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CANON 20D vs CANON 5D


Canon 5D and Canon 20D digital SLRs

UPDATED AUGUST 30, 2005

The Canon 5D is a great new camera with a full-frame, 12.8 megapixel CMOS sensor and it costs $4,600 less than the only other full-frame D-SLR currently in production (see the post below). It has a a 60 jpeg frames continuous buffer (17 RAW) at 3 frames per second. It adds spotmetering to center weighted, partial, and evaluative metering. It has several major advantages over the Canon 20D which makes the upgrade worthwhile if the price isn't too big of an obstacle ($3299). The Canon 20D does have some minor advantages over the 5D.

You can read my detailed "First Look" preview and 20D vs 5D comparison here.

Pre-order a Canon EOS 5D from Adorama or Amazon.

 
NEW: CANON EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM LENS


Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

UPDATED AUGUST 30, 2005

One of two recently announced (Aug. 22) Canon lenses is the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. If this lens is up to the usual L series quality expectations, this lens will be a great choice for photographers looking for a lighter weight alternative to the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens. The EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens has long had a reputation as one of the sharpest mid-range zoom lenses, but it is big and heavy, and costs around $1,140 USD.

The older lens has the advantage of being one stop faster with an f/2.8 constant aperture. For some film shooters this is still an important advantage. With digital cameras producing images with less noise at higher ISOs with each generation, the one stop advantage of the older lens is less and less important. For the time being, the older lens will also cost less.

The new lens has Image Stabilization which is a big plus and a feature lacking in the older lens. It has a longer focal length at the long end of the zoom range (105mm vs 70mm), a welcome addition. In terms of size it is shorter and lighter than the older lens (size specs below). The new lens will be slightly more expensive with an expected "street" price around $1,250 USD. The price should drop a little a few months after its introduction.

For everyone that has enjoyed the advantages of Image Stabilization in the highly popular EF 28-135mm IS USM lens, but longed for the superior optics and wider 24mm focal length of the EF 24-70 L series lens, the new lens is a dream come true. Everything is there except for the extra 30mm at the long end of the EF 28-135mm lens. I suspect a lot of photographers will prefer having 24mm at the wide end over having 135mm at the long end. The only kicker with the new lens is the price. For a long time, the EF 28-135mm IS lens has been the preferred walk around lens for a lot of people, including me. I think a lot of folks will switch.

The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens should be very popular if testing indicates it is up to Canon's usual L series quality.

Canon already has two very fine L series lenses with a constant aperture of f/4. The EF 17-40mm f/4L lens and the EF 70-200mm f/4L lens are both among the sharpest lenses in their focal length range. Both have become very popular alternatives to the heavier and more expensive f/2.8 L series lenses (see small photos and links below). This brings the f/4L series to three lenses covering all focal lengths from 17mm to 200mm (and out to 280mm if a 1.4X teleconverter is used with the 70-200mm f/4L lens). These three lenses would make a great kit for the photographer that needs optimum lens quality in a smaller and lighter package.

Pre-order the CANON EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM LENS from Amazon or Adorama and pay no shipping.

Size and weight specs:
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L: 83.2mm x 123.5mm, 950 g (2.1 lbs).
EF 24-105mm f/4L: 83.5mm x 107mm, 670g (1.5 lbs).

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Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens

Buy the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens at Adorama or at Amazon.

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Canon EF 70-200m f/4L lens

Buy the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L lens at Amazon or at Adorama.

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Canon Press Release.

 
IT'S OFFICIAL: THE NEW CANON 5D


Canon 5D digital camera

It's now offical. After lots of rumors and a Canon news leak a few days ago, today Canon announced the EOS 5D digital camera with a full frame, 12.8 megapixel CMOS sensor with an expected price around $3300 USD. For everyone who has been wanting a full frame sensor in a less expensive body, this is a huge step in the right direction.

This camera will be about $4,600 less than the Canon 1Ds Mark II. While $3,300 can hardly be considered inexpensive, this is the same price point at which the 3 megapixel Canon D30 was introduced just five short years ago. A jump from 8 to 12 megapixels will be a boon for many photographers. It isn't as much as the 16 megapixels of the Canon 1Ds Mark II, but that would cost $7,900 USD.

The nice thing about a full frame digital sensor is that all of our wide angle lenses will have the same field of view as they do on a 35mm film camera. There is no "field of view crop" with this camera.

Canon has information here, and there is a detailed preview at DP Review. I am sure that detailed reviews of the camera will be eagerly awaited.

Canon also introduced two new EF lenses and updated versions of some of their point and shoot cameras. Of particular interest is the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Look for a post on this lens soon.

Pre-order a Canon EOS 5D from Adorama or Amazon.

 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: FALL RIVER ROAD


Fall River Road, 360 degree panorama.
Photo copyright (c) Jim Doty, Jr.

Fall River Road begins at the west end of Horseshoe Park in Rocky Mountain National Park and ends at the Alpine Visitor's Center. This photo was taken near the upper end of the road.

The format of this page isn't wide enough to show you much more than a thumbnail version of this photo. You can find a larger version, a much larger version, and a QTVR movie version at my photo website.

This photo was created by stitching 12 photos together using Panorama Factory software. The individuals photos were taken with a Canon 17-40mm lens at 17mm on a Canon 20D digital camera (equivalent to 27 mm in 35mm film format terms).

 
MOVIE: MARCH OF THE PENGUINS



If you like gorgeous, world class cinematography - GO!

If you like beautiful music - GO!

If you like fascinating "natural history" stories - GO!

National Geographic and Warner Independent Pictures have done themselves proud with this movie.

This movie has some of the most stunning cinematography I have ever seen. You get wonderful shots of the penguins and sweeping Antarctic landscape vistas. This movie is worth seeing for the nature photography alone.

Morgan Freeman lends his golden voice as the narrator. The music is beautiful. What these penguins go through to produce a new generation is amazing. I don't know how the photographers pulled this off in an Antarctic winter with temperatures that get down to 80 below and winds that hit 100 miles per hour.

This isn't one of those nicey- nicey, warm and fuzzy specials where all of the hard edges of the story are avoided. You do see the tragic end of some of the penguins along with all of the "warm" and wonderful moments.

Are their any flaws? Yes. There a a couple of times that the narration is a bit much. No problems with Morgan Feeman's delivery. No big flaws in the cinematography or the choice of music. I could hear the soft snores of the person behind me who was lulled to sleep by the music. Or maybe they just aren't into nature photography.

If you like the nature specials by National Geographic, you will love March of the Penguins. If this is the kind of movie you like, go now while you can see it on the big screeen.

There are video clips, photos, and more at the movie's website.

If you aren't into nature and landscape photography, then this movie isn't for you. You can enjoy a pleasant evening at home.

 
PHOTO OF THE DAY - COED, OSU


COED, The Ohio State University. Photo copyright (c) Jim Doty, Jr.


A candid portrait taken while walking across campus. Canon 20D. Canon 28-135mm IS lens at 100mm (the equivalent of 160mm in 35mm film terms).

 
LOST PHOTOS RECOVERED - RescuePRO Software


Ohio Sunset. Photo copyright (c) Jim Doty, Jr.

It finally happened. I formatted a compactflash card in my camera BEFORE I downloaded the photos and burned them to disc. PANIC. I didn't mean to do it, but I did. My photos were gone - or so it seemed when I looked for them on the screeen on the back of my camera. The camera said "No Image".

If this happens to you, the first thing to remember is: Don't take a picture or do anything else that involves writing to the card. Take the memory card out of the camera.

When you format a memory card in the camera, you aren't actually erasing the photos. You simple start with a clean slate so far as the file structure is concerned so the camera can write over the existing photos with new ones.

RescuePRO software came with my SanDisk Extreme III memory cards. I installed the software on my computer, put the compactflash card in the card reader, and told RescuePRO to look on the card for photos.

It found all 30 of the Ohio photos I had accidentally formatted into electronic oblivion. The photo at the top of this post is one that was recovered. The software also found almost three hundred Colorado photos I had deliberately formatted out of existence before I began taking the Ohio photos. It also found one photo from long before my Colorado trip. In all, the software found the last three "generations" of photos that were still living on the card. It was like going back through time. Of course, once you write over a photo with a new one, it is gone. 30 of the Colorado photos were gone due to being written over by the Ohio photos. That was ok since I had downloaded the Colorado photos and burned them to disc.

Just in case you make the same mistake, get some photo recovery software now. The RescuePRO software from SanDisk worked very well and is one good option. Install the software on your computer. If you accidentally format a memory card, take it out of the camera and use your photo recovery software to get your photos back.

It would be worthwhile to take a card you have already downloaded, format it, then use your software just to see how it works.