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Canon EOS 60Da Astrophotography Infrared Camera Announced!

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Canon 60Da

Make sure you check that post title again… Nope that’s not a typo or a mistake.  In fact, fairly unexpectedly Canon announced the EOS 60Da today as its second iteration of an infrared camera.  This camera replaces the nearly 7 year old Canon 20Da, Canon’s first foray into the infared camera industry.

The new 60Da is a very slight modification on the widely popular Canon 60D.  The 60D is a mid level DSLR for enthusiasts who want a little more capability in their camera body then Canon’s Rebel lineup.

Multiple small changes have been added to the 60Da, headlined by a modified sensor.  Canon explains it as an “increased sensitivity hydrogen-alpha lined sensor.”  This essentially means the filter in front of the sensor has been modified to allow more infared light to reach the sensor.  A similar effect can be obtained by professionally converting a normal DSLR.  In addition to the modified filter, the Canon EOS 60Da has added the “vari-angle” articulating LCD for easier Live View composition.  With an ISO of 6400 (expandable to 12800), you should be able to very easily compose shots using live view on the LCD and really increase the quality of your astrophotography.

Astrovideography?

The Canon 60Da has another feature that wasn’t included in the Canon 20Da: video shooting.  Among the “logo’s” provided in the overview section is claims of “Full HD 1080.”  Similar to the 60D, it appears the 60Da can record video.  Upon further inspection of the technical specifications, we find that the camera can shoot H.264 videos at 1080p (30fps) and 720p (60fps).

While the most likely video use for this camera involves long exposure time lapse videos, it appears the 60Da will be able to take real time videos as well.  This could be incredibly useful for “high activity” star gazing such as meteor showers or amazing sights like the aurora borealis.  The modified filter on the sensor is touted by Canon to let in about 3x the amount of hydrogen-alpha red light as the regular 60D which could produce extraordinary, or if nothing else interesting, DSLR video.

Included in the box beyond the normal accessories are Canon’s Remote Controller Adapter RA-E3 and a AVC-DC400ST video cable to connect the camera to an external television or monitor for enhanced live view.

The Canon 60Da is due to go on sale this month and will have a price tag of $1500.

–Photo credit: Canon USA

Canon Rebel T4i / 650D DSLR, DSLR Video Deal Alerts

Tips to make sure you get your Canon Rebel T4i / 650D ASAP!

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The release of the Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D is incredibly exciting.  Specifically, the additions for enhanced DSLR Video are fantastic.  If you are trying to get your copy of the T4i and/or the new lenses that have become available ASAP, read below for some tips to help you out!

I personally would suggest anyone who is trying to make sure that they get the T4i ASAP to pre-order it from more than one place.  This ensures that you will get one from the vendor that has it in stock the earliest!  For your convenience I have provided links to each of the newly announced products at Amazon and Adorama, both of which I recommend personally.


Adorama

Amazon

Canon Rebel T4i / 650D DSLR, DSLR Video Deal Alerts

Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D Announced

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The long awaited Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D has finally been announced!

Pre-Order it Today!

Order from Amazon (see left pictures) or click the links below if you are interested in ordering it from Adorama.

*IMPORTANT* If you are seriously interested in getting the T4i as soon as possible I would recommend pre-ordering it from Amazon and Adorama to avoid delays.  Once you recieve confirmation from one of the sellers that you’re camera has been shipped, then you can cancel your order for the other store!

Additionally, if you are interested in the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake Lens, you can pre-order it here today for $199.99!

“Canon EOS Rebel T4i DSLR is Canon’s most sophisticated Rebel ever. Built to make advanced photography simple and fun, the Rebel T4i delivers phenomenal image quality, high performance, and fast, intuitive operation. This EOS Rebel amps up the speed with the powerful DIGIC 5 Image Processor that helps make high-speed continuous shooting of up to 5.0 fps possible great for capturing fast action. An 18.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor ensures that every image is shot in superb, high resolution; and an extended ISO range of 100 12800 gives photographers the opportunities to take the Rebel T4i into more shooting situations than ever before.

A 9-point all cross-type AF system (including a high-precision dual cross f/2.8 center point) delivers improved autofocus performance, and a new Hybrid CMOS AF System increases autofocus speed when shooting photos and video in Live View. For users interested in creating impressive videos, the Rebel T4i is ready to help you create your next masterpiece. Movie Servo AF provides continuous focus of moving subjects, so you never miss a moment.

A built-in stereo microphone and manual audio level adjustment helps ensure that your audio will match the stunning quality of your video. First ever for an EOS Rebel, the Rebel T4i features a Vari-angle Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor II, which allows fast and intuitive camera operation. Add compatibility with Canon’s proven EF and EF-S lenses and a slew of EOS access ories, the Rebel T4i isan incredibly versatile tool for creating the images and videos you envision.”

New STM Lenses and Accessories 

To leverage the unique, new shooting functions of the EOS Rebel T4i, such as EOS Full HD Movie with continuous AF, Canon is introducing two new unique lenses, the new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens and new EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens. Both new STM lenses includes Canon’s new Stepping Motor technology, which allows the lenses to smoothly and silently focus, and when used in combination with Canon’s new EOS Rebel T4i Movie Servo AF feature, achieve continuous AF while recording video. The new stepping motor technology in both lenses quietly focuses allowing the EOS Rebel T4i’s stereo microphone to only record the sounds of the scene being shot.

The versatile EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens offers the right combination of size, weight, image stabilization and focal length, allowing photographers to capture wide-angle or telephoto photographs and video. This lens is a great option for photographers who may only want to carry one lens with them for both wide landscapes, and close-ups. Appearing for the first time in a Canon EF lens is Dynamic IS (Movie Shooting Mode only) that uses a wide image stabilization correction range to help ensure steady video even when shooting while walking.

The new EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens offers an ultra-slim, lightweight design that helps photographers avoid overwhelming their subjects with a large lens and to remain discreet in sensitive shooting situations without compromising performance. The “pancake-style” lens boasts an aperture of f/2.8 making it an ideal lens for capturing portrait stills or stunning video. The lens is under an inch thick when attached, making it easy to carry and fit conveniently into a purse or pocket.

The EOS Rebel T4i is also compatible with Canon’s previously introduced GP-E2 GPS Receiver that can be mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe. The GPS unit was created to serve outdoor photographers; it records shooting locations including latitude, longitude and altitude, as well as camera direction. A Logging function can tell how far a photographer has traveled as well.

-From Canon’s Press Release

Full review is coming by 10:00am EST!

Pre-Order it Today!

Canon Rebel T4i / 650D DSLR

Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D Pictures Leaked!

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Below is the leaked picture of the Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D!  It is expected that there will be an announcement on the release of the T4i on Friday June 8th, 2012!

For more information, follow this link  for an excellent rumor roundup of the Canon T4i!

Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D

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Shhh! Some Secrets Of How To Get Views On You Tube

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A lot of people that upload videos in many cases are focused on learning “how to get views on you tube” and rightly so.  However, it is more than the video itself being entertaining, although naturally this matters.  People select youtube videos because their thumbnails and titles are utterly irresistible.  So ideally, when uploading to Youtube, find the thumbnail scene on your video at the most attractive part.  

Interaction around your videos is absolutely crucial to youtube.  Youtube values videos which have a great deal of comments, “likes” as well as “dislikes,” because it means there is a lot of interest in the video.  So when you ask in your video for viewers to respond to your “call to action”, like “leave a comment” or whatever, when people do this it is going to benefit your video because youtube will see that it is having interaction and it’ll install it higher up on the youtube search results (which are different from the other search engine results as youtube uses its own internet search engine).

But how to get noticed in the first place by these incomprehensible search engines? Use an incredible and popular keyword.  All this happens when you upload your video, but you need to have done your homework.

For the best results you should be utilising a keyword or search phrase with a large number of monthly searches without a great many other websites competing for that term.  Once you’ve discovered that keyword, you should optimise, optimise and optimise even more.  Optimise your file name, by making use of that keyword to name your movie file.  Then optimise your youtube video with the same keyword as the Title.  Make sure you apply the same search phrase within the description, and anywhere else you can imagine to make use of it.  And definitely, ensure you have mentioned your keyword in the video itself.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with the best secret that we always share when people ask “how to get views on you tube”, and it is: transcripts of the videos.  Have you actually seen those subtitles some youtube videos have when you select the CC button on the lower right corner of the youtube video?  This occurs when the film’s owner uploads a text transcript with the video to youtube.  Youtube appreciates it and search engines love it, especially if your video transcript is peppered with several uses of the search term, a minimum of 3 times in a, say, three minute long video.  Google finds these words and from now on knows what the video is talking about, so transcribing is a very valuable strategy.  From there, if you’ve uploaded a good video, how to get views on youtube is the least of your worries.

—

Julianne Pearce is a Youtube in Business writer from Christchurch, New Zealand.  Her free email mini-course available on her site, Top Tips for Youtube in Business, has detailed instructions for all of the above. Julianne delights in finding new, different, white-hat methods on how to get views on you tube as well as coming up with new ways for businesses and non-profit organisations to use youtube.

Canon Rebel T4i / 650D DSLR

Canon T3i Reportedly Discontinued at Online Retailer: Relevant to T4i /650D Release?

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According to multiple sources, one major online retailer last week listed the Canon Rebel T3i as discontinued.  Some online have proposed that this could be an early indication of the release of the Canon EOS Rebel T4i.

Personally,  I don’t think this news has anything to do with the release of the Canon EOS Rebel T4i /650D.  Namely because it makes little sense for Canon to discontinue their widely popular T3i before its predicessor the T2i has been removed from the lineup.  The T3i was released almost exactly 1 year after the T2i.  Right now, it has been nearly 15 months since the release of the T3i, prompting an anxious anticipation of the release of Canon’s newest consumer level Rebel DSLR.

We had though that perhaps Canon would release the T4i at NAB, however beyond its announcement of a new 4K DSLR for Video, they have not made any mention of a Rebel T4i / 650D.

Check back soon for our full rumor roundup on the T4i and hopefully its release very soon!

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Canon takes DSLR Video to the Next Level with the EOS 1D C

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Canon-EOS-1D-C-TopCanon has announced a new “DSLR” specifically for high end video users.  The new Canon EOS-1D C is a -for all intents and purposes- suped up version of the still yet to ship Canon EOS 1D X.  The 1D C can take excellent still images comparable to the 1D x, however it adds the huge feature of 4K video capture.  Canon clearly wasn’t aiming this new camera for the average professional photographer.  The 1D C is expected to cost $15,000 dollars which is $8,200 dollars more expensive than the comparably inexpensive 1D X.

This camera’s main feature improvement is 4K video capture.  This is a huge upgrade over the current standard 1080p “HD” video.  4K Video captures video at a resolution of 4,096 by 2,160 pixels.  This totals more than 4 times as many pixels at 1080p.

Don’t think this is another DSLR that is aimed at photographers who may be interested in some high quality video.  During the launch of the EOS 1D C, Canon made it clear that this camera is a a “35mm 4K motion imaging camera augmented with high quality HD motion imaging and an addition of 35mm full frame still image capture.”  They were clearly trying to differentiate the EOS 1D C from a DSLR with video capability, despite its outward appearance.

Apart from the headphone jack, the housing of the 1D C’s body is identical to Canons 1D X and all previous iterations of the professional grade 1D line.  This offers two main features for 4K video shooting.

  1. Lightweight camera housing that can be maneuvered in numerous ways easily for complex shots
  2. A completely weatherproof and shockproof housing that can capture excellent 4K video in even the most adverse conditions.

Although the exterior of the 1D C is identical to the 1D X, there are some important changes.  You will however, have to take a look inside to notice the differences in these two cameras.

The 1D C has multiple 4K shooting modes including 24fps 8-bit capture in a 4:2:2 ratio in both compressed capture to a CF card or in an uncompressed format over HDMI.  It should provide superb image quality for a variety of uses that large, clunky, conventional video cameras simply cannot.

It is important to mention that while 4K is an awesome upgrade from 1080p, it may not have the significant upgrade in everyday use that some people may anticipate.  At the average viewing distances for home video, most large screen TVs are already what some may consider a “retina” display.  What this means is that the pixels are at the highest resolution a human eye can resolve.  The 1D C is more likely to be used for more serious cinematographers who are going to be displaying their videos on the big screen.

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Sony A57 Alpha SLT Digital Camera Announced

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A few days ago Sony announced the release of it’s latest in it’s line of “SLT” or Single Lens Translucent cameras. The Alpha a57 offers a number improvements on the previous a55. Check back soon for a preview.
image

These cameras, while not traditional DSLRs do still have a mirror, unlike the new mirrorless interchange lens cameras. The key difference between SLTs and traditional DSLRs is that the mirror in SLT cameras doesn’t flip up. Instead, the mirror is partially see through which allows it to stay in place while taking images.

For video purposes, this allows continuous auto focus while in video. Additionally, this can automatically follow focus a face in the viewfinder. This provides great opportunities for taking videos with excellent depth of field without an entire camera crew.

Check back here for a full article on this SLT technology and a full preview of the new
Sony Alpha a57.