ThePointblank

Also look at Canon USA's refurbished lenses lineup. Lots of good value there as well.

Since you are in the US, look at refurbished cameras; Canon USA has an entire webstore full of refurb cameras: https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/refurbished-eos-interchangeable-lens-cameras Canon's refurbished cameras are often a very good value; they are checked over by Canon technicians for any issues, which get fixed, and they carry the standard Canon warranty.

The Canon Australia presser that's getting circulated around: https://www.canon.com.au/about-canon/news-and-press-releases/canon-reveals-further-eos-r5-details The key points in the presser: This seems like an absolute killer of a camera, and the more information that gets released, the more it seems like this is going to be a huge release for Canon.

Canon Rumors is reporting that per Canon Australia's Facebook page, the 8k video specs are as follows: 8K video 30fps, No crop Internal recording Dual Pixel AF available in ALL 8K modes. Auto Focus Body AF tracking Face AF tracking Eye AF tracking Animal detect and tracking so you can steadily track your subject. I can say, holy crap, they weren't kidding about with the 8k video...

Check to see if a local camera shop has a photography basics course he can drop in on.

I will also note that Canon's UI is among the best in the industry for ease of use. That's why Canon often gets recommended to a lot of beginners, because of the ease of use. I suspect the issue is more of the user not knowing what settings are appropriate; that is probably easier to resolve through more general photography education. Plenty of videos and books out there to teach people the fundamental photography basics, and many camera shops also host camera tutorials and education.

He could watch this video tutorial:

Is the actual video capture blurry, or is it blurry when viewed on the web? If it is the latter, it may be some sort of networking or internet performance issue.

It really depends on the exact camera, as some EVF's are terrible, with low resolution and refresh rates. The only way to know is to test one in realistic conditions, and to check the reviews on a good website to see if they mention anything about the EVF.

I would just list the list price for the body itself, and also note the common kit lens and its price that is often bundled with the camera. Sometimes, there are multiple kit lenses offered for a body, and these all can vary in price.

Sony has used technologies imported in from their TV lineup to improve the quality of regular LCD displays, primarily to improve colour gamut and brightness with the aim to improve content consumption. And the Anandtech article just shows that the Xperia 1's screen needs proper calibration (like all displays do); see this XDA article: https://www.xda-developers.com/sony-xperia-1-display-review/

The one thing I can say as a Sony Xperia user, Sony's phones have excellent screens, with beautiful colour rendition. And Sony is very quick with software updates; my Xperia XZ Premium has had 3 major Android versions (Android 7, 8, and 9) pushed to it.

Take-Two has moved the development of Kerbal Space Program 2 from Star Theory Games to a new studio, Private Division. From PCGamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/kerbal-space-program-2-moves-to-a-new-studio/ The move doesn't really represent any significant changes or signs there are any issues; some key personnel working on KSP2 have moved from Star Theory to Private Division, including the former Star Theory studio head Jeremy Ables, creative director Nate Simpson, and lead producer Nate Robinson. They are also reported to be hiring additional personnel, from Workday Systems Analyst to Associate Producer, Lead Artist, Test Lead, and even a KSP Community Manager. Representatives from Private Division said the move was to help focus the team solely on the development of KSP2, providing them with undivided attention and resources to work on the game's development. No word on what this represents for the original studio, Star Theory. KSP2 is expected to be released sometime this spring 2021.

From what's being speculated, based upon the estimated readout rates of the the new 1D X Mark III, Canon seems to have a data readout rate of their new sensors at about 1.2Gbps on a per pixel basis, as the 1D X Mark III has RAW 5.5K 60p video output. That means the R5 should be good for 8K 30p, assuming the R5 is using a fast card format; I don't think anything less than CFExpress would be appropriate here, considering the fps spec for stills.

You can in post processing grab stills from video but why would you, unless you had a specific need?

The R5 from what's being said about the rumours indicates that this will be an absolutely killer camera, with an interesting party trick in the 8K video capabilities. One of the rumours going around is that the R5 will also do 4K @ 120p: https://www.canonrumors.com/canon-eos-r5-specifications/ So far, the rumours have proven to be mostly accurate... just need to see the price and the exact details.

Well, Canon's virtual product launch has happened, and there's been extensive coverage by various sites about the new EOS R5 and R6, so here's a quick recap: https://www.dpreview.com/news/4816421953/canon-releases-eos-r5-with-45mp-sensor-8k-video-capture-and-next-gen-dual-pixel-af https://www.dpreview.com/news/4020779815/the-canon-eos-r6-is-the-r5-for-the-masses The virtual product launch cast: Specs as announced and launched: Canon EOS R5 45MP full-frame Dual Pixel CMOS sensor, coupled to the DIGIC X processor Up to 8 stops of image stabilization with IBIS with certain Canon RF lenses 8K video, with option for Raw or 10-bit 4:2:2 C-log or HDR PQ, up to 30 minutes Up to 4K/120p, or oversampled 4K up to 30p 1053 focus points, with 100% coverage using the Dual Pixel II AF system with deep-learning based human and animal detection 12 fps / 20 fps bursts (mech. / elec. shutter) 5.76M-dot OLED EVF with 120fps max refresh rate 3.2" 2.1M-dot fully articulating touchscreen 10-bit HDR photos in HEIF format 1x CFExpress slot, 1x UHS-II SD slot Claimed weather-sealing to EOS 5D Mark IV levels 2.4/5Ghz dual band Wi-FI with Bluetooth and FTP connectivity CIPA rated to around 320 shots (using EVF) New LP-E6NH battery, also backwards compatible with the older LP-E6N battery 2 new vertical grips, one a more basic grip with 2 batteries, the other has ethernet connectivity and an upgraded WiFi with 802.11ac/c 2x2 MIMO MSRP of $3899 USD Canon EOS R6: 20MP Dual Pixel CMOS Sensor derived from the Canon 1D-X Mark III, coupled to the DIGIC X processor Up to 8 stops of image stabilization with IBIS with certain Canon RF lenses Dual Pixel AF II with AI-trained subject tracking and 100% AF coverage 12 fps / 20 fps bursts (mech. / elec. shutter) UHD 4K shooting at up to 60p, 1080 at up to 120p (1.07x crop involved with 4K recording) 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording in either C-Log or HDR PQ 10-bit HDR photos in HEIF format 2x UHS-II SD slots 3.68M dot EVF 1.62M dot fully-articulated rear touchscreen CIPA rated to around 380 shots per charge (EVF) Compatible with the grips from the EOS R5 MSRP of $2499 USD There's also a couple of lens launches, the 100-500mm F4-7.1L IS USM, the RF 600mm and 800mm F11 IS STM, plus a pair of teleconverters, the RF 1.4X and 2X teleconverters. In general, Canon's got a pair of very competitive cameras that are either on par, or superior their competitors. It's clear Canon has been listening to their customers, with the implementation of dual card slots for both models, plus the ditching of the touch bar interface, and the return of the joystick. Original Post: From DPReview: https://www.dpreview.com/news/8022128608/canon-announces-development-of-eos-r5-with-8k-video-and-20fps-shooting There is a presser attached to the article, which is currently scant on details right now. However, what we do know is that the camera has in-body image stabilization, a new CMOS sensor, 20fps continuous shooting in silent mode, 12fps continuous shooting with the mechanical shutter, and dual card slots. But the new show stopper is the claimed 8K video capabilities; DPReview has the belief right now that the 8K is actually a 2x oversampled 4K video. This also means that the sensor is likely in the 40+MP range in order to do 8K. No word on how Canon is managing the data rates and heat from 8K video capture. Otherwise, the body looks like an evolution of the current EOS R platform; the tilt-flip rear LCD screen is there, but Canon has dropped the divisive multi-function touchbar for a more tradtional AF joystick. Also being announced at the same time are 7 RF mount lenses, including a RF 100-500 F4.5-7.1 L IS USM, a RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM kit lens, and a pair of teleconverters. Samples of the R5, the 100-500mm, and two new RF Extenders (1.4X and 2X) are expected to be shown at the WPPI show in Las Vegas, and the CP+ show in Yokohama, Japan, both scheduled to take place later this month, so I would expect more details to become available then. Updates: So far, the confirmed specs as follows: 12fps using the mechanical shutter and the electronic shutter offering 20fps Body AF tracking Face AF tracking Eye AF tracking 5 stop IBIS that works in conjunction with lens bases IS Animal detect and tracking so you can steadily track your subject. 8K RAW internal video recording up to 29.97 fps 8K internal video recording up to 29.97 fps in 4:2:2 10-bit Canon Log (H.265)/4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265). 4K internal video recording up to 119.88 fps in 4:2:2 10-bit Canon Log (H.265)/4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265). 4K external recording is also available up to 59.94 fps. No crop 8K and 4K video capture using the full-width of the sensor.* Dual Pixel CMOS AF available in all 8K and 4K recording modes. Canon Log available in 8K and 4K internal recording modes. Dual-card slots: 1x CFexpress and 1x SD UHS-II.

Initial findings report from NASA is out: https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/02/07/nasa-shares-initial-findings-from-boeing-starliner-orbital-flight-test-investigation/ There was also a media teleconference with both NASA and Boeing present to discuss the findings. It ain't pretty. There's now three issues with Starliner that was discovered during the test flight. As quoted by NASA: NASASpaceFlight.com and Ars Technica both have articles as well: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/02/boeing-nasa-admit-multiple-anomalies-starliner-mission/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/02/boeings-starliner-problems-may-be-worse-than-we-thought/ In short, the problem definitely seems much worst than initially thought. The first two errors could have easily lead to the loss of the spacecraft during the mission had ground controllers not intervened. More worryingly, the second issue related to the Service Module disposal sequence would have never been found had the first issue with the Timer not happened. The third issue related to the ability communicate with Starliner minutes after launch is currently being ascribed to potential interference from cell phone towers. Boeing is going to have to re-verify all of the code on Starliner, which is about 1 million lines of code. That will easily take months, and with NASA breathing down Boeing's neck and getting involved, it could easily be a year or more until this process is complete, assuming everything goes right and nothing more is found. Reflecting on this, the key and shocking point to me is just how basic the critical failures during OFT were. They were not subtle, complex, or unexpected conditions but fundamental normal parts of any flight. These issues should have been caught long before Starliner went on the pad and lifted off, and the only way these problems managed to sneak through is through some very serious and systematic issues with Boeing’s processes. This needs to be addressed before a second flight is even attempted, and even then, I suspect there is going to be a need to repeat the unmanned flight test to demonstrate flawless operation in order to restore confidence and trust here. With process failures this bad we have to assume the worst case scenario in that more bugs will be found that are currently unknown. Fixing bugs is not without risk of introducing unintended consequences, and these will also need to be tested to ensure complete reliability.

I don't recommend microSD cards in devices that aren't meant to take them natively; the adapters are much more prone to issues, and the cards are significantly much more fragile and easier to loose. I also won't recommend the ultra expensive tough SD cards either, such as the Sony Tough lineup; they are way overpriced, and can be very tight in a camera's card slot, making them difficult to remove. I would recommend a decent UHS-II SD card; I generally run with Sandisk Extreme Pro's myself, but I would also recommend Lexar and ProGrade cards.

From Ars Technica and Space News: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/02/starliner-faced-catastrophic-failure-before-software-bug-found/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-safety-panel-calls-for-reviews-after-second-starliner-software-problem/ Basically, during the December's widely publicized failure of Boeing's Starliner in reaching the ISS due to a software glitch that caused the clocks on the Starliner to be set incorrectly, there was also a second, much more serious software glitch. During today's NASA's Aersopace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) meeting, it was revealed by the panel that there was a second software glitch, that nearly lead to the loss of Starliner. The issue would have caused excessive thruster firing and uncontrolled motion during the separation process from the main spacecraft from the service module during the deorbiting procedure. Had the issue not been noticed and quickly patched, it would have lead to the loss of the spacecraft during reentry. The bug was only discovered during ground testing when the spacecraft was still in orbit, and was quickly patched two hours before the spacecraft was due to reenter Earth's atmosphere. It appears NASA isn't impressed; the ASAP members are all recommending a review of not only the root cause of the software glitches, but both a review of Boeing's software verification processes, AND a comprehensive assessment of Boeing's Systems Engineering and Integration processes. The chair of the ASAP committee, Patricia Sanders, noted yet another ongoing evaluation of Boeing, stating "Given the potential for systemic issues at Boeing, I would also note that NASA has decided to proceed with an organizational safety assessment with Boeing as they previously conducted with SpaceX." Boeing is taking a $410 million dollar charge against its earnings in part to cover the costs of a second uncrewed flight, and the decision if NASA is going to demand a second flight will come by the end of February, and it appears that NASA is very likely leaning towards making Boeing re-do the entire mission again because of these two errors. On the other hand, the NASA ASAP committee seemed fairly upbeat about SpaceX's Crewed Dragon; they made remarks that seemed to indicate they are the point where it is no longer a matter of IF they will be flying crew, but a matter of when.

I still need a recommendation, as I see there's a number of them on the market. Thanks.

Hi, I'm looking for a decent colour calibrator for photo editing work. I've never calibrated a monitor before, so ideally, the tool should be fairly easy to use, works well, and isn't excessively costly. I just recently purchased the LG 27GL850-B, and while the reviews say it is pretty accurate out of the box, but it should be properly calibrated for best results. Thanks.

Not to mention that EVF's have a bit of lag, as they are pulling information off the sensor and having to encode it and transmit it to the EVF for you to view. That's fine for more static subjects or subjects not moving erratically, but for anything else where the subject is moving erratically and quickly, tracking can become an issue. It's gotten better recently, but still not to a level that's really acceptable for most professional sports and wildlife shooters. The optical finder is obviously real time viewing, so no lag involved there.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you still need to notify the other person about the cameras, the location, and they need to consent to it. Otherwise, you invite a lawsuit when they find out, for breaking privacy laws.

Yeah, depending on your jurisdiction, this would probably break the law, and could result in criminal charges, and you could also be sued.