Photokina 2014: What does Canon have lined-up?

It's only a week until Photokina 2014, and there are already a lot of rumours regarding new kit to be unveiled at the show. As a Canon shooter, I'm most interested in the 30 plus rumoured EF lenses, as well as the official specs for the 'EOS 7D Mk II.'

Towards the end of last year it was reported that Canon would be releasing a "flurry of new lenses in 2014" with "as many as 8 " to be released before the end of 2014. So far we've seen two of these new lenses, the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, and EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM. It's been 'confirmed' that three more lenses will be announced at Photokina, these are a 400mm telephoto, budget walk-around, and an APS-C wide angle prime.

In addition to these, here are three more lenses I'd like to see announced before the end of the year:

1. EF 11-24mm f/2.8L - a full-frame equivalent to the new EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM. 
2. EF-S 15-85mm f/4 IS STM - an update of the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM which was released around the same time as the EOS 7D. 
3. EF 100-400mm f/4-5.6L IS II USM -  an updated of the EF 100-400mm f/4-5.6L IS USM

An EF 11-24mm f/2.8L would be the full-frame version of the new '10-18mm,' the main difference being that on a Canon APS-C body the 11-24mm focal range translates to ~18-39mm [1]. In comparison the actual zoom range of a '10-18mm' is ~16-29mm. So the rumoured EF 11-24mm f/2.8L would have more reach than it's EF-S counterpart, be faster/ brighter, and offer L-series build and optical qualities. The only downside is the loss of ~2mm on the wide end, and a price tag that will likely be nearly 10x that of the 10-18mm. 

There haven't been many rumours regarding a new '15-85mm,' but quite a few folks seem to want an updated version of the lens. Many prospective buyers are asking for either a fixed aperture of f/4, or the addition of the STM focussing system. The latter seems more likely due to more of Canon's bodies featuring high-definition video recording capabilities. Regardless, we probably wont see an updated '15-85mm' any time soon, although I'm hoping we do, as that will likely result in a price drop in the original '15-85mm,' which is currently my dream lens.

I currently have an EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM for my telephoto requirements. A while back I was looking to upgrade to either the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM or EF 70-200 f/4L USM, but ultimately I couldn't decide which suited my needs better, so I figured I didn't need either. My '75-300mm' lacks image stabilisation, which is one of the reasons I was considering the '70-300mm' as a replacement. After reading a few forum discussions, I discovered that the '70-200mm' was similarly priced, had a constant aperture, and offered better image quality. The compromise is that it doesn't have the desired image stabilisation, and is 100mm shorter on the long end. These are pretty big compromises considering I almost always use my telephoto hand-held, and zoomed in beyond 200mm. The EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM would be a better option, but it's double the price of the '70-200mm' and the non-L '70-300mm' above. 

Canon's next lens in the telephoto zoom range is the EF 100-400mm f/4-5.6L IS USM. This lens is currently the same price as the L-series '70-300mm,' and features image stabilisation. Apart from the variable aperture, it's everything I was looking for in a replacement telephoto, with an added 100mm on the long end! The downside is that the image quality of the '100-400mm' doesn't quite match that of the previously mentioned L-series lenses [2].

Depending on what new products Canon announces at Photokina will determine which lens I intend to purchase next. I'm leaning towards a combination of the EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 70-200 f/4L USM, which together cost only about 10% more than the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. I'll also wait to see if any good deals are announced for the 2014 Canon S.A Expo. Last year I picked up a battery grip, cable shutter release, and 'nifty fifty' for less than the regular price of the lens. If I'm lucky at least two of the three lenses pictured will see a remarkable drop in price before the end of the year. 

Notes

1. Canon's multiplier factor for the 35mm equivalent on APS-C bodies is approximately 1.62x

2. I included the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM in the comparison as there isn't a lens profile for the non-IS  f/4 lens on DxO Mark. Here 's a comparison of the three 70-200mm lenses that do have profiles-link

Preferred camera gear of the pros

I came across this story about Hastolomegapixeles recently released infographic across at PetaPixel. The infographic displays which camera manufacturers and bodies are used by World Press Photo award winners.

What I find most interesting is Canon's absolute dominance, with 58%* of the winning shots having been taken with a Canon, most notably the winning photograph by John Stanmeyer, compared to Nikon's mere 28%. Interestingly the top three camera bodies were all manufactured by Canon, with the EOS 5D Mk II proving to still be as popular as it's successor, the EOS 5D Mk III, despite the Mk II being six years old. Canon's flagship professional DSLR, the EOS 1D X took the top spot, while the Nikon equivalent, the D4, took fourth place.

Clearly the pros prefer to use traditional SLR cameras as opposed to their mirrorless, medium format, or compact cameras counterparts. Surprisingly though, 2% are still relying on film [pelicula] cameras to capture their award-winning photographs. While this is a very small percentage, it shows that film still has a place in the world of modern photography other than being abused by hipsters.

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* This percentage doesn't take into account the 13 'unknown' [sin datos] bodies, or about 23.2% of the data. If these unknowns are included, then the percentages would be: Canon 44.6%, Nikon 21.4%, Leica 5.4%, Sony 3.6%, Mamiya 1.8%. Either way Canon is about twice as popular as Nikon.

Lioness tests out camera

Wedding photographer Ed Hetherington was visiting Zimbabwe to take some wildlife photos. When Hetherington set up his Canon 5D Mk II to capture a lioness returning to her kill, got a little more than he bargained for.

This is what it looks like to be stalked by a lion

Some astonishing photos were taken from the remotely triggered 5D Mk II, While Hetherington also snapped a few more from a safe distance with his other, hand-held rig.

"Smells like a Canon." Photos taken at approximately the same moment from Hetherington's handheld Canon 7D (left) and the remotely triggered Canon 5D Mk II (right). 

What happened next? The lioness gingerly picked up the camera and carried it away from her kill to spot where she could scrutinise it a bit more.

Walking away to find a place to investigate her prize

Hetherington was able to recover his camera after the lioness was done borrowing it. While the camera body didn't appear to have taken too much abuse, Hetherington said that it could no longer read the CF card and required repairs. Testament to how gentle a lioness' grip can be, and the ruggedness of Canon's range of DSLR cameras.

You can see an indentation right where the CF card door meets the body.

Source: All pictures copyright 2012 Ed Hetherington Photography.