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Canon's Rebel T3i / 600D reviewed: not exactly a compelling upgrade
Shocker of shockers -- the T3i really isn't a monumental upgrade from the T2i that came before it. Granted, you could probably glean as much from the raw specifications list, but at least we've got a handful of reviews now to confirm it. The folks at Camera Gear Guide have a fairly exhaustive critique up, and while they lauded the overall image quality and the addition of the new video features (a digital in-shoot zoom and a swiveling LCD), they couldn't wholeheartedly recommend it as an upgrade for existing T1i and T2i owners. Even for newcomers to the mid-range DSLR game, Canon's own 60D seems infinitely more compelling at just $100 more, and it's also hard to ignore Sony's SLT-A55 for $50 less than what the T3i is retailing for. That's not to say the T3i wasn't impressive; quite the opposite, in fact. But it seems as if you'll need to seriously survey the competition before deciding that this one's worth your hard-earned Benjamins. Hit the source link for the full skinny, and hop on past the break for a preview video.
Canon trots out Canon Rebel T3 and Rebel T3i DSLR cameras
Not looking for a new PowerShot? How's about a new DSLR? Canon has just rolled out a new entry-level Rebel and a new flagship Rebel this evening, with the T3 (1100D) and T3i (600D) offering mild updates over their predecessors. The EOS Rebel T3 will ship at the end of March with a EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II zoom lens for $599.99, offering up a 12.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 Imaging processor, nine-point autofocus system and a 63-zone dual-layer metering system. You'll need to provide your own SD, SDHC or SDXC card, but unlike entry-level bodies of the past, this guy will capture full-motion video at 1280 x 720. There's an ISO range of 100 to 6,400, a pop-up flash and a newfangled Basic+ non-technical interface that should help beginners grow accustomed to more technical aspects of photography without the steep learning curve.Stepping up, there's the new T3i, which boasts an 18 megapixel CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100 to 6,400, support for SD / SDHC / SDXC cards, DIGIC 4 Imaging processor, pop-up flash, integrated Speedlite settings (to go along with a few new Speedlite flashes also introduced today) and a tilt / swivel LCD monitor. It'll ship at the start of March for $799.99 (body only), or $899.99 bundled with a EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II zoom lens. Hit the source links below for the devilish details, not to mention information on two new telephoto lenses (the EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM).
Canon will now add locking mode dial to your EOS 5D Mark II or 7D... for $100
Oh, sure -- Pentax may have thrown one in gratis on its K-7, and Nikon has done the same on its D3S, but none of that really matters if you're the proud owner of a Canon, now does it? For those fed up with accidentally moving their mode dial during a critical shoot, Canon is now offering a chargeable service for the EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D cameras. For the tidy sum of $100, the outfit will install a Mode Dial with a center-located lock button -- the goal here is to prevent the wheel from moving during "normal camera operation," while simultaneously milking an extra Benjamin out of the outfit's loyal customer base. 'Course, there's a glass half-full / half-empty way to look at this. You could bang on Canon for not including this from day one, or you could be grateful to have the option at all. Your move, cynic.
Canon AE-1 and EOS 5D Mark II reincarnated in papercraft form, DIYers welcome to replicate
If you know us, you'd know that we're huge fans of papercraft. It's one of the simplest forms of DIY design expression, but something about it just screams adorable. To that end, we're having somewhat of a panic attack after viewing these -- three famed Canon bodies, all reborn as paper models with an insane level of detail. The Canonflex, AE-1 and EOS 5D Mark II are all present, and they're being offered up to the tinkering public as part of the company's 50th anniversary in producing SLRs. Hit the links below if you're ready to get your fold on, but be mindful that these are PDFs we're directing you to.
Canon EOS 60D hands-on (video)
The 2010 Canon Expo is filled to the brim with drool-worthy image-capturing hardware (more on that later in the day), but the first thing we did when arriving was run straight to the EOS 60D. While we can't really get into the gritty details in terms of image and video quality based on show floor impressions alone, we will say the comfort and ease of use are superb -- not to mention an articulating display that'll come in handy for crazier shot composition. The company's definitely got a knack for iterative upgrades, but a prosumer-focused model like this is just a knockout for the price, and leaves us wondering what the future holds for the Rebel T2i when only $200 separates the two cameras. Pictures below, and check out a video walkthrough done by our Engadget Show Producer / Canon enthusiast Chad Mumm after the break. %Gallery-101171%
Sony skips over Alpha line, uses Canon DSLR for Cyber-shot press photos
Yeah, it'd be far more egregious if Nikon lowered itself to using Canon gear for press photos, but even still, Sony should know better. And by "know better," we mean "remove telling EXIF data before hosting press shots up for the world to see." Sure enough, the outfit used Canon's (admittedly stellar) 5D Mark II to capture the press photography that represents its new WX5 and TX9 Cyber-shot digicams, and the proof -- as they say -- is in the metadata. Hit that source link and download away to see for yourself. But be quick -- we get the idea this little slip will be cleaned up in record time. [Thank, Tyson]
How would you change Canon's EOS Rebel T2i?
Canon just recently sold its 20 millionth digital EOS camera, so there's a better-than-average chance that the company's EOS Rebel T2i made up a bulk of those final sales leading up to the milestone. If you've been shooting (and shooting... and shooting) with your new T2i over the past few months, we're interested in hearing how exactly you'd like to tweak things. Is the 1080p movie mode living up to the hype? Would you change the body design in any way? Happy with the kit lens? Wishing you would've sprung for a full-frame cam instead? Would you have preferred the option to get a Harlequin edition? Go on and speak out below -- we've heard that these things have been hard to come by, so we're sure a few of you are cradling one in your left arm right now.
Canon produces 40 millionth EOS-series SLR, half of 'em digital
Oh, Canon -- you and your milestones. Just under two years ago, you took time out of your busy schedule to gloat about the shipment of your 100 millionth compact camera, and today you're bragging about the production of your 40 millionth EOS-series SLR camera. In all seriousness, we're pretty proud of ya. After all, it took a full decade (1987 to 1997) for you to conjure up 10 million EOS film cameras, and six more after that to hit the magical 20 million mark. Once you blew through 30 million in 2007, it took but 28 months to get where you are today. What's really wild, though, is that half of the milestone is all digital, and given the state of film today, we're guessing that the delta between the two will only grow larger in the future. You've come a long way since the introduction of the EOS-1, but we know you've got a few surprises in store yet -- how's about a sub-$1,000 DSLR that shoots native 4K video and has an ISO ceiling of 1,000,000 to celebrate the rapidly approaching 50 million mark? %Poll-46360%
Canon EOS 7D firmware kills the magenta phenomenon
We thought the vast majority of our EOS 7D's image problems were over, fixed in November's firmware, but just to nip any final nuances in the bud, Canon's released another update for the DSLR that fixes, among other things, "a phenomenon in which vertical magenta-colored banding appears in still images taken in movie-shooting mode." And here you thought your MGMT concert footage was just naturally that stylish. Download via the source link. [Thanks, Daniel]
How would you change Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR?
We know, you're packing furiously for your next shoot tomorrow, but look -- you need to sit back for 12 seconds, give this article a once-over, chime in below and take one of the biggest sighs of your life. As unprepared as you feel, everything's going to be alright. We promise. Now that we've got you in a proper state of mind, we're curious to know how you'd change Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. The outfit's latest and greatest professional DSLR has come out shining in nearly every review we've seen, and while it's rather massive in stature, it's loaded with features. For nearly five grand, we suspect that you'll be pretty critical on it, and that's exactly how it should be. Is the low-light performance satisfactory? How's the speed and handling? Has it revolutionized your business? Are you a Canon fanboy (or girl) for life now? Spill all down below, cool?
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 EOS 5D Mark II firmware 2.0.3 arrives at last to free us from frame rate hell
It's been obvious from day one that it was possible, but after a couple of years of oh-so-painful 30 FPS recording on the EOS 5D Mark II, Canon is finally coming through with its long-promised 2.0.3 update that brings 29.97 FPS and 24 FPS (23.976, to be precise) 1080p recording at last. Even the VGA mode has been swapped to a 29.97 actual rate, and PAL mode has a flat 25 FPS and 23.976 FPS as well. Additional tweaks include a manual volume adjustment (as opposed to the automatic gain the cameras usually employ), a brightness or RGB histogram display (this function, like some of these other features, has been available for a while as a hack), shutter and aperture priority modes have been added for movie shooting, and the audio sampling ramp has been bumped from 44.1KHz to 48KHz. The bad news: now you don't have any excuses for not shooting that heartwrenching mumblecore masterpiece you've been telling everyone you're working on. Hit up the source link for the download instructions. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV survives marathon 33 page review
Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV has been slinking around at retail availability for some time now, and while we brought you plenty of sample imagery from the camera over a month ago, it's taken awhile for the thing to get the full review treatment. Digital Photography Review has finally done the deed, dedicating a whopping 33 pages to Canon's low-light, 1080p wunderkind. It's that last new feature, video, that the review finds fault in, with the same jellyvision we've seen on other HD-shootin' DSLRs (seemingly no worse here than elsewhere), but the review feels that the movie mode here doesn't feel sufficiently integrated with the camera. Meanwhile that low-light, high-ISO shooting performance is impressive, but not quite up to the performance of the Nikon D3S. Everything else, though, seems to be a nice evolution over the older Mark III -- if you have a similarly advanced budget.
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?
Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV gets unboxed, high ISO modes tested
Wondering how Canon's high-ISO response to Nikon performs in the dark? We've got the answer. Photographer John Deeb got his early and was not only kind enough to take a comprehensive set of unboxing pictures with a video, but also captured a series of pictures of model Lauren Howery to show off how the thing performs in extremely low light at increasingly excessive ISO settings. Lots and lots of pictures below. %Gallery-81623%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Video Cameras
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Whether you want them to or not, there's a good chance you've got a family member or two (or more) that feel compelled to capture every single moment on video, including those times when all you're doing is sitting around watching previously recorded memories. That's just an inevitably we face each and every family gathering, and if you must endure, might as well get them the best possible fidelity, right? Then again, maybe you are that memory-capturing individual -- in either case, we think we've got a few suggestions to maximize your holiday enjoyment. %Gallery-80100%
Canon EOS 7D gets high marks all around
Canon's EOS 7D is a pretty grandiose piece of image-recording equipment, whether you're talking about its size, features or price. You're probably aware of the 18 megapixel APS-C sensor and dual DIGIC 4 processors already, but we've all had to be a bit more patient than usual in waiting for the pro reviews to come out. Dpreview doesn't disappoint though, with a thoughtful 31-page tome awaiting the keen reader, and we've also got more digestible video reviews from DPhoto Journal for the less patient among you. If you're after direct comparisons against competing models, such as the Nikon D300s, you'll find those sprinkled in among the reviews as well, with Cameratown throwing in a direct head-to-head with Canon's own 5D Mark II. The 7D was found to produce "virtually no visible noise" all the way up to ISO 1600, and scored further points for its gorgeous 100 percent frame-covering viewfinder and fast 19-point AF. With a weather-sealed, highly ergonomic body design, ridiculously fast processing and a sensor so good that "in most situations the lens, rather than the camera, is likely to be the limiting factor," the only thing reviewers could criticize was the somewhat uncompetitive pricing, but that's likely to soften with time anyway. Read on... if you dare. Read - dpreview review Read - Photography Blog review Read - Tech Radar review Read - DPhoto Journal video roundup Read - Cameratown comparison with 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 7D firmware update cures 'residual image' phenomenon
Say what you will, but Canon's customer service / engineering department definitely looks out for consumers willing to spend just under two large on a new body. Merely days after the outfit made public that a "residual image phenomenon" was negatively impacting EOS 7D images under certain conditions, it has now published a firmware update to wipe all of those woes away. Firmware v1.1.0 specifically "corrects a phenomenon that in images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible." Hit the read link if you're looking to put said phenomenon to bed. Or don't. We don't care.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV lands for a pre-production hands-on
We've already seen some sample footage from Canon's new professional EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR (and should be seeing plenty more come December), but a pre-production version of the camera has now turned up at the Canon Pro Photo Solutions 09 show in London, and TrustedReviews managed to get an early hands-on with it. As you might expect, the camera definitely seems to impress in person, with the 1.2 kilogram body providing a feeling of "solid reliability and competence," while its ergonomics also apparently represent a more subtle but welcome improvement over previous Canon offerings. Unfortunately, the folks at TrustedReviews weren't able to share any sample shots, but they did get a chance to try out the camera's 45-point autofocus system, which is said to be "extremely fast," and its tracking function reportedly had no trouble focusing even in dark, low contrast situations with a 400mm telephoto lens. Hit up the link below for a few more hands-on shots and impressions.
