Canon

A Web site for reporting bugs in Phase One's raw image conversion software gives a new hint that Canon is preparing a sequel to its EOS 5D, its lower-cost SLR with a relatively large image sensor the size of a full frame of 35mm film.

"Canon 5D Mark II" appears on a list of cameras on Phase One's Capture One bug-report form that otherwise seems populated with shipping models.

Be careful assuming that means the 5D sequel is imminent or has its final name. My coworker Phil Ryan uncovered a reference to a UPC bar code for a Canon 7D … Read more

Japanese lensmaker Tokina announced two lenses Friday, an 11-16mm wide-angle zoom and a 35mm fixed-focal-length lens. (Update: Sorry for the extra word earlier--the second lens is indeed fixed at 35mm.)

Both models have relatively fast f/2.8 apertures useful for low-light conditions, and both are designed to mount on Canon and Nikon digital SLR cameras with smaller image sensors, according to announcements on Tokina's Japanese Web site.

The AT-X 116 PRO DX 11-16mm F2.8 is scheduled to be available in February 2008 at a cost of 90,000 yen, or about $810. It weighs 560 grams.

The … Read more

This afternoon Canon posted a service notice on its website for owners of the company's 1D Mark III digital SLR. If you haven't been following the saga of the camera's autofocus problems, Canon admitted a couple of weeks ago that some of that model's units have a problem with the submirror, a small mirror that sits behind the main mirror and helps to divert light to the AF system. As a result, they can end up with inaccurate focus and/or inaccurate focus tracking in AI-Servo AF and continuous shooting modes. The problems are supposedly more … Read more

Correction 9:00 a.m. PDT Wednesday: The original version of this article misstated the camera's megapixels. The Canon EOS-1D Mark III has 10.1 megapixels.

Canon U.K. has asked its retailers to return any unsold EOS-1D Mark III cameras for a fix, according to reports Tuesday.

Canon U.S.A. says that it has no plans to issue a formal recall, but will address the autofocus issue soon.

"We can confirm that Canon U.S.A., Inc. has not suspended shipments of the EOS-1D Mark III camera, and we can also confirm that we have no … Read more

As a back-pocket backup, the Elph series is well respected and widely enjoyed. Canon left off the manual controls on this snapshooters' favorite, but for what it is, it's a sound product and a great deal. It started out on the market earlier this year at $220 or higher, and sellers are starting to lower the price. On Thursday, Amazon's winning the race to the bottom, especially since in most cases they offer free shipping for this item.

According to CNET Reviews, the SD1000 Elph offers unusually good image quality, "solid build quality, speedy performance, an optical … Read more

Tamron will start shipping its image-stabilized 28-300mm lens on Monday--but only in Japan and for Canon SLRs, the company said.

The lens, formally called the AF 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC, is one of a host of new image-stabilized superzoom lenses on the market. Nikon has said its 18-200mm model is its all-time bestseller. Sigma recently added its own 18-200mm competitor. And Panasonic, whose lenses are compatible with Olympus SLRs and vice versa, also offers a 14-150mm model, which is the same range when translated into 35mm camera terms.

Tamron had planned to release the lens in August, … Read more

Having struggled on many occasions to explain the difference between cameras sensors the size of a full frame of 35mm film and the vastly more common smaller sensors, I thought I'd point readers toward this lucid explanation of one aspect by Canon tech guru Chuck Westfall in his October column with the Digital Journalist. One reason you might want to pay attention: the vast majority of digital SLRs use smaller sensors than film SLRs, though Canon and Nikon have some high-end exceptions.

Westfall details in his article how depth of field changes in relation to sensor size. I'm … Read more

An adjustment to one mirror should fix an autofocus problem that has tarnished the debut of Canon's high-end EOS-1D Mark III camera, the company said Thursday.

"We're pretty confident this countermeasure will resolve the issue completely," said Chuck Westfall, a Canon spokesman and tech guru. "It feels nice to have a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel and know it's not another oncoming train."

The $4,500 camera, geared chiefly for photojournalists who can appreciate features such as its 10.5-frame-per-second shooting ability, had won accolades for most of … Read more

SLR leader Canon announced Monday it's developing two high-end image-stabilized telephoto lenses, the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM and the EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM.

The company is showing prototypes of the lenses at the PhotoPlus Expo in New York, but didn't release any price and availability information. Both are "L"-grade lenses, higher-priced models designed with better optics, weatherproofing and durability.

The 800mm lens surpasses the focal length of Canon's current biggest lens, the EF 600mm F/4 IS USM. It was developed in response to requests by sports and news … Read more