Announced! Fujifilm X-E1 Body & New Lenses

Fujifilm has announced the very interesting new X-E1 camera body, a “baby brother” to the excellent X-Pro1 interchangeable lens mirrorless camera. The key points are that it has the exact same superb 16 megapixel X-Trans sensor the the X-Pro1 has, with superb dynamic range, low noise and no anti-aliasing filter, resulting in very sharp images. In addition, the somewhat randomized layout of its colour filter array means it is extremely resistant to moiré. It is also more compact, in fact, it is pretty much the exact same size as the X100 and will also be offered in a similar silver & black, as well as all-black like the X-Pro1. Not only has it dropped in weight, it has also dropped substantially in price, coming it at $999 versus the X-Pro1’s price of $1,699.

With that much of a price drop, surely something had to go? Well, what did go is the superb Hybrid-VF that debuted in the X100 and carried over to the X-Pro1. In its place, there is an extremely high-resolution 2.4 million dot electronic viewfinder with superb optics and eye-relief. There is also a diopter adjustment dial once again, which the X-Pro1 did not have.

Announced! Canon EOS-6D Body

Canon has announced the EOS-6D full-frame digital SLR. I would consider this the “true” replacement for the 5D Mark II, although it does clock in with a slightly lower megapixel count... 20 versus 21. It does not have the hugely upgraded AF system of the new 5D Mark III although one area of improvement is the centre AF point, which is now capable of working down to -3 EV, the lowest light level of any Canon DSLR, and lower than any other camera that I am aware of. Sadly, the EOS-6D has lost the excellent mini joystick that controls your AF point selection too.

Announced! Panasonic GH3 Body

Panasonic has finally revealed the successor to the highly regarded GH2. The new GH3 is anticipated to sell for $1299 later in the year and sports an all-new, high dynamic range 16 megapixel Micro-4/3 sensor. It also has substantially improved video capabilities with up to 1080/60p 50Mbps IPB and 24p 72Mbps ALL-I codecs. The new body is slightly larger with improved ergonomics, almost a cross between a Canon and a Nikon DSLR when it comes to its ergonomics.

Announced! Phase One 645DF+ & New 28mm Lens

Phase One’s new 645DF+ is very similar to the 645DF but offers a few very important improvements. Firstly, it comes with a new Li-Ion rechargeable battery system which promises a whopping 10,000 frames per charge! Note that this is for the body, not the digital back. However compared to the poor battery life that the AA cells provided on the 645DF, this is a very welcome addition! Note that owners of the current 645DF can order in a similar Ejji battery system for their body, which comes with two 10,000 shot battery packs, and a charger, for only $549. The second big improvement on the 645DF+ is the addition of an AF micro-adjustment feature. This allows you to fine-tune the autofocus for perfect results with those very demanding 60 and 80 megapixel digital backs. Lastly are significant changes that are not so visible: there have been lots of internal mechanical upgrades in the 645DF+ to provide better reliability, durability and uptime compared to previous 645 bodies. The new 645DF+ body will be priced at about $6,000 and it will be available bundled with Phase One’s excellent IQ series of digital back.

Secondly, Phase One announced a new Schneider 28mm f/4.5 leaf-shutter lens. This new lens is reputed to be razor sharp, edge-to-edge, and will offer flash-sync speeds up to 1/1600 sec- ond with its built-in leaf shutter. The new 28mm joins the rest of the Schneider LS lens range for the 645DF, including a 55mm LS f/2.8, a 110mm LS f/2.8, a 150mm LS f/2.8 and a 240mm LS f/4.5.

For more information on Phase One products, contact us at Beau Photo and ask for Ken or Mike.

Renaissance Albums in Toronto - October 16th - 17th 2012

BEAU Photo invites you to a personal viewing of a wide selection of Renaissance Albums. Come see why leading professional photography studios worldwide use these exquisite, hand-crafted albums.

BEAU Photo has been distributing Renaissance Albums in Canada for over 10 years.  These custom made albums are available only to professional photographers.   For two days we will be on hand with our Toronto rep to help you guide your way through the world of Renaissance Albums.

All custom Renaissance albums are HANDCRAFTED in New York, carry a LIFETIME GUARANTEE , and QUALITY that is award winning.

Renaissance Albums offer luxury books at very AFFORDABLE prices.

Come and see for yourself:

     NEW! The Essex Book                   NEW! Aluminum Covers

Location: Address will be emailed upon confirmed appointment. 
Near Ryerson University. Street parking will be available.

--

Simon Burford
Beau Photo Supplies, Inc
Free Phone: 1-800-994-2328
Local Call: 604-734-7771

Connect with us: facebook & twitter
www.beauphoto.com

It's here!  Nikon D600 body!

I have just received our brand new Nikon D600 for the rental department.  Come take a look at Nikon's newest full-frame DSLR!

$175/day

In stock! Nikon D600 bodies!

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a stack of D600 bodies, ready for sale! Unlike the D800, it looks as though Nikon has anticipated the demand for the D600 and is shipping them in quantity already. If you want one, we have them on the shelf!

I had a chance to shoot with our rental D600 on the weekend (yes, we have one in rentals already too) and I was impressed with the image quality. Using a new raw converter that seems to have some preliminary support for the D600 (PhotoNinja), I compared its image quality to my D800. Apart from a little less resolution than the D800 of course, it seems to keep up with it as far as dynamic range and clean high ISO files. In fact, it may even be a little better. The body was nice to shoot with, although not as customizable as the D800 and a little more consumer feeling. However that also means it is smaller and lighter than the D800, which some people will like. In any case, the image quality seems excellent so I am sure it will prove to be a very popular camera!

Here is one of my D600 test shots, a raw file converted with PhotoNinja which shows some superb dynamic range. Virtually nothing is blown out except for the very brightest lights and even the deepest shadows show detail...

Stillmotion KNOW tour landing in Vancouver

I just wanted to tell you about a one day workshop that we are happy to be affiliated with.

Stillmotion out of Toronto and San Francisco are coming to Vancouver to share their knowledge of DSLR Video Production.  This is an North America wide tour with only a one day stop in Vancouver.

Stillmotion have shot incredible weddings and produced work for Showtime, CBS, The NFL,  Callaway and Canon, they have also been pioneers in pushing DSLR Video to new levels.

Stillmotion is a creative, dynamic and fun crew of people that have put together a program called "KNOW", where they want to share their knowledge with like-minded creative people who want to learn more about DSLR Video.

KNOW is about finding your voice as a storyteller - how your lighting, audio, lenses, composition, and editing shape your story.

The link below contains information on how to register.  It also gives you an introduction to the instructors, a list of costs and an overview of the one day workshop that will be held in Vancouver on the 22nd of September.

Check out this event then sign-up as it is going to be fantastic and it is going to sell out.

http://www.knowbystillmotion.com/?110

NEW! Nikon D600 Body, a 24MP Full-frame DSLR...

For all those people who find the 36 megapixel D800 a little too expensive, or just worry that it will disrupt your workflow with image files that are too large, well there is a new body that might be of great interest! Nikon has just announced the new 24 megapixel D600 in time for the upcoming Photokina trade-show. This well-specified new digital SLR sits in between the DX cropped sensor D7000 and the full-frame D800. Think of it as a D7000 on steroids or a slightly downscaled D800.

Unlike the insanely backordered D800, the new D600 will be in our store for sale on September 18th at $2,099. Yes, in stock! In addition, we will have a rental unit available immediately as well.

Hasselblad H5D System & HCD 24mm f/4.8 Ultra-Wide

For Photokina 2012, Hasselblad has announced the H5D system, consisting of a brand new body with improved weather-sealing, enhanced ergonomics, an updated True-Focus II system, and a new series of redesigned digital backs in 40, 50 and 60 megapixel versions, as well as multi-shot 50MS and 200MS versions. The 50MS will also do a multi-shot stitch to eliminate colour moiré and increase colour resolution, still giving a 50 megapixel file and the 200MS, which can do additional sub-pixel movements, will give you a whopping 200 megapixel final image size.

There is also a new ultra-wide-angle lens, the HCD 24mm f/4.8. This gives an extremely wide field of view, roughly equivalent to a 17mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera. This will be the widest AF lens available for a medium format system. In addition, I don't have many details yet, but Hasselblad has also announced a macro converter to be used on their wide-angle lenses that will allow much closer focusing than normal.

Expect more details to emerge as we approach the opening of Photokina next week. For now, here is a link to Hasselblad's press-release page...

Click "READ MORE" below to see a few more images of the new H5D-60...

NEW! Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS and Olympus 75mm f/1.8

We just received two highly anticipated new Micro-Four-Thirds lenses on the same day, the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS and the Olympus 75mm f/1.8.

The build-quality of the 12-35mm might be the best yet for a Micro-4/3 lens. Equivalent to a 24-70mm zoom on a full-frame, it has a silky smooth zoom, all metal construction, is weather-sealed and upon preliminary testing, it is stunningly sharp throughout its zoom range, even wide open.

The 75mm Olympus offers similar construction quality (minus weather sealing) as well as optical quality, proving to be one of the sharpest lenses for Micro-4/3. Equivalent to a 150mm lens on full-frame, its fast f-stop means excellent subject isolation and makes an ideal portrait lens.

Keep in mind that both these new lenses work perfectly on Panasonic and Olympus Micro-4/3 bodies.

Finally! Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8G Lenses in stock...

We have finally received a shipment of the excellent new Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G lenses after what seems like months of being out of stock. Backorders are fulfilled and we have happy customers! Even Maciej is giving a thumbs-up...

I have one of these lenses myself and it is a beauty and I feel tremendous value for what it sells for. Look for some lens reviews coming where I talk about personal experiences when using a variety of new Nikon  lenses with my D800, including the AF-S 16-35mm f/4G VR, AF-S 24mm f/1.4G, AF-S 35mm f/1.4G, AF-S Micro 60mm f/2.8G, AF-S 85mm f/1.8G and lastly the superb AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II.

Marshall Monitors now at Beau Photo

We are again expanding our range of accessories for DSLR video shooters.  We’ve added Marshall monitors to our great line up of products to help you produce awesome videos.  Remember, we also have a wide selection of video capable DSLR cameras and lenses from Canon and Nikon, microphones (lav., shotgun, and stereo), sound recorders, headphones, camera stabilizing systems, sliders and rigs, lighting, stands, tripods and heads and so much more!

Marshall Electronics is a leading manufacturer of LCD rack mount and camera-top monitors for broadcast, multimedia, video, film, and news professionals worldwide. Their monitors are the perfect solution for photographers and videographers using DSLR cameras to capture HD video. The majority of their products are designed, engineered, and assembled in the USA.

We will be carrying two new Marshall monitors for the DSLR user, the V-LCD51 and the V-LCD56MD.  The key features that sold us are their compact size, their “peaking” filter to help you with focus and the available “false colour” display so you do not unintentionally clip your highlights or shadows.

Please visit the website below for all the details and in-depth explanation of all their great features:
http://www.marshallmonitors.com/products/monitors/V-LCD51/index.html

Not quite convinced?  Here is what Vincent Laforet (a three-time winner at the prestigious 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival) has to say about the V-LCD56MD: http://vimeo.com/40253958

12x12 Raw Talent Exhibit & “Halides & Gelatins” Eco Darkroom

CROWD FUNDING - Wikipedia describes it as " the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their resources, usually via the internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations".

Here's a couple of great places to start!

SPECIAL BLACK & WHITE EDITION

Imagine capturing 12 frames on 12 themes in a single roll of 12 exposure film over the course of 12 hours during one of Vancouver’s hottest summer days. That’s what 60 adventurous photographers did, and to honour their results, we’re having a big party that the entire city is invited to. Come and celebrate the art of film photography as the excitement of that day’s events is relived at the 4th annual 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon Exhibit. Every image will be on display in its purest and unedited form, making this unique event a true showcase of Raw Talent.

http://vancouverphotomarathon.com/raw-talent/

With Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan in mind, the VNB darkroom is to be developed from the start as one of the most ecologically responsible photography darkroom facilities in BC.

 

http://www.indiegogo.com/vnb-eco-darkroom