Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Just when we thought it was safe to proclaim the recently released sensational Canon EOS 7D the almost-holy grail of the new generation of HDSLR cameras, along comes the totally newer, bigger, faster, stronger and higher-end Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. Complete specs and details on Canon website.

Faster. Its APS-H sized 16.1 Megapixel sensor and advanced processors let you shoot stills up to 10 fps (121 frame burst) and 30p, 25p or 24p 1920×1080 HD video. The 1D Mark IV is also way faster in sensitivity. Imagine shooting from 100 ISO to 12,800 ISO, with an extended, processed and amped sensitivity up to a night-vision-like 102,400 ISO. The picture below was shot with an EOS 7D, set to Hi ISO (12,800) using an 18-135 zoom at 18mm, f/3.5 at 1/50th sec. None of my Kelly Calculators or Lightmeters go that high, but quick math shows what ISO 102,400 would be like. Nighthawks: at least another 3-4 stops, standard lenses and slower telephotos at night. See Vincent Laforet’s video shot with 1D Mark IV in “available, really awful lighting” at night.

EOS 7D, set to Hi ISO (12,800) using an 18-135 zoom at 18mm, f/3.5 at 1/50th sec.

Bigger. The 1D image sensor is slightly larger than the 7D’s. The 1D uses an APS-H size sensor, 27.9mm wide x 18.6mm high (the 7D is APS-C size, 22.3mm x 14.9mm).

Self Cleaning Sensor Assembly

The pixels are slightly larger than the 7D (5.7 microns vs. 4.3 microns). Bigger pixels are usually like bigger water buckets that can catch more raindrops (photons), which is why they can be more sensitive. The 1D has lower noise, and a colleague who wished to remain anonymous said that it looked better at 6400 ISO than most current cameras, still or motion, at 400 ISO. We are entering new realms of vision.

APS-H Size Sensor

Digital Eyemo IV or Motion Picture Camera? It’s a sure bet that the 1D Mark IV will be used in HD 24P mode for motion pictures. The full HD video has similar specs to the 7D. There is on onboard mono mic in front, stereo audio miniplug input, and HDMI output.

Exploded View Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

What I’m not sure of yet is whether this camera will undergo retrofit madness at the hands of machine shops everywhere in the alchemy of attempting to append PL mounts. PL mount lenses are mostly optimized for a 24mm horizontal frame—so will the APS-H sensor have edge fall-off because it is a little larger? We shall see.

Cross Section from Camera Left Side

Faster. Compared with the 7D, this camera handles autofocus more precisely. The AI Servo II technology employs 45 precise focus points and new focusing algorithms to increase the amount of in-focus shots. The sensor can detect more points of focus and makes better decisions on handling moving subjects. This will be especially helpful for sports, news and documentary photographers and cinematographers.

Rugged Magnesium Alloy Body

Stronger. For serious production, this camera is more rugged. The body is magnesium alloy, with 77 seals to make it weatherproof. The 920,000 dot clear-view screen on the back is tempered glass with a scratch-resistant anti-glare coating. It’s easier to see in bright light.

Like previous Canon 1D cameras, there’s a microphone on the rear to record notes about your still shots, and a small speaker for playback.

Dynamic range has been improved. The dual Digic 4 14-bit processors are 6 times more powerful.

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV uses both CF (Compact Flash) and SDHC Cards. For video, you’ll need Mode 6 UDMA–or SDHC cards rated class 6, or better yet, class 10. The camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in late December, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $4,999.00 .

I’m sure the lines to lay hands on it will be long this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Oct 22-24) at PDN Photoplus Expo at the  Javits Center in New York.

Mirror Assembly and Motors

New ZEISS Lenses for Canon HDSLRs

Carl Zeiss has added new leness to its ZE (Canon) mount series: the Distagon T* 28mm f/2 ZE with EF bayonet mount fits Canon EOS cameras, including the 5D and 7D. For HDSLR shooting, the attractive features are the smooth mechanical focus, sharp optics, and compact size. You set the aperture through the Canon camera’s controls, via electronic contacts in the lens mount. Other lenses in the ZEISS ZE series are 18mm f/3.5, 21mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, and 85mm f/1.4, with more to come.

The Distagon T* 2/28 ZE  begins shipping on October 20, with a suggested retail price of $1,080. For more information, go to www.zeiss.com/photo.

PL Mount for Canon EOS

The race is on to put a PL mount on Canon 5D, 7D or any Canon EOS SLR. Problem is, PL lenses have a 52mm flange focal depth. Canon lenses have a 44mm depth. Fortunately, both mounts have a 54mm diameter. Unfortunately, if you stick most PL lenses into a Canon mount, it will hit the mirror and lots of internal electronics. That’s because most PL lenses have elements that protrude behind the rear lens mount flange.
Pawel Achtel from S 33°44.033’, E 151°10.114’ (near Syndey, Australia) has done the first successful transplant of a PL mount onto a Live View Canon 50D, which has an APS-C size 22.3 x 14.9mm sensor. Warning: Do Not Attempt. This was done by highly obsessed, trained professionals and we at Film and Digital Times are not responsible or liable for any damage you cause or warranties you may void. I mean, can you imagine bringing this gutted EOS 50D into your Canon authorized service shop? “Ah, I seem to be having a little trouble with my mirror shutter,” is not going to cut the mustard.
Pawel is an accomplished, award-winning underwater and wildlife cinematographer. He designs a lot of the equipment he uses, and it helps that he has degrees in Engineering and Science. The PL on DSLR project began when Pawel, a self-confessed “Glassoholic,” wanted to mount his personal set of ZEISS Master Primes onto his Canon EOS 50D for a timelapse project. He likes Canon DSLR cameras for timelapse because of their low noise and high image quality. The first stop was Doug Underdahl of Long Valley Equipment, who attached and precisely set the 52mm flange focal depth of a Cinevate PL lens mount to the Canon 50D. That worked only with the 75mm Master Prime  (second picture from top right). The rest of the set has rear elements that protrude into the mirror, preventing optical viewing.
But no one wanted to dissect the Canon’s mirror and optical assembly to make room for the rest of the Master Prime set. So Pawel, armed with Dremel Tool and special sticky silicon to cover the sensor and shutter during surgery, used “brute force and good luck” to yank the mirror, box, viewfinder assembly, and contacts out of the body. “It’s a bit tricky when you don’t know what’s in there,” he says modestly.
To keep all the particles of plastic, metal and glass from contaminating the camera and sensor, Pawel operated in a negative pressure environment, made with “bits of plumbing and a vacuum cleaner.” Without mirror or finder, Pawel’s Canon 50D DSLR is not really an an SLR, so it’s more a rangefinder camera that he can focus and frame using Live View.

First machine shop to mass produce PL mounts for Canon cameras wins the FDTimes Ron Dexter Award. Please let us know.
Links:     www.achtel.com       http://www.longvalleyequip.com

Canon 7D

Some thoughts on shooting HD Video with the 7D. The image stabilization of the Canon lenses is helpful in reducing shake, wobble and roll. Sifting through the plethora of handheld brackets and supports, remember that a camera this light picks up every breath you take, every move you make. It’s no accident that “Slumdog Millionaire” settled on a Kenyon Gyro and Manfrotto Magic Arm to smooth out the bumps. A camera this good deserves a good tripod and cine/video style fluid head, especially on long lenses. Look at the small FSB-4 from Sachtler and Action Pro from Cartoni. Also a monopod. I like the Bogen Manfrotto 790B Modo 5 section Monopod. It’s like a ski pole and popular in Europe for Phot-Trekking. You can leave it attached as a counterbalance for handheld, “poor-man’s Steadicam.”  Or try the Steadicam Merlin.

Canon EOS 7D HDSLR

Cinematographers of the world, get online or on line. The new Canon EOS 7D ships end of September, and it is everything you wanted in the sequel to last year’s blockbuster called Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This is the HDSLR you’ve been waiting for: a compact, rugged, lightweight combination digital still camera, 1920 x 1080 24p HD video camera, director’s finder, frame grabber and more.

We recently tested the 7D, both indoors and in Times Square, and met with the Canon team responsible for this must-have camera. Its super-fluid design and continuously curved shape was so comfortable, they had to pry it from our hands. The 7D is not a replacement for the 5D; it is the beginning of a new line of HDSLR cameras for professionally confluent cinematographers and photographers.

Canon’s EOS 7D has an 18 Megapixel sensor, practically the same size (APS-C 22.3 x 14.9mm) as the 35mm motion picture gate you know and love, so you won’t have to do any math to recalculate comparable lens angles or determine depth of field. With its 100% field of view viewfinder, what you see is what you get, and you can use the enormous range of Canon still lenses to frame a shot that will be almost the same focal length in Normal35 Academy.

Three new lenses are coming soon. The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM has a new kind of hybrid image stabilization with shift and angular camera shake detection. The EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM will be welcome for wide handheld shooting in Movie Mode, and the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS for general use.

Here are some more interesting specs and facts about the EOS 7D:

– 18 Megapixel CMOS APS-C sensor, Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processor
– ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800), 14 bit Analog to Digital Conversion
– 4.3 micron pixel size, with gapless microlenses
– 1080: 30p (29.97) / 24p (23.976) / 25p
– 720: 60p (59.94) / 50p; SD: 60p (59.94) / 50p
– H.264 MPEG-4 .mov video / Manual Exposure
– Onboard 2 channel audio and external audio input
– 12 minute maximum clip length
– Dedicated start/stop button for Movie shooting and Live View Mode
– Shutter Speed 1/30 – 1/4000 second in video mode
– Intelligent Viewfinder with 100% field of view
– Wide viewing angle in viewfinder of 29.4°, high magnification of 1.0
– New all cross-type 19-point AutoFocus system
– 63 zone dual-layer metering sensor utilizing AF & color information
– Up to 126 Large/JPEGS using a UDMA CF card, 8fps continuous shooting
– 3-in TFT Clear View II LCD Monitor, approx. 920,000 dots (VGA)
– Dual axis electronic level in the Viewfinder and LCD
– Magnesium body with shutter durability up to 150,000 cycles
– Exclusive dust and weather resistance
– Fast .059 second shutter response time, built-in flash
– WiFi file transmission 802.11a/b/g, geotagging support using GPS devices

Find out more from the Canon USA website.