A quick video to confirm some issues when using the new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM with the hybrid IS system.
When in video mode, the hybrid IS system will be in function continuously. When it is common to record short footages, around 15-20 seconds, the IS is quite useful but introduces two issues:
- IS noise with built in audio
- image shift

When the issue with IS noise is minimal, just because you wouldn’t use the built in mic for a high quality audio… However, the issue with images shift is more of a concern. For footage less than 3 to 5 seconds, you will not notice or it will not bother you but for footage a bit longer, you will see images shifting. For footage of 15 seconds, image shifting occures about 4 times.
This phenomenon is accentuated with the camera is slightly tilted down.
Check out the video below.

Since I had my Leica M9 (object of an up coming detailed post) I must admit that I have “stepped” away a bit from the SLR world. The feeling of shooting with Leica gears can only be understood when you actually shoot with Leica. It the sort of things that are hard to explain but very easy to understand once you are “confronted” to it.

But let’s get back to our topic of today’s post.
This is no scientific reviews and we are mainly focusing on the use of the Canon EF 100 Macro USM and the 100L Macro IS USM for HANDHELD video.

The camera used for this out of the box, literally, I just got home with this lens (Canon EF 100L Macro IS USM), is the Canon 5D Mark II in Av mode with an aperture set to f/3.2 and ISO set on AUTO. You will notice that he ISO will go up sometimes up to 3200.

The lighting is not what I’d call the most sexiest lighting because it is just a pain energy saver bulb with a disgusting colour temperature. The WB on the Canon 5D Mark II is set to AWB.

Shamelessly, the photos below of the gears are taken with an iPhone 4 under the same yucky lighting conditions.

With all the gears that I use, I can here some people yelling for scandal but with so much excitement, I didn’t want to waste time setting up a proper studio setting and to be honest, this is not about how the gear look like (you’ll find tons of them on the net) but how they perform in a “real” shooting situation, with mix and yucky lights.

Canon EF 100 f/2.8 Macro USM vs Canon EF 100 f/2.8L Macro IS USM

Canon 5D Mark II with the Varavon viewfinder, Canon EF 100 f/2.8 Macro USM and Canon EF 100 f/2.8L Macro IS USM

Canon 5D Mark II with the Varavon viewfinder, Canon EF 100 f/2.8 Macro USM and Canon EF 100 f/2.8L Macro IS USM

At first, being a tech and new toys freak, I’d say that newer is better and when I saw the first images of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, I suddenly felt that my Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM had some problems.

I have never been a big fan of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM design, especially the top of the lens, but being the only 100 Canon macro lens at the time, it’s not like I had the choice and picked the “wrong” one.

So, I was willing to have the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM as a second macro lens and was trying to find a good reason to get it. I didn’t find any because I don’t use the macro lens that much, especially at this focal length.

Only recently, from a short chat on a social network that I found out that the new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM had something that I didn’t know about (I said that I stepped away from SLR since the Leica M9 remember?) and that was the “Hybrid” IS on the new macro lens.

After a few searches online I had to find out by myself: I rang my local dealer and luckily he had a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM in stock and that I could borrow.

This is one of the big benefit from buying local. You may pay for a bit extra but you are close to the people, real people, and you will have the service and support that you will not have when dealing with a website.

I’d like to thank Greg from Ted’s Camera in Canberra for this. You needs gears? Talk to Greg at Ted’s Camera Store in Canberra.

Now, obviously, I started playing around with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM on the Canon 5D Mark II. I also use a Varazon viewfinder on the Canon 5D Mark II for focusing and for composition.

…

I was a bit skeptical about the “Hybrid” IS and was pleasantly surprise to hear that the IS is automatically activated when you go live view with the camera. The IS noise is at very low level and changes following the steadiness of the camera. The IS noise gets louder, but very reasonable, when I tried to shake the camera a bit.

That being said, I would suspect that using the combination of the lens, the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, and live view would drain your battery a bit quicker and more importantly what would be the life expectancy of the IS inside the lens if you decide that this lens is your main lens for HD video? Remember that when shooting for photos (do we still shoot photos with cameras?) IS will be active during (auto)focusing and IS would remain active for a short time (less than a second) after capture, when the shutter release is fully pushed. Let me  know if you have any idea on this.

Look and feel, as mentioned, for me “newer is better” and the design of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is really more sexy than the non L version.

Manual focusing with this lens is more pleasant, for me, than with the non L version. Looking through the Varazon viewfinder, in live view mode, it was a wow at first view as the view is really steady.

I moved the camera from left to right and up and down and can clearly see that the IS is its job briliantly.

I shot a short clip with manual focus and a bit of panning to see if vertical movement are compensated. It is.

The focusing ring is a pleasure to use and the lens is very well balanced in hand.

As expected and with no surprise, when switching the lens with the Canon EF 100 f/2.8 Macro USM, at same settings, I saw almost the same thing in term of movement due to camera shake for the first few seconds. The view through the LCD screen in live view starts jiggling with my hand shake and my breathing.  The absence of IS in the early version is very perceptible at this focal length. Of course camera shake will amplify with the distance to subject.

The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM would be undeniably a better lens for macro photography handheld with its 4 stop image stabilisation. In video mode, it will help you achieve better results hand-holding. I will be heading out tomorrow for more testing with photo and video samples.

In the mean time, no images from taken with these lenses yet, because I only want to check the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM in HANDHELD video.

Check out the video below. Could you say which video is using which lens?

The second video is shot exclusively with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM with IS ON and OFF. I noticed during this short test that if you tilt the camera down, the IS noise is more perceptible than if the lens is held horizontally.

Check out the last BTS (behind the scene) video on the NOMAD PHOTOGRAPHY Channel
Lighting gears were Profoto Acute 2400 Ws and Profoto HardBox and a small beauty dish, on occasions.
Camera gears: I used a Hasselblad H4D40 tethered to a MacBook Pro 17″ for the shoot.

Check out the photos on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/NOMAD-PHOTOGRAPHY/193637572026

It’ been a while since I last posted here.
Too busy to maintain blogs (http://nomadphotography.com.au/blog) and website (http://www.nomadmodels.com.au) but also with wedding album design and photo shoots, I barely had time to do anything else.
Anyway, time to get back to the keyboard for some typing and posting.

To start with, I’ll have a bit of an insight regarding gears as I have been shooting with some new toys for the last couple months now.
In the bag I have:
- Canon 5D Mark II
- Canon 7D
- Canon 1D Mark IV

While the first two cameras are not the hottest cameras at the moment, I confess that I haven’t touched my 7D since I had the Canon 1D Mark IV.
I can shoot a whole wedding with this camera and the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 L.
When I can see the reason why Canon maintains its x1.3 crop sensor I tend to use less and less the full frame of my Canon 5D Mark IIs (I have two of them)

Having the Nikon D700 and the exciting Nikon D3s, I found in the new release Nikkor 16-35 f/4 VR an exciting piece of glass but I didn’t feel the need to buy it.
Why did Nikon build this lens? Is it to compete with teh Canon 16-35 f/2.8 L II or is it just to have one?

As mentioned above, putting the 16-35 f/2.8 L II on my Canon 5D Mark II body and the 24-70 f/2.8 L on the Canon 1D Mark IV, I have virtually no gap in my focal range from 16mm to 94mm FF equivalent.
Not that Nikon doesn’t have a crop sensor in its range of D-SLR but because they have the excellent 14-24 f/2.8 to complement the 24-70 f/2.8 and the 70-200 f/2.8.
Having these 3 awesome lenses with my two Nikon bodies, there is no need for me to buy that Nikkor 16-35 even if it has VR. Note also that at this focal range and on full frame bodies, you almost never need VR anyway.

below are a few images from recent shoots with the above discussed cameras.

It has been such a busy time that I haven’t got time to post on this journal.

I will come back here soon with loads of review and announcements.

On the menu there will be the on-the-field reviews of the Nikon D3s and the Canon 1D Mark IV in real wedding situation.

I will talk about my one month experience with the Apple iPad and also what it changed in my way of traveling light on assignment.

In the meant time, check out these few images taken at an expo at the Alliance Francaise in Canberra.

Back soon.

Check out more mega size images here: http://nomadphotography.com.au/blog/2010/05/les-filles-de-lalliance/

As a partner with the Aliance Francaise Canberra (www.afcanberra.com.au) Nomad Photography (www.nomadphotography.com.au) has covered the event.

Check out the photo taken at ISO 12800 here: http://nomadphotography.com.au/blog/2010/03/french-film-festival-2010/

The new firmware for Canon 5D Mark II (Ver. 2.0.4) allowing reall Full HD frame rate is now available for download

Check this link: http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos5dmk2/firmware.html

Pentax announced the 654D medium format, at 40 Mega Pixels, at a “reasonable price of ~ $9400

“HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX 645D lens-interchangeable, medium-format digital SLR camera….”

Check out more on Pentax website here

Canon introduced a complexe AF system back to the EOS 1D MArk III giving the user (you) more control on the camera.

Aside from the debacle of the AF system itself, the idea of taking more control of the camera  is really interesting and less forgiving.

To make the most out of it, YOU really need to know what you want to achieve.

With teh release of the EOS 7D, Canon has designed an even more complex AF system with more accuracy and again gives you more control.

To make sure you understand all the features and explore the abilities of the camera, make sure you check Canon’s Learning Centre at this link:

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3167

The long waited firmware update for the legendary Canon 5D Mark II has been announced and will be available for download by mid March. Firmware 2.0.3

The actual firmware only allows a frame rate for HD video @ 23.9 fps, the new firmware will allow the real full HD rate of 24 and/or 25 fps.

Check out the video on Canon’s website of the new firmware and the BTS (Behind The Scene) video with the new firmware here: http://www.canon-europe.com/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/EOS_5D_Mark_II/EOS5DMkII_sample_movies/Index.asp