Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Canon has shown off a pretty major upcoming firmware update for the Canon EOS R and EOS RP cameras to enhance their autofocus capabilities. Specifically, the update seems to deal with the speed and accuracy of Eye AF and object tracking.
A video demo posted to YouTube by Canon shows side-by-side comparisons of the current firmware vs the new one, which should be arriving in September.
Judging from recent patent applications from Canon, we might see two new zoom lenses for the EOS R system: a 17-70mm and a 52-83mm f/1.2 lens. They both include multiple optical formulas, which could mean that we’ll see them in production in the future.
Canon is going wild with the patents lately, but there isn’t much as wild as this. Northlight Images spotted another Canon patent recently, for a somewhat insane Canon 50-80mm f/1.1 RF mount lens. This would not only be the widest aperture zoom lens Canon’s ever made but probably the widest aperture zoom lens anybody’s ever made.
Canon Portugal sent me a Canon EOS R with the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens for me to test. Unfortunately, it was only possible to keep it for a little over a week, but I still managed to make the first day of the MEO Mares Vivas Festival where I am the official photographer. This gave me the opportunity to test it during the day in good light for the assembly of the venue, but also at night in concert, which was what I was most interested in seeing.
I had already tried some mirrorless cameras, from other brands, and I confess that I was never very satisfied. Certainly, never to the point of wanting to chang I had already tried the Canon EOS R once, but only for a few minutes, which was not nearly enough to form an opinion about it.
Canon saw a lot of backlash from consumers after it announced the new EOS R and EOS RP mirrorless cameras. Why? Well. amongst other reasons, because they didn’t have any kind of in-body image stabilisation. While Canon has many IS lenses for the EF mount, which are compatible with their mirrorless cameras through the use of an adapter, this just wasn’t enough.
Next came the announcement that future Canon RF mount bodies would have IS, but now it looks like they’re going a little overboard. A new patent published last week shows that Canon isn’t happy with the standard dual-hybrid stabilisation most systems use. Oh no, they’re developing a triple stabilisation system.
The latest data from BCN retail shows some interesting results of how the mirrorless market is looking lately in Japan. The image above shows sales volume for the top 5 selling full-frame mirrorless cameras in Japan through March and early April, with the Sony A7III growing in popularity against its suffering competition. The Canon EOS R, Canon EOS RP, Nikon Z6, and the A7III’s older sibling, the Sony A7II.
There’s been a lot of talk about a new higher resolution EOS R mirrorless body from Canon lately. People want a pro model. They want super high resolution to match or beat the Nikon D850 and Sony A7III and they want dual card slots.
The rumours were that a high-resolution EOS R would have a sensor greater than 75-megapixels. Now, a data sheet for a 63-megapixel 35MM63MXSCD full-frame sensor with dual pixel autofocus has been leaked. But looking at the specs, it seems unlikely that it’ll be destined for an EOS R.
I guess Eye-AF is the future. Following Sony’s and Nikon’s Eye-AF releases, Canon could not afford to be left behind. So, Canon is releasing their own firmware for the Canon EOS-R which mainly includes a new eye-AF functionality.
While Canon HK published the news about two weeks ago, the actual update became available via Canon Canada only now.
I’m a left-eyed shooter. I’ve just come to accept the fact that my LCD screen’s (assuming digital) gonna get covered in nose sweat and other crap when I shoot. It’s a pain, but I’ve dealt with it for 20 years, and I’ll just keep on dealing with it. One thing I haven’t had to deal with so far, though, is a camera with a touchscreen LCD.
Photographer and YouTuber, Michael Andrew has strong feelings about it, though. He feels that left-eyed shooters are hindered by touchscreen issues when shooting the Canon EOS RP, causing it to throw off your autofocus point and miss a lot of shots. But it’s not just the EOS RP he has a problem with. He’s also seen this issue with the EOS R, EOS M50 and the Sony A6400.
It’s been rumoured, hinted and hoped that IBIS would be coming to the Canon EOS R mirrorless lineup at some point, and now Canon Image Communication Business Operations Group Executive, Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi, has confirmed that IBIS is is something they’re working on for future models in an interview with Amateur Photographer at CP+ 2019.
They’ve also reaffirmed Canon’s decision to not kill off the EOS M mirrorless system or mount. The M mount will be for lightweight APS-C cameras and lenses, while the RF will be for their full frame mirrorless system.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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