CalevPhoto

My thoughts on what Canon will come out with this year

OK, first the obvious disclaimer that, as I do not work for or with Canon, I have absolutely no idea what they are working on. However, it is still fun to speculate. So, here’s what I suspect Canon will come out with this year.

A digital rebel replacement – This one seems rather obvious, but I really have no idea what the specs will be. I don’t really follow the rebel product lines.

The Canon 5d Mark II – Several pieces of software have released with a mysterious camera called the “Canon 5d Mark II”. This makes sense, as all of the other cameras in the Canon SLR line have already been upgraded. So, what do I think it will have? Well, let’s first state the obvious.

1. Dust removal
2. 3.0 inch LCD
3. 14 bit A/D converter
4. Digic III image processor
5. ISO sensitivity in viewfinder
6. Improved user interface similar to 1D series
7. Improved shutter lifetime

These are all obvious because the recently introduced cameras all have them. Now for the speculation part…

• I think there’s a fair chance that Canon may increase the resolution from 12.8 megapixels to around 16 megapixels. However, I’m not sure they need to from a marketing standpoint. The 5d still has a higher resolution than any other Canon camera, with the exception of the 1Ds series, and is higher than the competing Nikon cameras.
• Improved frame rate. The 5d currently has a rather poor 3fps, compared to the 6.5fps of the 40D. I think there’s a very good chance this will increase. My best guess is the 5d Mark II will be at 5fps.
• Weather proofing. This has always been the domain of the 1D series cameras and I seriously doubt Canon will add this to the 5D. Still, the 5D may have improved durability, but will not be entirely weather proof as the 1D series is.
• Improved ISO handling. The 5D is already very good in this area, but I have noticed new SLRs putting this at a higher premium. One need to look only at the Nikon D3X – where high ISO quality was chosen over high megapixels. The fact is more and more professionals prefer to be able to take low noise pictures at ISO 3200 than have more megapixels. I would not be surprised if the 5D Mark III improves here – though if the new model is 16 megapixels the ISO quality will probably be the same.
• Mirror lock button. Oh… one can dream. I suspect there’s some VP at Canon that is very obstinate about this, as everyone has been asking for this for years only to see camera after camera come out without it. It can take the place of the direct print button – which is ridiculous for a professional camera.

OK, now onto the lenses. First, I suspect that a number of EF-S lenses will come out this year. Obviously since they are not supported on my camera I pay little attention to them so I will cover only the EF lenses.

Canon 70-200mm 2.8L IS Mark II – A lot of photographers swear by this lens but the fact is the newer 70-200mm 4.0L IS has better image stabilization and is sharper. I suspect they will update their flagship lens with the newer image stabilization technology while making it sharper. Recent drops in prices in this lens seem to suggest this will happen.

Canon 200mm 2.0 and 800mm 5.6 – Untypical of Canon, these have already been announced.

A new canon wide angle lens – I read some time ago that Canon was spending a good deal of research on wide angle lenses. Shortly after that, the 16-35mm 2.8L II came out. After that I correctly predicted they would release a 14mm 2.8L II, which they did. I suspect these were the two most important wide angles, but I also suspect they are not done yet. Most likely it is a new wide EF-S lens but they may also release a new fisheye.

A bigger zoom telephoto than the 100-400L – Personally I really would like to see Canon come out with something here. Sigma has the 120-300 2.8, the 300-800 5.6, and the “Sherpa not included” 200-500 2.8. Nikon has the 200-400 4.0. Canon doesn’t like to play catch up but it really needs to here. I severely doubt Canon will tackle a 200-500 2.8, nor will it release a 300-800 5.6. It is most likely to release a 200-400 4.0 and a bit less likely to release a 120-300 2.8. We may also see a Mark II version of the 100-400L, but I doubt that Canon would replace two flagship lenses in one year. Despite all of my hopes, I expect that Canon will not release a new zoom telephoto this year.

Canon 24-70 2.8L IS – I suspect someday Canon will release this lens. Perhaps it will be this year but I don’t think the odds are very high.

In terms of lenses I would like to see, but severely doubt Canon will release.

Canon TS-E 105mm Macro – OK, you have to admit that a 1:1 tilt shift lens at about 100mm would be the coolest thing. I put the lens at 105 because Canon would be unlikely to release it at 100mm because it would confuse people looking at the 100mm 2.8. Macro photography is really growing and Canon could profit very well from coming out with interesting lenses like this. Then again, they already have an interesting one in the MP-E 65.

Canon MP-E 150mm Macro 1x-3x – The MP-E 65 is very lonely as the only MP-E lens. After all, there are three TS-E lenses. Increasing the focal length would improve the diffraction issues. Because the focal length is much longer, this new lens would only go to 3x, thus making it slightly lighter (or at least I assume so – I don’t know very much about optics).

Macro photography lenses

In my last post, I started discussing what is necessary to get started in macro photography. I started with the basics – extension tubes and diopters. Eventually though, once you get sufficiently addicted to macro photography you will want to buy a macro lens. So which macro lens should you buy? While I cannot answer this question for other SLR platforms, it is easy to answer for Canon.

The Canon 100mm 2.8 lens.

Before I start discussing the individual lenses, I will mention what you should look for in a macro lens. The following are very important when dealing with macro lenses.

1. Magnification. Most macro lenses are 1:1, though the MP-E 65 and the Canon 50mm are not.
2. Focal length. The longer the focal length, the more distant you can be from your subject. For some types of insects, this is critical.
3. Weight. Some lenses, such as the Canon 180mm, are quite heavy. It is up to you what weight you feel comfortable with.
4. Sharpness. Obviously you want as sharp as possible. Sharpness is more critical for macro then it is for most other types of photography.
5. Color contrast. You don’t want to spend all of your time in Photoshop.

What you should not care about is autofocus. Very often I have seen in the reviews of particular macro lenses that they do not autofocus well. This is partly to do with the fact that macro lenses focus closer than normal lenses, so there is more distance the AF must follow. However the truth is serious macro photographers almost never use AF. In a future blog I will cover how to focus, but whenever you read a review trashing a macro for its poor AF performance you should consider the writer a novice in macro photography.

Canon, Tamron, and Sigma all offer several macro lenses each. I will now discuss each of these macro lenses that exist at this time. Please note that all macro lenses are currently primes (with the possible exception of the MP-E 65). A number of zoom lenses claim to have “macro” capabilities but none offer 1:1 magnification. All true macro lenses will have at least 1:1 magnification (actually all but the MP-E 65 are 1:1).

Canon 100mm 2.8 – This is simply the best choice to start out with for macro photography. This focal length is ideal for most types of macro photography and this is one very sharp lens. Unlike many other macro lenses, this lens also makes a decent portrait lens. This lens is also very reasonably priced for the quality you get.

Canon 180mm F/3.5L – If you have the money, this is the lens to go for. It offers the best length for the Canon macro lenses and has the best color contrast. It is also the most expensive macro lens available.

Canon 50mm F/2.5 Compact – This isn’t a true macro, as you need to buy the life size converter to get its magnification to macro levels. It’s also a bit too close for most macro work. I would recommend staying away from it unless you have a specific situation where it is necessary.

Canon MP-E 65 – This is a very unique macro lens capable of very high magnification. I will cover this lens in detail in future posts but for now keep in mind that this is a very difficult lens to use and will take a lot of practice to get good shots. Also, this lens usually requires high end lighting to get good shots.

Canon EF-S 60mm F/2.8 – This lens only works on cropped sensors, so it will not work on the 5D or 1D series. 60mm is also a bit on the short end for macros. The 100mm Canon is a much better buy.

Sigma 150mm F/2.8 – Generally I am not very crazy about Sigma. In my experience Sigma lenses tend to lag behind their Canon counterparts in image sharpness and other matters. Sigma lenses also tend to have poor resale values. However, for the price this lens is certainly worth a look. I know of one individual who swears by this lens.

Sigma 180mm F/3.5 – The reviews I have seen compare this lens favorably with the Canon 180mm, though individuals who have used both almost unilaterally prefer the Canon. This lens costs quite a bit less than its Canon equivalent so it is worth consideration.

Sigma 105mm F/2.8 – This lens compares favorably with the Canon, but at near the price why take the hit with resale value? Just buy the Canon.

Sigma 50mm F/2.8 – For most situations, 50mm is simply too close. The 100mm macro is a much better working distance.

Tamron also makes lenses in a number of these focal lengths. In my experience, while Tamron generally makes good lenses, the resale values are even lower than the Sigma equivalents. Still, most of their lenses, like the Sigmas, are priced a bit lower than the Canon equivalents and are worth a look.

I will end today by posting one of my macro shots that I took of a fly (now that I have figured out how to post images). In future blog posts I will detail further how I took this shot and ones similar to it.

How to get started in macro photography

Macro photography is unique from other types of photography in that equipment does make a serious difference. With landscape and people photography a wide variety of lenses can be useful. While certain lenses are obviously better than others, the truth is a top notch photographer can create interesting pictures with even substandard lenses. This is not the case for macro photography. The simple fact is macro photography requires specific equipment in order to be successful.

Macro photography equipment falls into two categories.

1. Optics – most people realize this. Standard lenses simply cannot take macro pictures. You need either a macro lens or an adapter for an existing lens. I will discuss this in more detail shortly.
2. Lighting – most people do not realize that proper lighting is vitally important for many types of macro shots. I will discuss when lighting is necessary and what types of lighting are available shortly.

Before I get into the different types of equipment you can buy, I need to mention what is meant by 1:1 when discussing macro photography. Basically, when you take a picture at 1:1, this means that your photograph fills the space equal to the size of your sensor. So, if you have a Canon 5D camera with a 35mm sensor, a 35mm object will fill the entire frame when taking a picture at 1:1. At 1:2, a 70mm object will fill the entire frame and at 2:1 a 17.5mm object will fill the entire frame. When people speak about macro photography, they generally mean photography close to or exceeding 1:1.

The first thing you will need to do is purchase the optics that enable you to take macro shots. There are two choices you have – either buy a macro lens or buy an adapter for an existing lens. If you are not sure how much you will get into macro photography, the latter is probably where you will want to start. There are two types of adapters that you can purchase.

1. Extension tubes – basically extension tubes are hollow tubes that increase the distance between the front lens element and the back of the camera. To determine the magnification using extension tubes, divide the length of the lens by the length of the extension tubes and add the original magnification of the lens (available in the specifications of the lens). So, if you have a 50mm lens that by default has .25x magnification (1:4) and you add 25mm of extension, the final magnification will be .75x. (25/50) + .25 = .75. From this information it is evident that extension tubes work best on short lenses. In order to achieve 1:1 magnification with a 400mm lens you would need almost 400mm of extension! Extension tubes are rather inexpensive and I recommend those made by Kenko. The set comes with 12mm, 20mm, and 36mm extension tubes and costs only $169.
2. Diopters – basically these look like a thick filter that is placed at the end of the lens. The formula for determining the resulting magnification is complicated and depends on the inner optics of the lens, but in general diopters work best on long lenses. Using a diopter you can achieve close to 1x magnification on a 300mm or a 400mm lens. Some photographers do not like diopters as much as extension tubes though because there is a loss of optical quality, as you are adding optical elements. An ideal diopter to purchase is the Canon 500D. Although it is made by Canon, it will work with all SLRs – including Nikon. The price of the 500D depends on the size you need but a 77mm 500D costs about $140.

   This picture of a spider was taken with the Canon 500D on a Sigma 80-400mm lens on the Canon 5D.

   Tomorrow I will continue this discussion with information about macro lenses.