Eos

Canon unveiled a completely redesigned EOS-1D series camera on Tuesday - the EOS-1D X Digital SLR. Replacing both the EOS-1Ds Mark III and EOS-1D Mark IV, the EOS-1D X DSLR features an 18-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, 3.2-inch, 1,040,000-dot LCD display, Dual DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processors, 14-bit A/D data conversion and is capable of shooting 12 fps.

Packed full of new features, the EOS-1D X boasts a new 61-Point High Density Reticular AF – Canon's most sophisticated to date, new EOS iTR (Intelligent Tracking and Recognition) AF options, and is also the first EOS Digital SLR to feature Multiple Exposure capability. And that's just a sampling of what's new (read the press release below for all the details). The camera also offers a top ISO range of 204,800, a 252-zone metering system, and a 14 fps JPEG (12 fps RAW) burst mode.

As far as video is concerned, it can capture 1080p video at 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); and 720p HD or SD video recording at either 50p or 60p (59.94). The EOS-1D X also features automatic splitting of movie files when a file is over 4GB. This allows for continuous video recording up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds across multiple 4GB files with no dropped frames. The files can then be connected in post production. It also includes a wind filter, and offers manual audio level control, an automatic setting, or it can be completely turned off. Sound can be recorded either through the internal microphone or via an optional external microphone through the stereo mic input. Read more

Canon today introduced two new Rebel Digital SLR cameras - the EOS Rebel T3i and EOS Rebel T3. Aimed at photographers new to the DSLR system, both cameras include a new EOS Feature Guide designed to help first-time users understand each camera setting, with descriptions and recommendations for when to use certain settings.

Priced at just $599.99, the Rebel T3 features a 12.2-megapixel Canon CMOS image sensor, DIGIC 4 imaging processor, 9-point autofocus system, and 63-zone dual-layer metering system. It has an ISO range of 100-6,400, built-in pop-up flash and offers 720p HD video recording.

The Rebel T3 is compatible with SD, SDHC or SDXC memory cards and will be available in March. It will come in a kit with Canon's EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II zoom lens for $599.99.

Canon's new Rebel T3i is the more feature packed of the two with an 18-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, 9-point Autofocus system, an ISO range from 100-6400 and 63-zone dual-layer metering system. It has a 3-inch Vari-Angle Clear View LCD screen, new Scene Intelligent Auto, and records full HD video in 1920 x 1080 resolution in selectable frame rates of 24p, 25p or 30p. Read more

2010 has been a huge year for Canon. This digital imaging leader received a ton of awards, including being honored for the seventh consecutive year by PCMag.com with the 2010 Readers Choice Award for Service and Reliability for digital cameras and printers. Canon also received its second consecutive "Center of Excellence" award from BenchmarkPortal for The Systems and Technical Support Division.

And that's just the beginning. Several new products and product lines were honored throughout the year from Time.com, American Photo, Computer Shopper and Digitaltrends.com as well as Outstanding Achievement Awards from Buyers Laboratory (BLI), a leading independent office equipment test lab.

Canon camera/camcorder awards:

• EOS 5D Mark II: Time Magazine's Top 100 Gadgets of All Time
• EOS 7D: Professional Photographer's 2010 Hot One Awards
• EOS Rebel T2i: Editor's Choice Award from PCMag.com
• PowerShot S95: Editor's Choice Awards from Digitaltrends.com and American Photo
• PowerShot A3000 IS: received four out of five stars from PCMag.com
• VIXIA HF S20 flash-memory camcorder: Editor's Choice award from Digital Trends
• VIXIA HF S21: Editor's Choice from Popular Mechanics

Read more

Canon has been busy. Today they announced the new EOS 60D Digital SLR Camera, four new L-series lenses and two new accessory extenders for professionals and advanced amateurs.

The new EOS 60D has many "firsts". For the first time on an EOS camera, the 18 megapixel EOS 60D DSLR boasts a three-inch Vari-Angle Clear View LCD screen, a new Multi-Control Dial that places a Multi-Controller and Set button inside the Quick Control Dial, EOS Full HD video recording with manual overrides, in-camera processing of RAW image files, and new Creative Filters.

"The EOS 60D has been designed to offer the image-capture and the Full HD video features customers are looking for as they continue to expand their photographic skills. The exciting new features of the EOS 60D make using a DSLR camera more attractive and easier than ever before. We want everyone to experience the great image quality a Canon DSLR can offer with features and functions that they will appreciate and use," stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. Read more

Canon hit a huge milestone this week with the production of the 40 millionth EOS-series SLR camera. Yes, you read that right…40 million!

Timeline:

• 1987: Production of the EOS SLR camera began
• 1997: Production reached 10 million units (the 10th anniversary of the series)
• 2003: Production passed the 20-million mark
• 2007: Canon went on to reach the 30-million mark in December 2007 (series 20-year anniversary)
• 2010: The EOS-series hits the 40-million-unit production milestone, after just two years and four months!

That's pretty impressive! Congrats, Canon!

Read the press release below to see how the Canon EOS-series has evolved through the years.

Press release:

Canon celebrates The Production of The 40 millionth EOS-series SLR camera

May 13, 2010 — Canon Inc. announced today the achievement of a new camera-manufacturing milestone as combined production of the company’s EOS-series film and digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras passed the 40-million mark.Read more

Videographers pay attention! The free firmware upgrade we told you about earlier this month for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera is now available via the following link: http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos5dmk2/firmware.html.

Firmware upgrade 2.0.3 adds video acquisition and changes the 30p video frame rate to 29.97 to comply with TV production standards. Shutter and aperture priority modes have also been added for movie shooting. Audio capability is enhanced for professional use too, adding manual audio level control, and the audio sampling frequency has been increased to 48KHz from 44.1KHz.

Get all the details by visiting the Canon website.

Canon announced that the firmware upgrade 2.0.3 for the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera will be available in March of 2010. 2.0.3 enables 24p movie recording on the 5D Mark II. Also, the 30p video frame rate has been changed to 29.97 to comply with TV production standards, and the audio sampling frequency has been increased from 44.1KHz to 48KHz.

The free upgrade will also add a new histogram display while shooting movies and allow users to manually control sound recording levels. When shooting movies manually, the new histogram display facilitates monitoring, while Shutter-Priority AE mode (Tv) and Aperture-Priority (Av) mode provide flexible options when controlling exposure.

The firmware will be available to download from mid-March from the Canon website.

Canon has a new Rebel in town – the 18-megapixel EOS Rebel T2i DSLR. Bridging the gap between an entry-level digital camera and a pro-sumer camera, the Rebel T2i was designed to grow with you as you learn.

Features of the Rebel T2i include: a 3-inch LCD monitor with a wide 3:2 aspect ratio, 3.7 fps shooting (the fastest shooting Rebel model to date), an ISO range of 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800), a 63-zone Dual Layer Metering System, and Canon’s DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor. It also shoots Full HD 1080p video and has manual exposure control, selectable frame rates and a new external microphone input. The Rebel T2i also has a new feature for standard definition (SD) recording, Movie Crop, which gives you an approximate 7x additional zoom with no loss of image quality. Read more

Canon on Friday announced that the EOS E1 video plug-in for Apple's Final Cut Pro is now available.

This new plug-in allows you to easily transfer video content from Canon's EOS DSLR cameras directly into Final Cut Pro. The EOS E1 video plug-in takes advantage of Final Cut Pro's Log and Transfer feature, which lets you select and mark the video directly while it is still on the camera. You can also add custom metadata and ingest the clips in the background so the editing can start immediately.

The EOS E1 video plug-in is a free download available at www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/finalcutstudio. The plug-in is compatible with Final Cut Pro 6 or higher and currently supports Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS 1D Mark IV cameras.

What camera company does NBC's Saturday Night Live turn to when they want to shoot a new opening title sequence? None other than Canon. The entire opening montage for the new season was shot using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the new EOS 7D digital SLR cameras.

For the opening, the director and crew wanted to capture characters that make up the New York City nightlife…and they wanted it to look as natural as possible. The EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D Digital SLR cameras were the answer, thanks to their low-light performance, small size, and amazing depth-of-field, which let the crew shoot without using big lighting gear. Another plus, the crew could easily shoot around the city without drawing a crowd.Read more