Canon Lens Range - Canon EF Lenses

Canon EF Zoom Lens - 28-90mm f/4.0-5.6 II USM
Quiet AF is the hallmark of Ultrasonic Motors, and this new compact lens combines USM with the same new electronics as the 28-90 II for the fastest AF in its class. This lightweight lens (only 6.7 oz./190g) also has a revised exterior appearance, highlighted by a new rubber zoom ring.

Canon EF Zoom Lens - 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III
The optical system, construction, and exterior are the same as the EF 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 III USM’s. The difference is that it uses a DC motor instead of a USM to drive the Auto Focus.

Canon EF Lens - Fixed Focal Length: 28mm f/2.8
Highly portable wide-angle lens with a good price-to-performance ratio. Its light weight of 6.5 oz. (185g) makes it ideal as your standard wide-angle lens. The high-precision aspherical lens minimizes distortion and other aberrations for sharp and high-contrast images.

Canon EF Zoom Lens - 55-200 4.5/5.6 II USM
Super-compact and light, this lens is compatible with all EOS cameras and ideal for digital SLRs–when used on the EOS Digital Camera, it’s equivalent to an approx. 90-320mm lens. The 13-element design’s new optical coatings are optimized for digital cameras. It focuses down to under 4 feet (1.2m), and its Micro USM-powered AF is faster than ever, due to new electronics within the lens.

Canon EF Lens - Fixed Focal Length 14mm f/2.8 L USM
This ultra-wide-angle lens has the shortest focal length in the L-series. Element 2 is an aspherical lens to correct distortion. Other aberrations such as astigmatism are also corrected, resulting in ideal image quality. The lens has a fixed, petal-type hood and a gelatin filter holder at the rear.

Canon EOS 10D Digital Camera [On Special Offer at £699.00]
The Canon EOS 10D digital SLR camera brings an unprecedented level of features, controls and value to the advanced amateur and studio photographer. It has a newly designed, rugged body with a magnesium alloy exterior, a 6.3 MP CMOS sensor which incorporates Canon's exclusive DIGIC Image Processor, high-speed, 7-point wide area AF with superimposed focusing points, user adjustable parameters to change 4 aspects of image quality, 3 frames per second speed (up to 9 shots in JPEG or simultaneous RAW/JPEG mode), and a pop-up flash. The EOS 10D is compatible with Canon's entire range of EF lenses, digital printers and Speedlites, has USB connectivity, selectable colour spaces, Exif 2.2 and DPOF 1.1 support, and includes Canon's capture software for Mac OS and Windows. With these advanced features in an easy-to-use interface, the EOS 10D makes digital EOS photography available to everyone.
Also available: Canon 300D Digital SLR - £449.00 [body only]

Canon 550EX Speedlite Flash Unit - Speedlite 550EX is the main component of a flash system designed together with the EOS-3 SLR camera. It provides full compatibility with the area AF technology employed by the EOS-3 and refined E-TTL autoflash for improved performance. Other main features include a maximum Guide Number of 180 (ISO 100, ft.), an AF-assist beam which links to the EOS-3's 45-point area AF, FP Flash (high speed sync), FE lock (a flash version of AE lock), and FEB (Flash Exposure Bracketing). The Speedlite 550EX also incorporates a built-in wireless transmitter, which can control other Speedlite 550EX units set up as slave units. Flash coverage is set automatically from 24mm to 105mm, and a wide-angle panel extends the coverage to 17mm. The Speedlite runs on 4 AA-size batteries, and can also be used with optional external power supplies such as Compact Battery Pack E and Transistor Pack E. Compatible with the Canon EOS 10D and Canon EOS 300D Digital SLR Cameras.

Online Shopping for Canon Digital Cameras, EF Lenses & Accessories:

• Amazon.co.uk
  Amazon UK has Canons EF USM Lenses and their range of digital SLR cameras includes the Canon EOS 300D Digital SLR Camera with an EF18-55mm Lens and the Canon Eos 20D Digital SLR. They also offer a wide selection of books on photography as well as photography software - with fast delivery and reasonable prices. They also offer very competitive prices on digital cameras and memory cards, with free UK delivery if your order is over £19 (use the 'free super saver delivery' option). For a good entry level digital camera under £100, try the Pentax Optio 33LF Digital Camera. Customer service is excellent and choosing what to buy is made easier with customer reviews of the products posted on each page.
  Click here to visit Amazon UK.
  Our Rating: 9/10.

• 7DayShop
  This web site has some great bargains on 35mm camera film as well as digital camera memory cards, rechargeable batteries, print frames for your photos and a wide selection of other photography related products. For SLR fans, Seven Day Shop are also stockists of the Canon EOS 300d SLR digital camera and Canon EF Lens range of zoom, fixed focal length and fisheye SLR Canon EF Lenses at good prices, as well as the Sigma Lens range to fit Canon Digital SLR cameras.
  Click here to visit 7DayShop.
  Our Rating: 9/10.

• Jessops Photography
  Jessops is Europe’s leading specialist photographic retailer. Jessops photographic products includes cameras, camcorders, digital cameras, binoculars, and accessories. The Jessop site has nearly 20,000 products to choose from and offers the convenience of free delivery on UK and Ireland orders over £50. Voted “UK Photo Retailer of the Year” by readers of Practical Photography magazine. Jessops sells the full Canon Lens range online (60 lenses) and prices start at £79.99. Jessops also currently have an offer on the new Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens for £698.99 including VAT and claim a Free 256MB CompactFlash Card and get a voucher booklet for up to £625 cash back on lenses and accessories.
  Click here to visit Jessops UK.
  Our Rating: 8/10.
  

• PicStop
  Offers fast delivery and low prices on a range of products; including digital camera memory, ink cartridges, DVD R, digital cameras and accessories, disposable cameras and the latest mobile camera phones. Brands stocked include: Sony, Lexar, Sandisk, Integral, Dane-Elec, Olympus, Uniross, Integral, Samsung, Canon, Fuji, Ansmann, Hahnel, Nokia and Panasonic. PicStops a good place to buy digital camera memory cards - Compact Flash; SmartMedia; Secure Digital (SD); Multimedia (MMC); Sony Memory Stick and xD Picture Cards from Kingston memory, Fuji, Lexar and more.
  Click here to visit PicStop.
  Our Rating: 8/10.

• Jessops Photography
  Jessops is Europe’s leading specialist photographic retailer. Jessops photographic products includes cameras, camcorders, digital cameras, binoculars, and accessories. The Jessop site has nearly 20,000 products to choose from and offers the convenience of free delivery on UK and Ireland orders over £50. Voted “UK Photo Retailer of the Year” by readers of Practical Photography magazine. Jessops sells the full Canon Lens range online (60 lenses) and prices start at £79.99.
  Click here to visit Jessops UK.
  Our Rating: 8/10.
  

• Unbeatable
  Offers a small selection of the most popular Canon EF Lenses - the top seller is the Canon EF 28-135mm USM Zoom Lens.
  Click here to visit Unbeatable.
  Our Rating: 7/10.
  

• Secondhand Canon Lenses
  Looking for used Canon EF lenses, Digital SLR Cameras or Photographic Accessories? For a wide selection of second hand cameras and lenses , register free at eBay UK to bid, buy or sell secondhand Canon EF lenses and cameras online.

  
  

Read what EOS Magazine had to say about the new Canon EOS 350D Digital SLR which has a combination of features from the EOS 300D and EOS 20D SLRS. They also have a report on the new EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM Canon Lens which gives a similar field-of-view on an EOS 350D, 300D or 20D to the 100mm Macro lens on a 35mm camera.

EOS magazine is the world's best­selling magazine for Canon EOS camera owners. It is a subscription-only publication for everyone from first time buyers to experienced users. Every EOS model is featured and 35mm, Advanced Photo System and digital photography are covered. Included in every 80­ page colour issue is a pull- out section of advert free pages dedicated to EOS techniques. Subscribe online.

You can view and compare the full range of Canon digital SLR cameras at Canon's UK site, where you can also read articles, download brochures and find out more about the Canon EF Lenses.

Advantages v. Disadvantages of Digital Photography
By Scott Bourne

I only use digital cameras. It's been 30 months since I've used film. That said, I have made every attempt to fairly compare the two mediums. Try as I might, I simply cannot come up with as many disadvantages as advantages in the face-off between digital and film. While I may have left out some small point, this list is fairly comprehensive. You be the judge.

The Advantages Of Shooting Digitally

1) Immediate gratification:

When you have a chance to make a very important photograph, there is no denying the fact that being able to instantly look at a histogram, verify your exposure, double check your composition, etc., is very rewarding and reassuring.

2) You have the ability to immediately deliver the image to client:

Clients LOVE being able to get their images quickly. In the wedding and portrait business or the advertising world, there are few more powerful phrases than; "You can have the picture today."

3) Instant ISO/white balance change from shot-to-shot:

In the film days, I would think nothing of rewinding a roll of Velvia if it got too dark to shoot at ISO 50. I would just move to Provia 100 and waste the rest of the roll. Changing film like that is not only expensive, it is time consuming. With my digital camera, I hit a button and can change the ISO from 100 to 3200 on a shot-by-shot basis. I also don't have to worry about adjusting (adding filters) for indoor/outdoor lighting since I can change the white balance with the click of a switch.

4) Digital media is more portable:

I can make hundreds of full resolution exposures on my One Gigabyte compact flash card, which is smaller than a matchbook cover. It would take more than eight rolls of film to do the same thing. Film is bulkier. On a recent workshop, I brought five one-meg CF cards capable of holding more than 1800 images and I transported them in my shirt pocket. It would have taken more than 45 rolls of film to make the same number of images. There's no need to hand check CF cards at airports while film is subject to damage from x-rays.

5) It is easier to store digital images:

I have 123,000 slides from my film days. They take up several file cabinets worth or storage. I have the same number of images on six 200-gig fire wire hard disks that are roughly the size of two packs of cigarettes. The slides need to be stored in the dark and in sealed bags to protect from ultraviolet light, dust, heat, etc. The disk drives can sit out on my desk year-round with no problem.

6) There are no film or processing costs:

For me, this is the big one. I used to spend $1250 per month on film and processing. That amount of money has paid for two digital bodies in the first six months of the year. I am able to charge my clients the same money, but I take home the difference in the form of a bigger paycheck. I no longer have to make tithes and offerings to the green and gold. (Sorry Fuji...Sorry Kodak.)

7) There is no chance of lost, damaged or mishandled film at the lab:

My friend Paul does wedding photography. He sent a recent wedding to a lab in Indiana. The wedding featured a family from Austria. The film was lost in transit. Enough said.

8) No film to store in the refrigerator:

My wife is glad that we can now store food (instead of film) in our $1000 refrigerator. CF cards don't need to be refrigerated.

9) Digital is less harmful to the environment:

I am surprised there isn't more said about this. Especially by nature photographers who tend to be very eco-conscious. Film processing is a dirty business. More and more governments are heavily regulating the processing of film because the chemicals involved are very toxic and obviously bad for the environment. CF cards need no developer or fixer!

10) Digital offers improved tonal range:

I saw it early on. I was able to get better shadow and highlight detail from my digital camera than I could with most films. It is something that I have come to rely on. While not all digital cameras can make this claim, my Canon 1DMK II can.

11) No scan-related costs:

When I shot slides, I would have to scan my images to print them on my computer darkroom system, or to send them to certain publishers who only want digital submissions. This meant increased costs in both time and money. I would have to spend time scanning, cleaning up the scan, and saving the scan.

12) Unlimited perfect copies from the original:

Rod Barbee, my friend and fellow teacher at Olympic Mountain School of Photography, will rip five or six exposures of every image he makes with his Nikon F5. He needs to make several slides so that he can have multiple originals. Digital images are the same every time you make them with no image degradation. There is no need to make more than one original.

13) Some markets accept only digital submissions:

More and more of today's publishers are going to digital pre-press. I would venture a guess that by the year 2007, there will be nothing but digital pre-press. That means that all images, whether shot on film or digital, will have to be brought into the digital domain. Already, some publishers have made the decision to restrict submissions to the digital format since this is where the product will be headed if the image is selected.

The Disadvantages Of Shooting Digitally

1) Higher initial cost:

There is no denying the fact that digital has a higher initial cost. A flagship film body will usually cost 50 to 75% less than its digital counterpart.

2) Digital cameras are not equal to film cameras in features:

My Canon EOS 3 has a faster frame rate and better auto-focus than my 20D. While the difference in features between the two is narrowing fast, I would have to give a slight edge to film cameras in this department.

3) Digital requires greater battery consumption:

A set of batteries in my EOS 3 would last a week compared to two days in my 1D MK II. If you use a camera with a CCD instead of a CMOS sensor (Say a Nikon D100 v. a Canon 20D) you will have only hours of shooting time. This can be a problem on a long field shoot in areas where electricity to recharge batteries is not available.

4) Perception problems:

This is another area that is quickly changing but there are some who still think that digital photography is somehow less valuable than film photography. Reasonable or not, it is a stumbling block for some people.

5) Poor low-light performance:

Every digital camera I have used performs poorly (when compared to film) in low light. Everything from poor auto focus to noisy images can be a problem with digital photography. There are ways to work around these problems and they are quickly becoming non-issues, but they are real for now and should be considered.

6) Some markets refuse digital submissions:

Some scientific or nature markets may resist digital for fear of "authenticity" issues. While fewer and fewer of these dinosaurs exist, they are out there and might be a consideration for a few more years until the perception problems mentioned above are solved.

7) Potential equipment failures:

While film bodies can fail and film can jam, digital brings a whole new set of worries. Will my compact flash card crash? Will my hard drive crash? These problems can be managed but are certainly real and need to be considered by anyone switching to digital.

8) Digital has a steeper learning curve:

This is probably the biggest disadvantage to most film shooters. If you are not computer-savvy, or if you don't know Photoshop, then digital will be much less useful to you. Learning color management and workflow issues will overwhelm some people. Not everyone can learn to take advantage of the digital explosion. But there are new tools introduced every month that make the process easier. Within the decade, this problem will be solved.

9) More frequent obsolescence:

As far as my wife is concerned, this is the biggest disadvantage of digital photography. I bought a Canon D30 in September of 2002 for $2,200. I bought another one three months later for $1,400. That is a price drop of $200 a month! As technology advances, it creates obsolete cameras. In the film world, your old Nikon F1 will still work for almost anything you need or want it to do. Not so with digital cameras. They tend to become obsolete much quicker. As the digital trend continues to grow, this will be less important.

CONCLUSION

Whether or not you switch to digital photography, digital is and will remain a force in the photo universe. If you are interested in digital, rent or borrow a digital camera to get the feel of it. Spend some time with a friend who shoots digitally and see how they handle their digital workflow. In time, I think that digital photography will be the norm and that film will fall far behind. Whether or not you agree, it only makes sense to investigate digital as an alternative medium. Then you can decide for yourself if it is time to switch.

Article Copyright 2005, Scott Bourne - Photofocus Magazine

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Bourne is the author of "88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography" and "88 Secrets to Photoshop for Photographers." Both are available from Olympic Mountain School Press, http://www.mountainschoolpress.com His work has also appeared in books, magazines, galleries, calendars, on greeting cards, web sites and on posters.

Scott is a professional photographer, author, teacher and pioneer in the digital imaging field. His career started in the early 70s as a stringer covering motor sports for Associated Press in Indiana. Since then, he has shot commercial, portrait, wedding, magazine and fine art assignments. His new passion is wildlife photography.

Scott regularly lectures on a variety of photo and media-related subjects. He's appeared on national television and radio programs and has written columns for several national magazines. He is the publisher of Photofocus.com, an online magazine for serious photographers and also serves as the executive director of the Olympic Mountain School of Photography in Gig Harbor, WA.

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