Archive for the ‘General News’ Category

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With the new year, Canon has released a new professional “L” zoom lens, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. This is a very popular lens among sports, journalist, and wedding photographers for many reasons. I currently own the Version I of this lens and love it. Nikon released their Version II follow-up to their 70-200mm with a few new improvements including a 4-stop VR and better optics. The reviews I’ve seen have been very positive.

So what is Canon offering in their latest 70-200mm? Here’s a simple comparison chart:

SLR Lens Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Winner
Year Introduced October 20, 2009 September 2001 Mark II
Cost $1,849 TBD -
Image Stabilization Yes, 4 stops (3th generation) Yes, 3 stops (2nd generation) Mark II
Weight 1,490g (3.3lbs) 1,470g (3.2lbs) -
Max Diameter 89mm (3.5in) 86mm (3.4in) -
Length 197mm (7.8in) 197mm (7.8 -
Groups/Elements 19/23, 1 fluorite and 5 UD elements 18/23, 5 UD elements Mark II
Minimum Focusing Distance 1.2m (3.9ft) 1.4m (4.6ft) Mark II
Filter 77mm 77mm -

Clearly Canon has made some very nice changes such as an extra-IS stop (4 vs. 3), the addition of the fluorite element will make this lens as sharp as its little brother the f/4-version, and the minimum focusing distance has been reduced by 8 inches. I’m a bit shocked as I was expecting Canon to incorporate their new Hybrid IS system or at least the 4-generation IS system that is used on the Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM lens (5-stop IS!).

I see a lot of nice features, but nothing ground breaking enough that I would upgrade to. If you are in the market for a professional 70-200mm, I would definitely recommend holding out until April and getting the Mark II version. Otherwise, the Mark I version should drop some in price and become a great alternative.

You can also read Canon’s press release here.

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Just got a call from the good ‘ole folks down at B&H Photo Video mega store in New York and they wanted to share information with me about some of the holiday specials they are having and in turn, I want to share them with you.

Many of you may know, but I buy just about all of my camera equipment and gear from B&H. Why? Many reasons. If I ever have a problem with my order such as I ordered the wrong thing, the fix is a phone call or email away. They’re customer service is top-notch and I have no complaints. I can place an order today, the order is processed the same day or next, and I have my package at my doorstep before I know it with the standard ground shipping.

So if you’re looking for electronic gifts for dad or possibly even mom or for yourself, before you go out and buy it at a local brick & mortar store, why not price-check the item with  B&H Photo Video? In 99% of the time, they have the lowest price, and with the money you saved, you can treat yourself to something nice this season.

Looking for a new digital SLR to replace the one that’s broken or looking to upgrade for yourself or your parents? Check out all the SLR deals at B&H here. Looking for something smaller and easy to carry around or just not quite ready for all the complicated features of a SLR? They also have deals on all the latest and great point-and-shoot digital cameras here. And finally, for those videographers out there, B&H has a host of deals for you also. Icing on the cake, they have a special extended return policy in addition to their already excellent return policy.

For the photographers, this video will give you a great laugh! Joey Lawrence (or JoeyL) is the 19-year old photographer wonder-kid who did the Twilight movie posters. You can read his interview with David Hobby (Strobist) here and the MTV interview here.

But check out this hilarious video he made:

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For anyone who is looking to purchase Canon lenses, there are a number of rebates available from October 22, 2009 to January 10, 2010. Remember that rebates are only good at authorized Canon dealers such as B&H Photo Video and Amazon to just name a few.

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Canon has finally pulled the covers on the long awaited Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, but the question is on all our minds: will it deliver and deliver exceptionally good?

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The Canon EOS 1D/1Ds Mark III dSLRs have been what the Vista operating system has been to Microsoft: plagued by problems and bad press. So rather than releasing a 1D Mark IIIn (essentially a mid-year update), Canon has released, what many of us Canon photographers hope, is our saving bliss: a brand new model.

Nikon, not content to just sit on it laurels, has released a highly anticipated follow-up to their hugely successfully and game changing professional digital SLR, the Nikon D3, with the Nikon D3s, a faster newer and higher ISO capable digital SLR and the first professional digital SLR with video.

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Joe McNally and Richard Bui
I, along with seven hundred other people, had an amazing opportunity to meet and learn from world renowned photographer and lighting extraordinaire: Joe McNally. In the world of photography, he is considered by many to be a trailblazer and trendsetter in the area of off-camera lighting and portraits. Having owned both of his books: The Moment It Clicks and The Hot Shoe Diaries (got my personal copy signed by him), when I saw he would be teaching an all day workshop on lighting (Location Lighting Techniques Tour) here in the Bay Area, I jumped on it immediately.

Nikon has just announced a set of new products today that are quite exciting. Nikon has released the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, Nikkor AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II, Nikon D300s, and a new entry level SLR: the Nikon D3000.

I get this question quite often and it usually takes me a while to answer because of all the components needed to do off-camera flash lighting; so the better way is to just make a blog post.

David Hobby (Strobist) has an excellent in-depth series of posts that explains everything you need, why you need it, and things to consider on his excellent blog (the post starts here) and I’m not going to that much detail. Think of this as rather a friend asking another friend: what do I need and where do I buy it sprinkled with a few thoughts here and there.