Announced: Canon Rebel XSi / 450D

In case you haven't heard the news, Canon just announced the release of the Rebel XSi, or 450D.

The Canon Rebel XSi looks to be a major upgrade to the Rebel XTi, which in my mind, wasn't much of an upgrade to the XT. With this new model, Canon's consumer DSLR line is really approaching the capabilities of pro-sumer line like the 40D.


Notable new features are:

• 12 MP sensor (not that important, honestly)
• SD memory cards (no more broken pins!)
• Live view (never tried it, but I doubt I'd prefer it to the viewfinder for most applications)
• Larger Viewfinder (still not as bright as the 20D/30D/40D since it uses mirrors, not a prism)
• Monster 3" LCD
• Dedicated ISO button and ISO display in viewfinder (this was something that bugged me on the XT)
• Bigger Battery (to power the live view, I'm sure; I never had a problem with my XT running out of juice)
• True spot meter (theoretically I want that, but I haven't missed it)

Features that are still better on the 20D / 30D / 40D:

• Ergonomics. The XT always felt a little too small in my hands and I love the rear jog wheel on the 20D.
• Viewfinder. Until you use a nicer viewfinder, you don't realize what you're missing.
• Shutter. While improved, the shutter still isn't as good: upgraded maximum speed of 1/4000s to match 20D/30D (40D has 1/8000s), only 1/200s synch speed (instead of the 20D+'s 1/250s), less durability, more black-out time and lag, only 3.5 frames/sec instead of 5 frames/sec.

The limitations above are the big ones for me; if I were to buy another camera right now, I'd probably go with a refurb 30D. A lot of the live view stuff, while sounding good, probably wouldn't fit into my normal way of shooting. If I had tons of money, I'd probably go with the 40D, since the ergonomics of the Rebel line drive me crazy.

So far, it appears only DPReview has started doing some reviews with (a little) hands-on work:

• DPReview's 450D analysis of press release
• DPReview's 450D brief hands-on
• DPReview's 450D what's changed

A New Kit Lens Too!

Something I haven't seen mentioned in the other reviews is Canon's new kit lens, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS.

Yes, that's right, IS on a kit lens.

It looks like Canon adopted the previous kit lens, removed USM (which wasn't real USM, IMO, since it doesn't do full-time manual) and added a four-stop image stabilizer. I expect it will be the cheapest IS lens by far, which is a big win for consumers.

Of course, it will still have the same cheap plastic construction as its predecessor, but the kit lens isn't as bad optically as people make it out to be, and the IS will make up for the lack of aperture speed.


Availability:

Surprisingly, Amazon already has the Canon Rebel XSi up for pre-ordering ($800 for body only, $900 with kit lens, both prices include shipping):


That link will take you to the page which lets you choose either the black or silver body and whether or not the kit lens is included. It also states that the cameras won't ship until April 15th, so don't expect them it too soon (great timing in terms of tax refunds though!).

For completeness, here's Amazon's 40D page:


For whatever reason, the 40D isn't supplied by Amazon, but by one of the other stores under the Amazon umbrella. The price is pretty good though (a bit over $1100 for only the body).

Attaching Canon FD Lenses to an EOS/EF Body

How to make sense of Canon FL/FD/FDn/EF mounts:

If you are the type of person that looks for deals on camera equipment (like me) you may have considered attaching old manual lenses to your modern dSLR. If you shoot Nikon, you are in good shape, since the basic F-mount is still compatible with autofocus cameras almost 50 years later (almost -- I'm not going to get into that here; do some reading before you attempt to mount an old lens on a new body because some aren't compatible without modifications). Similarly, the Pentax K mount, has maintained the same basic lens mount through the years.

Not so with Canon.

When Canon introduced the EOS system in 1987, it scrapped the previous FD mount (which was also backwards compatible with the FL mount ['64-'71]) and began again with a completely new EF mount, which includes gold plated contacts for electronic autofocus. The FD mount and EF mount are completely incompatible, but by doing so, Canon was able to streamline the EF mount and avoid a lot of difficulties keeping compatibility.

Also, the FD/FL mounts were breech lock, meaning you have to push the lens onto the camera then twist a ring to lock the lens on (which prevents the lens flange from wearing out the camera ring, changing the film distance and hurting image quality). The later FD mounts (called "new" FD, nFD, or FDn) were bayonet mounts like the EF series -- insert the lens into the mount and then twist the lens itself to attach. Realistically, bayonet mounts are just as good as breech-lock mounts and more convenient to use. See more here.

Canon made a TON of FD lens which have now been orphaned by the new EF mount. For us cheap photographers, this is both good news and bad news. The good news is that there are a lot of old lenses on the used market which can't be used on new cameras, meaning high quality glass for cheap. The bad news is that attaching the lenses to an EF mount is a real hassle which I'll get into in a bit.

First though, what lenses are out there? How about this awesome list of FD lenses by Denis Baron. It lists all the major FD lenses made by Canon and gives specifications. A great resource if you are looking for old lenses online or on eBay. Note that FDn lenses are listed as 'new' FD, of which most have the S.S.C. coating even though the designation was dropped; S.S.C. is a better coating than S.C. Also, Photography in Malaysia has a great FD lens archive with reviews and tons of images. Don't forget about third party manufacturers, especially Sigma, Vivitar, and Tamron, because many of them supplied a lot of FD lenses.

Also, I should note that the most popular FD mount camera by far was the Canon AE-1 (review). The AE-1 sold over 5 million units due to a strong advertising drive, like the commercial below...




The Challenges of Mounting FD on EF:

In 1987, when the EOS system was introduced, the Canon photography world was thrown into a temporary upheaval. The new mount, while it included autofocus and a number of other advancements, caused most photographers to have to decide whether to stay with FD lenses or move to the new system. Most amateurs stuck with the old system a while longer, while most professionals moved quickly since they had the money and could make the investment in a better autofocus system. The good news is Canon pushed hard to get photographers to make the switch, and the brand was strengthened because of it.

The new EOS system did catch on relatively quickly with amateurs too, in large part to the big push to sell the Rebel series. If you were born before 1985, you probably remember the commercials centered around Ain the 70s or 80s, you probably remember the commercials centered around Andre Agassi like this classic:



At the time, I didn't do anything with photography, but I definitely remember the commercials!

I alluded to the significant hassle of mounting an FD lens on an EF camera -- the primary reason is the new EOS mirror box is deeper than FD with a longer distance between the lens mount and the film plane. This made it impossible to insert any sort of adapter between the mount types and preserve the lens to film distance. The end result, if you want to use an FD lens on an EF body with an adapter ring, is you will lose infinity focus. Essentially, you are adding a small extension tube between the camera and the lens.

This isn't just a problem for FD lenses either. Photonotes has a page about adapting manual focus lenses to the EOS system which mentions other lenses and what is needed, plus many of the other little issues you'll encounter. Some lens types you can adapt, some you can't. Bob Atkins has a great page up outlining the flange to film distances and which may allow an adapter (without optics) to EOS. POTN also has a good thread discussing FD-EOS converters which outlines which lens mounts work and which don't. I've been focusing on FD lenses because there are so many out there and they seem to be inexpensive compared to many alternatives.


Solutions for FD-EOS Attachment:

Of course, Canon realized that this would be an issue, so they did supply two versions of FD-EOS adapters. The macro adapter was similar to many of the existing adapters on eBay like the Bower/Hartblei item I reviewed in my last post in that it was thin and had no optics. This page shows both the Canon macro converter and the Hartblei I reviewed. For macro purposes, losing infinity focus is not a big deal. There's a good thread on the Photo.net forums too about the different options with lots of pictures.

The non-macro adapter was only supplied to those professionals who had a supply of very expensive multiple wide telephotos so that they didn't need to immediately update their expensive lenses. It included a lot of glass, acted like a small teleconverter, and is very rare and expensive now (PIM review). In the past month, only one has shown up on eBay and it didn't sell for the asking price of $740. Needless to say, it isn't practical for a budget photographer like myself.

The good news is that the Hartblei and equivalent adapters are available on eBay for good prices and the quality is quite good as I reviewed. My recommendation is to get one with a removable optical element so you can improve image quality if you aren't concerned about infinity focus. It is also possible to make an adapter yourself, but I don't recommend it because if a homemade adapter breaks it will drop either your lens or your camera on the ground, which won't be desirable. The commercial adapters are cheap enough on eBay that you don't really have an excuse not to go with one of those.

I've set up a search widget below which should show some the current auctions for the EF to FD adapters.

Review: Bower EOS/FD Converter

After my impulse buy of a Sigma 600mm in a Canon FD mount, I had to scramble to get an EOS/EF-FD adapter that would let me put it on my Canon 20D. eBay has a number of adapters to choose from, but I went with a Bower/Hartblei adapter from HartbleiOptic. The same product is sold by a number of sellers online. The seller seems to have a strong Russian/Ukrainian connection (both the e-mail address and the fact another seller was using identical listings (based out of New York with Kiev in the name)). That made me a little nervous (not the Russian thing, the identical listing thing) but their service was great, shipping fast, and I have no complaints. I highly recommend HartbleiOptic as a seller, (edit: HartbleiOptic is no longer an eBay seller (suspicious!) but the Bower converters are still available). An eBay search is below:




Total cost (including shipping) was $36, which was the lowest I could find for the given adapter. From the pictures, there were a number of eBay suppliers with the same item. It was very important to me to get an adapter with a removeable correction lens so that I could improve image quality at the expense of infinity focus. To help you identify the adapter, I included the box in the image below; note the adapter is marked Hartblei and the box is marked Bower. Bower is a well-known low-end Japanese manufacturer of photographic lens accessories. Hartblei is a German company (I think) specializing in medium format tilt-shift lenses and accessories.
For the record, the adapter comes with NO DOCUMENTATION, so I had to figure out everything through trial and error.


Physical Characteristics:

The adapter came inside the box wrapped in plastic with the correction lens installed. The box also includes two caps (the EOS cap is nice, the FD cap is little more than a rubber sheath and quite cheap). I was very surprised at the quality of the machining -- everything seems high precision which is a surprise this day in age. Also, the whole adapter is covered with matte black paint (powder coating?) which seems pretty durable. The lens is obviously coated, although I can't imagine it is the best quality lens given the price.

The adapter itself seems extremely sturdy and is entirely made out of metal. Placing it between the camera and lens I noticed no flex or give at all, with the exception of the outer aperture control ring. The outer ring seemed to flex a little when I squeezed it hard at one point, but didn't get damaged. As long as you aren't super hard on it, I can imagine this item will last a long time. The aperture ring has a nice click to it too.


Operation:

Obviously, the goal of this adapter is to attach on one end to an FD breech lock mount lens and the other end to an EOS camera body with an EF mount (FYI, EOS is the camera system; EF is the mount). In the next post I'll cover why you might want to do this; in this post I'll focus on the review of the converter.

When attached between my Sigma 600mm f/8 Mirror and my 20D, the converter worked admirably -- no slop and very sturdy. As it should be. It doesn't really have many moving parts because it doesn't really need them.
The main moving part is the aperture ring, which, as far as I can tell, is used to manually trigger the aperture lever and switch between the lens's stopped down setting and the fully-open setting. This could be very useful for acquiring focus wide-open, then stopping down at the last minute to shoot. Whether it will be convenient to use remains to be seen, since I am unable to test it (the Sigma 600mm has a fixed aperture). I'm also not wild about the screw being silver (since the screw will be on the lens side there may be internal reflections), but it should be an easy thing to pick up a black screw at a hardware store and replace it. The screw and the ring (marked Lock/Open) are easily seen in the image above.

The other moving part of the adapter is the internal lens element, which unscrews for removal as shown below. Again, since I didn't have instructions, I had to figure this out on my own. Be careful as you remove the lens, because you could slice your fingers on the threads (it is a bit tight from the factory). There are some indentations which may be used to loosen it with a screwdriver, but I don't recommend it because you could scratch the matte finish. Rubber gloves might help protect your fingers and maintain your grip.

Once removed, the adapter acts like a small extension tube, increasing magnification (and bring the focusing distance closer so you can't focus the lens at infinity). Since I don't need infinity focus (for most purposes I've got other, better lenses for that) I'll probably keep it out most of the time. And, as extension tubes go, it should work great, since it has an internal wall to block some of the light.

I'll talk more about performance in the Sigma 600mm review, including a comparison between using the adapter with the lens and without it. I'm very curious how much the lens reduces resolution of images. My hypothesis is that it is significant, but I'd love to be surprised.


Conclusion:

If you decide/need to use older FD lenses, I think this converter is an excellent deal. It has great workmanship, can be used both with or without the correction lens, and has everything I could ask for. I highly recommend it!

This Is Not A Hardware Blog...

... even though it is beginning to look like one.

There are three reasons I've been posting more about hardware lately.

First, I've gone on a hardware binge (although $200 worth of hardware isn't much money-wise). And as usual, when I buy camera lenses and flash modifiers, camera lenses and flash modifiers are on my mind, and what's on my mind ends up here.

Second, it is simply a matter of giving readers what they want. Only two people responded to my post to see who was reading (thanks ruacatlover2 and Aiden!). I know other people read it (including relatives) but not everyone likes to comment; I'm ok with that. Lately my search hits have been increasing and have become three-quarters of traffic. The most popular pages in search are hardware-related (especially the one where I mention the Lambency Flash Diffuser), so I've been ok with posting more about hardware. Hopefully I'll get back to some photo related posts.

And finally, it's been raining almost every day for the last few weeks. It's really hard to get out and shoot (which is what I've been dying to do with the new Sigma 600mm) when it is constantly pouring. That's ok though, I know I'll get six months of uninterrupted sun this summer.


So, that's what's been on my mind lately.

I'm planning on getting the FD/EOS converter post up in the next few days (I had to make another light box for quick product shots because my previous box died in the move -- the new one is bigger and better, I think).

Sadly, I'm still waiting for the Lambency Flash Diffuser from DealExtreme. They aren't kidding when they say 14 day delivery time -- I ordered Jan 7th, it left DealEx on Jan 14th, and it left Hong Kong on the 24th (three days ago????). Needless to say, don't order anything from them if you want it fast (by fast, I mean within a month).

I'm also waiting for a used Canon 100mm F/4 Macro (FD mount). That was supposed to be shipped on Tuesday via priority mail from Colorado, so I'm quite surprised it hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully it will show up today.

A Brief Overview of Teleconverters

(from the THK/Kenko web site)

Ok, so in my quest for a longer lens suitable for budget bird photography, I've looked at mirror (catadoptric) lenses like the Sigma 600mm f/8, less expensive super telephoto lenses (including primes, zooms, and the used options), and now it is time to talk about teleconverters. The good news is that teleconverters cost much less than an equivalent lens, from $50-$300.

Honestly, there's a ton of information out there, so I've included some great links at the bottom of the post (start with the Bob Atkins page first!). Instead of doing a lot of testing, I'm going to give an overview of what's out there (and the prices) and the my conclusions. Keep in mind that my main lens I'd use a tele-converter with is my Canon 70-200mm f/4 USM. If I had a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8, 300mm f/4, etc, my decision would likely be different.

First, teleconverters are a trade-off. You gain focal length, which increases reach and magnification. In return, you lose sharpness and aperture (requiring faster shutter speeds, both to avoid camera shake at the increased focal length and to expose the image with more light). Typically, a 1.4X TC will decrease the aperture by one stop and 2X will decrease it by two stops (preventing some cameras from autofocusing). To compute the result, multiply the focal length of the original lens by the teleconversion factor and decrease the aperture by the resulting number of stops, i.e.: 200mm @ f/4 * 1.4X = 280mm @ f/5.6).

Second, teleconverters only work on high-quality lenses. Increasing focal length on a crappy lens will produce more magnification with even crappier crappiness than you started with. You can't make gold if you start with a hunk of lead. Because primes usually have better quality to begin with, teleconverters work better on primes than zooms.

Third, as the magnification of the teleconverter increases, image quality will decrease at a faster rate. 1.4X teleconverters work quite well with a minor decrease in image quality, 2X results in a significantly worse image, and 3X should only be used on the very best lenses, and even then, the image will be very soft and aberrations will become a problem. Tele-converters can also be stacked in some cases, with equivalent (or worse) image quality degradation compared to a single TC of that magnification.

Finally, just as with quality lenses, quality tele converters will give you much better results than cheap ones. It is worth investing in a good TC from the start so you don't need to buy another later. Be careful though, some of the the high-end TCs (especially those by Canon and Nikon) only work on certain lenses, typically longer telephotos. Check compatibility before you buy.


Brand Options:

While this list is by no means comprehensive, these are the main options I would consider if I was buying a tele-converter tomorrow. For each option, I've linked the Amazon page(s) to the new price and estimated the used price over the last month (using Terapeak.com) where applicable. Mouse over the links to see the current price.

• Canon EF 1.4x II ($280 at Amazon, $175+ used) or Canon EF 2x II ($280 at Amazon, $230+ used on eBay). These are the Cadillacs of the EOS teleconverter world, expensive but the best. You know they'll work well as long as you have the right lens for them (primes 135mm and longer, the 70-200 series of zooms, and 100-400 zoom). IMO, the price premium isn't worth it unless you have plenty of money and/or multi-thousand dollar primes.
  
• Tamron-F 1.4x ($110 at Amazon, $50-90 used) or Tamron-F 2x ($150 at B&H, $50-100 used). These are the cheapest of the good TCs, and are relatively plentiful on eBay. In tests (cited below) they perform noticeably worse than the better quality TCs, but mostly on the edges (which is less of an issue on a non-full frame dSLR body like the 20D). The 1.4x is probably the best price/performance deal out there if you can get one used at a good price. The 2x should probably be avoided.
  
• Tamron SP 1.4x Pro ($185 at Amazon, $150 new on eBay) or Tamron SP 2x Pro ($205 at Amazon, $130-$150 used). It should mention that there aren't too many of these floating around used -- everyone likes them. The general consensus is also that these are near-identical optically to the Kenkos, so I'd be more inclined to grab a Kenko unless you find one of these used for a good price.
  
• Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DG 1.4x ($195 at Amazon, $105 new on eBay) or Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DG 2x ($205 at Amazon, $100-110 new on eBay). Supposedly near-identical to the Tamron SP, I think there is some serious value in the Kenko line. Notice the extreme price difference for a new lens on eBay! The older version is white (and not designated 'DG') while the newer version is black. Given a choice, go for the newer version, and buy them on eBay while the price is good!
  

Note that Sigma is not on this list; Sigma doesn't seem to be known for quality TCs, although they appear to be working to correct this. I would still recommend staying away from them for now, especially since the other third party brands (Tamron and Kenko) are so well established and well-regarded.

Also note that, while I only list Canon-compatible teleconverters, Tamron and Kenko make mounts for all major brands and each major camera maker has their own high-quality teleconverter line. Be especially careful when choosing a Nikon TC though; they have two types of converters based on focal length (<=200mm and >=300mm).

One other comment: some bodies/tc combinations won't autofocus if the lens + tc result in an aperture smaller than f/5.6 (most notably the 10D/20D/etc line). To get around this in some cases, you can tape pins on the teleconverter to trick the camera into thinking it isn't there. Details are in the references below.


My Conclusions:

Before I impulsively bought the Sigma 600mm I was planning on picking up either a used Tamron-F 1.4x or, if I could find a good price, a used Tamron or Kenko 1.4X Pro model. If I found a used Tamron or Kenko Pro 2X I may have grabbed that instead, with the understanding that my Canon 70-200mm F/4 USM might have some trouble autofocusing and I'd have to go manual.

After this research, though, my mind has changed a bit. If I found a Tamron-F 1.4x for $60 or less I'd buy that to get started cheaply. Otherwise, I'd pick up a new Kenko 1.4x or 2x (depending on my mood/needs) off eBay because the price is REALLY, REALLY good right now. Sadly, I've blown most of my extra cash on the Sigma and 100mm macro lens, so I'll need to wait a bit. A teleconverter for the 70-200mm F/4 would fit really well into my lens line-up though; the 600mm for really far away stuff, the 70-200mm + teleconverter for medium range stuff (and I'd still have autofocus, at least with the 1.4x), the 70-200mm alone for normal tele, and the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 for wide angle.

Plus, a teleconverter is a heck of a lot easier to throw into a camera bag than a whole 'nother lens. So depending on how real-world experience with the Sigma works out, I might grab a TC in the near future.


References:

• Bob Atkins's Teleconverters -- Are they useful? Great overview of teleconverters, the advantages and disadvantages of them, and lots of example pics for various lenses from cheap zooms to expensive prime telephotos. Doesn't talk much about the 2x and 3x though.
• A Tale of Two TCs, on Photo.net by Bob Atkins Essentially says the Tamron-F 1.4x is only slightly worse than the Canon 1.4x in real-world testing. The main differences are slight color balance, a less sharpness, and slightly worse (in both quality and quantity) chromatic aberration.
  
• 1.4x TC test: Tamron-F 1.4x vs Kenko 1.4x Pro Again, demonstrates an improvement with the pro version, but not a huge one. This page has the example photos. Also describes the taping technique for maintaining autofocus even with an adjusted aperture past f/5.6 on the 10D.
• Bob Atkins's TC Reviews Great overview of all available teleconverters, EXCEPT the Tamron and Kenko pro series. This page is mostly text.
  
• Photo.net Tamron 2X Pro with comments on quality Reviews are quite favorable.
• POTN thread comparing Canon to Kenko Consensus is the Canon is only marginally better. Includes a beautiful shot of a meat-eating bird.
  
• Sigma 1.4x review at Photography Review Some reviews on the Sigma 1.4x EX APO, not horrible, but enough for me to be concerned.