CheshireCat Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1901 Posted November 3, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) The guys (gals?) at Magic Lantern are doing a fantastic job. I dunno why they haven't been bought out by Canon yet? Or at least why Canon isn't following ML's lead? Why Canon doesn't even bother to contact them ? I guess it is the same reason why the Leica M firmware is so disappointing. Ineptitude and arrogance is a deadly cocktail for any company. Honestly, I can't recall what was the last thing that Canon and Leica did to innovate. Small displays with High resolution, (relatively) high gamut are available, as are the required processors. But small batteries with capacity seemingly aren't. As far as I am concerned, batteries are not a problem anymore. I have plenty of space for a couple extra batteries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 3, 2013 Posted November 3, 2013 Hi CheshireCat, Take a look here The Sony A7 thread [Merged]. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
algrove Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1902 Posted November 3, 2013 The battery comment brings me back to the a7/a7r. Why does Sony continue providing such small batteries (RX-1 also) and no external charger (except as an accessory)? They have a built in grip now that surely could take a larger battery in it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1903 Posted November 3, 2013 Honestly, I can't recall what was the last thing that Canon and Leica did to innovate. Canon recently made a camera that has a dual pixel PDAF sensor. Why does Sony continue providing such small batteries (RX-1 also) and no external charger (except as an accessory)? They have a built in grip now that surely could take a larger battery in it. Sony's A7 grip can hold two batteries. I bought an external charger for the Nex on Ebay for a low price. The internal charging is very handy since I may have a USB cord even if I forgot the charger. Plus I can charge two batteries at a time, one in the camera and one in the charger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptZoom Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1904 Posted November 3, 2013 Same here. One of my first purchases has been a split image focus screen for my 5D1. They don't make one for the 5D2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptZoom Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1905 Posted November 3, 2013 Why Canon doesn't even bother to contact them ?I guess it is the same reason why the Leica M firmware is so disappointing. Ineptitude and arrogance is a deadly cocktail for any company. Honestly, I can't recall what was the last thing that Canon and Leica did to innovate. As far as I am concerned, batteries are not a problem anymore. I have plenty of space for a couple extra batteries. Not saying the batteries are a problem for the end user (I don't remember the last time I left the house without at least one fully charged spare battery), rather battery capacity is a constraint for designing camera bodies. I imagine a high resolution display requires more power as would the processor handling the display, refresh rate, etc. I'm not an engineer, so I'm just taking a guess here. In an interesting case, apparently Sigma threw battery capacity out the window when they designed the DO Merrill series (70something frames per battery). They ship the camera with two batteries. And by every account, the images produced by the three cameras are exceptional. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModernMan Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1906 Posted November 3, 2013 Why Canon doesn't even bother to contact them ?I guess it is the same reason why the Leica M firmware is so disappointing. Ineptitude and arrogance is a deadly cocktail for any company. That's no doubt true, but I think a big factor is that organizations built on competence in hardware manufacturing seem predisposed to focus on hardware above all else. Once they put a microcomputer and display in a product its a whole new ball game, and its way different than the one they know. Product appeal becomes based on the product as a whole: physical hardware and firmware, together. For Leica, software needs to be a core competence just like lens design, and ergonomic design (oh, and electronic design). Apparently its not. Leica might do well to acquire the Magic Lantern team, but they'd need change culturally (wait... really?). Old school opto-mecahnical folks, meet software folks. Whole new world. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1907 Posted November 3, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Canon recently made a camera that has a dual pixel PDAF sensor. That's actually Fujifilm's patent (2010) on steroids. Canon just added the steroids. I hope Fujifilm is claiming royalties. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlatkob Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1908 Posted November 3, 2013 Regardless of who has the patent for the dual pixel PDAF sensor, Canon offers it in a product right now. Honestly, I can't recall what was the last thing that Canon and Leica did to innovate. A few more recent things from Canon ... - flash with internal radio control (600EX-RT) - the only 8-15mm fisheye zoom - 24-70 f/4 zoom with .7X macro - the only 40mm pancake with AF - the only 17mm tilt-shift - the only 200-400mm with internal 1.4X extender - the world's smallest & lightest DSLR (SL1) - a unique series of small wide angle primes with image stabilization (24, 28, 35) - the first DSLR with built-in wi-fi (6D) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1909 Posted November 3, 2013 That's actually Fujifilm's patent (2010) on steroids. Canon just added the steroids.I hope Fujifilm is claiming royalties. I don't think so. Check out how the AF works when shooting video and live view stills and tell us that is not innovative. Canon has also recently made an entire line of video cameras and lenses. They may not want to give the 5DIII the features that will compete with those cameras. That does not mean they can't write similar firmware to what Magic Lantern does. After all, Canon surely knows the capability of its hardware. In any case, both Canon and Leica are mostly trying to evolve existing successful products. Besides, Leica does not have the resources to develop electronic technology in-house. Sony seems to be willing to do a lot of R&D trying to create new products in order to gain market share. They are driven by making the most of the technology that is inside these cameras. So their goals for innovation are different. I do agree that Sony is pushing harder right now than anyone else... if that is your point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1910 Posted November 3, 2013 They don't make one for the 5D2. There are split image screens on ebay. Split Image Focus Screen for Canon 5D Mark II MKII | eBay Regarding Magic Lantern, my read is that is an open source platform that numerous developers contribute to. So I don't see how Canon or Leica could buy it. Don't forget that all of these devlopers simply added features to existing firmware. They did not write complete firmware for the chip and processor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptZoom Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1911 Posted November 3, 2013 There are split image screens on ebay. Split Image Focus Screen for Canon 5D Mark II MKII | eBay I don't trust eBay products, and I absolutely do not want to endorse PayPal's business practices. That being said, I wonder how well that focus screen works on the 5D2. A moot point though, since I've no plans in returning to the Canon system. I can't get used to the modal buttons they use for the interface. It alone is reason enough for me to not return. Regarding Magic Lantern, my read is that is an open source platform that numerous developers contribute to. So I don't see how Canon or Leica could buy it. Don't forget that all of these devlopers simply added features to existing firmware. They did not write complete firmware for the chip and processor. Good point about ML being open source. And like most open source projects, there's a core team developing the code aided by other individual or team of contributors. It's hard competing with free. I think saying "these developers simply added features to existing firmware" diminishes the effort these guys have actually put in developing these features independent of any contribution from Canon. Besides I think the true power/ingenuity of ML is adding features that enhance the user experience rather than adding bloatware (what exactly are the scene modes doing on a camera geared towards professionals?). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1912 Posted November 3, 2013 Regardless of who has the patent for the dual pixel PDAF sensor, Canon offers it in a product right now. The innovation comes from Fujifilm. The idea is to selectively get the light from different sides of microlenses. While Fujifilm masked out one half of a pixel, Canon reads both sides of each pixel independently (no masking). If I invent the car and you invent a faster car... well, you need to have a great marketing team to make people believe you invented the car (it clearly can be done ). A few more recent things from Canon ... - flash with internal radio control (600EX-RT) - the only 8-15mm fisheye zoom - 24-70 f/4 zoom with .7X macro - the only 40mm pancake with AF - the only 17mm tilt-shift - the only 200-400mm with internal 1.4X extender - the world's smallest & lightest DSLR (SL1) - a unique series of small wide angle primes with image stabilization (24, 28, 35) - the first DSLR with built-in wi-fi (6D) Thanks for the list. It helps explaining my point better. I believe that none of the above is really innovative, as these are all products using combinations of previous inventions. E.g.: If I invent the car and the fridge, and you "invent" a car that has a fridge, then you may even get a patent and sell lots of cars-with-fridge, but you didn't bring real technology innovation to the world. And the marketing guys will always do their job. I am sure we'll soon hear about "The first macro zoom fisheye for a crop sensor DSLR with more than 9 lens elements" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1913 Posted November 3, 2013 I don't trust eBay products, and I absolutely do not want to endorse PayPal's business practices. That being said, I wonder how well that focus screen works on the 5D2. A moot point though, since I've no plans in returning to the Canon system. I can't get used to the modal buttons they use for the interface. It alone is reason enough for me to not return. OK. but I thought you were looking for a screen. Maybe someone else can use that link or find one elsewhere. As for the buttons, etc. that's why there are different makes and models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1914 Posted November 3, 2013 I believe that none of the above is really innovative, as these are all products using combinations of previous inventions. I guess that the Lytro camera leads the pack in innovation. It is innovative enough to me that Canon makes a 17TSE lens and nobody else does. (Along with a superb 24 TSE) I suspect that Canon's use of PD sensors will lead to some interesting new mirrorless cameras with better AF. Maybe the issue is one of definition. I am going by this definition from Wikipedia. "Innovation is the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, inarticulate needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments and society.... ...Innovation differs from invention in that innovation refers to the use of a better and, as a result, novel idea or method, whereas invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method itself." What some of these posts have to do with the thread's topic is a mystery to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbell Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1915 Posted November 3, 2013 The innovation comes from Fujifilm. The idea is to selectively get the light from different sides of microlenses. While Fujifilm masked out one half of a pixel, Canon reads both sides of each pixel independently (no masking).If I invent the car and you invent a faster car... well, you need to have a great marketing team to make people believe you invented the car (it clearly can be done ). Thanks for the list. It helps explaining my point better. I believe that none of the above is really innovative, as these are all products using combinations of previous inventions. E.g.: If I invent the car and the fridge, and you "invent" a car that has a fridge, then you may even get a patent and sell lots of cars-with-fridge, but you didn't bring real technology innovation to the world. And the marketing guys will always do their job. I am sure we'll soon hear about "The first macro zoom fisheye for a crop sensor DSLR with more than 9 lens elements" In its purest sense, “invention“ can be defined as the creation of a product or introduction of a process for the first time. “Innovation,” on the other hand, occurs if someone improves on or makes a significant contribution to an existing product, process or service. Once that's understood, one's just arguing about "levels of innovation" and which company, subjectively, is "better". It's a waste of time in my opinion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1916 Posted November 3, 2013 How do you refer to inventing a totally new gadget? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1917 Posted November 3, 2013 Besides I think the true power/ingenuity of ML is adding features that enhance the user experience rather than adding bloatware (what exactly are the scene modes doing on a camera geared towards professionals?). I think what ML is doing is innovative and useful to many. But since I don't need any of those features it is all bloatware to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbell Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1918 Posted November 3, 2013 How do you refer to inventing a totally new gadget? Like you just did I guess? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptZoom Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1919 Posted November 3, 2013 OK. but I thought you were looking for a screen. Maybe someone else can use that link or find one elsewhere. As for the buttons, etc. that's why there are different makes and models. Agreed, and thank you for trying to help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptZoom Posted November 3, 2013 Share #1920 Posted November 3, 2013 I think what ML is doing is innovative and useful to many. But since I don't need any of those features it is all bloatware to me. Point taken and understood. From reading your various posts, I gather that you spend quite a bit of time setting up your shots, especially when using the TS lenses. Wouldn't some of the display enhancements/options offered by ML be of use to you? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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