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For when nothing less will do

Posted: April 20th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Back stories, Gear | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Here’s one from the rare equipment file. It’s the biggest* fully autofocus SLR lens ever built and probably the most expensive. I had the opportunity to give it a run a while back and I thought some of you might be interested in hearing about it.

First introduced in a manual focus variant for the 1984 LA Olympics and later updated to an EF model in 1993, Canon’s 1200mm f5.6L USM lens is a $120,000, 16.5kg technological masterpiece. It reportedly takes a year to grow fluorite crystals of a scale necessary to build its grand elements, and it’s completely hand-built, resulting in lead-times of about eighteen months on orders.

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Canon – where’s the GPS, where’s the WiFi?

Posted: April 17th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Gear, Technology | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

Now that the dust has settled I am happy to say the 1D Mark IV is Canon redeeming itself for its misdemeanours in the Mark III. They knew their professional business depended on getting it right, and I think they have.

There’s no doubt the Mark III autofocus was a catastrophe for many of Canon’s customers and its marketing department alike. Others complained about colour fidelity, and some unlucky souls experienced both ailments. While not everyone received these tainted units, enough did for it to seriously affect the company’s professional business. As misfortune would have it, arrival of the Mark III coincided with the release of an excellent camera by Nikon which brought that company back from the brink of professional irrelevance (if you cast your mind back five years you’ll remember Nikon weren’t even in the ballpark in professional terms and photographers were deserting them in droves). Now though, Nikon is without question back in the game in a big way, with thanks in part to Canon.

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Expect a lot from the 1Ds Mark IV

Posted: March 31st, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Gear, General, Technology | Tags: , , | 3 Comments »

Compare these two cameras for a minute. The first one offers 21.1 megapixels at 5 frames per second, at up to 1600 ISO for $10,999. The other does 3.9 frames per second at the same file size, offers better low-light performance at up to 3200 ISO, and does full HD video too for only $3,999.

On the face of it, there’s little comparison, with one only slightly higher specced but at a much higher price point than the other. The cheaper is almost certainly a smarter buy for most. So from a commercial perspective it would seem perplexing then that they’re both Canon cameras and that Canon continues to allow the consumer 5D Mark II to undermine sales of the company’s flagship 1Ds Mark III.

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