Canon EOS M Launches in Brunei Darussalam with Sneak Peek of EOS 6D

Because the EOS M is Canon’s first mirrorless we had this odd situation where all invitees who came with their mirrored Canon cameras (including my PowerShot G11) all aimed at this tiny little thing called the “M”. As soon as Guest of Honour, Mr Seisuke Shimitzu, Japan’s Acting Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam lifted the cover, history was made! Congratulations Interhouse Company for yet another successful event.

The unveiling of the Canon’s first mirrorless camera, the EOS-M, by Mr Seisuke Shimitzu, Japan’s Acting Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam.

An EOS-M with a removable 18-55mm lens attached.

An EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS attached to the EOS-M body via an EF-EOS M Mount Adapter

Interhouse staff Jo Verzola (left) giving invitees a hands-on demo of an EOS-M.

Heng Ting Guan of Canon Singapore holding the newly announced EOS 6D for a Brunei Times video footage.

Reikan FoCal’s Fully Automatic AF Microadjustment Calibration Software

No matter what digital SLRs you own or exist today, two nagging issues continue to plague owners — sensor dust and autofocus accuracy. Sensor dust is a subject that has been talked to death and is very much an unavoidable part of living on planet earth. For the latter, issues involving focus issues are a hit and miss. Some experience it, some don’t. Most don’t even know what it’s about. Until the day Canon and Nikon began equipping dSLRs with Autofocus Microadjust (“AFMA”) capability, focus accuracy issues had been an incredibly frustrating to deal with that required returning both body and lens to respective service centre for calibration. Goes without saying nobody likes doing this given a choice.

AFMA capability immediately gave birth to a slew of tools that help perform manual calibration more accurately but are at best products that leave many users confused. I know for sure if I had to use one of those 45° angle charts it wouldn’t take me long to smash it to pieces. Thankfully Reikan understands this frustration and makes the calibration process much simpler. For the mathematically challenged user like me there’s the Fully Automatic mode and for those who can understand numbers better there’s the Semi Automatic method. I thank Richard of Reikan has given me an opportunity to trial and review this release (ver 1.1.0.40). There’s also an FAQ that may contain answers to your burning questions.

I printed out the chart provided onto an A4 paper, mounted it on cardboard and held up the entire duration of the calibration on a boom stand. Here FoCal confirms the chart is correctly setup.

Any change in AFMA setting previously registered by camera can be changed easily via FoCal. I didn't have to keep getting up from my seat to reset the on-camera menu.

The first lens I calibrated was the EF 50mm f/1.4 and FoCal determined after analyzing 40 or so shots that the optimum AFMA setting is -6.

Post calibration report (PDF):  FoCal_FullyAuto_Canon EOS 5D Mark II_EF50mm f_1.4 USM_50mm

FoCal determined my EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 Hybrid IS didn't need any adjustment.

Calibration Report: FoCal_FullyAuto_Canon EOS 5D Mark II_EF100mm f_2.8L Macro IS USM_100mm

Calibrating prime lenses is straightforward. The challenge and question is how would FoCal handle telephoto lenses. I have two long lenses I often use — EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS and EF 100-400mm L IS — and I’ve found calibrating the EF 70-200mm to be quite an interesting learning experience (at this posting I have not tested the EF 100-400mm).

How do you calibrate zoom lenses? Most cameras only support a single micro-adjustment setting for the whole lens at all zoom positions, which is not ideal. What you tend to find is that the ideal microadjustment values are different at each ends of the zoom range. Whilst FoCal cannot address the lack of support in a camera for multiple microadjustment values, you can still calibrate a zoom lens and get a better result than uncalibrated. It’s easiest to explain this with a quick example… Suppose you have a 24-70mm lens. If you calibrate at 24mm and get a result of +10 and at 70mm and get a result of +15, then any value between +1 and about +17 will almost certainly make your lens better at any focal length than it would have been at the default setting of 0. So which value is best? Well, focus errors have a greater effect at the telephoto end of a zoom lens as the depth-of-field is shallower, so it’s better to shift slightly towards the telephoto end. In the example above, the recommended value would probably be +13 or +14 – in real shooting you probably wouldn’t notice a difference between the two so either would work. What you would notice is a huge improvement over the images compared to an uncalibrated setup!

At 70mm f/2.8 my EF 70-200mm lens needed a AFMA value of -10 (same value on second run)

Calibration Report: FoCal_FullyAuto_Canon EOS 5D Mark II_EF70-200mm f_2.8L IS USM_100mm

At 135mm lens needed +3 for sharpest image while at the longest end (200mm) FoCal decided +10 on the first run and +7 on subsequent run. What's interesting is when I increased the camera to target distance to 3.5m, AFMA value dropped to +4 at the 200m end.

Calibration Report: FoCal_FullyAuto_Canon EOS 5D Mark II_EF70-200mm f_2.8L IS USM_200mm

As soon as I find time to calibrate the EF 100-400mm I’ll update results here.

Canon EOS-1D X: The Ultimate EOS

It’s way too easy to fall in love with the EOS 5D Mark III especially if you currently own a Mark II. I own two that I have enjoyed using extensively for work and occasionally for leisure. Returning the loaner unit this morning was an incredibly difficult experience especially after I’ve had so much fun with it for a few days straight. It’s now safely back in the hands of Interhouse Company where it’ll officially debut at the Camera and Travel Fair 2012 along side Canon’s new flagship, the EOS-1D X that I had the pleasure of handling this morning. Holding it with both my hands, its familiar weight and size was a walk down memory lane!

Using multiple AF points in the EOS-1D X and 5D Mark III

Canon has brought the best of the EOS-1D Series of digital cameras into one phenomenal model: the new flagship of the EOS line, the EOS-1D X. Its full-frame 18.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor and all-new Dual DIGIC 5+ Image Processors deliver high quality image capture at up to 12 fps (14 fps in Super High Speed Mode) and a powerful ISO range of 100 – 51200 (up to 204800 in H2 mode) provides sharp, low-noise images even in the dimmest low-light conditions. These images are also on my Facebook Page.

These images captured using EOS 5D Mark II + EF 100mm f/2.8 L Hybrid (unedited)

The biggest specification change to the 1D X is its new sensor – an 18MP full-frame CMOS chip capable of shooting at 12 frames per second. This represents a big change over the 1D Mk IV (it represents a move away from the smaller APS-H format that Canon has previously used in its sports cameras), and a decrease in pixel count compared to the 1DS series.

Another change to the 1D X’s storage is the addition of an Ethernet 1000 Base-T network port. This allows faster transfer speeds and the use of longer cables (the limit is 100m, rather than around 3.5m for USB).

The dual joystick design on EOS-1D X has made its way onto the EOS 5D Mark III when fitted with the optional BG-E11 battery grip.

The body of the 1D X closely resembles previous 1D cameras, but close examination reveals a series of changes. The most significant is perhaps the addition of a second joystick on the rear of the camera, to ensure all functions remain available when using the portrait orientation grip. The camera also features twin buttons next to the lens, in either orientation. These are customizable, allowing you to access features such as the electronic level gauge or jump to registered AF point.

Beyond the big changes is a move to twin CF cards. As before these can either be set to duplicate images onto both cards or overflow from one to the next. You don’t have the option of separately storing movies and stills, however.

An all-new, 61-Point High-Density Reticular AF and 100,000-pixel RGB Metering Sensor that uses a dedicated DIGIC 4 Image Processor, makes the EOS-1D X reach new levels of focus speed and accuracy delivering advanced tracking even for the most challenging shooting situations. Taken all together, the EOS-1D X’s improved HD video capture, numerous connectivity options, combination of processing power and durable construction, including shutter durability tested to 400,000 cycles, make it the ultimate EOS.

If the EOS 5D Mark III is more your thing:
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Incredible ISO 12800 Performance a Smashing Hit
EOS 5D Mark III + EF 50mm f/1.4 at ISO 12800 for Sports Photography?
Canon EOS 5D Mark III: Improvements That Matter. Or Not.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III: File Name Customization and Other Features That Make Sense
Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro Lens an Appetizing Combo (Shooting Food at ISO 6400)