spoli

<p>Be careful when you look at lens adapters for a smaller camera. EF and EF-S lenses are relatively large (especially IS lenses). Yes, the camera would be small but the lens size is still a factor to consider. This is why I said that I regret Canon doesn't offer a good travel zoom (eventually with IS) in the EF-M mount. The whole package - camera and lens - would be smaller.<br>

Micro four thirds camera systems are probably even smaller (but not too much). Some prefer them because of a very good compromise between performance and size. In addition, there are EF to 4/3 adapters that will help you with the Canon lenses that you own but you have to be very careful with compatibility issues.</p>

 

<p>After a trip in Italy with a heavy backpack loaded with photo gear (Canon 7D, three lenses and accessories - about 7 kg / 15 lbs) I decided that I have to find a reasonable travel camera. I found one - Canon EOS-M - at a bargain price (~$370 for camera, kit lens and small flash). In the past I paid much more for point and shot cameras. You may be able to find the kit for $400...$450 somewhere (Google is your friend) - Canon is dumping the current EOS-M in preparation for the next one later this year. Don't expect to pay the same price for the new one; I bet it will be $500 or more (body only). At this price you will get the camera for free!<br>

The Canon EOS-M with the latest firmware (2.0.2) is a decent camera. The APS-C 18 Mpx sensor produces high quality images - pretty much like my 7D. The kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6) is surprisingly sharp and relatively small. With a EF (and EF-S) to EF-M adapter you can use your old lenses. Unfortunately, Canon doesn't make a more travel friendly zoom in the EF-M mount. I'd like to see an EF-M 15-85mm zoom for travel. Maybe Canon will take this suggestion seriously one day.<br>

I used the EOS-M camera for a short trip in Germany this year. Perfectly usable for travel but not for sports or fast action. I have no regrets buying it.<br>

Read my short Canon EOS-M review at http://betterphotographytutorials.com/2013/08/04/canon-eos-m-a-new-camera-favorite/. <br>

A more detailed review: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-M-Camera-Review.aspx.<br>

If you want something more versatile and user friendly, try Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 or GF6. No compatibility with Canon but the sensor is large enough (Four Thirds sensor) for good quality photos. Be ready to pay more for the camera and lenses.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>P.S. If you didn't plan your trip in Italy yet, please visit Cinque Terre for few days. Absolutely beautiful, especially, if you like hiking.</p>

<p>Hopefully, I will receive something in the next few days.<br>

Thank you all for the info.</p>

<p>Living in Canada, I only had the electronic option. Fine with me. I wish I had an iPad like Rafael... I hope a normal computer would do it as well. Still confused :-(</p>

<p>I have a question: how do I activate my Popular Photography subscription after signing up for my 3 years of Photo.net? On my workspace page I have this message displayed:<br>

<em>"You have already signed up for your one year subscription to Popular Photography, included with your subscription to Photo.net.</em>"<br>

I expected an e-mail or something on my own workspace page to tell me what to do... However, after few months of waiting, I couldn't find a way to benefit from this subscription. Is there anything else I should do to start enjoying my Popular Photography subscription?<br>

I would appreciate any advice from those who got their Popular Photography magazine through Photo.net.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

Well, I've got the same 4GB Seagate Microdrive (ST1) in Seattle (from Frys) and I noticed the same issue with my 20D:

 

- start-up time 5...15 seconds (depending on the number of files on the card)

- writing one RAW + JPEG takes about 40...50 seconds

- writing a burst of 6 RAW + JPEG photos takes 4...5 minutes

- formatting takes ~15 minutes

- reviewing photos is very slow and a painful process

 

I formatted the CF on a PC using 32KB cluster size: no visible effect in my Canon 20D.

 

However, in a PC (using a card reader) this little thing was amazingly fast! The transfer rate is about 6MB/sec (determined using the HD Tach benchmark -- see http://www.simplisoftware.com/Public/index.php?request=HdTach). But I cannot say this is the real performance as long as my card reader is not fast enough (the CF might be faster).

 

I decided to try it on my PocketPC: it works just fine -- it's not as fast as a 1GB Sandisk Ultra II, but the performance is not too far. My conclusion is that 20D and the 4GB Seagate Microdrive don't work well together (I guess this applies to the 8GB version as well). One thing to notice here is that the 1GB card was formatted FAT16 in the camera and the ST1 4GB card was formatted FAT32 with 4KB cluster size in my PC. I need to experiment more with formatting: maybe there is a winning combination.

 

Maybe Canon firmware doesn't know how to handle this beast properly -- don't forget that at the time the latest 20D firmware was released, there was no Seagate microdrive. I remember that Canon had some issues with Lexar CF's fixed in 1.0.4 version of the 20D firmware. The current version (2.0.3) was released in October 2005 before any Seagate microdrives.

 

Hitachi microdrives are essentially IBM microdrives -- well known from 2000 when the 512MB and 1GB microdrives were announced. Digital camera manufacturers had enough time to tune-up their firmware for Hitachi/IBM devices. Seagate is the new player in this market: ST1 comes in two capacities -- 4 and 8 GB -- and the new ST1.3 will be 12 GB. Both are supposed to have a 2MB internal data buffer that (in theory) should help -- compare this with 128KB from Hitachi/IBM. However, in a 20D camera Seagate is slower! I bet Canon 20D firmware doesn't know how to take advantage of the 2MB internal data buffer and the way ST1 physically organizes the information. Remember, a microdrive is a mechanical device and the layout of the file system can make a huge difference by minimizing the seek times. A compact flash doesn't have this problem!

 

I'm actually curious if Nikon has the same problem with ST1.

 

I decided that I can use the Seagate ST1 microdrive as a backup solution, especially when shooting static (i.e. architecture, landscapes, flowers, etc.). For the rest of the time the ST1 works fine in my PocketPC -- 4GB is still a good deal for $69...

 

I will continue to play with it and keep you posted.

This is not Canon EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 DO IS USM -- that lens contains diffractive optics, the Canon EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS USM does not.

Another image of the lens: retracted and extended.<div></div>

One more IS test: tripod vs. handheld.

 

The focal length was set to 135mm (~215mm in 35mm equivalent). In both cases the IS was enabled; however, the system senses the tripod if the camera is rock stable. The aperture was set to F8: for a sensitivity of ISO 200, the shutter speed resulted 1/25s. After the tripod test, I took a bunch of shots handheld, using the same settings and selected a good one. Finally, I bumped up the sensitivity to ISO 400 and took few more at F8 and 1/50s.

 

The target was laser printed on a piece of paper (letter format); the quality of the target is mediocre (I'm trying now to print a high quality one using a high resolution printer and a much bigger format). However, the target is good enough for testing the IS efficiency. Cropping a central square of 400 x 400 pixels from each selected photo, the comparison can be seen in the attached picture.

 

The conclusion is that IS system of EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS USM Lens works. And it works better than expected (seems to be more efficient than my EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM Lens). It is good to know that you can rely on IS for long focal lengths: wildlife and landscapes in good light may be areas where one can benefit on IS.<div></div>

And Ken, if you consider this important for some, here is a picture of the lens.<div></div>

Here is the original photo (size reduced) and an excerpt from the EXIF info:

 

DateTimeOriginal - 2005:10:04 21:35:00

 

ISOSpeedRatings - 1600

 

ShutterSpeedValue - 1/40 seconds

 

ApertureValue - F 5.60

 

ExposureBiasValue - -0.33

 

MeteringMode - Multi-segment

 

Flash - Not fired, compulsory flash mode

 

FocalLength - 300 mm<div></div>

All right... The file I uploaded was a mistake: it contains the crop from the original picture somewhere in the middle of the frame. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to edit the initial post and to replace the file. Maybe another post will look better ;-)<div></div>

The Canon EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS USM Lens has a useful focal length

range, small size, light weight, midrange price and Image

Stabilization. It is relatively small (76.5 x 142.8mm / 3.0 x 5.6"

retracted) and light (630 g / 22.2 oz) for its range and fits nice a

Canon 20D body. Build quality is similar with my EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6

IS USM -- i.e. decent: mechanically ok, nice finish, no weather

sealing.

 

The zoom ring feels comfortable and rotates smoothly but is a bit too

sticky in my opinion. The front element does not rotate when zooming;

however, the front element does rotate when focusing. A switch locks

at 70mm to prevent the lens from extending when not in use.

 

The focus ring is adequate but the front section (that extends) seems

to be a bit loose when in MF mode (or at least it feels like that).

Unfortunately, there is no distance scale and no real Ring USM. The

Canon 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS USM Lens does not include FTM (Full Time

Manual) focusing -- you must switch to MF mode to manually focus the

lens.

 

Focus speed is average (I expected faster AF because of the USM) but

accurate in good light. In low light, especially at the long end, I

noticed some focus-hunting.

 

The EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS USM Lens uses Canon's latest generation

Image Stabilizer (IS) that provides an additional 3 F-stops for

handheld operation. This is definitely my favourite feature of this

lens. My first indoor tests indicate that the IS is very effective:

using a shutter speed of 1/40 I was able to obtain sharp photos even

at the longest focal length (300 mm); I've got decent sharpness even

at 1/13 @ 300 mm -- amazing !

When pressing the shutter half way down, the IS engages -- the effect

is very obvious in the viewfinder -- it helps to compose the image as

well. There are two IS modes: mode I (normal -- all directions) and

mode II (panning -- direction of camera motion); for the moment, I've

been using the first one only. The IS seems to be relatively noisy

compared with my EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM.

 

The optical quality of this lens remains to be tested. But the

preliminary photos (handheld only) did not show any obvious problems

in terms of sharpness and resolution. Unfortunately, it will take me

a while to perform some serious tests -- maybe this weekend.

 

The price of this lens reflects its qualities (and defects): $736 CAD

(~ $620 USD). I'm sure that at least $250 is the IS -- it is a worthy

feature especially for those who want to carry less: handheld is fine

most of the time in good light, but in difficult situations (i.e. in

low light at the long end of the focal length) a monopod is more than

enough with the IS system on. Personally, I use a Manfrotto monopod

681 + rubber head 235C. I would have paid $100 more to have Ring USM

and FTM. Maybe the next generation...<div></div>

I've been using EF 55-200mm with my old Digital Rebel. I know, it's a cheap telezoom but I had fun using it for about a year. Last month I sold everything and I bought a 20D with EF-S 17-85mm IS USM. The EF 70-300mm IS USM looked as a very attractive compromise between my limited budget, lens quality and featurs. Comparing the lenses will be unfair (different quality class) and a bit difficult now, but I can use some of my old photos taken with the Rebel.

 

Today I received the confirmation of the shipment -- I suppose I will have my lens on Tuesday.

Camera Canada announced the arrival date: "...First shipment arriving September 28th pre order yours today..."

 

I'm going to place an order -- this lens cannot be worse than EF 75-300 IS USM, so I'll take the chance. Once I'll get my hands on it, I will post my impressions and maybe some sample photos.

Camera Canada listed this item about three weeks ago. Last week I asked them about the availability of the lens and they recommended me to get back this week. Two days ago I noticed that they have changed the status from "New" to "Hot item" -- tonight I fired them a message asking again about availability. I will keep you informed with their answer as soon as I get the relevant data.

 

In the mean time, I would be interested in any experience with this lens if anybody had the chance to get it or to find a review. For the moment the only information I have comes from:

 

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx