Canon intros new lenses including world’s first medium telephoto macro lens

Canon has just announced the launch of three brand new RF lenses: the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM, RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM & RF600mm f/4L IS USM. The RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM is the world’s first, medium telephoto macro lens with a maximum shooting magnification of 1.4x. The RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM super-telephoto lenses are native to the RF mount and provide professional and advanced amateurs with extra reach that comes with a high level of image quality, reliability and durability.

“The arrival of the new RF lens is a testament to Canon’s commitment to provide the best and relevant product innovation to meet the evolving demands of visual storytellers both professionals and serious hobbyist. Canon is determined to expand the RF lens range further by providing lenses of exceptional performance and quality, which are suited for various usage and genres of photography, videography and professional content creation,” said Benny Yu, Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. Head of Consumer Imaging and Information division.

World’s First Medium Telephoto Macro Lens with 1.4x Magnification
RF lenses have the rear element of the lens closer to the image sensor, allowing a new floating method and this enables the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM to have a maximum shooting magnification of 1.4x, which is 40% higher magnification than the typical macro lens (1x). The high magnification on the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM expands the possibilities of macro photography.

At 1.0x with a focusing distance of 0.28m, a working distance of 11.2cm is maintained. Additionally, at 1.4x with a focusing distance of 0.26m and a working distance of 8.6cm, allowing sufficient space to photograph small products/objects that require specific lighting.

Choose Your Bokeh

The RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM is equipped with a spherical aberration (SA) control ring, which gives users the ability to toggle between soft or hard depiction of bokeh (the quality of the blur produced by the out-of-focus areas) by turning the SA control ring. This gives users more flexibility in their shooting as they can choose which type of bokeh suits their shooting best, regardless of whether they are shooting portraits, flowers or insects.

The SA control ring works by employing electronic cams and two Nano USMs, which makes it possible to drive the focus lens group and floating lens group independently.

Smoother focusing, Sharper Images

The RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM features an improved optical IS when compared to the 4-stop IS capability of its EF equivalent lens, the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. When attached to an EOS R system camera that does not have in-body IS, the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM provides up to 5 stops of IS. The RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM can achieve up to 8 stops of IS through the coordinated IS feature when attached to an EOS R system camera that has in-body IS.

Hybrid IS on the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM also helps to suppress angular camera shake (rotational) and shift camera shake (linear) during handheld shooting, enabling users to capture sharp images.

The high speed and accurate AF allow quick and agile focusing of moving subjects for still images, while the smoothness of the AF makes the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM suitable for shooting movies as well. The suppression of subjection magnification fluctuations (focus breathing) in the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM reduces the changes in the angle of view during the adjustment of focusing distances.

As an L lens, the RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM is both dust and water-resistant, which is especially useful during outdoor shooting situations. The RF100mm f/2.8L IS USM is also compatible with the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EXII and Macro Twin Lite MT-26EXII accessories (both sold separately) which provide more diverse photographic expressions by using light to create or reduce shadows in the captured images.

High-Quality Native Support

The RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM provide native super-telephoto capabilities to the RF system, allowing users to reach 400mm and 600mm respectively. For wildlife and sports photographers who have been on the fence about switching to mirrorless cameras, the long-awaited RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM super-telephoto lenses will address their needs with the native RF mount, while delivering the proven performance of its EF equivalent counterparts.

The RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM inherit the optics and deliver the same high image quality found in all Canon L lenses, while offering the advantages of the RF mount. For example, the minimum focusing distance for the RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM is reduced to 2.5m and 4.2m respectively.

Steady and Light

Camera shake is particularly noticeable in super-telephoto shooting. To address this, IS for both new lenses have been enhanced to 5.5 stops (5 stops on the EF equivalent models), which helps to reduce camera shake and blurry images.

The RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM both come with three Image Stabilization (IS) modes, which are optimized to match the subject’s movement. This assists users in shooting various types of subjects and photography:

  • IS mode 1 is best suited for stationary subjects
  • IS mode 2 is used for panning shots
  • IS mode 3 is suitable for subjects with irregular movements, such as during basketball where movements of players can be unpredictable

There is a slight reduction in the overall weight of both lenses (approximately 60 grams) compared to their EF counterparts, in line with the reduced weights and sizes of the EOS R series full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Seamless Movie Shooting

Both lenses provide more control over aperture settings during movie shooting. Shooting movies with telephoto lenses can be challenging in situations where subjects move between different lighting environments and the lenses have problems in capturing the right amount of brightness to get the most optimal video footage.

With the RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM, aperture control during movie shooting can be set in 1/8 step increments for both lenses (EF lens is 1/3 step). The brightness of the scene can be changed smoothly even when there is a sudden change in brightness, such as when a subject move from a dark place to a bright place, resulting in more natural-looking images.

Durable and Flexible
For reliability and durability to meet the needs of professionals and advanced amateurs in the field, the lenses have the same reflective heat shield coating as the EF models, which provides excellent heat shielding, scratch resistance and weather resistance quality for most kinds of shooting environment. The front and back element of both lenses also have a fluorine coating to prevent oil and water droplets from sticking to the surface.

The mount, switches, focus ring and other parts of the RF400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF600mm f/4L IS USM are dust and drip-resistant to prevent any water from entering the camera.

Should you need extra reach, both super-telephoto lenses are compatible with the existing RF extenders RF 1.4x and RF 2x. A staggering 1200mm focal length can be achieved when RF600mm f/4L IS USM is paired with the Extender RF 2x.

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realme narzo 20 review: I’ve got the power!

11/05/2020

Phones have been an integral part of our day-to-day lives to the point that more and more features are being offered. But of course, the more you enjoy using these features, the more your phone’s battery gets depleted.

If you’re tired of always looking for a wall socket to charge your phone in, a smartphone that not only carries a bigger battery but uses power efficiently should be for you. This is what the realme Narzo 20 offers — the company’s newest Lazada-exclusive handset in the Philippines.

Design

As with all of our reviews, let’s begin with the design. The overall build of the narzo 20 is on the chunky side which is expected since it packs a large capacity battery. But once you get over its sizeable frame, the exterior has more to offer.

The most noticeable one is its V-pattern back panel which, according to realme, is the victory design that they jokingly said is for all the victories you’ll get while gaming on the narzo 20.

This design gives its back a nice texture but also adds visual appeal. Depending on how light hits it, you’ll see different V-shaped patterns dance around.

There are two available colors — Silver Sword and Blue Blade. What we have here is the latter and based on the color names, you can already kind of tell that the phone appeals to the energetic and youthful crowd.

A fingerprint sensor is located at the rear while on the upper left corner is a square camera module that houses a triple-shooter setup with an LED flash. We see a narzo branding on the lower left which is proudly designed by realme.

All the buttons are on the right side. Both the volume rocker and power button are lined up neatly and within reach, while the dual SIM tray with microSD slot for expansion is situated on the left.

The top is also a vacant space while the bottom has the 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C port, and a speaker grille.

Of course, having a chunky design means it carries a bit of heft with it. It’s nothing too heavy, though, but it’s not the lightest around either.

Display and Multimedia

It’s taller orientation is not all just to accommodate its large-capacity battery. You get to enjoy a 6.5-inch display great for watching videos, playing games, or even just browsing on the internet.

It comes with a 1600 x 720 resolution which makes for decent image quality and an 88.7 screen-to-body ratio.

Up top, we see a mini-drop notch for the front camera which received a reduction in size to achieve a higher screen-to-body ratio. It did feel a bit less noticeable and is unobtrusive for most of the time we used the device.

Speakers can go for decent volume levels but as with other phones with a single down-firing grille, it’s easy to accidentally cover it while using the phone in landscape orientation. So again, it’s still better to use its 3.5mm audio jack for headphones when you decide to binge on videos and games.

One feature I found interesting is its Dual Mode Music Share. As the name implies, you’re able to share music or audio with another person so you watch a video or listen to music together.

This is done by connecting both wired and wireless audio hardware. The phone supports having both input simultaneously and may come in handy during long rides or simply while lounging at home.

Camera

As mentioned, the narzo 20 is equipped with a triple camera setup with AI to aid the user and achieve better images. Like always, you have a main camera and the narzo 20 comes with a 48-megapixel lens, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle shooter, and a 2-megapixel sensor for macro or close up shots.

These three work together to give its users flexibility in shooting depending on what the situation calls for. Overall, sample photos are decent when ample lighting is present but tends to show digital noise or grain when brought to a lower light scenario.

Its 8-megapixel selfie camera also takes satisfactory shots and comes with AI beautification, HDR, portrait mode, and panoselfie.

Performance

realme loaded up the narzo 20 with a Helio G85 processor which specializes in mobile gaming. And with a lot of us staying at home these days, having a gaming-capable phone on-hand comes in handy especially when it’s time to just kick back and relax.

With this gaming-oriented CPU comes 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. This tandem makes it possible to run resource-heavy apps while accommodating more games and images stored on the phone. If ever the need to expand your storage arises, you can simply use a microSD card and you’re good to go.

Of course, we ran games on the narzo 20 to see how it delivers. And with the recent release of Wild Rift in the Philippines, it was one of the first games I tried on the device. Before going to the performance, I’d just like to add that gaming on its large display, although not the sharpest around, really helps in immersing yourself in the quests/battles you’re doing.

Playing League of Legends: Wild Rift is smooth with almost no lags. Switching it up with different games like Asphalt 9 also posed no problems.

Although running more resource-intensive games like Genshin Impact showed dropped frames when game settings are maxed out. It’s nothing serious, though, and doesn’t really affect gameplay or gets you out of the momentum while defeating slimes.

Additionally, while its fingerprint sensor reads and unlocks the phone in an instant, the same can be said for its facial recognition. Pressing the power button to wake the device almost goes straight to unlocking the device and feels like it skips the process of face detection as a whole.

Meanwhile, its Android 10 OS offers close-to-stock experience with a few pre-installed apps. It also comes with useful built-in features like Focus Mode that helps you concentrate on working, Dark Mode so the UI is easier on the eyes, and Personal Information Protection to ensure data like messages, call history, and contacts all remain private.

Overall, we had no problems using the narzo 20 as a daily driver. It performs fast and with minimal lags, comes with useful features applicable to ordinary usage, and doesn’t heat up even with continuous gaming.

Battery

This is where the narzo 20 really shines. Sure, it’s got a pretty capable CPU and a decent set of cameras but without power, you can’t really enjoy all those. This is why realme made sure you won’t get interrupted by packing a lot of power for the narzo 20.

As mentioned earlier, it carries a large capacity battery rated at 6000mAh. In most cases, the bigger the battery, the longer it lasts. But to further improve its performance, it’s also filled with power optimization features like App Quick Freeze that freezes less used apps and Power Saving Mode when the battery is low.

Of course, when the battery is down to its last few drops, a Super Power Saving Mode is available and runs only six important apps to make sure you use the remaining power efficiently. With all these working together, running out of battery should be the last thing happening to you while you’re out.

As part of our battery test, we streamed an online video and substituted it with gaming in maximum brightness and volume. It took the narzo 20 over 13 hours of continuous video playback and gaming before its battery ran out.

In terms of charging, it features an 18W fast charge to help speed things up. Starting from 0%, it was able to charge the phone up to 15% in 30 minutes. And to get it to 100%, it took exactly 3 hours and 30 minutes.

The phone also supports OTG reverse charging so as long as you have an OTG cable, the narzo 20 can double as a power bank to power other devices.

Creature Feature

In our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having. Things that give them an edge from their peers. For the realme narzo 20, it’s obviously its battery capacity with fast charging feature.

But at the same time, it’s also the price tag. At just PhP 7,999, you get these features for an affordable price which is not commonly seen. Together, it offers power in your hands without burning a hole in your pocket.

Conclusion

The realme narzo 20 is definitely a phone to consider for power users. While it’s true that a lot of us are just staying indoors these days and have easy access to a wall socket, it’s still nice to know that when the need for a powerful phone with great battery life, the narzo 20 is something you can rely on.

Couple that with a gaming-centric Helio G85 processor and a 48-megapixel triple AI camera, and you’ve got a clear winner on your hands.

If you plan to get your hands on the narzo 20, you’d have to know that it is a Lazada-exclusive offering starting 11.11 (November 11) with a PhP 500 off that brings its price to PhP 7,490. And to further bring its price lower, you may use the Lazada 11.11 voucher for less PhP 400 for a minimum purchase of PhP 5,000 via Lazada Wallet.

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