The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 40

Correction, the new Sony pro video camera is the F55 not the F5S as reported last week.  Nikon has changed the protocol for the back focus button on the D4, the D800 and the D800e.  Nikon has announced the D5200 everywhere but in the US and are dropping the SB400 flash.  Canon has announced the 24-70/4L USM IS and the 35/2 USM IS.  Canon no longer includes USB cables in the boxes with some cameras frustrating buyers.  DP Review posts downloadable RAW files from the Pentax K5 II and the K5 IIs.  Sigma announces pricing on the new 35/1.4.  Adobe makes release candidates available for Lightroom 4.3 and ACR 7.3.  CAPIC wins fight for copyright retention for Canadian photographers.  Soft lens?  Try focus calibration.  Free lighting diagram app from Sylights.

What Canon's new MAP pricing policy means to you

As mentioned in the Episode 39 of the podcast, Canon is implementing a MAP pricing policy.  Most of us know of MSRP or Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.  It's suggested because to make it a requirement would be determined to be price fixing.  Resellers tend to stick pretty close to MSRP in their advertised prices, especially on Accessories because it keeps the margin very high and if everyone does it, discounting on these items becomes rare. MAP is Minimum Advertised Price.  This is a completely different game.  Basically MAP is a vehicle by which the manufacturer does set the lowest advertised price for their products by any authorized reseller.  Reseller authorization grants the reseller access to purchase the products for resale, MSRP provides a suggested selling price and MAP defines the lowest price that a product can be advertised for.

The theory is that MAP eliminates what social engineers (and I say those words with all the venom I can) call dog eat dog competition.  It's also a way for a vendor to cancel reseller authorization if MAP is not followed.  MAP does not prevent a reseller from selling below MAP, it simply holds an axe over their necks if they advertise a lower price.  In Canon's case we saw the prices rise on many items concurrent with the advent of their MAP policy. I'd say I was surprised but Canon is simply following the same tune as others before them.

What this means to you is that if you are an educated buyer who has done his or her research you will not be able to price shop the way you have in the past as all resellers will be held to the minimum advertised price.  There is a popular theorem that MAP reduces grey marketing, but this is spurious as warranty and serial number management make grey markets a caveat emptor entity already.  It's not price fixing, but it's close.

So how will you get a lower price than MAP allows?  Resellers work with manufacturers to prepare bundles that are reseller unique that have approved pricing thresholds.  These bundles are not generically available, and so makes comparison shopping more difficult.  It's an obfuscation scheme at best.

So how to deal with this buyer hostile model?  Choose your reseller based on your needs.  If you like the idea of a photographic centric reseller that will help you after you have made your purchase, and that provides additional service that you value, be they training programs, extended warranties and knowledgeable staff, then deal with that reseller and negotiate your own purchase to the best of your ability.  Price match policies become useless when every reseller must hold advertising at a certain level, so the differentiation becomes the reseller added value.  If you don't care about that, or think that it is fair to buy from a jobber or warehouse/big box store and then go waste the time of photographic professionals to whom you have brought only questions and no business that it your choice, although I do not see how this helps those resellers with a service orientation stay in business.

Who does MAP help?  It helps the manufacturer that implements it and the reseller that complains of price competition and who has no value to offer to buyers beyond a low price.  It doesn't help the buyer and that may cause you, if you are a thinking person, to be suspicious of any manufacturer that uses MAP as a stick.  No responsible reseller is going to sell below their burdened cost and their necessary profitability to keep the doors open.  MAP is the closest thing to price fixing a manufacturer has and is only spun as a "value" to those foolish enough to believe that they can have their lunch and eat it too.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 39

Nikon updates software and rumours D5200.  Reviews of EOS-M.  Canon sets MAP pricing policy.  Sony intros F5 and F5S video cameras and RED drops prices.  More bags from Think Tank

The New Apple Drinking Game

Many folks know that I prefer Macintosh computer systems to alternatives. However, I am exhausted by recent Apple "nonovations" and propose a new drinking game. Here's how to play.

1. Sit down in a safe place with access to any recent Apple event keynote. You will not be driving ANYWHERE after this
2. Equip yourself with a shot glass and bottle of your favourite intoxicant
3. Pour a shot
4. Start the event keynote and every time any Apple executive uses either of "beautiful" or "thin" to describe any Apple product, drink the shot.
5. Refill quickly because this is an easy game to win and very fast paced
6. Prepare to be hammered in the first few minutes, first minute if you are watching Phil Schiller.

Both sad and pathetic.

I still prefer Macintosh computers, although I do wish that Apple would get their thumbs out and update the Mac Pro, and not f*ck it up in the process.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 38

Canon to produce a new 8800/5.6? Nikon announces the 70-200/4 and Nikon 1 V2. Nikon announces development of new 1 series lenses. Phase One updates Capture One Pro to V7. DxO announces DxO Optics Pro v8. Apple updates their RAW converter. Short hands-on with the Alpha 99

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 37

Nikon announces new remote controls and is set to release a new 70-200/4 VR by the end of November. Canon has a firmware upgrade for the 1DX, the 1D-c is not just a 1Dx in different firmware, and the expected early availability of the EOS-M is not early. Canon has a rumoured 700D that leaves me shaking my head. Sony closes a DSLR lens factory and updates firmware on NEX and Alpha cameras. Lenrentals.com now has Sigzilla for rent. Go Pro announces the 4K Hero 3 Black. I close the episode with kudos for the Toronto Zombie Walk

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 36

Nikon press release on Oct 24, may be the V2? Rumours of a D4x exxagerrated, new 32/1.2 for 1 series. EyeFi cards don't work in the D800 family. Canon to release new lenses in 2013, 18-0300 EFS and 24-300 EF. New firmware for OM-D EM-5. Adobe updates Lightroom and Camera Raw, releases lossy DNG format. DxO Optics updates include support for the 1Dx and D600. I close wiht an opinion on the short term future of APS-C

Layers in Lightroom? Absolutely!

The number one draw for photographers to use Photoshop is Layers, at least according to those who would know.  Let's not kid ourselves, Layers is an awesome function but only barely touches the depths of design genius that Photoshop can unlock.  But, what if you only have Lightroom and REALLY NEED the functionality of Layers, but don't have the cash or time to get into Photoshop? It's all good.  Just click the graphic to the left and download Perfect Layers 2.  It's free.  It brings the power of Photoshop style Layers to Lightroom.  For free.  It's easy to use and plugs right into your workflow.  You call it as an external editor in Lightroom like any other plugin.  Did I mention the part about free?

It also works with Photoshop and Apple Aperture as well as in standalone mode.

Once you open an image in Perfect Layers, you can do all those cool layerly things that you want to do, like retouch, mask out section, control blend modes or add more layers with colour blends.  Heck it also comes with Perfect Effects 3, also at no charge so you leverage over 20 custom photo styling effects.  For free.

Now you are probably asking why the heck the nice people at OnOneSoftware would give these amazing tools away for free.  They aren't insane.  But the tools are so good, it might (should) encourage you to try out their full suite for 30 days to see if (how) it will make your post-processing workflow easier, richer and faster. There's a lot to like in the suite. The coming Perfect Photo Suite 7 has a number of modules including;

Perfect Layers 3 Perfect Portrait 2 Perfect Effects 4 Perfect Resize 7.5 Focal Point 2 Perfect Mask 5 and the brand new Perfect B&W

I like the way these tools integrate into Lightroom. I also like that OnOneSoftware make available a stack of USEFUL Lightroom presets at no charge. LR presets are available in lots of places but with rare exceptions, they're worth what you paid for them. The OnOne presets are usable, and provide a great starting point for your own creativity.

In fact you can order Perfect Photo Suite 6.1 by clicking the banner below and get Perfect Photo Suite 7 at no charge when it is released. So you can get to beautiful work today and be assured to get the new version as soon as it ships.

Give Perfect Layers 2 a shot. The photo you save may be your own.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 35

Nikon drops the D5100?  Nikon finds the focusing problem in the D800 and has a fix.  The Nikon V1 is cheaper than the J1 in the US.  The Canon 1C is a 1Dx with different brains.  Price drop on the 5D Mk II.  EOS-M is shipping in Asia.  New 35/1.4L II at Photoplus? A new sensor for 2013 and a new 400/4?  Metz does a touch screen flash.  Sony invest in Olympus.  Red Giant releases PluralEyes 3.  Adobe turns Elements up to 11.  Color Munki releases the Smile and purple flare in the iPhone 5 is your fault.

Announcing the Hasselblad Lunar

You'd think that the Hasselblad company had gone out and run over the family dog based on the vituperance about the announced Lunar. Hasselblad hasn't lied about the Lunar at all.  They say it is a style oriented camera and benefits from special materials including carbon fibre, wood, leather, titanium and precious metals including gold.  They have made no claims at all about making the electronics or the sensor or even the glass.

Internally the Lunar is a Sony NEX-7.  In my opinion, at time of writing, the NEX-7 is the best Compact System Camera, Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera, Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Format, fill in your own name here camera on the market.

The NEX-7 is easy to use and well suited to committed photographers with dual control dials, a built-in viewfinder, blazing autofocus and superb exposure control.  Sony E lenses are pretty darn good and we've recently learned that they are full frame capable.

So Hasselblad isn't making the guts.  They are doing the physical casement.  It will cost around $5,000 more than an NEX-7.  If all you need is delivered by the NEX-7, then go out and buy one.  If you have the coin, and the desire, as well as the willingness to drop $5K on what is, imho, basically bling, then go rock your world.  It's not going to make better images than an NEX-7, but you might feel that your image is enhanced.

There are folks out there who like this sort of thing.  They put gold emblems and giant spinner rims on their cars.  They self-adorn with jewelry.  Those "into photography" have been buying Hermes limited editions of Leicas.  So don't really hammer Hasselblad.  You and I may not buy a Lunar, but if this product generates revenue to help Hasselblad to keep doing amazing "real" (my word) cameras, good for them.  And to their credit, when they went outboard for the guts, they picked the best choice out there.

Specifications courtesy Victor Hasselblad AG

Recording system (still image)
Image quality modes.	RAW, RAW & JPEG, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard
Media
Media	Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO HG Duo, SD memory card, SDHC memory card, SDXC memory card
Slot	Multi slot for Memory Stick Duo/SD memory card
Exposure control
Exposure modes	IAUTO, Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed (S), Manual (M), Sweep Panorama, 3D
Exposure Compensation	Sweep Panorama, Anti Motion Blur, Scene Selection
Bracketing	3 continuous exposure in 0.3 or 0.7 EV steps
LCD monitor
Brightness control	Auto, Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2), Sunny Weather mode
Display contents	Graphic Display, Display All Info., Big Font Size Disp, Info., Live View Priority, Level, Histogram, For viewfinder
Flash
Type	Built-in flash
Flash compensation	+/- 3.0 EV
Flash modes	Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync
Shutter
Type	Electronically controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter speed	1/4000 to 30 sec., Bulb
Flash sync. speed	1/160 sec.
Electronic front curtain shutter	Yes, On/Off
Drive
Modes	Single-shot, Continuous, Speed Priority Continuous, Self-timer (10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay: 3/5 exposures), Bracketing, Remote Cdr
Interface
Pc Interface	Hi-speed USB (USB 2.0): Mass-storage, MTP
HD output	HDMI® mini connector (type-C), PhotoTV HD
Others	Auto-lock Accessory Shoe, Microphone jack, Remote sensor
Weight
Body only	Approx. 420 g
Dimension
W x H x D (including protrusion)	Approx. 140 x 83 x 67 mm

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 34

More Photokina joy. More info for and on the D600. Canon lights up the 6D and G15 and new printers. More small Fuji goodness. Olympus re-PENs. PhaseOne Mamiya bring a new medium format out. Lumix adds a new CSC and lens. Google commits to photography. Sigma brings out new glass and a new lens strategy. Hassleblad brings you the moon. Leica announces the next M series. Think Tank helps you travel in style.

VIDEO : Introducing Canon's Radio Remote Flash System

I've just made available this new video that introduces Canon's 600 EX-RT flash and ST-E3-RT flash controller. The new radio system is a significant departure so I explain the infrared history of Canon remote flash, where the new system is compatible and where it is not, and offer a comparison to the well known Pocket Wizard radio controllers for eTTL flash. [iframe][/iframe]

Announcing new Leicas

I guess it's no surprise that Leica (Germany) would hold it's big release party at Photokina (Germany).  There has been a ton of speculation about new cameras to be announced and Leica has not failed to deliver on the promise of announcements. The M

Most anticipated by the serious rangefinder crowd was the M10.  Which didn't appear.  Instead, Leica takes a page from Apple and has ceased numbering it's cameras so the camera we've been expecting as the M10 is just the M (Typ 240)

It is very much what has been rumoured.  About the same money as an M9 was before the discounting started about a month ago, with many of the expected changes being delivered.  I've posted links to the specs but here are the salient points.

• 24MP CMOS sensor by CMOSIS of Belgium
• 1/4000s - 60s plus Bulb
• 3fps
• SD card slot
• ISO 200-6400 with one stop pull
• 3" 920k dot LCD display covered in Corning Gorilla Glass
• Spot or centre weighted metering
• 1080p video at 25/24/30 fps

Going CMOS allows for Live View and video but means that the old style of no Anti-Aliasing filter is now gone.  Some Leica fans were near apoplectic to see this.  The higher ISO range is a nice change from the 2500 cap on the M9.  The new camera is made of magnesium with brass top and bottom plates and comes in black or chrome.

The M-E

If you've always wanted a Leica digital rangefinder but found the cost of entry a bit extreme, Leica has a new option for you called the M-E.

As best I can tell, it's a stripped (not by much) M9.  Specs are as follows

• 18MP CCD without AA filter
• ISO 160-2500 one stop pull
• 1/4000s - 240s plus bulb
• SD card slot
• Centre weighted metering
• 2.5" 230K TFT display

So with the exception of the USB port, for all intents and purposes it's an M9, only in anthracite grey with the same Kodak sensor.  It will take all accessories offered on the M9 and M9-P.  Price looks to be about $1000 below the pre-discount price of the M9.

The S

Leica is less known for their medium format camera the S2.  The new camera, called the S, is the latest iteration in the S System.

Medium format cameras tend to be heavy and bulky and look boxy.  The S looks like a DSLR that is a bit overgrown.  Control layout is simple and easy to use and the glass is amazing.  About $20k for a body only so not for those of us of average incomes.  This is a very targeted buyer.

• Weighs 1.2 kg
• ISO 100-1600
• 1/4000s - 4s plus bulb
• No spec on the sensor although the S2 sensor was a 37.5MP CCD
• 1.5fps

Nothing light or trivial here.  Leica reminds me of Rolls Royce when it comes to specs.  I remember that when Rolls used to be queried on the horsepower of their cars, their answer was "enough".  Leica is sort of that way with the S.  I don't see a lot of pros using Leica S family products, there is a lot more Hasselblad, Mamiya, Phase One and even Pentax out there in pro-land, but if money was no object this would be cool.

Leica also announced two new point and shoot style cameras, the D-Lux 6 and V-Lux 4 super zoom.  They are both very pricey models with features comparable (sometimes identical - wink) to existing point and shoot cameras from folks such as Lumix.  I don't really cover point and shoots on this site, so I will leave them to others to cover.

Announcing new Sigma lenses and organizational structure

At Photokina this week, Sigma has announced a revamping of their lens business and three new lenses. From the release, Sigma will be grouping their lenses into Contemporary, Art and Sports.  Reasons for the distinctions are not completely clear and as at this writing even the websites for Sigma country sites and distributors were not yet updated.

All the lenses have a new cosmetic look and ostensibly have improved weather sealing.

Contemporary

I think Contemporary is set to cover all-around use lenses, including multi-purpose zooms. Sigma has updated a number of lenses this year including their popular 18-250 walk around zoom, but cosmetically the lenses did not change much and optically the changes were nominal.  This week they have announced a new 17-70 f2.8-4 lens.  It's on their DC construction line so targeted at crop sensor bodies.  There are lots of those out there, but I am disappointed that the lens is not a DG given the industry trend to full frame sensors.

Construction comprises aspherical, FLD (fluorite) and SLD (super low dispersion) elements in addition to traditional optical glass.  It will weigh about 1 pound and take 72mm filters.  A 7 blade rounded diaphragm should provide pleasing bokeh when shot wide open.  Pricing was not available in the announcement.

Credit to Sigma for including performance charts with their announcement.  The chart shows mild barrel distortion at the wide end and minuscule pincushion distortion at the telephoto end.  Given that this lens is for crop sensors of varying mounts, probability is that an oversize image circle will make the distortion invisible in real world applications.

Art

Sigma says that this line is targeted for artists.  I think that this means fast primes.  The lens announced in this group is a 35mm f/1.4  Sigma has successfully proven their ability to make superb fast primes already with the industry choice 50mm f/1.4 and their 85mm f/1.4.  I've shot the 50mm and think it is better than Canon's less expensive 50/1.4.  Fashion professional Lindsay Adler is a spokesperson for the 85/1.4.  Thus I am optimistic about the image performance of the new 35mm.  This lens is a DG mount so suitable for full frame use.

Construction comprises aspherical, FLD (fluorite) and SLD (super low dispersion) elements in addition to traditional optical glass.  It's pretty large and take 67mm filters, weight was not included in the specs.  A 9 blade rounded diaphragm should provide pleasing bokeh when shot wide open.  Pricing was not available in the announcement.

Sigma's performance charts show negligible distortion, which is expected given the longevity of 35mm construction and the simple design it requires.  Vignetting is not insignificant wide open but it will take real world tests to see how much of a difference it really makes.

Sports

Many photographers have loved the second generation of Sigma's 120-300/2.8 fast telephoto zoom.  The 2nd gen model added optical image stabilization enhancing the value proposition substantially even over Sigma's really excellent 300/2.8.  We see the third generation of the 120-300/2.8 in this announcement and it has changed both cosmetically and physically.  The new lens is much sleeker that it's predecessor and now includes focus control buttons near the front element as we would find on Nikon and Canon super telephotos.  This allows the photographer direct control of focus tracking and motor speed.

The lens is built with FLD and SLD elements as well as regular optical glass as was the predecessor.  Distortion charts are available and show negligible distortions.  Since the lens is an all telephoto zoom, this makes for simpler and more robust construction.  No weight is given, but if the 2nd gen is an indicator, hand-holding will be a tiring proposition.  A tripod foot and carry case are to be included with the lens.  Filter size remains an enormous 105mm so you'll be doing a special order on that from Sigma as well.

While I am impressed with what was announced, I am looking forward to more detail and seeing the real things in stores.

Announcing the Canon 6D - an initial review

After weeks/months of speculation, Canon has announced the 6D.  It's a brand new full frame camera and in my estimation just fired a full nail gun into the coffin of the 5D Mark II.  For specification junkies, the full specs are at the bottom of the post. The time is right for the 6D.  The 5D Mk III is a terrific product but as the entry level for full frame has been priced out of the general marketplace, hence the keeping of the aged but still functional 5D Mark II.  The 6D changes things for the Canon shooter wanting full frame but without over $3000 for a body only purchase.

When it debuted, the 5D Mark II was the way to go.  It's a great camera but is showing its age in areas such as AF and burst mode.  And that's where the 6D fits in.

With an MSRP of $2099 body only, as well as to be available with the proven 24-105/4 lens, the 6D makes full frame with modern performance affordable for Canonistas.  It has some interesting shifts from the xD lineup though, where x represents a single digit.  Most telling is the switch from CF cards to SD cards as the primary storage.  Manufacturing is probably cheaper, but this change I cannot applaud if you already have any of the xD family.  It makes sense if the 6D is an upgrade target for the 60D or the legion of Rebels out there, but SD is simply not as fast as CF, even at the UHS-1 level.  The camera uses Canon's latest CPU, the Digic 5+.

As one would expect with ANY Canon full frame, this is an EF mount only.  EF-S lenses will not mount up, and Canon makes the point that EOS-M lenses won't mount either, even though none exist at present.  Image circle matters in full frame.

The 6D does both RAW and JPEG as expected and I am pleased to see that Canon continues to deliver 14 bit depth on the new camera in keeping with the 5D, 7D and 1D line as well as with the exception created by the T4i.  When thinking about image quality and large prints, bit depth makes a substantial difference.  The sensor is a new design 20MP sensor, slightly down from the 22MP sensor in the 5D but the gap is going to be negligible in most all cases and the then necessary larger pixels should give better low light performance.  This will be a step up over the crop sensor 7D whose low light performance leaves room for improvement.  The published ISO range is 100-25600 with a one stop pull (to 50) and two stop push (to 51200 and 102400).  This is in keeping with other modern full frame sensors and focuses attention on Canon's increased commitment to better low light imaging.

Shutter speed range is 1/4000s to 30s plus bulb mode.  Flash sync is 1/180s which is in my opinion a step backwards as the growth of flash is being driven by increasing use to mix fill flash and to be able to sync at higher, not lower speeds.  Strobist David Hobby will have nothing good to say about the low sync speed but will at least be able to be less frustrated because unlike Nikon's D600, the 6D does have a PC sync port to connect to studio flash.  Maximum burst mode is 4.5 fps with a RAW capture capacity in full burst of 14 frames, before letting the camera catch up.  The 6D incorporates in camera HDR (meh) and in camera multiple exposure (Yay!).

The camera brings new tech into the body that formerly has been only found in outboard devices, sold in low volume because of insanely high cost given what they do.  There is built-in GPS (about time given its prevalence in P/S cameras for some time) and built in WiFi.  Canon, for one, has this in some of their low end P/S cameras and charging hundreds of dollars for an outboard connection on other bodies is a kick in the jewels to Canon buyers.  In addition to having built-in WiFi, Canon is delivering tethering applications for iDevices.  This is also a really good thing as other wireless tethering solutions really still required a laptop and a wire connected to the camera.  Perhaps Canon will reduce their crack intake and drop the price substantially on their outboard wireless connection systems.

Metering is delivered by the new 63 zone metering system and is rated from 1 EV to 20 EV.  That's not as good as we are seeing from other vendors (down to -3 EV).  Canon has increased the exposure compensation range to 5 stops up or down in gaps of 1/3, and 1/2 stops but AEB is still limited to +/- 3 stops.  With the growing interest in HDR, they could have extended this out a la Nikon and others.  The meter patterns are centre-weighted average, partial 8%, spot 3% and Evaluative (default).  There are the usual assortment of predefined exposure modes for different scene types and our expected grouping of PASM.

Autofocus is of the 11pt type, which compared to other full frame cameras in the price range is quite lame.  That said, many serious photographers tend to use the centre spot and then recompose, so this may be less of an issue than it could.  AF purported works down to -3 EV so three stops better performance than the metering system.   AF will fall off the tracks at maximum apertures below f/5.6 so slow lenses or big lenses with teleconverters may push the user into manual focus.  It won't kill you.  Really.

Multiple white balance presets are available as is Canon's Automatic White Balance setting which does a pretty decent job in most shooting situations.

Of course the 6D does video.  It shoots 1080p HD video at 30/25/24 fps and incporates both IPB and ALL-I in camera compression.  The camera has a mini HDMI connector but Canon makes no notices about whether you can stream uncompressed HDMI through the port as you can on the Nikon D600.  It's not clear if full time AF is available if you use the new EF STM lenses.

The camera is powered by the existing LP-E6 battery (good decision Canon) and supplemental power is made available with the accessory BG-13 grip.  Expect about 1,000 shots on a single battery charge without using the Live View too much.  Live view is delivered via a 1m dot 3 inch LCD panel that does not swivel or flip around.

Conclusions

The 6D is a viable replacement for the 5D Mark II.  There is still a lot more in the 5D Mark III and there had better be for the significant cost increase.  I expect the body price of 5D Mk II units to drop until cleared out and then the device will be officially discontinued.  I have believed that the continuance of the 5D Mk II was only a stop gap since the release of the Mark III really a holding pattern for the 6D.  There's a lot to like in the new camera.  There's also in my opinion, a fair bit left out.  I'm disappointed by the flash sync speed, the low count of AF points, and the backward thinking on AEB.  I could not find ANY indicators one way or the other if you can fully control the 600-EX-RT flash from inside the camera, although my guess is that you can.  I like the battery decision and the subtle improvements on the 5D Mark II and would suggest that readers who have been thinking about a 5D Mark II rethink that with the release of the 6D.

Specifications (courtesy Canon USA)

Type Digital AF/AE single-lens reflex camera

Recording Media SD card, SDHC card, SDXC memory card

* Compatible with Ultra High-Speed (UHS-I) memory cards.

Image Format 35.8mm x 23.9mm (Full-Frame)

Compatible Lenses Canon EF lenses (except EF-S and EF-M lenses)

Lens Mount Canon EF mount

Image Sensor

Type CMOS Sensor

Pixels Effective: Approx. 20.2 megapixels

Pixel Unit 6.55 µm square

Total Pixels Approx. 20.6 megapixels

Aspect Ratio 3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical)

Color Filter System RGB primary color filters

Low Pass Filter Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor

Dust Deletion Feature (1) Self Cleaning Sensor Unit

• Removes dust adhering to the low-pass filter.
• Self-cleaning executed automatically (taking 2 sec.) when power is turned on or off. Manual execution also possible (taking 8.0 sec.).

(2) Dust Delete Data acquisition and appending

• The coordinates of the dust adhering to the low-pass filter are detected by a test shot and appended to subsequent images.
• The dust coordinate data appended to the image is used by the provided software to automatically erase the dust spots.

(3) Manual cleaning of sensor

Recording System

Recording Format Complies with Design rule for Camera File system 2.0 and EXIF 2.30

Image Format Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), RAW+JPEG

Video: MOV (Image data: H.264, Audio: Linear PCM)

File Size (1) Large: Approx. 20.0 megapixels (5,472 x 3,648)

(2) Medium: Approx. 8.9 megapixels (3,648 x 2,432)

(3) Small 1: Approx. 5.0 megapixels (2,736 x 1,824)

(4) Small 2: Approx. 2.5 megapixels (1920 x 1280)

(5) Small 3: Approx. 350,000 pixels (720 x 480)

(6) RAW: Approx. 20.0 megapixels (5,472 x 3,648)

M RAW: Approx. 11.0 megapixels (4,104 x 2,736)

S RAW: Approx. 5.0 megapixels (2,736 x 1,824)

Backup Recording N/A

File Numbering The following three types of file numbering methods can be set:

(1) Continuous numbering

* The numbering of captured images will continue even after you replace the camera's card.

(2) Auto reset

* When you replace the camera's card, the numbering will be reset to start from 0001. If the new card already contains images, the numbering will continue from the last recorded image in the card.

(3) Manual reset

* Resets the file number to 0001, and creates a new folder automatically.

RAW + JPEG Simultaneous Recording Large RAW and JPEG images are recorded simultaneously

Color Space sRGB, Adobe RGB

Picture Style Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined 1-3

White Balance

Settings Auto, Preset (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash), Custom (Approx. 2,000° - 10,000°K), Color Temperature (Approx. 2,500° - 10,000°K), White Balance Correction, and White Balance Bracketing

Auto White Balance Auto white balance with the image sensor

Color Temperature Compensation Blue/amber bias: ±9 levels

- Magenta/green bias: ±9 levels

* Correction based on the current WB mode's color temperature.

Color Temperature Information Transmission Provided

Viewfinder

Type Eye-level SLR (with fixed pentaprism)

Coverage Vertical/Horizontal approx. 97%

Magnification Approx. 0.71x / 33.3°

Eye Point Approx. 21mm (At -1m^-1 from the eyepiece lens center)

Dioptric Adjustment Correction -3.0 to +1.0m^-1 (diopter)

Focusing Screen Eg-A II provided. Interchangeable with Eg-D and Eg-S. Incompatible with Eg-A.

Mirror Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60)

Viewfinder Information - AF information

AF points and focus confirmation

- Exposure information

Shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level, exposure warning

- Flash information

Flash ready, flash exposure compensation, high-speed sync, FE lock

- Image information

Highlight tone priority (D+), maximum burst (2-digit display), card information

- Battery check

- Composition information

Electronic level

- Warning Symbol

Displayed if any of the following is set: Monochrome, white balance correction, expanded ISO speed, or spot metering.

Depth Of Field Preview Enabled with depth-of-field preview button

Autofocus

Type TTL secondary image-forming phase-difference detection system with AF-dedicated CMOS sensor

AF Points 11 points

Center: cross-type at f/5.6; vertical line-sensitive at f/2.8.

Upper and lower AF points: vertical line-sensitive AF at f/5.6.

Other AF points: Horizontal line-sensitive AF at f/5.6.

AF Working Range Center AF Point: EV -3 to 18 (at 73°F/23°C, ISO 100)

Other AF points: EV +0.5 to 18 (at 73°F/23°C, ISO 100)

Focusing Modes 1) Autofocus

- One-Shot AF

- AI Servo AF

- AI Focus AF

*Switches between One-Shot AF and AI Servo AF automatically.

2) Manual focus

AF Point Selection (1) Automatic selection

(2) Manual selection

Selected AF Point Display Displayed or indicated by superimposed display in the viewfinder and on the LCD monitor.

AF Assist Beam 1) Enable

* With an EOS-dedicated Speedlite attached, AF-assist beam is emitted automatically when necessary.

2) Disable

3) IR AF-assist beam only

* No AF-assist beam with flash bursts.

Exposure Control

Metering Modes Max. aperture TTL metering with 63-zone SPC with the following selectable modes:

1) Evaluative metering

2) Partial metering (center: approx. 8% of viewfinder)

3) Spot metering (center: approx. 3.5% of viewfinder)

4) Center-weighted average metering

Metering Range EV 1-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF50mm f/1.8 II lens, ISO 100)

Exposure Control Systems Creative Zone

(1) Program AE (shiftable)

(2) Shutter-priority AE

(3) Aperture-priority AE

(4) Manual exposure

(5) Bulb

(6) Custom shooting mode

Basic zone

(1) Scene Intelligent Auto (Program AE / non-shiftable)

(2) Creative Auto

(3) Special Scene

- Portrait

- Landscape

- Close-up

- Sports

- Night Portrait

- Handheld Night Scene

- HDR Backlight Control mode

ISO Speed Range For Stills: Manual setting range of ISO 100-25600 (expansion possible to ISO 50, ISO 51200 and 102400) in 1/3-stop or whole-stop increments)

Shooting Mode	ISO Settings
Auto (Scene Intelligent Auto, Creative Auto, Close-up, Macro, Sports, Night Portrait, HDR Backlight Control mode)	ISO 100–12800
Handheld Night Scene mode	ISO 100–25600
Landscape	ISO 100–1600
P, TV, Av, M	ISO–25600*1
B	ISO 400 fixed*1
With flash	ISO 400 fixed*1,2,3,4

*1: It depends on [Minimum] and [Maximum] of auto ISO setting. *2: If overexposure would occur with fill flash, the minimum ISO speed is ISO 100. *3: Scene Intelligent Auto, Night Portrait and Handheld Night Scene modes are excluded. *4: For bounced external flash when Creative Auto, Close-up, Landscape, Macro, Sports / P is set, automatically set between ISO 400–1600.

Exposure Compensation (1) Manual : ±5 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments

(2) AEB : ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments

* Manual exposure compensation and AEB can be combined.

* The AEB shooting sequence will be standard exposure, underexposure and overexposure. With the self-timer, three continuous shots will be taken regardless of the current drive mode.

* The number of bracketed shots: 2, 3, 5, or 7 settable with a Custom Function.

AE Lock Possible

* During movie shooting, press the <*> button for AE lock and press the button to cancel AE lock (not automatically cancelled).

* AE lock (cancelled automatically when metering timer is turned off) possible before movie shooting. Movie shooting can start while AE lock is set.

Shutter

Type Vertical-travel, mechanical, focal-plane shutter with all speeds electronically-controlled

Shutter Speeds 1/4000 to 30 sec., X-sync at 1/180 sec. (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode.)

Shutter Release Soft-touch electromagnetic release

Self Timer 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay

Shutter Lag Time (1) During SW-1 ON, time lag between SW-2 ON and start of exposure: approx. 0.060 sec.

(2) Time lag between simultaneous SW-1/SW-2 ON and start of exposure: Approx. 0.144 sec.

* Time lag with the aperture stopped down by 3.5 stops or less (Excludes AF operation time).

External Speedlite

Flash Metering E-TTL II autoflash (evaluative flash metering and average flash metering)

Flash Exposure Compensation ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments

FE Lock Provided

PC Terminal Provided

Drive System

Drive Modes (1) Single shooting

(2) Continuous shooting

(3) Silent single shooting

(4) Silent continuous shooting

(5) 10-sec. self-timer/Remote control

(6) 2-sec. self-timer

Continuous Shooting Speed Continuous shooting: Max. approx. 4.5 fps

Silent continuous shooting: Max. approx. 3.0 fps

Maximum Burst Based on 8GB memory Card:

JPEG Large/Fine: Approx. 73 Shots

RAW: Approx. 14 Shots

RAW+JPEG Large/Fine: 7 Shots

Based on 8GB UHS-I memory card:

JPEG Large/Fine: Approx. 1250 Shots

RAW: Approx. 17 Shots

RAW + JPEG Large/Fine: 8 Shots

* Figures are based on Canon's testing standards (ISO 100 and Standard Picture Style).

Live View Functions

Shooting Modes Still photo shooting and video shooting

Focusing (1) Autofocus

- FlexiZone - Single

* One-point, contrast AF. Switching to another AF point is possible.

- Face Detection Live mode

* Face detection, contrast AF. Face is selectable.

- Quick Mode AF

* Phase-difference AF with 11 AF points.

(2) Manual Focus

- Magnify the image by 5x or 10x and focus manually.

Metering Modes Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor.

(1) Evaluative metering (315 zones)

(2) Partial metering (approx. 11% of Live View screen)

(3) Spot metering (approx. 3% of Live View screen)

(4) Center-weighted average metering

Metering Range EV 0-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF 50mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 100)

Grid Display Provided (three grid displays)

Exposure Simulation Provided

Silent Shooting Provided (Mode 1 and 2)

Video Shooting

File Format MOV (Image data: MPEG-4 AVC / H.264)

Audio: Linear PCM (Stereo)

File Size Recording Size:

[Full HD]

1920 x 1080 (30 fps/25fps/24fps):

235 MB/min. with IPB compression

685 MB/min. with All-I compression

[HD]

1280 x 720 (60 fps/50fps):

205 MB/min. with IPB compression

610 MB/min. with All-I compression

[SD]

640 x 480 (30 fps/25fps):

78 MB/min. with IPB compression

Frame Rates 1920 x 1080 (Full HD): 30p (29.97) / 24p (23.976) / 25p

1280 x 720 (HD): 60p (59.94) / 50p

640 x 480 (SD): 30p (29.97) / 25p

Continuous Shooting Time Based on 8GB Memory card

[1920 x 1080]

30 fps/25 fps/24 fps:

32 min. with IPB compression

11 min. with All-I compression

[1280 x 720]

60 fps/50 fps:

37 min. with IPB compression

12 min. with All-I compression

[640 x 480]

30 fps/25 fps:

97 min. with IPB or All-I compression

* The maximum recording time is limited to 29 min. 59 sec.

Focusing (1) Autofocus

- FlexiZone - Single

* One-point, contrast AF. Switching to another AF point is possible.

- Face Detection Live mode

* Face detection, contrast AF. Face is selectable.

- Quick Mode AF

* Phase-difference AF with 11 AF points.

- Manual Focus

1. Magnified view is not possible during video shooting.

Range Full Range (0?255)

Exposure Control (1) Program AE for movie shooting

* For shooting modes other than manual exposure and bulb.

* Shutter speed 1/30 - 1/4000 sec. (Signal accumulation time), aperture, and ISO speed automatically set.

(2) Manual exposure

* For manual exposure.

* Shutter speed (signal accumulation time), aperture, and ISO speed (auto/manual) manually set. The shutter speed (signal accumulation time) is limited to 1/4000 sec. at the maximum and to 1/30 sec. at the minimum for 24/25/30 fps or 1/60 sec. or higher for 50/60 fps depending on the frame rate.

Exposure Compensation Provided (±3 stops in 1/3-stop increments)

* For movies, even if exposure compensation has been set beyond ±3 stops, exposure compensation up to only ±3 stops will be applied.

LCD Monitor

Type TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor

Monitor Size 3.0-inches (Screen aspect ratio of 3:2)

7.7cm diagonal (6.37cm wide, 4.25cm high)

Pixels Approx: 1,040,000 dots

Coverage Approx. 100%

Brightness Control Manually adjustable to one of 7 levels

Coating Resin cover and anti-reflection AR coating

Interface Languages 25 (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukraine, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese)

Playback

Display Format Single image display

- Two types of single-image full display, two types of shooting information

- Index display

4-image index and 9-image index

- Jump display

Jump 1/10/100 images, Shooting Date, Folder, Movies, Stills, or Rating

* Two-image comparative display is not provided.

Highlight Alert With single-image display (Info.) and single-image display, overexposed highlight areas will blink.

Histogram Brightness and RGB can be displayed.

Quick Control Function

Items When you press the Quick Control function button under the following conditions, you can set the functions below:

*The settable functions depend on the shooting mode

(1) With viewfinder shooting:

Shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed, exposure compensation, AEB, flash exposure compensation, Wi-Fi®, Picture Style, white balance, white balance correction, Auto Lighting Optimizer, Custom Controls, AF operation, AF point selection, Drive mode, metering mode, and image recording quality.

(2) During playback:

Image protect, image rotate, rating, RAW image processing, resize, highlight alert, AF point, and image jump with mode dial.

Image Protection and Erase

Protection Erase protection can be applied/canceled for a single image, all images in a folder, or all images in the card.

Erase Erase single image, erase selected images, erase all images on folder, erase all images in a card, or erase only unprotected images.

Direct Printing

Compatible Printers PictBridge-compatible printers

Printable Images RAW and JPEG images complying to Design rule for Camera File System

* Movies cannot be printed.

DPOF: Digital Print Order Format

DPOF Complies to DPOF Version 1.1

Direct Image Transfer

Compatible Images Not Provided

Customization

Custom Functions 20 Custom Functions

Custom Controls The following camera controls can be customized by assigning the desired function: Shutter button halfway pressing, AF-ON button, AE lock button, Depth-of-field preview button, Lens AF Stop button, SET button, Main Dial, Quick Control Dial, and Multi-controller

My Menu Registration Up to six top-tier menu options and Custom Function settings can be registered

Interface

USB Terminal For personal computer communication and direct printing (USB 2.0 Hi-Speed)

Video Out Terminal (1) AV stereo OUT terminal: NTSC/PAL selectable

(2) mini-HDMI OUT terminal (Type C)

Battery One Battery Pack LP-E6

- With the AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6, AC power is possible.

- With Battery Grip BG-E13, two battery packs (LP-E6) can be used. Or six AA-sized/LR6 batteries can be used

Battery Life 1) Camera Body Only:

Shooting Method	Temperature	Possible Shots
Viewfinder Shooting	At 73°F / 23°C	Approx. 1090 shots
	At 32°F / 0°C	Approx. 980 shots
Live View Shooting	At 73°F / 23°C	Approx. 220 shots
	At 32°F / 0°C	Approx. 190 shots

∗With a fully charged battery pack LP-E6. Based on CIPA testing standards.

2) With Battery Grip BG-E13:

Shooting Method	Battery	Temperature	Possible Shots
Viewfinder Shooting	LP-E6 x 1	Same as (1)
	LP-E6 x 2	At 73°F / 23°C	Approx. 2130 shots
		At 32°F / 0°C	Approx. 1900 shots
	Size AA/LR6 Alkaline Batteries	At 73°F / 23°C	Approx. 480 shots
		At 32°F / 0°C	Approx. 140 shots
Live View Shooting	LP-E6 x 1	Same as (1)
	LP-E6 x 2	At 73°F / 23°C	Approx. 420 shots
		At 32°F / 0°C	Approx. 360 shots
	Size AA/LR6 Alkaline Batteries	At 73°F / 23°C	Approx. 110 shots
		At 32°F / 0°C	Approx. 24 shots

∗With a fully charged battery. Based on CIPA testing standards.

Battery Check Automatic battery level check when power is turned ON

Battery level indicated in six levels.*¹,²,³

*¹ Battery level displayed on LCD panel and in viewfinder.

*² Battery information can be checked with the [Battery info.] menu.

*³ If Battery Grip BG-E13 is used with size-AA/LR6 batteries, the battery level is displayed in four levels instead.

Power Saving Power turns off after the set time of non-operation elapses

* [Auto power off] settable to 1 min., 2 min., 4 min., 8 min., 15 min., 30 min., or disable

Date/Time Battery Built-in secondary battery

When battery is fully charged, the date/time can be maintained for 3 months. Requires about 8 hours to fully recharge the backup battery.

Start-up Time Approx. 0.1 sec. (Based on CIPA testing standards)

Dimensions (W x H x D) 

Approx. 5.7 x 4.4 x 2.8 in./ 144.5 x 110.5 x 71.2mm

Weight Approx. 26.7 oz. / 755g (CIPA standard)

Approx. 24.0 oz. / 680g (Body only)

Working Temperature Range

32-104°F/0-40°C

Working Humidity Range 85% or less

# One-time registration is required on CANON iMAGE GATEWAY.

1. * Compatible with iOS version 5.0 or later and Android devices version 2.3/4.0 or later. Data charges may apply.
2. ** The EOS Remote app will be available soon. This software enables you to upload images to social network services. Before uploading images, please be aware that image files may contain privacy related information such as people and places. If necessary, please delete such information. Canon does not obtain, collect or use such images or any information included in such images through this software.
3. ^ DPS over IP certified printer is required.
4. ## In certain countries and regions, the use of GPS may be restricted. Therefore be sure to use GPS in accordance with the laws and regulations of your country or region. Be particularly careful when traveling outside your home country. As a signal is received from GPS satellites, take sufficient measures when using in locations where the use of electronics is regulated.

† Prices and specifications subject to change without notice. Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary.

VIDEO : Digital Watermarking for your Photos

I'm happy to advise that my video on Digital Watermarking is now available to watch here.  

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Sharpening in Lightroom

It's often said that all digital photographs will benefit from some sharpening. Judging by the number of add-ons, plug-ins, and even the diverse tools in editing tools, the marketplace would agree. Indeed sharpening when applied well can really make a photograph better. Lightroom users have historically felt left behind when it comes to sharpening with the not completely invalid perception that sharpening in Lightroom has been akin to throwing paint at the wall. With Lightroom 4, things improved significantly, but there is more there than meets the eye.

Let me be clear. You have a lot more granular control of sharpening in Photoshop CS6. You in fact have more control over sharpening in Nik Software's awesome Sharpener Pro. According to Adobe's Brian Hughes in his session at Photoshop World, while Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw both benefit from enhancements to their sharpening engines (it's the same engine), Photoshop CS6 takes sharpening to a brand new level and its local sharpening is the best ever.

Good to know. What if you don't own or cannot afford Photoshop CS6 or even an excellent add-on like Sharpener Pro? Lightroom brings a lot to the table.

First, let's define what we mean by sharpening. In principle, what sharpening does is increase contrast in edge boundaries creating the image of greater sharpness. Really it is playing with the pixels to make the distinction of an edge more visible. We all know that increasing contrast increases apparent sharpness when used judiciously, sharpening is a very specific application of increasing contrast.

Global vs Local

Lightroom has two adjustment modes. Global is what we see first in the Develop module. In the graphic you can see the sliders that make up the Sharpness control. This graphic is from Lightroom 4.1 Here's what they do.

• Amount - The amount of sharpening applied, meaning the strength of the application of the sharpening algorithm
• Radius - The pixel range around which sharpening gets applied. Default is 1.0 Higher than about 1.2 produces "interesting" results. Less than 1.0 becomes less distinctive
• Detail - Allows more finite control over the sharpening of high frequency details. A sharp edged leaf can look oversharpened pretty quickly, use this slider to reduce that oversharpened look
• Masking - This is the real magic in the global sharpening, and it's default setting is 0 or no masking. If you've ever learned to use high pass filters to do sharpening in Photoshop this tool is your friend.

Local mode means using an Adjustment Brush as seen in this panel.  An adjustment brush is a local change that does not apply to the entire image.  This is useful if you want to sharpen the iris of a model but not the skin texture.  Note that this control does not have the same level of granular control in the single slider that the global sharpening tool has.  You can however use the tools to control the feather of your brush and use the auto-mask option for the brush to exercise more control.  Use of a tablet with a pressure sensitive pen will also permit you significantly more control than just a mouse or touchpad.

Sharpening an Image

The first rule of sharpening is to find areas where you will want to really judge the level of global sharpening.  Flat areas like open sky are not a good choice, although you will want to be zooming in and out to see what is happening overall.  Failing to zoom in can result in over-sharpening because you simply cannot see what is happening.  Remember the Z key.  It's how you quickly zoom in and out.  The thumbnail view in the upper left corner allows you to move your zoomed area around the image without exiting the tool you are using.

In the first screen grab we see an image in Lightroom that will be a nightmare for generic sharpening.  It has areas where we want plenty of sharpness (the rock detail)  and areas where we definitely do not want sharpening (the flowing water).  Applying global sharpening here could be really bad.

This next screen grab shows the use of the masking slider with the magic trick engaged, holding down Option (Mac) or Alt (PC) while moving the slider.  In this case we see very close to the default of zero, pretty much all the edges the sharpening engine finds will be sharpened.  No, this is definitely not what I want.  Anything that is white in this view will be sharpened.

This next screen grab shows the masking slider adjusted so almost none of the water areas are sharpened but that I am still sharpening the rock areas.  This is a much more pleasant level of control and results in a better image.  We see a much tighter level of control of what will be sharpened, only the white areas, much like the popular high pass filter sharpening in Photoshop, but without all the work.

Next we go into Local sharpening mode using an Adjustment Brush.  You'll see that I have the auto-mask turned on and that I am also using the overlay mask option.  Remember that the O key toggles the overlay mask on and off.

One of the real benefits of using an Adjustment Brush is that the changes you make are non-destructive.  As you can see in the image below, Lightroom can leave a telltale behind to show you where the adjustment brush settings are so you can find and adjust them later on.  By selecting an Adjustment Brush control point you can remove all the changes made by that brush by hitting the Delete key.  Or, simply select it and go to the controls panel and reset the control settings for that brush to suit.  This would be like leaving all the Layers intact in a PSD file so you can make changes later on.

Brush Settings

You see in this capture that the adjustment brush can have multiple settings made to a single brush.  For example when using the Sharpening brush on the green leaves I also pushed up on the Clarity.  This changed the brush type to Custom but did not remove the initial Sharpening setting.  We mostly all understand that Size refers to the overall brush size and that Feather refers to how quickly the brush edge forms.  What many folks don't understand is the difference between Flow and Density.

Brush flow allows you to control how many passes or how much pressure is required to apply the maximum effect.  For example if you set Flow to 25 and Exposure to +1, your first pass would only increase exposure by 1/4 stop.  You'll need four passes to achieve the full stop allowing you much more granular brush control.  Brush density defines the maximum that any effect can possibly have.  Think of this as a safety valve.  Suppose you set a brush with Exposure +2 but Density at 50.  Now no matter how hard you press or how many passes you make with the brush, the exposure adjustment by the brush will never be more than 50% of the maximum value.  This really enhances your level of granular control and protects against overdoing something.  I want to thank Julianne Kost of Adobe for explaining this to me.

Conclusion

While you can certainly leverage sharpening in Photoshop or marvellous third party tools such as Nik Software's Sharpener Pro, as a Lightroom user, you owe it to yourself to explore just how rich Lightroom's sharpening experience can be in advance of spending money on other software.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 33

A very busy week. Fuji releases the X-E1 and new glass, Zeiss announces a ton of new ZE lenses and rumours of a new ZM. Pentax annnounces the K5 II and new glass. Hasselblad announces the H5D and a new lens. Sony unloads a bunch of new cool stuff. Tamron has new glass, Sekonic has a new meter and rumours solidify on the Canon 6D. Nikon releases the long awaited D600

Backup targets for your images and videos

It's allegedly common knowledge that a file is only as good as its verified backup. I work on the basis that if I don't have at least two backup copies of an image or video, I have no integrity at all. My workflow is as follows;

1. Copy the files from the device or memory card to a hard disk inside the computer. For me, this is a Mac Pro with four internal drives, one dedicated to unedited media. 2. Import and add the files to my editing program catalog. For images that is Lightroom and I maintain a separate copy of each image. For video it is Final Cut Pro and it links to the original. 3. Back the original drive and the LR directories up daily to an external drive. In my case this is a Drobo S drive array. 4. Use a cloud service to backup both the original files and the Lightroom repository. I strongly recommend Crashplan. 5. Verify each backup daily and do a test restore of random files from the cloud weekly.

This works pretty well for me. The riskiest piece in my current workflow is the Drobo. While it is very cool technically, I've had a lot of trouble with the Drobos that I own and when they next die, I will replace them with an alternate solution. I am presently leaning towards a Cal Digit array.

The other important consideration is the quality of the physical drives you buy. Drobos are extraordinarily hard on drives so I have a stack (literally) of drives that have died before their time when used in a stressful environment like a Drobo. My greatest success has been with Hitachi disks. I have never lost a Hitachi, and note that Apple uses them as the internal drives in their desktop machines, indicating some level of serious testing. I have also had good to very good success with Western Digital Caviar Black drives. Western Digital has recently released a new series of disks called Red that are suited to NAS (Network Attached Storage) solutions available in 1TB, 2TB and 3TB versions. I have no experience with them personally, but initial reviews look positive. Western Digital Velociraptor drives are superb but VERY expensive for home use.

I cannot say similar good things about other drives. Yesterday I had two more Seagate Barracudas do their impersonation of Ontario roadkill, bringing my total stack of dead cudas to five. There are three more still in production and I will replace them as quickly as I can afford to do so. I have never had a Barracuda larger than 1TB make it halfway to its Mean Time Before Failure number and do not recommend Seagate drives to anyone. They used to be excellent, but not so lately. While I appreciate the eco-friendly idea behind Western Digital Caviar Green drives, I cannot recommend them either. The Drobos eat Caviar Greens like they are candy. While you can likely pull the drive and reformat it in a standalone enclosure for short term use, this is risky based upon my personal experience.

I would strongly suggest selecting drives that run at 7200rpm and having a large onboard cache. The Hitachi drives I am buying now are all 7200rpm drives with 64mb cache. Good luck!

Announcing the Hasselblad H5D

I love Photokina week. Our friends at Hasselblad have announced the follow-on to the proven (and IMHO wonderful) H4D series with the H5D. Don't get too excited because it won't be available until December 2012 at the earliest but it looks freaking beautiful. The new camera looks at this point as more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Setting aside the new lens and macro converter, the camera will have more focus performance and an upgrade to the existing True Focus function. The ergonomics are improved with a new display style and larger buttons. Weather sealing is improved. You'll be able to get JPEGs right out of the camera and will have the option of compressed RAW files for increased shooting performance.

I confess I don't have a use case for these last two features as I don't shoot sports with my H4D, and actually prefer the current uncompressed RAW to the compressed RAW that some other vendors push out. Fast processors are a given and always nice to have. Physically the camera looks more compact with a lower profile to the viewfinder. More information will come as we get closer to the release date.

The camera will be available with a variety of back configurations in 40MP, 50MP, 60MP as well as multi-shot versions of 50MP and 200MP.

Specifications courtesy Hasselblad USA

New HCD 4.8/24mm lens New Macro Converter More accurate focusing with True Focus II New Immediate Focus Confirm New print ready Jpeg files New compressed multi-shot RAW files for faster and smoother workflow New Camera Configurator Larger and more ergonomic buttons Larger, easier to read display style Updated Graphics User Interface More programmable buttons New and improved weather sealing New and faster processors implementing Hasselblad Image Processing Architecture