canon eos

Canon 5D Mark III update to unlock high-end HDMI video

Canon plans to release a notable firmware update to its high-end EOS 5D Mark III in April that will let videographers use the SLR to record uncompressed HDMI video.

As the successor to the 5D Mark II that jump-started the video SLR revolution four years ago, the 22-megapixel 5D3 has big shoes to fill. The new update surely will help professionals who need better quality, even if ordinary folks need not care much. Here's what Canon had to say about the news:

When shooting video, HDMI Output makes possible the recording of high-definition uncompressed video data (YCbCr 4:2:… Read more

Lightroom 4.2 supports large swath of new cameras

With the Photokina show in Germany producing so many new high-end cameras, it's evidently been a busy season for Adobe Systems' Lightroom team.

That team just released Lightroom 4.2, which supports 22 new cameras, 43 new lenses, and lets people shoot with 11 new cameras tethered to a computer. It takes work to figure out how to decode each camera's proprietary raw format.

Here's the full list of new cameras supported, but note that the Nikon D600 support is "preliminary and there is a minor risk that the appearance of your images may change when … Read more

Quikdraw your lens for fast shooting

We've heard of holsters for cameras, such as the Roberu leather holster or the Spider holster, but what about one for dSLR lenses?

Compared with typical lens holsters -- which are basically small nylon bags that carry a single lens -- the Quikdraw system allows shutterbugs to quickly swap between multiple lenses.

All you need to do is to strap on a belt and you'll be able to hang several lenses from your waist. The lenses are mounted on the Quikdraw units and dismounted with a twist-and-lock motion, just like what you do when mounting lenses on a camera body. … Read more

How DxO Labs tests hot cameras like Canon's latest SLR

BOULOGNE BILLANCOURT, France -- So you think you're a camera expert? Well, when was the last time you evaluated a camera by spending days analyzing hundreds of test photos?

That's what DxO Labs does, over and over, publishing results so far for 185 cameras on its DxOMark Web site. To see what lies behind those performance scores, CNET visited the company as it put one hotly anticipated camera through its paces: Canon's hot new video-capable SLR, the EOS 5D Mark III.

The results might not surprise close watchers of the camera business: Canon's score of 81 … Read more

Canon 5D Mark III underwhelms on sensor test

Canon's EOS 5D Mark III is a hot item in the camera world. It's the successor to the vaunted 5D Mark II, which ignited the video SLR revolution, but with better autofocus, shooting speed, and low-light performance.

Alas for Canon shooters, though, the 22-megapixel image sensor doesn't rate much better than the 21-megapixel one in the 5D Mark II that arrived more than three years earlier, according to tests by imaging technology DxO Labs.

DxO gave the 5D Mark III sensor a score of 81 on the DxOMark test of image sensor performance when shooting raw photos. … Read more

Google+ reunites lost waterlogged camera, owner

Social networking and a bit of amateur sleuthing have reunited a Canadian firefighter with the camera he accidentally dropped to the bottom of the sea during a family vacation more than a year ago.

Stephen Wood was sure he'd said a final goodbye to his Canon EOS Rebel when it slipped from his hands into the Deep Bay off the east coast of Vancouver Island last summer.

"We figured the camera and the pictures were gone. We didn't even bother trying to retrieve it," Wood told CNET today. "It was on when it went in the water, and [it was] salt water, and at high tide, I think it's roughly about 60 feet deep there. It was also like 9 o'clock at night so it was dark." Not to mention that Wood and his wife had a baby in tow.

Conditions, in other words, were hardly ideal for a gadget-retrieval operation, so Wood accepted that he'd seen the last of the cam he'd received as a wedding gift from his firefighter pals. … Read more

Canon 5D Mark II, 7D get mode dial upgrade

Firmware upgrades for cameras are the norm, and it's not every day we see brands offering hardware upgrades. However, Canon announced this week that it will tweak the mode dial for its EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D.

The adjustment will allow the mode dial to be locked in place, much like the implementation on the EOS 60D. This will prevent the accidental changing of settings, which frustrate photographers, especially when they need to quickly take a shot.

The upgrade will cost roughly $100. However, users are required to bring their dSLR to the local Canon office during … Read more