Datacolor SpyderLensCal - image from datacolor.com

Have I seen this before?

Yesterday, Datacolor announced a new addition to its “Spyder” line of calibration tools: the Spyder LensCal.  In many ways, it’s a spitting image of the LensAlign Pro I briefly reviewed here earlier this summer, and significantly less expensive at a suggested price of $59.00 (the LensAlign Pro sells for $180, while lensAlign Lite goes for $80).

While the design of the two systems is uncannily similar–an autofocus target with a ruler to the right–there is a significant difference between them: I see no way to confirm that the camera and the focus target are perfectly square to one another with the SpyderLensCal.  This is a significant advantage for the LensAlign, and in fact begs the question of just how accurate the Datacolor product could be if it is not feasible to make the target and camera square.  If they are skewed, so too will the out-of-focus areas, and the reliability of the product comes into question.

Furthermore, the SpyderLensCal offers no advice about the distance that should separate the camera from the target (only that it be “a fixed distance”), nor do they offer any clues about how much depth of field should be expected to be in front or fall behind the “0″ point of the ruler.  (While the depth of field for many lenses is pretty much 49% in front of where you focus, and 51% behind it, with extremely wide focal lengths, such as 16mm, the depth-of-field shifts to become 40% in front and 60% behind the point of focus.)  I can already envision many of Datacolor’s customers having to rely upon LensAlign’s Web site for their online “Distance Tool.”

Of course, it will be interesting to see how these models really stack up once they can be compared side-by-side.  The SpyderLensCal will begin shipping in about three weeks, during Photokina.

Tags: Datacolor LensCal, equipment, LensAlign, Previews
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"The impeded stream is the one that sings" (Wendell Berry), Eno River State Park, Durham, N.C. | Canon 5D Mark II and 135mm f/2L lens | Exposed 1.3 seconds @ f/32, ISO 100 (-2/3 EV)

For the past week I’ve been working with a Canon 135mm f/2L lens from Canon Professional Services.  I’ll be publishing my thoughts on this lens soon, but until then, a bit of a “teaser” from last evening.

Tags: Canon 135mm, EOS 5D Mark II, equipment, landscapes, Reviews
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Coming up on land - a view from the Hatteras to Ocracoke, N.C. ferry | Canon 5D Mark II and Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE lens | Exposed 1/8000 sec. @ f/2, ISO 200.

Together with Elizabeth’s family I spent a week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina in mid-August.  While I had high hopes of making landscapes of the coastline and the Cape Hatteras Light Station, it didn’t quite work out.  Combining a family vacation with photography is clearly an art that my parents somehow perfected, but I will have to learn to do myself.

That said, I was able to do a fair number of pictorials, particularly on the car ferry that took us from Hatteras to the island of Ocracoke.  I had rented a Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE (Canon-mount) lens for this trip, and while I didn’t use it as much as I had hoped, I did make enough to get a general impression of how the lens handles and renders its subjects on the sensor.  What I was looking for in my photographs was the “Zeiss look,” defined by strong micro-contrast and subjects that want to pop out of the frame (read: three-dimensional).  I’m not convinced that I found this look in every frame that I made with this lens, but it was there in several of them.  Having experimented with the Canon 35mm f/1.4L a few months ago, I was curious how my experience would differ.

A family returns to their car - a view from the Hatteras to Ocracoke, N.C. ferry | Canon 5D Mark II and Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE lens | Exposed 1/1250 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 200.

I will say that the Zeiss lens is demonstrably sharper than the 35mm f/1.4L–the edges hold together better, and even the center is much sharper.  I believe the online rumors that the 35mm f/1.4 is due for replacement and that Canon surely is working on a successor; after all, the 24mm was re-staged with a Mark II designation not that long ago, and with the increase in resolution from the cameras coming down the pike, the 35mm is going to demonstrate too well that it is an older lens design.  That said, the “effect” that these lenses provide is similar–strong vignetting so that the subject of the photo really “pops” when shot wide-open.

While I am still in the process of going through my images from the trip, as well as evaluating two lenses from Canon (the 135mm f/2L and the 14mm f/2.8L II), I would tentatively say that I give the nod to the Zeiss lens over the Canon 35mm because while they do produce similar effects, the sharpness and control of chromatic aberration with the Zeiss is overwhelming to the eyes.  But, the Canon lens has autofocus (the Zeiss being manual focus only) and is a full stop faster, so anyone trying to decide between the two should keep those details in mind.

More to come.

Tags: EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, pictorial, Reviews, Zeiss 35mm
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Every two years, camera manufacturers descend upon Cologne, Germany to push their latest wares. In the past week, on the lead-up to the trade show, Nikon, Sony, and Canon (in that order) have unveiled their latest offerings.

The Sony pellicle mirror diverts 30% of the incoming light to a phase-detect autofocus sensor. Image from DPReview.com.

The more interesting announcements, to my mind, include Sony’s decision to revive the Pellicle mirror concept in the form of a “Single Lens Translucent” body that is always in live view, but retains phase-detect autofocus even for video.

Canon has announced a new 60D body that loses many of the features that it’s predecessor, the 50D, had but it gains video and an articulated LCD screen.  I can only hope that articulated screens are found on every future body that shoots video…Note also that this camera has another edge over the higher-priced 7D: manual audio control.  Canon has yet to release firmware to give the 7D the capability to control the audio level, but this lower-priced model might actually become very attractive to videographers for the articulated screen combined with audio control.  That is, if Sony doesn’t steal the show.

However, Canon didn’t end there: the 300mm f/2.8L, 400mm f/2.8L, and 1.4x and 2x teleconverters have all been refreshed with new optical designs.  The updated teleconverters have improved electronics that might only affect their performance with the newly-announced telephoto lenses, but the improved optics should benefit all telephoto lenses.  So, while I can’t say that any of the super-telephoto lenses are in the cards for me at the moment (the longest lens I have is the 400mm f/4 DO IS, and my sights are set on the 800 f/5.6–some day) the new teleconverters are sure to pique the interest of everyone as they are a frequently-used accessory and are therefore an easy way of improving the image quality of one’s photographs.

Also, Canon announced that they will be redesigning the 500mm f/4L IS and 600mm f/4L IS super-telephoto lenses, complete with the new “flourine coatings” on the aforementioned lenses and teleconverters.

Canon 8-15mm f/4L fisheye zoom lens. Image from DPReview.com.

That said, the icing on the cake of the announcements?  An 8-15mm fisheye zoom.  Sure to be of interest to a lot of people for the creative perspectives offered in such a range.  Particularly, owners of reduced frame (APS-C and APS-H) cameras will be interested in this lens for the wider perspective.

Really, the only offering in that mix that doesn’t make sense to me is the 70-300mm f/4-5.6L zoom lens.  I know that the 70-300 range is popular, but how this lens fits on the totem pole in relation to the 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens is something of a mystery to me.

I was curious enough about this “L” version of the popular zoom range that I fired off an e-mail to Scott Andrews, the photojournalism representative for Canon in North Carolina, and his estimate is that this lens will have greater contrast and sharpness as compared to the DO lens.  It is, however, heavier at 2.3 pounds versus 1.6 pounds, bright white as opposed to matte black, and will be priced some $200 more than its DO sibling.  I do wonder if this is Canon’s way of tiding people over while we all wait for an update of the 100-400mm zoom…provided it’s even coming.

Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6L zoom lens. Image from DPReview.com.

Tags: Canon, equipment, Photokina, Sony
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Earlier this week, Steven Slater, a professional flight attendant of 28 years who most recently was working for JetBlue, finally told a customer what the rest of us in coach grumble about: bags that are too big and people who aren’t strong enough to control them. Yeah, the bag hit him in the head. But rather than taking it, Slater did what the rest of us wish we could do: have a cold one and take a ride down the emergency slide.

And where would we be without Jonathan Mann to write a song about it:

Tags: travel
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Duane Chapman, a biologist at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center holds 5 week-old Bighead carp in the wet lab on July 26, 2010 in Columbia, Mo. | Canon 5D Mark II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 70mm | Exposed 1/125 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 800 (+1/3 EV)

Yesterday I had an opportunity to sit down with Duane Chapman, a research fish biologist with the United States Geological Survey’s Columbia Environmental Research Center.  Chapman took an interest in Asian carp several years ago and has become an expert on their behavior and has been studying some of the environmental requirements for their survival, such as the velocity of the flow of a river needed for their eggs to successful.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Asian Carp, EOS 5D Mark II, Master's Project, photojournalism
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Filleted fish are pushed towards the large garbage disposal in the drain of the fish cleaning station at Salmon-a-Rama on July 18, 2010 in Racine, Wis. | Canon 1D Mark III and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 70mm | Exposed 1/80 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 400 (0EV)

On Sunday, Salmon-a-Rama wrapped up with angler Roger Hellen taking the grand prize of $10,000 for his 41.5 pound Brown trout caught on Thursday.  It was the final day of the tournament, and I knew that it was a make-or-break day for me as I needed a few more interviews and some different images.  I was tired of hauling all of the lenses that I had been taking with me every day, so in favor of the 70-200mm f/4L IS lens that is my standard telephoto, I borrowed my dad’s 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens–one of only two Canon lens that intentionally diffracts light to create a more compact lens.  (The other is my longest lens, the 400mm f/4 DO IS.)

I’m hoping to put together an audio slideshow of Salmon-a-Rama that could stand alone from, as well as become a part of, my master’s project on Asian carp and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Cleaned and filleted salmon from the "Norwegian Fishing Team," composed of friends Chris Dorsey, Shane Callen, and Pete Brekke, sit at the end of the cleaning station at the close of Salmon-a-Rama. | Canon 5D Mark II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 35mm | Exposed 1/80 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 100 (0EV)

"Need a moment?" Shane Callen, left, Chris Dorsey, middle, and Pete Brekke, right share a moment before the awards ceremony at Salmon-a-Rama on July 18, 2010 in Racine, Wis. The trio called themselves "The Norwegian Fishing Team," and Dorsey took fourth place for "master angler." | Canon 1D Mark III and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 265mm | Exposed 1/250 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 200 (0EV)

Paul Lohman knocks back a Miller Lite at the conclusion of Salmon-a-Rama on July 18, 2010 in Racine, Wis. Lohman said he has participated in "every Salmon-a-Rama since 1974, and this is the best one ever." | Canon 1D Mark III and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 115mm | Exposed 1/160 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 400.

Tags: EOS 1D Mark III, EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, salmon, sport fishing
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Sizing up the competition: Jaron Tylock of Racine, left, and Casey Panyk of Union Grove marvel at some of the top catches on display in the Salmon-a-Rama leader case on July 17, 2010 in Racine, Wis. Among the fish on display is angler Roger Hellen's potentially record-setting 41.5 pound Brown trout caught on Friday. | Canon 5D Mark II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 23mm | Exposed 1/60 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 2000 (0 EV)

On the last full day of the Salmon-a-Rama tournament, I found myself walking around quite a bit in search of subjects.  Most of the anglers who were focusing on fish offshore were in their boats from 5am until 8pm, coming in just before the weigh station closed at nine.  Storms are brewing tonight, putting pressure on the anglers for the last few hours before the close of Salmon-a-Rama at 11am Sunday.

I’ve been going through my photos and video (well, I’m trying my hardest with the video files–my laptop isn’t anywhere the speed of my desktop computer, and its attempts to play the 5D II video files are laughable at best), and I’m attempting to identify holes in the story that could be covered with certain content.

I know that I need another interview or two, although my video interview with co-director of Salmon-a-Rama Craig Bender was very informative.  I would like to have the perspective of a fisherman or two.  I tried tonight, but while photographing and hanging around is fine for some people, recording their voice can be asking too much.  It’s too bad, as they definitely had something to contribute, but there will be opportunities tomorrow.

I do not have a picture of anyone reeling in a fish, and on the one hand I’m nervous about this gap, and on the other I think it’s fair to say that part of the experience of fishing is waiting for a bite on the line.  It’s what people do while waiting that can be the most interesting: the relationships between anglers, be they friends or family.  The other part is the pride in the catch.  So while I don’t have that moment in between those two stages, but  it is my hope the content I do have will compensate for this shortcoming.

Tags: EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, sport fishing
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