Since all the improvements we will have to expect at a high price.

Also there is no specification in the release date.

Canon UK is having a show on October 27th and 28th to show all the new stuff.

And here’s the press release:

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 22, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announced today the development of Hybrid Image Stabilizer (IS), the world’s first* optical image stabilization technology that compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake. The technology will be featured in interchangeable single lens reflex (SLR) camera lens planned for commercial release before the end of 2009.

Several different preventative methods and corrective procedures have been introduced to compensate for errors caused by camera shake, which occurs when a camera moves while its shutter is open and its image sensor is exposed to light.

Canon began researching methods to compensate for camera shake in the 1980s, and in 1995 launched the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, the world’s first interchangeable SLR camera lens to feature a mechanism that compensates for optical camera shake. Since then, the company has continued to produce a variety of interchangeable lenses with image stabilization capabilities, and boasts a total of 21 such lenses in its current product lineup.

Canon’s newly developed Hybrid IS technology optimally compensates for angle and shift camera shake. Sudden changes in camera angle can significantly affect images taken during standard shooting, whereas shift-based shaking, which occurs when a camera moves parallel to the imaging scene, is more pronounced in macro photography and other close-range shooting.

The new Hybrid IS technology incorporates an angular velocity sensor that detects the extent of angle-based shaking and is found in all previous Canon optical image stabilizer mechanisms, as well as a new acceleration sensor that determines the amount of shift-based camera shake. Hybrid IS also employs a newly developed algorithm that synthesizes information from the two sensors to make optimal adjustments, thereby dramatically enhancing the effects of image stabilization during shooting, including macro shooting, which had proven difficult for conventional image stabilization technologies.

Canon is actively engaged in ongoing research and development of interchangeable SLR camera lenses incorporating Hybrid IS technology, and is aiming for the early commercialization and inclusion of the lenses in a wide range of products.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number seven in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2008 list, and is on the 2008 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – - “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – - Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/RSS.

I would like to let you know that Canon has just announced a line of some amazing new lenses with optics that intensify the light as it passes through. This technology has been in development for many years, and because of a new revolutionary manufacturing process, the production of this high quality optics it possible at affordable prices.

Canon can’t release details of exactly how they make the lenses (for obvious reasons) but, they have said that the process of manufacturing has to take place in complete darkness until the new Starlight Spectra Coating, which is the key to the intensifying of light, has time to develop its light gathering ability.

So Canon has started the line of new lenses with this 20-400mm f/2.8 IO (Intensifying Optics) IS USM, and from what I understand they will release more lenses with this special ability.

As a side note, I have read somewhere, forgot where, a rumor that Canon stops producing the famous 70-200mm f/2.8. Now i can understand why, maybe because they are going to release a new version of 70-200mm with IO.

So the estimated price is somewhere around 4100$ (3100€) and the release date it’s sometime in autumn 2009. Also here’s a list of key features:

• Aspherical optics used on all elements except for front SSC coated element
• Pro quality optics on a par with L series lens quality
• Robust design with build quality equivalent to L series lenses
• Image intensifying optics used in front element of lens
• Lens feature full time mechanical manual focusing
• Fully flocked throughout to prevent internal reflections
• One touch design for speed of zooming
• Optical image stabiliser with 6 stop correction for handshake
• Lens supplied with removable tripod mount

Also if you want to read more about this www.experience-seminars.co.uk wrote an article in PDF format about this, and here’s the PDF file.

Also there is a new rumor that on the same day the new Canon TSi/500D will see the daylight. Although the first rumor said that this is going to be released at the PMA ( check this ), but it wasn’t released then. Anyway, we will wait an see.

Ohh and here is a list of specs for those of you who didn’t read the first post about this Canon TSi/500D:

• 15.1 Megapixels
• ISO: 100-3200
• Image procesor: DIGIC IV
• LCD: 3″ VGA LCD
• Crop: 1.6x
• FPS: 3 raw/3jpg
• AF: 9 Point AF
• AF: Face Detection
• LiveView
• Movie Mode (No AF)

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM

It seams that Sigma improved the popular ultra-wide lens 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM made for APS-C/DX sensors (Non Full Frame), making the new version with fixed a aperture of  f/3.5 through the focal range. It also has two Super-Low Dispersion and two Extraordinary-Low Dispersion glass elements for the correction of chromatic aberrations. It will be available with mounts for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax DSLRs. Hopefully this will at leas as good as it predecessor, we will see some future reviews, I would like an ultra wide lens for my cropped sensor 40D.

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM

Sigma also has released a standard zoom lens featuring an optical stabilizer and a wide aperture at it’s shortest focal length. This is also having two Super-Low Dispersion glass elements for the correction of chromatic aberrations.  As the previous lens it has a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) for fast and silent focusing. Sigma also states that its OS it would work on Sony and Pentax bodies with in-body stabilization systems. This also will be available with mounts for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax DSLRs. Bottom line this is a good lens to replace the kit lenses, because this is faster.

Sigma 50-200mm f/4-5.6 DC OS HSM

Sigma also talked about it’s telephoto zoom lens. This lens has the same image stabilization as the 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 and also has the Hyper Sonic Motor. Something to note, due to fact that is a low-budget lens, is the fact that it has internal focusing with a non-rotating front  element. Also the lens is treated for correction of chromatic aberrations.

The lens is the eye of the camera, and every photograph is recorded after the light come through the lens. Taking your DSLR without putting your lens on, and start taking photos, your see that the image processor records and extremely blurry photographs.

Lenses allows us to:

• get more light ( lenses with big aperture), even if your camera have high iso numbers, you’ll still need a fast lens to get  fast shutter speeds.
• get  close-up of your subject without actually being close ( telephoto lenses )
• get incredibly sharp photographs
• get sharp images of a mosquito’s eye ( macro lenses )
• isolate our subject with small depth of field
• capture sharp images of huge mountains and big fields of flowers ( wide lenses )
• make creative photographs with lens-baby

As you can see lenses are way more important that the camera.

In creating the ultimate lens is involved a lot of precision mechanics and optics science. Also there is use a high amount of very expensive glass materials, so you will need a lot of glass elements in building a zoom lens with fast aperture. Also every piece of glass is treated with other substances for durability, minimize chromatic aberrations, reduce flare, etc. Also raw optical glass costs around 1000$ per kilogram, as Discovery Channel points out in their “How it’s made” show.

All of this being said, you can easily explain why a good lens costs hundreds and even thousand of dollars.

Also please check this video created by Discovery Channel on how lenses are made.

Wrong focusing. The most common cause for blurry photos is not focusing right. Often happens to focus on the wrong part of the image, or using a very narrow depth of field, or taking the photo quick without checking if it is in focus, and all of this helps in throwing your subject out of focus and obtaining blurry photographs.

Low value of the shutter speed. This causes 2 sets pf problems: Camera shake and Subject movement. This two makes blurry photos because your shutter speed is too low to freeze the action.

Noise. Sometimes using high ISO values might get you results with lack of sharpness. Although since cameras evolve so quickly these days, higher ISO values might still get you very sharp images.

Here are 9 ways of improving your photographs sharpness:

1. Hold your camera still or be careful of your shutter speed.

A lot of blur in the photos is cause by camera movement and/or subject movement combined with low shutter speeds. So one solution it’s to use higher shutter speeds. The rule of thumbs is to use a shutter speed value higher then the focal length used, so if you use a 50mm focal length you shouldn’t use a shutter speed lower than 1/60 (the value on your camera is 60), or when using a focal length of 300mm you shouldn’t use a shutter speed lower than 1/320 (the value on your camera is 320). But there are times when you can’t use this high values due to poor light and in this case try holding your camera still, by using both hands, keeping the camera close to your body, supporting yourself with a wall, tree or some other solid object or the most important thing is using a tripod, but be careful that holding you camera still won’t  freeze a high speed moving subject.

2. Know how to use the aperture and depth of field.

The aperture size controls your depth of field (the distance where your subject is in focus). The size of the depth of field (DOF) is controlled by the aperture size, focal length and distance from the camera to the subject. The reason you should be careful of the depth of field size, is that you can have the size of the DOF of a few centimeters and a slight movement of your camera or subject might through your subject out of focus. So using a large aperture size of let’s say f/2.8 give you a small DOF but a small aperture size of let’s say f/20 give you a huge DOF.

3. ISO.

For getting pin sharp images use as low as possible ISO settings. Using high ISO values fills up you details with noise giving your image low sharpness. You can get away with ISO values of less then 400 or the value might be higher depending of your camera.

4. Focus right.

More than often the cause of the blurriness in the photographs is the fact that your subject is out of focus. There are times where you camera doesn’t focus right so the unique solution is to check your image is in focus after taking the shot. There isn’t a way of improving the automatic camera focus. But, you can focus manually and this is very helpful for macro photography since there is a very small depth of field, and getting your subject in focus it’s very challenging for you and almost impossible for the camera to do it right.

5. Image Stabilisation.

Nowadays a lot of lenses and cameras have different forms of Image Stabilisation. This counteracts the camera shake but be careful that it won’t eliminate it. This can enable you to use  slower shutter speed up to 2-3 stops (so for a 50mm in stead of using 1/60 you can use 1/25). Keep in mind that this only helps you with camera movement not with subject movement.

6. Invest in good lenses.

DSLR owners, if you have the budget for it invest in good quality lenses as they can have a major impact upon the sharpness of your images. For example I have a 28-135mm lens for everyday use. It is a good lens (and reasonably priced) but it isn’t as sharp as I expect to. I have borrowed a lot “L series” (the professional series of lenses from Canon) lens for different jobs and I was amazed by the difference in sharpness between the lenses. I have learned my lesson and now I am putting money in my piggy bank for some “L” lenses.

7. Clean your equipment.

Dust on you lenses or you image processor can impact you image sharpness. So remember to often check if your equipemnt is clean.

8. Lens Sweet spot.

Every lens has a “sweet spot” where has the maximum sharpness. This usually is 2-3 stops from the maximum aperture (the lowest value) of the lens. So if you have  maximum aperture of f/3.5, the maximum sharpness can be found somewhere between f/5.6 and f/9. Experiment with your lenses, take the same photograph from the lowest aperture value to the highest. A rule in photography is: “Know your equipment.”

9. Use Photoshop to increase your sharpness.

You can use Photoshop to increase the sharpness of your photographs, by using “Unsharp mask” or by using High Pass Filter (a better sharpening method) which I talked about it in a previous post.

This is an excellent accessory for shooting shy people, afraid of being photographed, or for street photography without being noticed.

It’s called (very funny) “Super-Secret-Spy lens” and it’s sold by Photojojo.com.

Specifications:

• Works with any SLR lens: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, etc.
• You need lenses with diameter of: 37mm,46mm, 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, and 77mm. It has an adapter for each size.
• Works with zoom lenses (at least 50mm). If you use wider lens you will encounter heavy vignetting
• Swivels 360 degrees to let you take 90° candid shots in any direction
• You can use AF an any other lens or camera functions without being limited.

Be sure to check the images and video to see  how it works.

What is exactly a Prime lens?

Well, a prime lens is a lens that has a fixed focal lengths. Some examples of prime lenses: 14mm, 15mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 100mm, 200mm, 300mm, 400mm, 600mm, etc. (There are a lot more that i have missed). So bottom line there is no zooming involved. These are similar to our eyes, you cannot zoom with your eyes, you can only distinguish things at a relative close distance and depending on the size. And if you want to see something more clearly, you get close, exactly what you have to do with your camera that has a prime lens mounted on it.

What about Zoom lens?

The zoom lens it’s a different story. It has a range of focal lengths available in one lens. So you can have a wide and telephoto lens in just one lens. So you have the ability to zoom and take a shot. Some examples of zoom lenses: 18-55mm, 17-40mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 18-200mm, etc (There are hundreds of lenses with different combinations).

Now I will try to put a ruff list of the advantages and disadvantages of these 2 types of lenses. Some people might disagree with me since this is more of a personal choice and you can see a lot of contradictory discussions around the web about how one outperforms the other (like Canon VS Nikon “wars”).

Prime Lens.

Advantages:

• Are very light weighted, since there are fewer component elements than the zoom lens
• Relative lower prices than zooms (depends of the lens, there are cheap and expensive prime lenses) since there having a simpler construction
• Are faster (in terms of aperture) and allow you to shoot in low light without the need of a flash. So you’ll encounter prime lenses with the biggest aperture opening of f/1.2
• Some important fact is that the primes are sharper and have superior image quality than zooms. (Nowadays appears zooms that are as sharp as primes , especially Canon’s “L” lenses)

Disadvantages:

• Obliges you to move a lot (but this might be considered as an advantage since you might find the perfect spot for that subject. so it boosts creativity)
• No ability to zoom. there are situation where there’s no time to change the lens.
• Less exposure for the image processor. Since you will change a lot the primes, it increases the chances that dust enters to your image processor.

Zoom lens.

Advantages:

• Zoom ability. This can be useful in situations where you have to go from wide to telephoto and vice versa
• Portability. You can buy 2-3 lenses and you can cover a focal range from 17 to 300mm
• Flexibility. It offers you a lot of space “to move” and shoot whatever pops up without thinking what lens you have on

Disadvantages:

• Can be quite pricey since their construction it’s a lot complicated.
• There a lot heavier since there are a lot of moving part in their construction.
• Creativity. Can make a photographer lazy and miss composition occasions because they tend to stay in one place and only zoom in an out.
• Are slower since the biggest aperture opening is f/2.8

Now you might ask which is a better lens? Well this comes down to you personal choice and style. Personally I use both of them. I have used combinations of 85mm f/1.8 (borrowed, and on my “to buy” list) , 50mm f/1.8 (i love this lens and it’s extremely cheap, around 70-80$, for the results it gives), 24-135mm f/3.5-f/5.6, 24-70mm L f/2.8 (borrowed), etc. As you can see you can work with both types depending on the situation.

As a side note: there are a lot of zoom lenses that compete with the prime ones in terms of sharpness and quality. For Canon users there are the “L” type (Luxury) lenses that have pretty amazing sharpness, but are quite expensive. For Nikon users, well from what I now the only thing that Nikon marks a good quality lens is that golden ring. Usually what Canon has in “L” class Nikon had it too in the quality bag.