Canon launches world’s fastest digital camera

Canon's New Flagship Camera

EOS 1D Mark III

It may have a funny name but the Canon EOS 1D Mark III is designed to kick ass and take names... er photos! The latest offering in Canon's professional EOS 1 series, the D (for Digital) Mark III is the third version to be offered, and by all accounts is a serious upgrade from the earlier versions. The New 1D Mark III is a complete redesign and sports a larger 1.3x image sensor than the 1D Mark I & II (1.6x) making it closer in size to Canon's full frame EOS 1Ds Mark II.

The New 1D Mark III sports some prety impressive stats-

• 10.1 Megapixels with Dual Digic 3 Image Processors
• 10 fps continuous shooting up to 100 shots in L .jpeg
• ISO sensitivity from 50-6400
• Bright 3 inch LCD display
• 63 zone metering
• 45 point Auto Focus Sensor
• Live View histogram
• Pro Self Cleaning System
  

With stats like these this camera is the new king of speed and Canon claims it has the best image sensor it has ever put in a camera! It is the first SLR to incorporate Canon's latest Digic 3 image processor and it has 2 Digic 3 processors for added speed. For sports and action shooters there is no other camera from any manufacturer even close to the capabilities of the 1D Mark III.

Currently the 1D Mark III is available now in shops, but back ordered in most. Amazon.com currently has them for sale through our Blog-Shop.

If like us you are still confused here is the current line of SLR's from Canon. Essentially the lower the number assigned the more features the camera has, with the Mark I, II & III indicating progressive newer models.

EOS (Electro Optical System) is the designation given to all Canon autofocus SLR's

The Current Canon EOS lineup

1 D Mark III
(1.3x sensor Replaces Mark I &II models)
1 Ds Mark II
(Full Frame, Replaced 1Ds)
5 D
(Full Frame, first of its generation)
30 D
(1.6x sensor, replaced 10D, 20D, D30, D60)
400D Rebel XTi
( 1.6x sensor, Replaced 300D Rebel, 350D Rebel XT)

Hi-res versions of these and other images can be downloaded from http://erc.canon-europe.com/

Check it out...
Canon's 63 page white paper. Full of technical specs, behind the scenes details and design notes, fully intended to make you decide you really can't live without this camera.

From the Canon Press Release:

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 22 February, 2007: Professional sports and wildlife photography demands speed, power and endurance. Canon’s new flagship digital camera ticks all the right boxes and shatters some records along the way.

Designed from the ground up, the EOS-1D Mark III takes over from the EOS‑1D Mark II N as the fastest digital camera on the market. When it comes to the split-second action of a match-winning goal or a wild animal in flight, this 10.1 Megapixel camera is quick enough to capture ten full size photos every second. Those extra shots can mean the difference between a great image and a missed opportunity. And with the power to shoot up to 110 images without pause, the chances of getting the perfect shot are even greater.

Dual “DIGIC III” image processors drive the camera’s pack-leading performance. Canon’s purpose-built chips work fast enough to process over 100 Megabytes of data per second.

Speed and image quality are just parts of the equation. Canon has spent the last 20 years working with photographers to refine the ultimate tool for the professional in the field. The camera’s tough, magnesium alloy body is protected against dust and moisture – crucial for photographers on assignment in desert areas or extreme weather conditions. The EOS Integrated Cleaning System keeps dust off the image sensor, reducing maintenance time. The 3.0” TFT LCD makes it easier for photographers to check images, and with Live View mode they can use it to compose shots too.

The EOS-1D Mark III is a digital SLR camera compatible with the EOS system of Canon EF lenses, Speedlite flash units and accessories.

Some assembly required....

Build your own camera

from Omblog:

"Assist-On in Japan makes and sells this kit, and to be honest I could see a *lot* of expansion for this when it gets in the hands of experienced modelers. I can see someone adapting some of those old Canon lenses for the pre-AE and AF models - the ones you had to focus and adjust by hand - and even adapting an SLR to it. I predict that one day, someone'll do just that, and even enter it into an IPMS contest and actually *win*.

Yeah, I know I've said film is dead, but even in this day of matches and butane lighters we still train our Scouts how to rub two sticks together to start a fire, right?"

The homepage for the kit can be found here: Assist-On it's in Japanese. It retails for about $15.00 USD, but that's without the shipping charges.

As mentoned in an earlier posting (free lens hoods)

For some photographic arts and crafts try these:

The Domokon Cardboard SLR

The Dirkon Paper Camera

Lomo Sharan DIY Paper Pinhole Camera

Wherever you go....There you are....

GeoTag your digital photos with Sony's New

GPS Image tracker
Mini GPS and Software

Sony’s GPS-CS1KA GPS Image tracker is compatible with any digital camera. Record the time, date and location to each shot you take. You can use with any of camera since now Picture Motion Browser software is included in GPS-CS1KA. Once the images and data are on your PC, the supplied image tracker software synchronizes the photos with latitude, longitude and time reading from the GPS-CS1KA unit. Activate the Picture Motion Browser software are your photos will pop up next to push pins on Google maps by the actual location where you shot the picture.

From the Sony Press Release:

Sony Electronics today announced a GPS device that puts your pictures on the map.

Using time and location recordings from Sony’s GPS-CS1 GPS device and the time stamp from a Sony digital still camera or camcorder, photo buffs can plot their digital images to a map and pinpoint exactly where they’ve been.

The 12-channel GPS unit is 3-½ inches long, weighs two ounces, and is sold with a carabineer to easily attach to a backpack or a belt loop.

“Whether you’re traveling to the Seven Wonders of the World, or just wondering where to buy your next house, our new GPS device can track your journey,” said David Johns, product manager for digital camera accessories at Sony Electronics. “Adding a geographic context to your digital images helps organize and make use of your photos in entirely new ways.”

To arrange your pictures geographically, import the logged data from the GPS device, using the supplied USB cable, and then download the digital images to a computer. The supplied GPS Image Tracker software synchronizes the images on your digital camera with the latitude, longitude and time readings from the GPS-CS1 device.

Once synchronized, your photos can become virtual push pins on an online map by activating the Picture Motion Browser software bundled with the latest Sony cameras and camcorders released after July. You can easily add new photos and coordinates to the mapping web site, courtesy of Google Maps, and showcase years of globe-trotting.

The GPS-CS1 GPS device will be available for about $150 at retail stores

UPDATE:

Amazon currently has it on sale here:
Sony GPSCS1KA GPS Unit Kit,
$103.41 with free shipping

For the Photographer who has everything...

Destined to become the next "Must Have" Digital Camera Accessory

Without further ado we present the Rakuten Ear Wax Camera w/Cleaner. Although a huge hit at the 2007 PMA show it is still unclear when it will be available outside Japan. It was hinted that versions for Canon, Nikon, and Sony SLR's would be available in the summer with the Leica and Pentax versions available by fall, there just not sure of which year.

Currently the model that is selling in Japan has been hugely successful and is nearly sold out. It is common in Japan for the camera stores to make their own modifications to products to fit customers equipment, so making it adaptable to your specific camera out of the box is not as important in Japan.

The Rakuten Ear Wax Camera w/Cleaner has a camera lens w/light at one end and a viewer at the other end — allowing users to see built-up ear wax. It’s powered by a single 9V battery and is made from anti-bacterial ASB resin/glass/stainless steel. Available now from Rakuten at the price of $87.

Nikon-ography

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Cameras for Combat....

Do you want your gear to outlive you?

There are quite a few folks from Combat Photogs to Hunters to just the Accident Prone who have found ingenious ways to protect and adapt their cameras to their environment. Camera Armor is makes Body Armor for your DSLR.


The ad states " Your camera is most likely to be damaged when it is being used. Camera Armor is the only full time protection for your camera. We shield while you shoot. Camera Armor is always on your camera protecting from scratches, dirt and drops, while leaving you in full control of the creative process. All controls are accessible and you can take great pictures with the peace of mind that our protection brings."

Alright it may look a bit odd, but with the price of todays high end DSLR's this may be a smart investment when you head into an environment prone to shock and impacts.

Current DLSR's supported include; Canon 5D, Canon 30D, Canon 400D/Rebel XTI, Nikon D70 and D70S, Nikon D80, Nikon D200, Sony Alpha A100, Nikon D40, and Canon 1Ds, Mark II.

Currently on sale for $14 to $34 at Amazon.com



After you have your body armor now you need to make your gear a little less conspicuous. For the DIY inclined airbrushing your gear not only is simple but also looks quite cool and serious. Here is a tutorial on camera camouflage that will completely transform your gear A REAL camoflage camera/lens cover

Finally for those of us who don't want a permanent camera camo solution, neoprene lens covers and camera skins are available. LensCoat makes a complete line for Canon Nikon & Sigma telephoto lenses, offering protection from bumps, jars and nicks, with a camouflage-pattern fabric cover. Lens Covers also provide a thermal barrier, protecting your hands from cold lenses in lower temperatures. They are easy to install and remove, leaving no residue on the lens. And LensCoat lens covers are waterproof!

All this should provide the maximum protection to photographers in the harshest conditions, like Weddings!

The f Stops here....

In search of the origin of the f-stop

For some time I have wondered how it is that we have come to call the aperture of a lens the f-stop. I have run into a myriad of various explanations but none have been completely satisfying or seemed entirely plausible.

I had assumed that it came from a scientific or mathematical expression, and indeed I believe I have found that formula.

Where f is the focal length, and D is the diameter of the entrance pupil. By convention, "f/#" is treated as a single symbol, and specific values of f/# are written by replacing the number sign with the value. For example, if the focal length is 16 times the pupil diameter, the f-number is f/16, or N = 16. The greater the f-number, the less light per unit area reaches the image plane.

The literal interpretation of the f/N notation for f-number N is as an arithmetic expression for the effective aperture diameter (input pupil diameter), the focal length divided by the f-number: D = f / N.

Apparently Optical Engineers Sutton and Dawson defined the f-stop in 1867, and was adopted by lens manufactures soon afterward. Although apparently the f expression was unanimously adopted by lens makers the numbering scale was not. By 1901 there were at least 5 separate numerical scales used to denote the f-stop.

By 1920, the term f-number appeared in books both as F number and f/number. In modern publications, the forms f-number and f number are more common, though the earlier forms, as well as F-number are still found in a few books; not uncommonly, the initial lower-case f in f-number or f/number is set as the hooked italic f as in f/#. Notations for f-numbers were also quite variable in the early part of the twentieth century. They were sometimes written with a capital F, sometimes with a dot (period) instead of a slash, and sometimes set as a vertical fraction.

Although by the 1940’s most of the world had settled with the current f-stop scale we use today it wasn’t until 1961 that the ASA created the f-stop as an official standard. PH2.12-1961 American Standard General-Purpose Photographic Exposure Meters (Photoelectric Type) specifies that "The symbol for relative apertures shall be f/ or f : followed by the effective f-number." Note that they show the hooked italic f not only in the symbol, but also in the term f-number, which today is more commonly set in an ordinary non-italic face.