Photography News 12

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Latest photography news 2014 special Canon’s EOS 7DMark II breaks cover

“Handed a camera capable of 10fps, there was only one thing to do – I rattled away as many shots as I could, capturing the trampolinist subject provided by Canon. Shoot JPEGs and the 7D Mark II will keep going until the card fills. With Raws and you’ll get 31 full-res frames before the buffer starts wheezing. Either way, it’s an impressive rate and the dampened shutter action is lovely. The camera feels solid in the hand, and focusing is quick, accurate and assured, partly thanks to the new quick-access focusing function that enables you to quickly change AF points. Although the model used was a pre-production sample, initial impressions are good.” Roger Payne First impressions of the 7DMark II

In possibly Canon’s least surprising but most warmly received news of recent times, the EOS 7D Mark II DSLR made its bow at Photokina 2014. The 7D Mark II is the first EOS body to feature Dual DIGIC 6 image processors and continuous shooting has improved to 10 frames-per-second (from 8fps). Serious stuff, but it doesn’t end there with Canon’s first all- cross-type 65-Point AF system (previously 19 point) also on board (although the number of points available depends on the lens used). This is coupled with the company’s new Dual Pixel CMOS AF system, first seen on the EOS 70D, in which effective pixels are used for both imaging and phase- detection focus at the same time – a process which is said to improve AF performance in video and Live View modes. The 7D Mark II also features an enhanced version of the EOS-1D X’s iTR (Intelligent Tracking and Recognition) AF mode, which picks out subjects based on colour and shape, and tracks them across its full 65 AF points. Resolution has increased only slightly from 18 to 20.2 megapixels, while the ... and it looks like it’s beenworth thewait for the 7D’s successor For photographers wanting plenty of reach along with top-quality results, Canon has unleashed the compact and lightweight EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM super telephoto lens. The lens weighs in at just over 2kg, which sounds a lot, but that’s roughly half the heft of the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM version. The new design includes gapless dual-layered diffractive optical elements (the ‘DO’ bit) positioned deeper in the lens’s build and this Lighter Canon telephoto 400mm takes the weight off π To find out more, go to www.canon.co.uk.

ISO range has been expanded to 16,000 (from 6400) at the top end (an additional H:51,600 setting is also available). In terms of build quality, the 7D Mark II should prove rugged with a magnesium-alloy body, dust- and weather-resistant seals and a shutter that’s rated to 200,000 cycles. The 7D Mark II should be available in November and early listings put the camera at £1600 body only, or around £1950 with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.

One-inch punch Sitting at the pinnacle of its G series of enthusiast compacts, the Canon G7 X’s headline feature is its bumper one-inch CMOS sensor. A first for Canon, the sensor is physically much larger than

normally found in compacts and has a 20.2-megapixel resolution. ISO range spans 125-12,800 and Canon’s DIGIC 6 Image Processor comes along for the ride; together these represent Canon’s HS (high-sensitivity) system, which

is claimed to deliver excellent low-light performance. The G7 X includes a 4.2x optical zoom lens (equivalent 24-100mm), with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 at the wide end and also has a flip-over screen for selfie shooting.

is said to improve optical performance while reducing flare. The EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM should hit shelves in November, but you’ll need deep pockets – it has an estimated price of just under £7000.

π To find out more, go to www.canon.co.uk.

π To find out more, go to www.canon.co.uk.

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Issue 12 | Photography News

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