Category: Canon
Prediction – only Canon and Sony will survive. Smartphones killing the Japanese Camera Makers. Just like Digital killed film in the past
Do you remember some of the great Film SLR manufacturers? Manufacturers such as Konica, Yashica, Mamiya, Contax and Bronica come to mind.
Even Minolta, who had the first cameras with Auto Focus, is out of the cameras making business.
Canon produces a lot more stuff than just digital cameras. They also produce Digital Camera Sensors.
Sony makes some great cameras, but more importantly they make Digital Camera Sensors and lots of other consumer goods.
Pentax has focused on the APS-C DSLR market. A full frame DSLR from Pentax may arrive later in 2014.
The Japanese Mirrorless Camera group includes FujiFilm, Panasonic and Olympus. Olympus has Sony backing it. Panasonic produces lots of consumer goods, but I’m not sure how profitable it is.
Mirrorless Camera sales outside of Japan have never caught on and are starting to drop.
Compact Camera sales worldwide have tanked.
Camera makers, IMHO, have stayed afloat thanks to the large number of compact cameras sold. Yes they made far less money (per camera sold) when compared to their DSLR sales, but Compact Cameras had huge sales volume.
Smartphones have cameras. Tablet computers of all sorts have digital cameras. They also make it easy for the consumer to share their photos with so called Social Media sites, like Facebook.
The quality of smartphone cameras is more than good enough for consumers. Posting a file on Facebook does not require the same file quality as a 16×20 inch physical print would. The quality benefit of DSLRs and their larger sensors is mute.
I suspect that the micro four thirds mirrorless market could disappear. APS-C cameras from Sony showed that you can put a larger sensor in a small body, with their NEX line.
Sadly I also suspect that more grande names will join the dust bin of history. My feeling is that Canon and Sony will survive. They produce a broad range of other products. They also produce their own camera sensors.
The next battleground I believe will be with Full Frame sensor DSLR cameras. As prices fall, there will be no point to buying APS-C sensor cameras. That will also help absorb Sony’s Sensor manufacturing capacity.
A major wild card is the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant with fresh plumes of radioactive steam rising above one of the damaged reactors near the end of December 2013. You have lots of Camera and Lens factories, 1/2 an hour to an hour away from that nuclear plant. Canon and Sony have factories located far away, elsewhere in Japan.
Sony A7 declared Camera of the Year. Pentax K3 declared best cropped sensor DSLR by the guys at The Camera Store
Video is courtesy of TheCameraStoreTV YouTube Channel
The guys at The Camera Store have come out with a video of their choices for the Camera of the Year. They cover both still and video cameras.
The DSLRs of 2013 are covered around the 5 minute mark.
The Sony A7 got the title for the Camera of the Year.
The Pentax K3 was honoured with 2nd place, and also declared to be the best cropped sensor DSLR.
At about the 8 minute mark they start discussing their choice for the “worst” cameras. This section was rather surprising.
Canon lowers it’s 2013 revenue and profit forecast while presenting their 3rd quarter 2013 Financial Results
Canon cut their 2013 year profit and revenue forecast today, as follows:
“Canon now projects full-year 2013 net income attributable to Canon of 240 billion yen, operating profit of 360 billion yen, and consolidated net sales of 3.75 trillion yen.
Earlier, the company estimated fiscal 2013 net income attributable to the company of 2600 billion yen, operating profit of 380 billion yen and net sales of 3.85 trillion yen.”
Click on the following link to download a PDF of Canon’s 3rd Quarter 2013 Financial Results.
Click on the following link to download a PDF of Canon’s Presentation Material.
Shooting Weddings with the Canon 70D. Real World results using the Canon 70D
Canon 70D Real World review by a Wedding Photographer.
Shooting weddings is demanding of both the photographer and his camera. This Real World review of the Canon 70D is by respected Wedding Photographer Tom Keotting.
Canon 70D Video Autofocus Tests using a superb testing method
How?
Out on a highway.
A Bus on the highway is faster, than a human running towards the camera.
Canon 70D real world High ISO performance review video with comparison photo test shots
This is a real world review video of the High ISO performance of the Canon 70D with comparison shots made with the Canon 5D mk3.
Adobe Lightroom 5.2 released. Supports Canon 70D, Sony A3000 and other new cameras
Adobe has just released the latest Adobe Lightroom v5.2.
New cameras such as the Canon 70D and Canon G16, are now supported.
Other cameras such as the Sony A3000, the Pentax K50, the Pentax K500 and some of the newest cameras from Leica, Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic are also now supported.
You can read more info about about Lightroom v5.2 and find download links at Adobe’s Lightroom Journal.
In-Depth comparison of the Canon 70D and the Nikon D7100
He refers to his video as being a “full” comparison and after viewing it you will agree.He covers real use differences, along with technical differences.
If you are considering either the Canon 70D or the Nikon D7100, then this video will likely answer a huge number of questions that you may have. It will also open your eyes to important things, which are rarely if ever discussed in other reviews.
The comparison covers still photography and video shooting.
Low and High ISO performance differences are also touched on.
Video is courtesy of Majid Syed and his YouTube Channel.
Hands on review of the Canon 70D by DigitalRev which was also recorded using a 2nd Canon 70D
The nonchalant style, spoken review is mostly about the still photography capability of the Canon 70D.
The surprise is that the entire review was recorded on another Canon 70D.
You get a still photography review and instantly see the impressive video recording capabilities of Canon’s newest model.
Video is couresty of DigitalRec Tv and their YouTube Channel
Are Mirrorless DSLRs with a large sensor, the way of the future?
Mirrorless DSLRs, I believe are the way of the future.
Why?
First off, is that you can reduce the cost and complexity by doing away with the flapping mirror. Lower complexity, could provide increased reliability with one less major component. You would also save a bit of weight. Continue reading
Real Word Review of Magic Lantern on a Canon DSLR.
Magic Lantern is a open (GPL) platform to extend the capability of Canon DSLR firmware. It was originally targeted at improving video, but now includes improvements for both Still Photo and Video enthusiasts.
Magic Lantern does not replace the Canon DSLR firmware. It run along with the official firmware, while adding capability. Continue reading
Amazing Bird Photography by Eduardo del Solar
Bird Photography is one of the most difficult forms of photography. You need to get close and Birds know that it is not a good idea to be close to something which is way bigger than they are. Continue reading
Superb Canon 6D real world review video
Tony Northrup posted his Canon 6D review on YouTube a couple of days ago. I really like his approach to doing a camera review. At almost one hour in length, this video is a very detailed look at the 6D.
He also compares it to the Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 5D Mk3, the Canon 7D and also the Canon 3Ti. There are comparison enlargements along the way, to see how the actual images differ between the different Canon DSLR models. Continue reading
Canon camera owner tried to sell a Canon EOS-1D3 on eBay and almost got scammed.
I used to buy all sorts of stuff on eBay. Only had a couple of problems. One guy in Britain tries to scam me on a multi-monitor video card. He did not ship (probably never had one to sell in the first place) and used excuses to try to run out the time limit for eBay/PayPal reimbursement of payment. By being careful, things generally worked out problem free on eBay.
Selling stuff on eBay I have heard can be another story. A Canon EOS-1D3 posted his camera for sale on eBay. Someone tried to scam him. His story has been posted on his blog. Continue reading
Canon 6D Hands-On Review by landscape photographer Graham Clark
The Canon 6D is the latest Full Frame DSLR from Canon. Trying to decide which digital camera best fills your photography needs can be a daunting task. I often seek out hands-on reviews and comments from actual users, versus reading the banter between fan boys. Continue reading
Using old flash units on new digital cameras. How to damage your new DSLR by attaching an old High Trigger Voltage electronic flash to it.
The bargain bins at camera shops often have assorted Electronic Flash units. Especially the bins with the old junk. One man’s junk is another man’s gold. Sometimes that new-found bargain will cost you dearly, if you don’t know what you are doing.
Back in the film camera days, even the low-end SLR cameras could handle a flash trigger voltage of around 250 volts. Sometimes it could be even higher. That was from the hot shoe, not just the sync connector. Continue reading
Worlds largest Panoramic photo. 320 Giga Pixels.
They used four Canon 7D DSLRs with 400mm f2.8 lenses attached. To get extra reach, 2X teleconverters were also used on each camera. So were’ talking about 800mm plus approx x1.5 due to the APS-c sensor for approx 1200mm. Continue reading
Canon Powershot S40 camera review. Perfect for capturing Street Art and Murals. Able to save photos in Camera Raw format. Versatile Point and Shoot camera
Picked up an old Canon S40 Point and Shoot at a garage sale for under $10. The batteries which came with it were weak. Camera would power up, for one photo and then would power off. I had thought that it was the camera. purchased a used battery at a camera shop, cleaned the battery contacts and lo and behold the camera worked. Continue reading