Roberts Raw!

posts by Phil

About Phil

I have worked at Roberts Imaging since 1997. I am the Retail Sales Manager at the downtown store. I shoot primarily with the Panasonic GH-1 and use lots of old Canon FD glass on it. I love it!


Canon announces big video plans!

So the wait is almost over.  Last night, Canon announced their new Canon Cinema EOS system.

What started out as a magnificent accident with the amazing Canon 5D Mark II is developing into two types of movie cameras.  The first is the EOS C300 series.  One will have a Canon EF mount and the other will have a PL mount.  This will give the RED cameras a run for the money.  This 4K capable camera will be completely modular in design, so you can customize it to whatever your needs require.  It will boast a Super 35 equivalent 8.3 MP CMOS sensor with an active image size of 24.6 x 13.8mm.  It uses the XF codec that Canon pro camcorders have been using for the last few years, with 50MB/sec files, so editing won’t be a hassle.  Pretty cool!

 

C300 side view

 

The other big announcement was a little vague right now, but more suited to our customers here at Roberts.  It is a Canon 4K DSLR.  Basically it’s a 5DMK II on a massive dose of steroids!  It will have the familiar DSLR feel with the new Cinema engine.  Here is what Canon says about it exactly:

Equipped with a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and supporting the recording of 4K video* (at a frame rate of 24P, with Motion-JPEG compression), the next-generation digital SLR camera currently under development will enable exceptional image quality for the creation of innovative and expressive images. Additional details, including the product name, specifications and scheduled launch date, have yet to be decided.  Here is a picture of it:

Canon 4K DSLR

So now, the waiting game begins.  At least we know something is coming.  I guess like the announcement of the 1D X, they let you know what’s coming with enough time to save those pennies!

Of course, these new cameras wouldn’t be complete without some new glass to go along with all of it.  Here is a listing of what is coming in PL and EF mount:

EF Cinema Lenses CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 L S EF mount
CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 L SP PL mount
CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L S EF mount
CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L SP PL mount
CN-E24mm T1.5 L F EF mount
CN-E50mm T1.3 L F EF mount
CN-E85mm T1.3 L F EF mount


New Olympus E-P3 and Olympus 12mm MFT F2.0 are here!

The wait is over.  The new E-P3 from Olympus arrived today and it doesn’t disappoint.

For those folks who already have a Micro 4/3 camera from Olympus, specifically the E-P1 or E-P2; the differences are very noticeable.  First, the screen is amazing.  The 3-inch OLED screen is very sharp and the color will knock you out.  A far cry from the previous models.  The other obvious difference is the speed of the auto focus.  Wow.  This thing is fast!  Testing with the kit lens and the new 12mm proved as fast as any SLR I have tried.  Auto subject tracking and face recognition proved dead on as well.  Olympus was also nice enough to include a pop-up flash on this model.  A much needed addition and something I really miss on the E-P2.  The touch screen interface on the OLED screen is a nice feature too.  You can make easy adjustments to color, exposure, saturation, etc without needing to go into a menu to do it.  It is all on the right side of the screen and does not interfere with the view.  A real nice package.

The new 12mm MFT f2.0 is a lens that those of us in the Micro 4/3 camp have really been waiting on.  It is a very solidly built lens with a clutch to switch to manual focus on the fly.  The depth of field on the lens looks great!  It reminds me of the old Voigtlander lenses in it’s construction and in it’s sharpness.  Really feels like an old rangefinder when you use this thing.

We’ve got them in stock today.  Come on in and test one out for yourself!



Sony NEX-3 is here…with fisheye!!!!

So….we finally received the production models of the Sony NEX-3 cameras.  In both 16 2.8 and 18-55 kit configurations.  We also got a very cool accessory along with it.  A fisheye adapter that bayonets onto the 16 2.8  Twist, click, and start shooting!

The 720p HD video mode in AVCHD is none too shabby either.  Check it out below.  The focus and exposure do impress.  Did I mention the fisheye adapter is only $150?



New Pany GH1 hack

So Derek just shot me over a link that I think needs to be shared.  Looks as if somebody hacked the GH1 to make the video ability even better.  Looks like it might even surpass the Canon 5DMKII.  50 MB/sec.  Wow.  Here is the link: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/06/how-to-hack-panasonic-gh1-to-shoot-super-high-quality-24p-video-and-more/

What will the GH2 do?  Will it matter?



Sony NEX-5 hands on preview/opinion

I just got my hands on the new Sony NEX-5 camera.  And I like it.  A lot.

This is Sony’s answer to the Panasonic and Olympus micro 4/3 cameras and the answer is huge.  The first thing you notice is the sensor.  It’s a regular APS-C size sensor that you find in most digital SLR’s today.  And it makes a difference.  The low light, high ISO ability is spectacular!  The new Sony E-mount only has a few lenses at this time, but I bet, just like the Micro 4/3 mount, there will be adapters available in no time for all the popular mounts!
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Black Rapid Straps

Ok, so the next great thing in camera straps are here!  At least, that’s what I’ve been told.  Seriously, they look pretty cool.  If you carry more than one digital camera at once, the new Black Rapid DR-1 Double Strap is THE ticket for you.  It allows you to carry the bodies handsfree.  If you have long lenses, you can connect them by the tripod collars and hang them by your sides.  For just one camera body, the RS-4 will still keep your hands and neck free, holds two extra flash memory cards, and allows you to carry all the extra digital camera accessories your hands and shoulders can carry!  Come in and check them out today!

blackrapid.com/



The Sony Big Dog is here!

We finally go ‘em in stock and it really is a cool camera!  The new Sony Cybershot camera DSC-HX1 arrived the other day and it has some very cool features that most of the competition just doesn’t offer.

The HX1 sports a 20x optical zoom that starts out at 28mm (equiv. 135).  It has a panorama mode that takes all the work out of the process called Sweep Panorama.  This 9.1 MP monster has a 3″ titling LCD screen that is very bright and sharp for shooting as an HD camcorder.  That’s right!  It shoots in full 1080p, 1440×1080/30P!  This really is an all-in-one.  Long zoom, great stills, great video!



Panasonic LX-3′s back in stock

Attention, Attention!!!!  We have received a VERY limited amount of the extremely popular Panasonic LX-3 cameras.  This is THE Panasonic digital camera that everyone is all hot and bothered about.  We have turned away a lot of customers the past couple of months because we had trouble getting any from Panasonic.  If you still want one of them, act quickly!  Call us today before it is too late!



New Sony DSLR are in stock!

The new Sony digital camera models are now in stock.  The Sony A330 and A230 are now available for purchase.  The Sony A380 will be coming in soon.

There are some major overhauls to the new models.  They all shoot to both SD memory cards and to Sony Memory Sticks.  They all have mini HDMI video outputs that can support HD playback of images in 1080i.  They are all substantially smaller models because of the smaller card slots.  Overall, the layout of the controls are much more refined and easier to use.  The LCD monitors give speed and aperture setting info in very easy to understand graphics.  They also seem to focus a bit faster than their predecessors with the new Sony lenses that ship with the camera kits.

As with the previous models, Sony has the live view figured out like no other manufacturer at this point.  The nine point auto focus system is prominently displayed so you can easily see the focus lock in live view.  They loose very little speed when in live view mode.

Some nice improvements to an already impressive lineup!




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