How many awards is enough?

Well, it seems if you're Canon, then there's no such thing as too many awards. Here at blab, we love Canon products, and we know that you guys and girls do, so it's nice to see the industry agrees with us - if only because it means a lot of people that know what they're talking about think you made the right purchasing decision as well! So, with 5 awards in the bag, Canon are rightly feeling rather happy about it - enough that they felt it good to put out a press release!

It seems the EOS 5D Mark II picked up best D-SLR Expert, the PowerShot G10 got best Expert Compact, the TS-E17mm f/4L got best Professional lens, the new PIXMA Pro 9500 II got best Expert photo printer and the Legeria HF S10 got best Expert HD camcorder. Well done Canon!

Press release:
United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 20 April 2009: Canon today announced that it has won five awards from the prestigious Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) – Europe’s leading photo and imaging press association.

The TIPA voting panel, which meets annually to select the best photo and imaging products of the year, selected the Canon EOS 5D Mark II as “Best D-SLR Expert in 2009”, the Canon PowerShot G10 as the “Best Expert Compact in 2009” and the “Best Professional Lens in 2009” award went to the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L. Additionally, the Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II won “Best Expert Photo Printer in 2009” and the Canon LEGRIA HF S10 took the “Best Expert HD Camcorder in 2009” prize.

“Winning 5 TIPA awards, as well as exceeding last year’s success, is an outstanding achievement for Canon and confirms our leadership in the imaging market,” said Rainer Fuehres, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Canon Europe. “To be presented with these awards, from an independent body as prestigious as TIPA, is an important accolade and recognises our commitment to and passion for the power of image.”

Best D-SLR Expert in 2009: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon’s full frame, 21.1 megapixel EOS 5D Mark II is the first EOS with full High Definition video capability that captures amazing quality footage. TIPA’s panel of judges summarised the camera as: “Fast, reliable and discreet, this ‘expert’ D-SLR challenges in quality the best pro models.” Although compact and lightweight, the EOS 5D Mark II’s newly designed and improved Canon full frame CMOS sensor, along with the DIGIC 4 processor, delivers image quality at 3.9 frames per second.

Best Expert Compact in 2009: Canon PowerShot G10
The PowerShot G10 is Canon’s flagship PowerShot compact digital camera and the first G-series camera to offer wide-angle imaging via a 5x (28mm) zoom with optical Image Stabilizer. TIPA’s panel of judges commented that the PowerShot G10 “… is very well built, and its grip ensures good stability.”

The PowerShot G10 is perfect for shooting sharp, blur-free shots of landscapes, architecture or interiors. It includes a 14.7 Megapixel sensor and Canon’s DIGIC 4 image processor ensures exacting image quality.

Best Professional Lens in 2009: Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L
The tilt and shift Ultra-Wide angle TS-E 17mm f/4L has the widest view angle of any tilt and shift lens on the market and the TIPA judges were impressed with its outstanding image quality: “The Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L is the professional choice for architectural or landscape photography.”

Best Expert Photo Printer in 2009: Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II
The TIPA panel were impressed with the PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II, as it enables gallery-quality imaging: “(it) uses a 10-colour pigment based single ink system, including matte black and photo black. This allows photographers to print on gloss and matte media with exceptional colour accuracy and gamut, without the need for swapping ink tanks.” The addition of 16-bits per channel print capability offers exceptionally smooth tonal gradations in both colour and monochrome photo prints of up to A3+ or 14” wide.

Best Expert HD Camcorder in 2009: Canon LEGRIA HF S10
Suited to high-end consumers, the next generation High Definition (HD)flash memory camcorder features an extensive set of professional-level controls and features which proved a hit with the TIPA judges: “The LEGRIA HF S10 uses a combination of 8.0MP Full HD CMOS sensor, Canon HD Video Lens with 10x optical zoom, and the DIGIC DV III processor, to produce video of exceptional quality.”

-blabpictures-

New products from Canon

Another day with two posts in quick succession!

And here they are. As usual, Canon have launched a veritable avalanche of new products today... but surprisingly no new digital SLR among them.

Of interest to us, and probably you guys and girls too, are two new tilt-and-shift lenses: TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II. The 24mm lens is an update to the current TS-E 24mm and the 17mm lens is all new - and is the widest angle TS-E lens available for 35mm SLR cameras - all you landscape and architectural photographers get your credit cards ready now.... a 17mm tilt-and-shift? Now that's cool. And it's another L-lens TS-E.

The TS-E 24mm lens looks interesting too - with ± 8.5° Tilt and ±12mm Shift it has the largest range of lens movements available for a tilt and shift lens on a 35mm camera. It looks like Canon may have increased the image circle size to allow this but we'll know more when more detailed specifications appear.

Both lenses also feature the SWC - Subwavelength structure coating - found on the EF24mm f/1.4L II USM lens released last year. This SWC helps minimise reflection, flare and ghosting off the lens element, working in the same way as the surface of a moth's eye does to reduce reflection.

Press release below:

United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 18 February, 2009: Canon today announces the launch of two new tilt and shift lenses, the TS-E24mm f/3.5L.

At 17mm, the TS-E 17mm f/4L has the widest view angle of any tilt and shift lens currently available; coupled with outstanding image quality across the whole frame, it is an ideal choice for architectural or landscape photography. Building on the success of its predecessor, the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II, like the TS-E 17mm f/4L, now includes Canon’s sub-wavelength structure coating (SWC). Canon’s patented lens coating is specifically designed to minimise ghosting and flare caused by internal reflections to help deliver crisp, clear images.

Canon was the first company to offer 35mm camera users a combined tilt and shift lens, With 36 years experience in this field, Canon has now added a new unique functionality to the TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II, allowing users to rotate the direction of the tilt and shift independently of each other. This affords greater control over the focal plane, replicating the movements of a large format view camera. Canon’s revolutionary tilt and shift revolving mechanism is particularly useful when shooting product shots from a perspective where specific framing and focal plane is required.

The new lenses, influenced by feedback from professional photographers, have been created to produce the best image quality with high resolution, high contrast and low distortion. The use of high-precision asphercial front elements keeps distortion, common in wide angle lenses, to an absolute minimum, even at the edges of the frame. The TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II also feature multiple UD elements to reduce chromatic aberration and optimised focus mechanisms.

Canon today has also introduced a new range (52mm to 72mm) of versatile, multi-functional PL-C B polarizing filters to help reduce reflections from glass or water or darken blue skies. The PL-C B’s, which are now available in 52mm, 58mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm filter thread sizes, also allows the lens cap to be attached to the lens to prevent damage to the filter if left attached when not in use.

Key features of the TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II include:
Tilt and shift lenses compatible with all Canon EOS cameras Ultra Wide 17mm / wide 24mm focal length, ideal for architecture and landscapes High precision lens elements for low distortion and high resolution to the edge of the image ± 6.5° Tilt and ±12mm Shift (TS-E 17mm f/4L) ± 8.5° Tilt and ±12mm Shift (TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II)
Tilt and shift mechanism rotates +/-90° allowing shift in any direction
Tilt mechanism rotates +/-90° allowing tilt in any direction relative to the shift
Aspherical and UD lens elements minimise chromatic aberration Sub-wavelength structure and super-spectra coatings minimise ghosting and flare

Circular aperture for creative, blurred highlights
TS-E 17mm f/4L has a floating internal focus mechanism delivers high image quality throughout focus range.

Pricing and Availability:
The TS-E 17mm f/4L is available from May 2009 priced at £2749.99 / €3049.99
RRP inc. VAT.

The TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II is available from May 2009 priced at £2399.99 /
€2659.99 RRP inc. VAT.

PowerShot: There is one other product that might be of interest as well (along with lots that are less likely to appeal to all of us in a professional capacity! ) Canon have announced their first waterproof digital camera, the PowerShot D10. It's waterproof to 10m, shockproof enough to withstand a drop from 1.22m onto a hard surface and freeze-proof to -10°C. It features a 12.1 Megapixel sensor, 3.0x optical zoom and DIGIC 4 processor for high image quality. I can't wait to get my paws on this and see how it performs - it could become the ultimate carry-anywhere camera for when your SLR camera is back at home....

Priced at £379.00 it'll be available at the end of April 2009.

-blabpictures-