Canon announce EOS 5D MkII firmware upgrade

Canon has today announced a firmware upgrade (v2.07) for the popular full-frame Canon Digital SLR Camera EOS 5D Mark II. The firmware is said to fix irregular aperture control in manual and aperture-priority exposure modes when shooting movies, address intermittent difference in exposure level between the viewfinder and LCD panel, and fix an occasional issue with powering down the wireless file transmitters (WFT-E4 and WFT-E4II).

The firmware update can be found here.

LensCoat for Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS review

I've been intrigued by the LensCoat neoprene covers for lenses for a while now, especially as I've been very impressed with the neoprene Gimps (made by Crumpler) web bought for our old 12-inch PowerBooks and 15-inch MacBookPros. If you're a wildlife shooter then the camouflage LensCoats are a no-brainer, especially if you're using one of Canon's white lenses, but they're equally attractive as a protective covering.

If you thought the closed-cell (non-water absorbing) neoprene coat was solely for wildlife photographers, think again; LensCoat make covers with a raft of patterns as well as in two solid colors; white and black. I guess the white covers could be used in snowy conditions but also if you're looking to preserve the temperature reducing effect (from thermal gain) of the original off-white color of Canon's telephoto lenses in hotter climes.



I was sent the Forest Green (woodland) pattern cover fitting the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS (see above) by the UK distributor and e-tailer, WarehouseExpress. The kit consists of five rather small pieces of neoprene, all neatly cut to fit the painted areas of the lens while keeping the zoom and manual focus rings free.

The fit is very snug; it's certainly worth making sure the lens body is free of any grit or dirt lest the paint is scratched during the fitting. I should point out the lens' controls for image stabilization and focus operation are covered by a fairly supple plastic window (as is the focus distance scale), however as the cover isn't waterproof as such (water can work its way in between the cover and lens barrel), the idea behind this is to provide some protection from scuffing. The window makes it more difficult to operate the sliders, but it's a fair trade-off in my opinion. Still, I rarely switch between the settings.

There's no doubt if you use a super-telephoto lens regularly, before long it will start to pick-up the inevitable scrapes and scratches, and that's true to a slightly lesser extent of smaller lenses as well. While covers for the shorter focal lengths are bordering on pricey, with only a small premium for the super-telephotos, LensCoats are absolutely excellent value and an essential purchase in my view; the price will be easily recovered when the time comes to sell-on or upgrade your lens.

Visit

Lenscoat

Warehouse Express (UK retailer)

Adorama

Canon EOS 5D MkII back in stock at B&H

Anyone having trouble finding the Canon EOS 5D Mk II in stock could do worse than run New York dealer B&H by for a price. They're quoting $2,699.95 plus free shipping (in the US). Follow this (shameless) link to order yours and support this site at the same time.

Final Call for Annabel Williams 2009 Awards

DONT MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN CANON EOS 5D MKII CAMERA AND LENS

Last year's winning entry, by Jo De Banzie

There’s less than 4 weeks to go to enter the Annabel Williams 2009 Photographic Awards – which boast a total prize fund of over £10,000 including a brand new Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and lens.

Open for entries now at www.annabelwilliams.com/awards, the awards close on 31 March 2009 – so don’t delay – get your images entered today!

In their second year, the Annabel Williams Awards include categories to inspire and attract all wedding, portrait and lifestyle photographers, with a brand new Amateur category for the 2009 competition. The categories are:

• Weddings
• Children
• Teenager/Adults
• Photo Art
• Amateur/Hobbyist Photographer
• Best Portrait Album
• Best Wedding Album

The overall winner from the above categories will be awarded ‘Annabel Williams Photographer of the Year 2009’ title and will win a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens, together with £500 of Annabel Williams Contemporary Photographic Training vouchers as well as a host of other goodies. Detailed information on the prizes for each category can be found at www.annabelwilliams.com/awards.

For a single entry fee of just £5.00, photographers can enter as many categories as they like – with entries completed online at www.annabelwilliams.com/awards.

Annabel Williams said: ‘Our awards are all about rewarding those photographers who are fantastic at creating amazing photographs with everyday people – not models; we welcome images from photographers who love breaking all the rules – the more individual the better!’

Kindly supporting this year’s awards are some of the biggest names in the photographic industry, including Canon, Queensbury, SWPP, Amazing Internet and Freebird.

The awards are open to all photographers internationally, not just those based in the UK - for more information, full terms and conditions and to enter online please visit www.annabelwilliams.com/awards.

Alternatively, please contact the Annabel Williams Studio on 01539 821791.