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.

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/

Nikon keeps announcing their new products at a very slow and in a very restricted manner.

Being the first, at least before Canon, to announce their 50 millionth lens sold, Nikon is catching up with canon in term of pro level lenses.

Yesterday, Tuesday 9th February, Nikon announced the 24mm f/1.4 G ED and the 16-35 f/4 G ED VR.

When the wide aperture prime lens has been an “exclusive” product from Canon for years, it is now available for both Canon and Nikon shooters.

The second lens announced, the constant aperture 16-35 f/4 G ED VR, has the advantage over the Canon version in that it has Vibration Reduction built in.

f/4 for a pro level lens is not that much an issue as Nikon has released a very respected Hi-ISO capabilities in their latest high spec D-SLR, the D3s.

In my opinion, VR for this range of field of view is pure luxury and not a must, especially, once again, when paired with the D3s or the next replacement of the D700.

From personal experience, I found that the 16-56 f/2.8 L II has a double benefit of being an “extreme” wide angle and at the same time covers the gap over the 24-70 f/2.8 L when mounted on an APS-H camera (like the Canon 1D Mark III or 1D Mark IV).

I use intensively my combo Canon 5D Mark II + 16-35 f/2.8 L II and Canon 1D Mark III/IV + 24-70 f/2.8 L and the range that covers is more than enough for sessions of the bride getting ready, detail shots of rings and bouquet …

My preferred set up for the same situation with my Nikon system is Nikon D700 + 14-24 f/2.8 G ED and Nikon D3s + 24-70 f/2.8 G ED. It has a “shorter” range than my Canon set up but offers full frame all the way.

It all comes down to personal preference and the requirements of the job.

Anyway, check out the press release of the two new Nikon lenses here, on DPReview.com:

- Nikon 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR: http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10020902nikon16mm35mm.asp

- Nikon 24mm f/1.4 G ED: http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10020901nikon24mmf14.asp

Check out Nijkon press release here: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10048-10488

Image courtesy of Rob Galbraith (www.robgalbraith.com)

After the announcements and release of Nikons’ zoom lenses, I was expecting the same from Canon.

As expected Canon just announced the relooking of their best seller 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM in to the 70-200 f/208L IS II USM lens.

On the list of the lifting there are some improvement in the design (same look as the 100 f/2.8 L Macro at the filter end) and some additional low dispersion lens to avoid CA.

Better IS and faster AF.

Canon’s Press Release:

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., January 5, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, introduces the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Arguably the most popular focal range in Canon’s telephoto arsenal and a staple lens for any professional photographer, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens provides the focal length, maximum aperture and zoom power for capturing everything from fast-action sports to studio portraits. Built for the professional, the body structure of the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens has been enhanced to provide better durability and strength without a significant increase in weight. Canon has improved optical performance on the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens by redesigning the internal elements, incorporating a fluorite element and a fifth UD element. The use of the fluorite element and five UD elements helps to minimize secondary chromatic aberrations and produce better image quality with improved contrast and resolution through the entire zoom range; the end result is an optically precise lens worthy of becoming the leader of Canon’s L-series lenses.

Along with its redesigned optical elements, the new lens design features improved AF speed due to a new focusing algorithm and has reduced the minimum focusing distance to 3.9 feet (1.2 meters) through the entire zoom range, allowing photographers to capture tighter portraiture shots in a small studio space. The previous lens model’s minimum focusing distance was 4.6 feet (1.4 meters), whereas now photographers can stand nearly 8 inches closer to their subject and achieve sharp focus and tight crops. Canon has also enhanced the Image Stabilization allowing it to compensate for shutter speeds up to four steps slower than 1/focal length, a one step improvement over the previous lens model.

“Canon’s core has always been our optics, and we are constantly challenging ourselves to produce better and more advanced optical systems for our customers. The new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens incorporates the best advancements in Canon lens technology from the past few years and packages it into what we believe will be the most popular lens for professionals and advanced photographers,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

The enhanced magnesium alloy barrel design of the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens features added strength with a minimal 20-gram increase in weight compared with the previous model (1490g vs. 1470g) and retains Canon’s protective seals and fittings providing dust and water resistance for those photographers working in adverse conditions. A new bayonet mount on the front of the lens includes a locking mechanism to ensure the supplied lens hood remains securely in place. Other noticeable improvements include a wider focusing ring, and sleeker design by reducing the thickness of any protruding elements such as the switch panel. The new lens is also compatible with Canon’s existing EF1.4X II and EF2X II Extenders as well as EF Extension Tubes and the 77mm Close-Up Lens 500D.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is supplied with a detachable tripod collar, a reversible bayonet mount lens hood and a lens pouch. The new lens is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in April, price to be determined.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register, please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.