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Tearing down the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.7-7.1L IS USM reveals a very complex design

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This is probably one of the most in-depth lens teardowns I’ve seen from Lensrentals. Their efforts weren’t by choice, though. The lens lied to them. The team recently posted a teardown of the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens that had a broken element inside it. It appeared as though the element might reside inside the stabilization system, which is relatively easy to remove.

It turned out, though, that the IS system of the lens was simply masking the true location of the broken element. This resulted in the need to pretty much completely dismantle the entire lens, down to almost its core constituent parts, in order to track down exactly where in the optical makeup it was.

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Canon hammered every other brand for gear rentals in 2020

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Although the overall number of photography and video productions has been cut short this year, there have still been many going ahead. Many photographers and filmmakers have taken to working from home, shooting products while other productions have been able to ahead with appropriate safety measures in place. That some shoots have been able to still go ahead, though, means that gear rental is still doing quite well.

LensRentals has posted their annual lists of the most popular rental gear for 2020, and it’s an overwhelming Canon majority in just about every list.  They say they’ve still been able to rent out thousands of items each month for those ongoing productions, and it’s given them a decent sample size to pool data.

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Thermal vision tests suggest Canon may not be able to “fix” the EOS R5’s heat issues

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LensRentals just recently posted their teardown of the Canon EOS R5 and noticed that it has some pretty hefty seals to help protect it from the elements when shooting outdoors in harsh conditions. But they theorised that those seals and the tightly packed components might hamper the EOS R5’s heat dissipation abilities.

Well, now, Roger and the team at LensRentals have pointed a FLIR thermal IR camera at it to see exactly how hot the Canon EOS R5 gets after it’s been on for a while at different parts of the camera body. And some of it… Well, it gets extremely hot!

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Canon EOS R5 teardown shows great weather sealing but few escape routes for heat

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Well, Kolari Vision might’ve been the first to tear apart the Canon EOS R6 and get a good look at the chip that seems to keep time for “overheating” issues, but it looks like Roger and the gang at Lensrentals has beaten them to the punch on cracking open the Canon EOS R5.

They’ve published a complete EOS R5 teardown which offers some good insights into its weather sealing, which looks very impressive. But those seals might be the EOS R5’s downfall when it comes to letting heat escape.

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The $10,000 teardown – Fuji GFX 100 vs saltwater

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Setting the whole DSLR vs mirrorless argument aside for a minute, there’s one thing that’s remained constant amongst all of them. Don’t let it get in contact with saltwater. And if you are going to head out into the ocean with it, make sure to check that you’ve got a reliable dive housing with no leaks!

Lensrentals recently had a Fuji GFX 100 out, which they were told was used in a dive housing and “suddenly died for no reason”. It turns out that there was a reason. Not wanting to risk killing a $10K camera themselves, they spoke to Fuji, who gave them the “repair not possible” line. Well, if Fuji’s told you it can’t be repaired, and the insurance has already paid for a replacement, why not tear it apart and take a peek inside?

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Tearing down Canon’s new 600mm f/11 telephoto lens

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Canon’s RF 600mm f/11 IS STM lens is tiny. At least, it is when you compare it to the typical 600mm lenses that wildlife and sports shooters use. It’s also super lightweight, coming in at around 2lb (930g) and costs a mere $699. Sure, its f/11 max aperture is hitting “diffraction territory” but for social media, it’s plenty good enough.

At least, that’s the thought that convinced Roger Cicala at LensRentals to buy the RF 600mm f/11 IS STM lens. It’s not a lens he needs often, but he regularly spends time near a lot of wildlife and wanted a lightweight lens to take with him. Naturally, after all, he’s Roger Cicala, the lens was dismantled pretty much as soon as it arrived.

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How to thoroughly disinfect your camera and workspace

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The coronavirus pandemic has made us wash our hands a gazillion times a day and taught us to (finally) stop touching our faces. But our cameras are in contact with both our faces and our hands. So, it’s important to keep them clean and disinfected, too.

DIYP’s Dave Williams wrote about it in a recent article, and our friends from Lensrentals are sharing a few more tips that you’ll find useful. Other than disinfecting your camera, they also teach you how to do it with your workspace, and make sure to take their advice and keep your gear and space clean.

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This insane wide-angle lens sees behind itself and it can be yours for “only” $39,000

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If you like fisheye lenses, here’s a real treat. C-4 Precision Optics 4.9mm f/3.5 Hyper Fisheye pretty much reveals in its name what it’s capable of. The “hyper fisheye” lens offers a 270° field of view, or in other words- it can see behind itself. But this impressive feature comes with a price – and the price is $39,000.

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These are Lensrentals’ most popular gear rentals for 2019

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Each year, gear rental company Lensrentals likes to pool their data and see which was the most popular kit of the year. It’s quite an interesting list, showing some of the trends of the previous 12 months or so. They’ve just posted this year’s list, which covers from January 1st until December 12th, 2019, and there are one or two surprising products in there.

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Here are more best and worst sounds of popular DSLR and mirrorless cameras

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I must admit I enjoy ASMR videos of cooking. They’re so soothing, plus I also learn new recipes. But if you’re looking for an AMSR video for photographers, you’ve come to the right place. After their first video, guys from Lensrentals have recorded the sounds of 11 more popular DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Let’s hear them and discuss the worst and the best ones.

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