canon cameras

CANON MAKES THE BEST EVEN BETTER, WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SECOND GENERATION EF 70-200MM f/2.8L IS II USM LENS

by Dave Warner on January 5, 2010

You knew it was going to happen – that sweet 70-200 lens was going to get an update, just as SOON as you bought one for Christmas, right? Well, I’ve been holding off waiting for this one, and by reading the press release below, it looks like a great update! Just wish they didn’t have that ‘pricing to be determined’ line in there. AND, I hope it isn’t as much of a price increase as the new 100mm macro lens was over the previous model!

Canon’s New EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Incorporates Advanced Lens Elements and Enhanced Durability for High-Speed Autofocus and High-Performance Optical Image Stabilization

Lake Success, N.Y., January 5, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, introduces the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Arguably the most popular focal range in Canon’s telephoto arsenal and a staple lens for any professional photographer, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens provides the focal length, maximum aperture and zoom power for capturing everything from fast-action sports to studio portraits. Built for the professional, the body structure of the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens has been enhanced to provide better durability and strength without a significant increase in weight. Canon has improved optical performance on the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens by redesigning the internal elements, incorporating a fluorite element and a fifth UD element. The use of the fluorite element and five UD elements helps to minimize secondary chromatic aberrations and produce better image quality with improved contrast and resolution through the entire zoom range; the end result is an optically precise lens worthy of becoming the leader of Canon’s L-series lenses.

Along with its redesigned optical elements, the new lens design features improved AF speed due to a new focusing algorithm and has reduced the minimum focusing distance to 3.9 feet (1.2 meters) through the entire zoom range, allowing photographers to capture tighter portraiture shots in a small studio space. The previous lens model’s minimum focusing distance was 4.6 feet (1.4 meters), whereas now photographers can stand nearly 8 inches closer to their subject and achieve sharp focus and tight crops. Canon has also enhanced the Image Stabilization allowing it to compensate for shutter speeds up to four steps slower than 1/focal length, a one step improvement over the previous lens model.

“Canon’s core has always been our optics, and we are constantly challenging ourselves to produce better and more advanced optical systems for our customers. The new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens incorporates the best advancements in Canon lens technology from the past few years and packages it into what we believe will be the most popular lens for professionals and advanced photographers,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

The enhanced magnesium alloy barrel design of the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens features added strength with a minimal 20-gram increase in weight compared with the previous model (1490g vs. 1470g) and retains Canon’s protective seals and fittings providing dust and water resistance for those photographers working in adverse conditions. A new bayonet mount on the front of the lens includes a locking mechanism to ensure the supplied lens hood remains securely in place. Other noticeable improvements include a wider focusing ring, and sleeker design by reducing the thickness of any protruding elements such as the switch panel. The new lens is also compatible with Canon’s existing EF1.4X II and EF2X II Extenders as well as EF Extension Tubes and the 77mm Close-Up Lens 500D.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is supplied with a detachable tripod collar, a reversible bayonet mount lens hood and a lens pouch. The new lens is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in April, price to be determined.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register, please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all products. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

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Episode 001: Why an All Canon – All the Time Blog?

by Dave Warner on May 26, 2009

Dave Warner - early photographer!

Taken about 1958 by my father at Westover AFB in Massachusetts. Notice the perfect arm positioning to steady the camera!

First, a little history. I have a picture of myself standing in front of an aircraft (image at left) when I was eight years old and in my hand I had a little Brownie camera. Ever since I was that age, I have been interested in photography. I went into the military in the 1970s and had access to a great photography darkroom almost all to myself. I got my first professional camera – a Minolta – and I went out with the idea that I was going to take pictures of every aircraft in the Air Force inventory. When I moved to the San Antonio Texas area, that hobby of having a Minolta camera and working in a darkroom turned into a full-time portrait studio called Double Exposures (now called David Warner Studio).

For many years I did weddings, portraits and photojournalism in a six county area of South Texas. In the 1980’s, I was transferred to Biloxi Mississippi and didn’t do much photography while I was there. However, I kept up with the technology and the changes that were happening in the world of photography.

I had seen my first digital camera in either the late 1970’s or early 1980’s at a trade show. It was an RCA camera. When I saw that first digital camera, I was convinced that the world of photography was going to be changed forever as soon as it came out. It took a lot longer than I expected but the revolution hit in the 1990s.

By that time, I had acquired a large collection of Minolta equipment and lenses and I kept waiting for Minolta to come out with a digital camera. I finally decided that I had waited long enough because nothing had shown up, so I went into a camera store in Austin Texas; went to the sales rep I had been dealing with for many years and asked him which camera should I switch to?

All he said was “wait here just a minute.” He returned with a photograph of  sports photographers on the sideline of an NFL football game. He asked me “what color are the lenses that most of the photographers have on the sideline?” Well, I looked at the photograph and the majority of the lenses were white in color. He said “who makes white lenses?” I didn’t know and I told him so. He replied “Canon makes those lenses and cameras.”

Well, that convinced me to take a look at Canon equipment for the first time. I bought two 10 D’s and some lenses. From that point on, I was hooked on Canon cameras and digital photography in general. Not that I still don’t shoot some film – I have a Mamiya 645 system and an Arca Swiss 4×5 camera. But my real love is the Canon system that I now own.

One of the things I had noticed over the last few years, was a real lack of a Canon community – one where you could get conversations,  tips, video tutorials and all of the things that you find in the Nikon world, but specifically targeted at the Canon community. I decided that it was time to get one started. So, here we are with LensFlare35 and the idea to put as much Canon camera information as possible in one location.  Interesting interviews with Canon professional photographers, their tips, tricks and highlights from the latest equipment that they use, and accessories that work with Canon digital cameras.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy what we’re trying to do here and you will participate in the experience. We are open to suggestions and comments and look forward to your feedback. So, let’s get started with the journey.

To listen to the full podcast interview, click on the player’s forward arrow below. You can also play the Podcast in a popup window, download it OR subscribe to it via iTunes. We created a special video of David’s images with his explanation of each that opens in a popup window, just click, watch and listen.

Podcast: Play in new window

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