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Camera deals of the week: 3.19.14
Now is as good a time as any to hone that photography hobby. What's that? You don't have a camera? Well then, a handful of discounted models await on the other side of the jump that could have you eager to dive in. There's a point-and-shoot, a retro design and a pair of pro-grade DSLRs to cover a range of snapshooting abilities. If there are other photo wares you're after that we haven't included here -- join us and add them to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut in the future, you'll get an email alert!
Canon 5D Mark III hits US retailers, available in stores today
Well, that didn't take long at all. Hours after our Canon 5D Mark III review went live, we've received word that the camera is already available for purchase, and if you happen to live in New York City and can make it to B&H before 7PM, you could even take one home today! A call to the retailer confirmed that there are just three kits available, each with a 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens in the box for $4,299. If you're looking for a body-only version, you'll need to hang tight, but if you don't mind splurging on the pricey duo, now would be the time to cancel those Thursday night dinner plans in favor of some low-light NYC shooting.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III field review
Shoot in the dark. That's essentially what you can do with the Canon 5D Mark III -- with a top sensitivity of ISO 102,400, what was once unfathomable could soon become an acceptable standard. While point-and-shoot manufacturers are adding WiFi and GPS, and tweaking algorithms in an effort to boost sensitivity beyond the 6400 mark, Canon and Nikon are making clear cases for a DSLR upgrade, by drastically improving image quality. The 5D Mark II had an excellent three-year run, but with its 22.3-megapixel sensor, 1.04M-dot 3.2-inch LCD, improved autofocus and high-performance video capabilities, Canon's latest full-frame DSLR is an entirely different beast, and a very compelling successor. We spent two glorious weeks with a pre-production 5D Mark III before reluctantly shipping it back to Canon. The biggest benefit (for us, at least) has been high-ISO shooting. While the former 5D could theoretically handle ISO 25,600 captures as well, its native range topped out at 6400 -- venturing beyond that territory meant taking a hit on image quality, making it a seldom-used feature that benefited the camera's spec sheet far more than our low-light snap collection. With this latest iteration, we were able to capture sharp images in environments where there was far too little light to make out details with the naked eye, just as we have with the larger (and pricier) Nikon D3S. Our resulting scenes look like they were lit with sophisticated rigs, or in an environment that allotted far more natural light than was actually available. Low-light shooting is but one benefit of the Mark III, however, so join us past the break for a closer look in our field review.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III high-ISO sample images (hands-on)
Canon unveiled its highly-anticipated EOS 5D Mark III just 10 days ago, but we already have a pre-production sample in-hand, and will be putting it through its paces over the next week. Today's installment focuses on high-sensitivity still image shooting, which we conducted at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea. We chose a dimly lit temple as our test subject, shooting a handful of images at ISO settings ranging from 800 to the camera's top native sensitivity of 25,600, and extended modes of ISO 51,200 and ISO 102,400. All images were captured at f/8 with a 24-105mm L lens.As expected, the camera offered excellent performance at all of the native settings -- as you can see from the image above, there's some noise noticeable when viewing an image at full size, though considering the camera's top resolution of 22.3 megapixels, we hardly see ISO 25,600 being an issue. Jumping beyond the top native range did yield significant noise, but assuming you're shooting for the web, even these settings are usable. Chances are, you won't often be examining images at a 1:1 pixel view, so jump past the break to see how each of the four frames represented above will look when scaled to a web-friendly 600-pixels-wide resolution, then hit up our source link to grab full-res JPEGs of each image captured during the shoot.
Canon 5D Mark II goes back in time with circa-1908 lens
Old camera lenses being re-purposed on modern DSLRs is hardly anything new, but Canon 5D Mark II user Timor Civan's latest bit of kit is anything but common. He came into the possession of a circa 1908 Wollensak 35mm F5.0 Cine-Velostigmat lens (for a hand-cranked film camera) by way of a Russian lens technician described as a "mad scientist," who also managed to fit the lens to the 5D after about six hours of work. Needless to say, the results speak for themselves. Hit up the source link below for a collection of samples, and a closer look at the lens itself.
Discovery HD Theater thrills Baraka, Sunrise Earth fans with Lightscapes, Episode 1 June 21
Just when you thought we were all out of experiential TV, Discovery HD Theater has added Lightscapes, Episode One to its schedule. Claiming inspiration from Baraka and Sunrise Earth (seriously Discovery, where's that new season? Are we going to have to wake up early and go outside to see the sun come up? Don't make us do it.) it is apparently the first network TV show consisting mostly of timelapse photography shot on a Canon 5D Mark II. The gallery also shows a RED camera busy capturing 4K footage of Japanese media artist Akira Hasegawa's work, projecting large abstract images onto the 2000-year old Grand Ise Shrine. Ok, so it's not exactly 24, but it is the kind of thing we'll watch because it's in HD, so check the trailer after the break and set your DVR for June 21, 7:30 a.m. %Gallery-95013%
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 2.0.4 firmware said to fix audio, reputation
Ok, that was fast. We just told you about the audio recording issue with the version 2.0.3 EOS 5D Mark II firmware yesterday and already we have a 2.0.4 release in Japan. Expect this fix of a fix for a fix to go global on the quick and give you that 29.97 FPS and 23.976 FPS 1080p recording you so specifically crave. Update: And it's live for US users too.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 2.0.3 firmware yanked due to audio issues, fix is on the way
It's not déjà vu, it's just all happening again. Just over a year after Canon had to bow its head in shame due to a black dot / banding issue that plagued the EOS 5D Mark II, along comes yet another heartache surrounding one of the company's finest DSLRs. The v2.0.3 firmware update that was issued earlier in the week is apparently causing audio problems for some users, with the actual quirk going a little something like this: "Recently we have discovered a malfunction that occurs with Firmware Version 2.0.3, in which the manual recording levels for C1/C2/C3 are changed and the camera becomes unable to record audio if the power is turned off (or if Auto power off takes effect) after registering "Sound Recording: Manual" in the camera user settings. We apologize very sincerely for the inconvenience, but we are going to stop making this firmware available for download. For customers who have already updated to the new firmware, when using the camera with the mode dial set to C1/C2/C3, please either set the sound recording settings to Auto." In the meanwhile, Canon has pulled the update from its support site while it works on a new firmware version to patch things up, but aside from a promise of "soon," there's no way to tell when exactly the new file will hit the pipes. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Canon announces new Wireless File Transmitter units for latest pro models, enables DSLR hive-minding
Canon's 5D Mark II, 7D, and 1D Mark IV have all been released within the past year, more or less, and now they're finally getting the WFT treatment. Canon's Wireless File Transmitter units naturally enable the wireless beaming of pictures from camera to computer, but this latest generation adds some new functionality. 802.11a joins the b and g modes found on earlier models, and once connected the camera can act as an FTP site (available over the internet, if you wish), can beam a realtime preview image to a connected computer, act as a DLNA server, and can even synchronize itself with up to 10 "slave" cameras that all fire at the same time. Naturally this kind of tech won't come cheap, with the 5D's WFT-E4 II A and 7D's WFT-E5A costing $699 (no price yet for the 1D Mark IV's WFT-E2 II A) and yes, rather sadly none are compatible with each other. Did you really think it'd be any other way?
New Canon EOS 5D Mark II firmware to add manual exposure control for video recording
Hey, it's no autofocus, but Canon's sent word that a free firmware update is coming for the EOS 5D Mark II that'll enable manual exposure control while shooting video, including ISO and aperture settings and shutter speed. Excited? Yeah, us too. No word on what else the update might entail, but it looks like we won't have to wait long either, as the company's saying to expect the download sometime in early June. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
President Obama's official portrait: the first ever taken with a digital camera
You're now gazing at President Barack Obama's just-released official portrait -- the first of a U.S. president ever taken with a digital camera. That means we can peek at the EXIF data -- this fine specimen of portraiture was snapped with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II on January 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm with no flash, using a 105mm lens stopped to f/10 at a 1/125 exposure, with an ISO of 100 by newly crowned official White House photographer Pete Souza. Nice work, Souza -- but we think it could use a few lens flares.[Thanks, Penny]
Canon acknowledges, doesn't fix black dot and band problems on 5D Mark II
It's been released, unboxed, and adored by many. But, like other eagerly anticipated bodies from Canon, the 5D Mark II hasn't been entirely trouble-free for the early adopters. The company is at least stepping forward and confirming that the new model's two most commonly reported problems do indeed exist -- but isn't going so far as to fix them just yet. The first issue is called the "Black dot" phenomenon, where bright point light sources (like streetlights at a distance) result in a grouping of dark pixels immediately to their right, as seen above. The second issue is ugly vertical banding, apparently appearing only in sRAW1 mode. Canon has no advice on the first problem, but says you can avoid the other one simply by not shooting in sRAW1. Surely millions of photogs are wondering why they didn't think of that.[Via Digital Photography Review, image courtesy of Stephan Hörold]
Canon EOS 5D Mark II spotted for sale in the wilds of Shanghai
It looks like that hint at a release date we got earlier this summer turned out to be right -- well, within a few weeks anyway. It's November and Canon's new 21 megapixel shooter, the EOS 5D Mark II, is now available. But, for the moment at least, it looks like you need to be a resident of China to pick up one for the local equivalent of $2,900 for the kit minus the lens (no word on what the full kit's going for). The picture above was taken at a Shanghai retailer, and while this particular hand model might prefer that you consider the A900 instead, those of you with duffels full of Canon glass would be well advised to get those credit card balances raised; this hot DSLR is sure to be dropping elsewhere in the world within the next few weeks. [Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]
Canon EOS 5D Mark II sample video is very HD and very unofficial
Canon has already provided a few carefully prepared sample videos taken with its new EOS 5D Mark II DSLR, but those that prefer things a bit more unofficial may want to head on over to Akihabara News, which has new demo video of its own. Not surprisingly, the camera definitely impresses even when taken out of Canon's capable and controlling hands, but there's not much use in us simply describing it -- hit up the read link below to check it out for yourself (assuming your computer and internet connection is up to the task).