Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Black Friday deals are upon us again. While the rest of the population whips itself up into a frenzy in the real world, check out these online deals for photographers and filmmakers.
We’ll be updating this list as we discover new deals, and not all of them are active just yet, so keep checking back. Some of them are limited supply and will no longer be available after supplies are depleted, so you won’t want to wait on a few of them!
We live in a world where you get a new iPhone every year, with or without significant features. It is so refreshing to see a camera like the Canon 1Dx Mark III getting an announcement, even if just a development announcement. It took three years from the release of the Canon 1Dx Mark II to get a sign of life for the series, and we could not be happier.
Again, this is only a development announcement. What this means in practice is, “we’ve been making this camera, just so you know”.
We have the privilege of speaking to Drew Maccallum, a Senior Technical Specialist from Canon, who gracefully took the time to answer (or gracefull ignore) all of our questions, speculations, and concerns. With the PR team being away from the show, we could not get any representative on camera. Drew spoke very selectively about the information he was able to disclose. If you ask me though, he knows more than he shares. Many most of the questions you’d like to know were responded with a smile and a wave of the hand: “These are not the droids you’re looking for” or something along the lines of “I can’t answer that right now”.
It’s been a while since Olympus announced the OM-D E-M5 Mark II, which was already a pretty solid little camera. But now, Olympus has announced its successor, the 20-megapixel Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, with improved stabilisation, 4K UHD and DCI video, a new EVF and improved weather sealing. Like the Mark II, the Mark III is available in black or silver. There’s no word on whether we’ll see a Titanium version yet.
Last month, Canon Rumors reported that a 32-megapixel APS-C sensor was on the way from Canon. Now it looks like that information has been confirmed, according to a Taiwan certification agency.
The document seems to be mostly in Chinese, according to Google Translate, and mostly seems to relate to a new wireless module. But it mentions that it’s destined for a new Canon sensor. DC126801 appears to be a new 32.5-megapixel sensor that could be set to go into either a 7D Mark III or 90D DSLR.
It’s that time of year again when photography gear gets a little less expensive and everybody works themselves into a frenzy to find a good deal. So, here’s some of the best that we’ve come across for this Black Friday. Be patient if some of these deals aren’t quite showing up yet. Some will expire once stocks are sold out, so don’t wait too long to jump on a deal you want.
And keep popping back, as we’ll be updating this through the week as we spot more.
I put the new Sony A7III mirrorless camera through its paces for the features and functions we need to shoot the night sky. Sony’s A7III camera has enjoyed rave reviews since its introduction earlier in 2018. Most tests focus on its superb auto exposure and auto focus capabilities that rival much more costly cameras, including Sony’s own A7RIII and A9.
For astrophotography, none of those auto functions are of any value. We shoot everything on manual. Indeed, the ease of manually focusing in Live View is a key function.
It seems that the Canon will finally add 4K video to the G7X line in a Mark III refresh, if a post on Canon Rumors is to be believed. It’s been a long demanded feature and the sole reason why many still choose to go with the Sony RX100 models over the G7X line for things like vlogging.
CR says that they have received some specs, but that they come from an unconfirmed source. But given the specs of the previous model G7X Mark II, the suggested specs for a Mark III incarnation don’t seem too out of line.
Making the decision to go full frame is an easy one for some people. Full frame cameras offer a shallower depth of field for a given aperture & field of view combination. They also tend to be the cameras with the best high ISO performance. But most people don’t have an unlimited budget. So, what’s the best full frame DSLR under $2,000?
That’s what Jay P Morgan wanted to figure out when he put the venerable Canon 5D Mark III up against the Sony A7II and the shiny new Canon 6D Mark II. Rather than just bleat on about specs, this video is a look at how the cameras compare in the real world, and how each affects the final result. Note that the 5DIII is technically over $2K, but they can be found used for much less.
The rumor mill has dried up. This is not unusual for the Post-Pohotokina, Post PPE time of the year and so we are left with very little bits and pieces for our gear lasting souls.
Enter the Canon 6DmkII. The latest rumors from CanonRumors give us some data to hand on to, though it is not really impressive. CR speculates-guesses-estimates that the camera will be announced in, or right after, NAB (April), and probably starts selling a month after at May.
As for the rumored features of the Canon 6DmkII, I can’t say I am incredibly impressed.
Rumours about the 5D Mark IV seem fairly scarce. At least compared to most of the new camera releases we’ve seen over the years. The only thing we know for sure is that it’s called the 5D Mark IV.
Canon Rumors now report that the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV may be released with a 30MP sensor. If true, it would be an interesting new sensor. This would be the first time seeing this resolution in a DSLR.
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