All the information can be found on the CPN website.

EF24mm f/2.8 IS USM

EF28mm f/2.8 IS USM

EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Canon UK Press Release:

Class-leading performance, unrivalled flexibility – Canon launches three new lenses

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 7th February 2012 – Canon today adds to its world-famous EF lens series with the launch of three new lenses for photography professionals and enthusiasts. The new EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM professional zoom lens is an update to the popular EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, while the new EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM are the world’s first¹ wide-angle prime lenses to feature optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology. All three provide the highest levels of performance for modern digital photographers, combining premium image quality with durable, user-friendly designs.
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM: the ultra-high performance standard zoom
The new EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM features completely redesigned optics to provide outstanding clarity, image quality and durability. A compact design makes it ideal for carrying on every shoot, and a range of optical enhancements provide improved performance – capturing greater detail across the frame while reducing distortion throughout the entire zoom range, particularly at the maximum 70mm focal length.

With a redesigned optical system that includes two Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) and one Super UD aspheric elements to minimise chromatic aberration and colour blurring, the lens delivers consistently sharp, high-contrast images. Each lens element also features Canon’s optimised Super Spectra coatings to reduce ghosting and flare and ensure excellent colour balance. Additionally, a fluorine coating minimises the amount of dust, dirt and fingerprints that adhere to the front and rear of the lens, helping to maintain superior image quality.

The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM also enables photographers to capture their subjects up close, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.38m at all focal lengths throughout the zoom range. A ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) works in combination with a high-performance CPU and advanced AF algorithms to ensure accurate, silent and ultra-responsive autofocus. For those who prefer to maintain full control in every shot, full-time manual focusing allows photographers to precisely tweak or alter the focus of their shot at any time, even when AF is engaged.

Distinguished L-series design
The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM is the latest lens from the elite L-series to offer Canon’s high-grade and user-focused design enhancements. The mechanical structure of the lens has been improved to offer enhanced zoom durability and greater shake and shock resistance within the lens barrel. The size of the lens has also been reduced by 10mm compared to the previous model, providing enhanced portability and greater convenience in everyday use. A new Zoom Lock lever also enables photographers to lock the zoom position at the extreme wide end to prevent damage to the lens in transit, while a water and dustproof construction² enables users to continue shooting in harsh conditions.

Introducing the world’s first wide-angle primes with IS
Canon today also launches the new EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM – the world’s first 24mm and 28mm fixed wide-angle lenses to feature optical IS technology. Ideal for landscape and reportage, both lenses offer outstanding flexibility allowing photographers to shoot an even broader range of scenes and subjects – combining fast apertures with IS to enable sharp results when shooting handheld, even in low light conditions.

Offering an advantage of up to 4-stops over lenses without IS, both lenses are ideal for capturing more of the scene thanks to their wider focal lengths. Both feature a wide f/2.8 aperture, allowing photographers to explore shallow depth of field, or to shoot in lower-light conditions. Wide apertures and IS technology also make each lens ideal for shooting fast-moving subjects, while Canon’s advanced IS technology is able to detect intentional panning movement and automatically switch from Normal IS mode to Panning IS mode – helping users to capture movement with greater accuracy.

Silent, high-speed AF performance is provided by the inclusion of a ring-type USM and additional features including optimized AF control. Full-time manual focusing also ensures adjustments can be made even when AF is engaged, while a minimum focusing distance of 0.20m (EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM) and 0.23m
(EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM) allows photographers to get even closer to smaller or more detailed subjects.

Designed to perform
Both the EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM feature redesigned optics to improve image quality and reduce the need for post-production. An aspherical glass moulded (GMo) lens element is incorporated to correct aberration throughout the optical system, while Canon’s optimised Super Spectra Coatings reduce ghosting and flare for stand-out image quality. Externally, both models also boast a number of design similarities with Canon’s professional L-series lenses, with a similar coating on the barrel and a similar design on the focus ring. A distance scale is also included to assist with landscape photography, while the compact design makes these lenses an unobtrusive addition to any kit bag.

EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM – key features
• All-new optical design delivers exceptional sharpness
• Ultra-low dispersion (UD) and super UD elements
• Fast f/2.8 maximum aperture
• Sealed against dust and moisture
• Fast, silent ultrasonic autofocus
• Manual focus override
• Nine-bladed circular aperture

EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM – key features
• 24mm wide angle lens (38mm equivalent on APS-C sized sensors)
• Fast f/2.8 maximum aperture
• Up to four-stop Image Stabilizer
• Ultrasonic autofocus mechanism
• Circular aperture for soft background blur
• Super Spectra coatings reduce flare

EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM – key features
• 28mm wide-angle lens (45mm equivalent on APS-C sized sensors)
• Fast f/2.8 maximum aperture
• Up to four-stop Image Stabilizer
• Ultrasonic autofocus mechanism
• Circular aperture for soft background blur
• Super Spectra coatings reduce flare

¹ According to Canon research as of February 2012
² Waterproof construction around the lens mount, switch panel, zoom ring, focusing ring and zoom lock. Weatherproof when used with weatherproof EOS bodies.

We also got to have a chat with Guy Thatcher from www.hireacamera.com – a really great place if you’re looking to hire cameras and lenses either for a job or to try out before buying. Guy always has the latest stuff in stock and the service has always been great when we’ve used them before.

Colin Woodley from Eizo gave us a quick tour of their self-calibrating monitors and Gary Astill took us through some of the Lastolite Speedlite flash accessories and light modifiers they had on display. We also spoke to Helen Atkinson from Snapperstuff who told us about the updates to the ThinkTank Photo bags they were now shipping. So, take a look at the video and see what you missed.

If you’ve not been to the SWPP before, then male sure you book up to head in next year. While it is very much aimed at Wedding and Portrait shooters, there is always something of interest for people working across the genres.

PowerShot G1 X

The G1 X is a compact camera that has the sort of quality I would expect from an SLR: it’s way beyond the normal evolution of a compact camera. Having this kind of sensor in a compact camera is a huge step forward.

- Gary Knight on CPN

The DIGIC 5 processor first used in the PowerShot S100 is also added for the latest image processing and works to produce excellent quality stills and video. RAW imags are 14-bit just like EOS cameras. Full HD movies 1080p are captured at 24fps. There’s a built-in stereo mic, but no external mic input.

The camera is due to be in stores from February 2012 and prices are close to what you’d pay for an EOS 600D SLR with kit lens.

Canon information on the PowerShot G1 X can be found at these places:

• Press release
• Technologies explained [PDF]
• Specification sheet

I like the look of the camera and will look to replace my older PowerShot G11 with the new G1 X, but what do you think, let us know in the comments.

The aim of the book is to give readers a better understanding of what is possible with various lenses and flashguns to help inspire you (them?) to get out and take more pictures and experiment more with the kit you currently have.

On looking through I’ve found 14 pictures of mine, which is exciting. And nicely, I’ve been credited in each instance – in fact, all images in the book that I can see have credits on them – something that is not done widely enough in publishing in my opinion.

The English language version is not yet available on Amazon, but will be soon all being well. In the meantime, since both Brian and I were involved in this project, we have a copy of the book to give away. So, if you want to win a book before anyone else can get their hands on it, all you need to do is answer this simple question:

What’s the longest continuous HD movie file you can record when shooting with the new EOS-1D X?

Simply send an email with your answer to: competitions@eos-network.com and next Monday we’ll pick one winner and send them a copy of the book….like a Christmas present for one of you!

This camera takes the features of both the EOS-1D series and the EOS-1Ds series and pulls them together into one camera that will appeal to everybody, but that is aimed squarely at sports, wildlife and photojournalist photographers.

The key specs are as follows:

• 18.1 Megapixel, Full-frame CMOS sensor
• 61-point AF with up to 41 cross-type AF points
• Zone, Spot and AF Expansion Focusing modes
• DUAL “DIGIC 5+” processors
• 12fps shooting with 14fps super High Speed continuous
• ISO 100 to 51,200 as standard, ISO 50 to 204,800 with expansion
• 100,000-pixel RGB AE sensor
• DIGIC 4 processor dedicated to AE functions
• +/- 5 Stop Exposure Compensation
• Full HD Movie shooting with ALL-I or IPB compression
• 29mins 59sec clip length in Full HD Movie
• 55ms shutter lag, 36ms via ‘Shortened Release Lag’ Custom Function
• Timecode setting for HD Movie shooting
• Transparent LCD viewfinder with new focusing screen
• 8.11cm (3.2”), 1.04 million pixel Clear View II LCD Screen
• Improved EOS Integrated Cleaning System (EICS)
• Dual CF Card slots
• Silent control touch-pad area

Instead of running through everything here, the web is already awash with information. However, if you want to find out the most in-depth information there is an article I wrote published on the CPN website which will take you through the features of the EOS-1D X in more detail that you probably wanted to know. To avoid repeating what’s already available, follow the link to get your fill of EOS-1D X information [LINK]. However, do check back here over the coming weeks as we’ll be bringing you more information about the camera as it appears. If you have any questions you’d like to see answered about the new camera, hit up the comments and let us know and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

For those of you coming to the Canon Pro Solutions show next week [LINK], come check out my talks on the main studio stage where I’ll be covering both Canon workflow and the key points of the EOS-1D X. It’ll be a good laugh and a chance to have a look at one in the flesh.

The UK press release follows:

The answer to last weeks question

When shooting HD Movies with a DSLR at a frame rate of 24fps, what shutter speed should you normally use?

Congratulations! Well, that’s a first. Never before have we had a 100% success rate on the weekly quiz, so either you’re all totally clued up on HD Movie shooting, or you’re very good at using google! I’m gonna go for the former If you think you want to learn a bit more about HD Movie shooting with DSLR cameras, drop us a line and let us know. We will be arranging some group courses over the next few months and can also organise 1-2-1 sessions if that would suit you better.

For those that didn’t answer because they weren’t sure, the solution is simple – you select a shutter speed that is double the frame rate you are shooting at. So, with 24fps being the frame rate your shutter speed should be 1/48th second. Since we don’t have 1/48sec we go to the next nearest which is 1/50sec. If you’ve set your camera to adjust shutter speed and aperture in 1/2 stops rather than 1/3rd stops, you’ll have access to 1/45sec which you could also use to film.

The answer to last weeks question

You are taking a portrait with the sun behind your subject and you are using flash to balance the exposure on their face. Camera settings are Av mode at f/8 ISO 200. How do you darken the background?

This question seemed to catch a few of you out, though in truth the majority of you did get it right. It is further proof that flash is still scary for some! Anyway, on to the answer. It’s actually quite simple, if you want to darken the background, you need to increase the shutter speed. Given that the settings were being made in Av, adjusting the exposure compensation will adjust the shutter speed not the aperture. Therefore, using negative exposure compensation to record less light will be achieved by the camera increasing the shutter speed and hence darkening the background light. Al other things being equal, the light on the subject, produced by the flash, will not change at all.

The answer to last weeks question

Which models of current Canon DSLR cameras record SD (640 x 480) movies at 25 or 30 frames per second? (choose all that apply)

This one confused enough of you some trouble that votes were down on previous questions. Really strange since the answer is here on the site in a post from March of this year where we outlined the movie features of the current and past HD capable DSLR cameras. Taking the answer straight from the post, EOS 5D Mrk II and the EOS 600D are currently the two cameras that use the slower frame rates when recording SD resolution movies. The others switch to a faster 50 or 60 frames per second.

If you have a question you would like to see asked as the weekly quiz question then please leave a note in the comments.

The answer to last weeks question

Which Canon lenses have a focus ring that doesn’t keep turning when minimum or infinity focus is reached?

The one difficulty that often is raised by film makers using Canon EOS cameras and EF lenses is that when you add a follow focus unit to the lens it’s possible to just keep on turning the follow focus and the lens focus ring will pass beyond either minimum or infinity focus. This results in it being hard to get repeatable focus pulls to the same point. However the TS-E lenses are manual focus lenses, and so their focus rung stops when it reaches both minimum and infinity focus. Many of you realised this, but a few thought the new EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro USM lens also exhibits this behaviour.

If you have a question you would like to see asked as the weekly quiz question then please leave a note in the comments.

The answer to last weeks question

Which TWO of the following should be the first things you do when you get a new camera, before you start taking pictures?

This was a question to stir the grey cells. When taking a picture one of the most important things is being able to see the image, to do this the viewfinder is the most commonly used option and whilst it’s possible to rely on the AF of the cameras, it’s quite disconcerting to have no idea if the subject is in focus or not when you press the shutter, so first thing to do is set the viewfinder dioptre correction. If you don’t understand the importance of this then you should move the dioptre correction on your camera until the viewfinder is very blurred and then try taking pictures.

Secondly the other setting you should make is to take the camera out of shoot without card, or in-store demo mode. Now you can’t take pictures at all unless a card is in the camera so it neatly ensures that ‘Put a memory card in the camera’ is also forced to be done.

You might not think these are important, but these two items alone will ensure you can see what is focussed in the picture and which AF point is being used, plus you won’t have that sinking moment as the LCD flashes off and your best image ever is gone for good as you shot with no card in the camera.

If you have a question you would like to see asked as the weekly quiz question then please leave a note in the comments.