, will Dick estate sue?

While I think it sounds like an advanced model of Sean Young’s role in Blade Runner, it’s really a new mirrorless interchangeable lens compact from Samsung. Competing with Olympus and Panasonic for small size and a narrow profile it sports a 14.6MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor (not the 4/3 size of the Oly or Panny), an electric viewfinder, and a 3″ OLED monitor.

They’ve also launched their own mount, the NX-Mount with three lenses out of the gate -a 30mm f/2 pancake, an 18-55 OIS, and 50-200 OIS. According to the specs sheet on DPReview (who have their hot little hands on a pre-production copy) there’s an adapter for Pentax K-mount lenses in the works.

I wonder if Olympus’ E-P1 commercial with Kevin Spacey was the harbinger of a mirrorless compact invasion.



First Photo Contest of This Decade Celebrates Last

We’ve got our new contest theme up over at our Monthly Photo Contest page, out first of the new decade. And, we decided to use it as an opportunity for you to show off your best work from the last ten years (or 5, of six months, however long you’ve been shooting, so long as you shot it by the end of December 31st, 2009). The theme is open otherwise, so don’t hold back because of subject. We want your best: your best exposed, best composed, most interesting or perfectly timed photos. We want the photos you still look at with pride. Send them on over, and if you win we’ll send you a 16×20″ print of your shot.

http://www.robertsimaging.com/sharephotos.jsp



EOS 1D Mark IV tested by Brad Mangin

Anybody who knows me knows that I’m not a professional sports photographer and that putting a 1D Mark IV in my hands would be about as useful as putting me behind the wheel of any car that’s won a NASCAR race in the last decade. Can I figure things on the exposure triangle? Sure. Much past that, things get iffy.

Fortunately, Canon puts samples in the hands of guys like Brad Mangin, who is a professional sports photographer. You can see his first hand use of the EOS 1D Mark IV with the 400 f/2.8 (on and off the 1.4x tele-converter) in the Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers game here, complete with a RAW file downloadable from his server.




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