Camera Labs

Damn, did you guys see that touch screen. That is a big plus on the 650D. It seems to work better than expected. Not to mention the cross-typed autofocuspoints.

By the way, I don't know how this usually goes with a new release... but we have a price war going on in the Netherlands. Since it was released last week, prices have been going down on a daily basis. Last week the cheapest price was 849 euro. Last wekend it was 820 euro. Last monday 780 euro. And this morning I have seen the body for 730 euro. I'm going to hold on a week longer before ordering it, since prices are dropping so drastically.

_________________
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein

I don't know about other countries, but generally speaking in UK there is a price premium around launch. Soon after it will settle down to a more typical price that will slowly decline with age. Of course external factors could influence this e.g. if there is a high demand then price can stay high for longer.

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Photozone have published their review of the 40mm...

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/752-canon_40_28_ff

In short: High MTF across the range on full frame - including corners. Low-ish distortion and CA. Slight outlining in bokeh. Slight focus shift with aperture is about the only negative for me.

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I just got me a pancake.

I like it, but for those who love MF, it's driven by wire. It matches my movements well, and I wouldn't have noticed except: No power = no focus. It's also a bit louder in MF mode than AF mode, probably due it moving at a different speed. Sometimes it won't MF at all until I depress the shutter button halfway and it wakes up.

Still, it's still a nice lens and I'm keeping it.

EDIT: I was wrong, it does have FTM focus, however, you have to keep the shutter button halfway down to MF in AF mode.

Digitalrev just posted the review of the 40mm pancake. Check it out for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8tcu24H ... rofilepage

_________________
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein

Hi folks,

There's an interesting article (well, interesting to us anoraks) over at chipworks showing how the phase AF "pixels" are distributed on the main sensor. Somehow I had expected them to bigger than a single pixel. With the right microlens structure is there any reason why these phase AF pixels can't be distributed over a wide area?

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Hi everyone, in case you missed it, here's our Canon EOS T4i / 650D review!

I bought the sample used for testing and am now selling it - virtually new with only a few hundred shots on it. I bought the 18-135mm STM kit.

It's currently in the UK, so best to make it a UK sale. if anyone's interested, fire me a PM. Price: 749 GBP ONO +P&P

PS - yes I know a for sale notice goes against our usual forum terms, but I'm selling this one personally so can make sure it will definitely happen!

Trying out the Canon 650D in my local store today, I do feel that the new AF system is quite faster than the older one from the 600D, those 9 cross-type sensors do come in handy. It did feel quite nice in my hands although a bit small, but for the price it's pretty good. Doesn't feel as plasticky as the Canon T3, which is good, and the rubber in the grip does feel quite nice too. The touch screen is pretty sweet as well, it is responsive and easy to operate. I do feel that it would be nice if the thumb rest was bigger, but it's pretty decent. Summarized, it has pretty good ergonomics for it's price and the focusing and touch screen are quite nice too.

Just a piece of mind about what I thought about the 650D when testing it out.

_________________
Gear: Canon SX20 IS, Canon Rebel T3i, Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Wishlist: Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
Visit me and leave me a comment in My Flickr