dSLR Dad

Canon announced their new EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens back on August 20, 2007 along with new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Amazon, B&H Photo). It is not yet shipping, but Klaus Schroiff over at PhotoZone.de has already picked up a sample for review.<

Technically the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is a tiny lens with a great performance potential. The resolution is very good across the range. Chromatic aberrations are basically a non-issue. The level of distortions remain moderate. The most obvious flaw is, unsurprisingly, vignetting at large apertures. The build quality is fine for a lens in this class and it is one step up from the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS that we’ve seen here recently. Regarding the target market you may surely forgive the plastic mount. The AF (micro-) motor is pretty fast and silent. So’s everything cool here ? Well, the AF accuracy didn’t really convince in the field – specifically at the wide-end of the zoom range – but to be fair this is much better on an EOS 40D (e.g.) with its improved AF capabilities. I had some trouble with the image stabilizer in the field but according to early reader feedback this impression seems to be an exception to the rule. If so the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS has certainly the potential to be another hot seller.

You can read the full review here.

40D Body only Price of $1,149

Happy Holidays everyone. Nikon ramps up production on the D300, and then all of a sudden, Canon lowers the price on the 40D. Right now, you can get the Canon EOS 40D for $1,149 at B&H Photo. That’s $150 off (more…)

Is it better than the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens through the same range?

PhotoZone puts Canon’s latest entry level EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens (Amazon and B&H Photo) through the test, and the results are impressive for a kit lens:

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is the next generation budget “kit” lens for Canon EOS APS-C DSLRs. It is a long awaited and, frankly, urgently needed successor for the rather mediocre EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II which was not able to convince anymore ever since the release of EOS 20D. However, Canon did not only improve the optical design – they also added an image stabilizer, changed the finish and introduced circular aperture blades for a better bokeh (out-of-focus blur). (more…)

Apparently, the rumors about a shipment of D3’s hitting the US the end of this week were true. The Nikon D3 is now in stock and shipping at Amazon (or the dSLR Dad Amazon Storefront). As always, these links help to support this site. Many thanks to all of you dSLR Dads who have done so this Holiday (more…)

The following is part of a much larger dSLR Dad Holiday Gift Guide:

Red River Paper is a great company in Dallas, TX that supplies very good quality inkjet papers factory direct. For this holiday season, why not pick up one of their inkjet paper or greeting card sample packs. Each pack includes a two sheets of each paper. Red River also offers free ICC color profiles are available for the most popular papers on some printers.

You can find out more information about their inkjet paper kits here.
You can order the Greeting Card sample kit here.

Update 12/20/2007 - All orders through 12/30/2007 receive a 10% discount.

ColorVision has updated their Spyder3 line of color management devices with the release of the SPYDER3PRO and the SPYDER3Print. The SPYDER3PRO Colorimeter is designed to deliver more precise control over white point and gamma, and has easy-to-use features including a new Display Assistant that stores and easily retrieves all user device-specific information on each display to save time during recalibration.

The SPYDER3Print enables photographers to output gallery-quality color or black and white prints and makes storing and creating profiles easy through its simple wizard-driven program. This way, you can create your own profiles (which normally cost $100 each) for a multitude of papers with greater control. This way, you could use Epson’s Exhibition Fiber Paper on the Canon Imageprograf IPF5000 Printer (Which, by-the-way, is a now available at a $1100 discount).

A Comparison Chart of all four of the Spyder 3 products (more…)

(Updated 12/10) As a follow up to yesterday’s post about the Canon IPF5000 17″ Printer for under $800, I have found another great deal for you dSLR Dad’s.

Amazon has the Canon EOS 30D dSLR (Body Only) for $799. That is $100 less than B&H Photo also has it for $799 (a common theme I’ve noticed this Holiday season). Now true, the Canon EOS 40D is a full model change from the 30D, but it’s still $400 more. For those of you dSLR Dad’s who were considering a Canon Digital Rebel XTi for Christmas, this would be a great step up in performance, durability, and resale value for just $250. You can buy it at either the dSLR Dad Amazon Storefront (post comments to let me know what you think of it) or at the regular Amazon site. As always, these links help to support this site. And I would like to thank all of you dSLR Dads who have done so this Holiday season. You have made it possible (more…)

The Canon Imageprograf IPF5000 Printer was replaced by the $1,900 Imageprograf IPF5100 earlier this fall. Both printers are 17″ Wide, 12-Color Pigment Ink (archival quality around 200 years) that take both roll and sheet paper. It also has automatic switching of Black Inks between Gloss and Matte Paper.

What makes the IPF5000 such a great deal this week? Since Amazon has it priced at $790, it’s only a $100 more than the 13″ Canon Pro9500 Printer! You can buy it at either the dSLR Dad Amazon storefront (post comments to let me know what you think) or regular Amazon. As always, these links help to support this site. And I would like to thank all of you who have done so this Holiday season. (more…)

The following is part nine of a much larger dSLR Dad Holiday Gift Guide:

I have tried a lot of different sensor cleaning products over the last year (never change your lenses at the beach, change them in your car). Visible Dust is the company that makes absolutely superior products. They are so good, whenever I went to my local camera shops, they all told me that while they could sell me some pad or swab, but they all used something from Visible Dust.

There are three steps to dust free images 1) Check 2) Dry Clean 3) Wet Clean. The Visible Dust 3 Step Dust Free 724 DSLR Sensor Cleaning Kit has (more…)

The following is part seven of a much larger dSLR Dad Holiday Gift Guide:

If you’re not looking for a new bag, how about a great accessory that anyone can use, the Pee Wee Pixel Pocket Rocket from Think Tank Photo. It stores four Compact Flash cards and three Secure Digital cards in an even smaller, more compact package. Can be attached inside of Think Tank Photo products or to your clothing.  That way, it just doesn’t fall out of your pocket, lost forever.  It can also hold business cards in the front face.  Available for just $13.50. Note, the slightly larger Pixel Pocket Rocket comes standard with quite a few bags (including the one I bought).