“Current camera sensor technology is completely backwards.” Dr. Eno Lirpa

Everyone knows that in order to generate color, a digital camera’s sensor is overlaid with a Bayer filter. The filter makes each pixel sensitive to either red, blue, or green light.

Software than interpolates this red, green and blue image into the final color image we see.

In effect, our 24-megapixel color camera doesn’t resolve any better than a 14 or 15 megapixel black-and-white camera would.

There have been several attempts to improve on the Bayer-array method of detecting color. The Foveon sensor, which stacks red, green and blue pixels at different depths at each pixel (sensor site), certainly provides higher resolution than a standard Bayer sensor, although the Foveon sensor has it’s own limitations.

Fuji has altered the array in their sensors, creating a more random pattern. This gives (arguably) some improvement over the standard Bayer array but still uses the same basic principle with inevitable loss of resolution.

At WPPI, I had the chance to spend time with the team from Baceolus Imaging, a small Italian imaging technology company with a growing patent portfolio and plans to make a big splash.

Using Energy to Detect Color

I was able to talk with Dr. Eno Lirpa, one of the optical physicists on the Baceolus team, about their new sensors.

“When looked at from a physics point of view, current sensor technology is just a foolish design”, Lirpa says. “You give away so much resolution just to detect color. It’s just not necessary. Every photon already carries a color message.”

Every first-year physics student learns the simple formula E = hc/ λ where E equals photon energy and λ it’s wavelength. If you know a photon’s energy it’s simple to calculate wavelength and therefore determine the photon’s color.

For example, blue light, with a wavelength of 400nm has an energy of 3 electron volts per photon, while 700nm wavelength red light has an energy level of 1.77 electron volts, and green light 2.43.

“It’s a fairly simple engineering matter to measure a photon’s energy as it strikes the camera sensor, but everyone has been so focused on cramming more megapixels onto the chip,” Lirpa continues. “There hasn’t been much interest in adding additional technologies to the chip.”

There is no Bayer array over a Baceolus sensor. Other manufacturers have used new back-illuminated sensor technology to move the wiring behind the actual photosensor, rather than in front of the sensor.

Baceolus goes one step further. They’ve taken advantage of a back illuminated sensor to place energy sensing circuitry in front of each photo well. A simple calculation converts energy level to wavelength, determining that photon’s color.

“It is a simple thing, in addition to detecting that a photon has struck the sensor, to also determine the energy level of that photon,” Lirpa explains. “Our sensors record that energy and pass it along to an in-camera chip that uses this information to not only detect the intensity of light striking each pixel, but also its energy level. The chip converts that energy level to wavelength, which shows the color of the photon.”

“Right here we can tell,” Lirpa continues, showing a diagram, “that a photon with energy level of 2.14 eV struck this pixel. That’s a lovely yellow photon, probably from a sodium vapor streetlight. A blue photon struck this pixel and an orange-red photon over here.”

Numerous Advantages

According to Dr. Latot Parc, the researcher designing the computer chips to process the images in-camera, a 20 megapixel Baceolus sensor not only provides the same resolution as a 40 megapixel Bayer array camera but an amazing 32 bits of color depth. I was only allowed to keep one image taken with the camera, but below are 100% crops taken with a Canon 5D III and a Baceolus preproduction camera using a Canon 135mm f/2 lens. (Yes, the Baceolus camera will mount any Canon EF lens, so a huge lens selection is already available. The Baceolus team would not comment, but I have the impression a Nikon-mount version may be in development.)

There are other advantages to an energy-detecting sensor. High-energy ultraviolet and low-energy infrared light can be screened out in firmware, as the camera processes the image, so an infrared filter is not required. A simple flip of a switch tells the camera to change from visible light to infrared or even ultraviolet.

Additionally, the sensor can act as a ‘photon trap’, detecting only photons of a given energy range. This could allow an astrophotographer, for example, to set the camera to only accept light with wavelengths of 410 nm, 434 nm, 486 nm, and 656 nm  (the spectrum of hydrogen light) or to capture simultaneous UV and IR images of a nebula.

I did ask Dr. Parc about rumors that some beta testers had set their Baceolus sensor to detect only flesh tones, allowing a photographer to basically take an image of a person’s body right through their clothes.

“It’s certainly possible but would require long exposure times.” Dr. Parc said. “Doing so would completely overexpose the subjects face, hands, and other areas not covered by clothing, so we doubt anyone would be interested in doing that. Besides, our extensive research shows that very few photographers are interested in shooting nudes. At any rate, a person concerned about being photographed through their clothing can simply wear thick woolen underwear, which is an effective photon blocker.”

“The advantages our sensor brings to resolution and color, especially in the studio, are amazing,” Dr. Parc adds. “For example, everyone shooting a digital SLR today is frustrated by their camera’s inability to properly reproduce the color Periwinkle. We hear it every day. Whether it’s a model’s periwinkle blouse, or a beautiful periwinkle flower, the photo is drab and lifeless because the Bayer array’s red, green, and blue filters just can’t reproduce periwinkle accurately. With our sensor, periwinkle is simply 2.513 electron volts, rendered every bit as accurately as any other color.”

Even more important, the Baceolus team believes, will be the ability to bring cell-phone staples like face detection and smile detection to full SLR cameras. They envision a setting in which the camera identifies areas of 2.03 to 2.13 Ev color (flesh tones), locking that area in as face detection. It then automatically takes a picture when a minimum of 5% of that area changes to 3.1 Ev – the near-ultraviolet color of bleached teeth — so you get the perfect smiley face every time.

And One Disadvantage

There is only one thing not improved on a Baceolus sensor. The circuitry used to measure photonic energy does detract from dynamic range slightly. Pre-production Baceolus sensors have a DR of about 12 electron volts, less than most current SLR cameras.

“This is no problem for good photographer,” states Yug Diputs, who recently joined Baceolus as director of marketing, in slightly broken English. “Combining two images at different exposure is best way to take picture anyway. Only bad photographers are limited by dynamic range. You see this repeated on every forum on internet — problem is always bad photographer, not bad equipment.”

When Can You Get One?

Very soon, according to what I’m hearing. Release in Europe and Japan is expected by early summer.

“We expect to have our camera on the market well before the Canon 200-400 f/4 IS lens is released,” Parc told me. “We got very lucky because Nikon has, for some reason, a large supply of autofocus sensors they can’t use which we were able to buy very cheaply. That moved our release date up several months.”

Release in the United States, unfortunately, will be delayed for quite a while. “In the entire world, only the United States, Burma and Liberia do not use the metric system. Because our system converts the electron volts into nanometers, it is calibrated for metric light and we can’t guarantee image quality in areas using nonmetric light. We hope to have a firmware upgrade that will convert electron volt measurements to inches by September or October.”

“Dual-system countries, like Great Britain and Canada, appear to have sufficient metric-wavelength light to allow our cameras to work properly,” Diputs was quick to add.

Price has not yet been determined.

Roger Cicala

Lensrentals.com

April 1, 2013

I modestly call this Roger’s Law of New Product Introduction and have summarized it in the graph below. You will notice there are two possible paths a new product may follow. To date, these two paths accurately describe every introduced product.

The laws of Quantum Commentary demonstrate that is possible that a product follows both paths simultaneously – for example a new Canon camera may follow path A on a Canon board, while following path B on a Nikon board. I suggest we refer to this as The Fanboy Uncertainty Principle.

In theory, there is at least a third possible path, where a new product is perceived logically from the moment of its introduction. However, that path can be demonstrated mathematically to exist only in higher order dimensions and therefore remains invisible in the three-dimensional world of photography forums.

It is possible that other paths exist, but I leave descriptions of these to persons more versed in theoretical mathematics than I. We do, of course, welcome such theoretical contributions in the comments section.

While the implications of this work remain largely theoretical, it does have some practical purpose. Now you can simply copy this graph, mark it with an arrow and the statement You are here, and post it instead of having to write paragraphs of verbiage.

Lensrentals.com

January, 2013

I don’t really need anything for Christmas this year. But I would appreciate if you would bring some gifts to my favorite photography manufacturers.

Canon: An 0.18 µm CMOS fabrication plant is what they really need, Santa. If that won’t fit in the sleigh, then maybe you could bring them a few million Sony sensors. Something around 36 megapixels would be nice.

Oh, and maybe some 200-400 f/4 IS lenses. They seem to have lost theirs. You know, the ones they announced in 2009?

Nikon: I’m asking for a lot here, Santa, but ‘tis the season to help those in need.

First, if you could fit a quality control department in the sleigh that would be lovely.

Also, could you bring Nikon USA a reasonable Factory Service Center, too? If that’s not possible, then I’ll go ahead and ask you to bring them some customers in 2014 or so, because they’ll be needing new customers about then.

And Santa, if you’re feeling really generous, then maybe you could give Nikon the secret of electronic aperture control? Mechanical levers are sooooo 1960. It’s not like leaving out aperture control motor is making the lenses less expensive.

Sigma: Santa, Sigma’s been very, very good this year, pricing that new 35mm f/1.4 lens like they did; improving their service department; and giving us complete control over the lens autofocus system next year. Luckily, I’ve thought of the perfect gift for them.

Give them an interchangeable mount, Santa. Put the lens in one section, the camera-specific mount and electronics in another that connects to the back of the lens. That way, when their customers want to change camera brands they won’t need to buy a whole new lens, just a new mounting section.

You know, Santa, they could then include a mount adapter or two with that Foveon camera that used to cost a gazillion dollars. I bet more people would try it then, since they wouldn’t have to buy a whole new set of lenses.

Speaking of cameras, though, if there’s any room left on their list, could you maybe give them some image processing chips and to speed those cameras up a bit? That would be nice.

Sony: This one I’m sure you’ve already got figured out, Santa. Lenses. They just need some good lenses. They’ve got 13 NEX cameras now. If you look at the B&H web page you’ll see that there are 9 NEX lenses, but 42 adapters that let people to use other lenses on NEX cameras. (Seriously, I’m not exaggerating, Santa. Check for yourself.)

What? OK, I guess since you already gave them Olympus that should cover the lens thing in a year or two.

Olympus: A real telephoto lens in micro 4/3 mount would be perfect. Something around 150mm and f/2.8, perhaps, or 250mm and f/4?

Fuji: Just a raw converter, Santa. That was easy, now wasn’t it? It may not be all they need, but it’s certainly what they need most.

Tamron: Like Sigma, Tamron has been very, very good this year releasing some awesome, reasonably priced lenses and providing perhaps the best factory service in the industry, so they should get something especially nice.

But I’m not sure what they want. I know they could use a more accurate focal-length calculator, but I doubt they really want it.

Maybe you should give them that interchangeable mount idea too? Wait, they’re the ones who started that, way back in the day. Maybe you should just remind them about the Adaptall, then.

Wait, I’ve got it, just the thing for Tamron this season. A 200-500mm with Vibration Control. Now that would be something they’d like! It would be like Leica, reviving a classic.

Leica: Speaking of Leica, just bring them some good LCDs to put on their new cameras. It’s kind of sad that the PanLeica V-Lux 4 EFV had about 10 times the resolution of the M9’s LCD.

They’ve got everything else. If you don’t believe me, just ask them. They’ll tell you.

So let’s give them another gift by subtraction. If you could, Santa, while you’re delivering their presents, could you maybe remove the words “brilliant” and “sheer joy” from their marketing department? I know that’s not your usual thing, but I think this might be the nicest gift of all.

Sincerely,

Roger Cicala, Lensrentals.com

December, 2012

PS: I almost forgot. Please bring Samsung a marketing department. Nobody remembers they’ve got some good cameras and lenses, too.

First Kodak. Now Hostess. What will be next? I don’t mind telling you we’re getting a little paranoid around here. So many memories. And it’s not just the nutritional value I’ll miss. Few people realize the huge contributions Twinkies have made to science.

I’ve been on a diet for, oh, about a year now, so my grief is doubled. I feel even worse knowing I’ve neglected my favorite brand during it’s last days. I should have been there for you, Hostess, waistline be damned. If only I had known how little time we had left.

Like a film photographer when Kodak announced bankruptcy, when I heard the news I went straight to the local market to stock up some last deliciousness. I can’t eat any of it right now, but hey, the shelf life of a Twinkie is like 15 years so they would be there waiting for me. Not to mention there will probably be a huge market for these things on eBay in a few years. It was an investment. Like lenses.

Roger’s Plans Go Awry Again

Returning to the office with what is either a large bag of potential deliciousness or my retirement plan (depending on what the value of Authentic Twinkies is like in a few years), I actually went to work. That, as is so often the case, is when the problems started. You see, we had backup photographers Scott and Scott taking product photos because Joey was busy.

Well, Scott and Scott teamed up to take the ultimate best product photo of a 24mm f/1.4 lens ever made (click here for the full size version):

I know what you’re thinking: “Roger, what does this have to do with delicious snack cakes?” Well hang on. I’m getting to that.

I may have mentioned to Joey once or 43 times, “Man, Scott and Scott (AKA Scott Squared) sure did take some great product photos. No need for you to rush back to that job.” He apparently took in personally. After a few hours of me saying this repetitively. And getting a few (dozen) other people to mention it.

Soooo, when I asked Scott Squared to make me a nice memorial photo of some Hostess Deliciousness, they did. Joey, being somewhat irritated, said he should also make a Hostess Photo and we would let people judge who should be doing the product shots from now on.

Scott Squared offered us this lovely shot, complete with a goodbye offering from Lensrentals. We sure will miss our Hostess products.

Joey then disappeared with my snack cakes, several banks of lights and a couple of assistants (it’s a slow Friday afternoon, obviously) and presented this shot.

One thing you may notice, in addition to the artistic through-the-bottom-of-the-case lighting, and the use of several strobes and several reflectors, is that JOEY TOOK MY SNACK CAKES OUT OF THE WRAPPERS!!! This not only decreased the shelf life of my treats by months, if not years, it probably hurt the resale value considerably. I mean, everybody knows you keep the box to sell it in, right?

And as if that wasn’t hurtful enough, Joey told me he had another shot for me to consider. As if I wasn’t overwhelmed with grief already.

Joey’s story is that once the snack cakes were unwrapped, it released the delicious Hostess artificial pheromone-laden smells that made it impossible for them to resist eating my snacks. My. Snacks.

But I’m a man of my word, so I want everyone to vote impartially in the comments section for which photo you prefer.

You can vote for either Scott’s Squared cheerful little product shot, which I think is a lovely homage to an old friend now departed. It brings back happy thoughts of a simpler time, doesn’t it?

Or, if you prefer, you can vote for the dark, evil shot taken by Joey and other untrustworthy, weak-willed persons of no self-control, with its bleak landscape of ravaged food. It brings up thoughts of a stark and cheerless future where no one is happy, doesn’t it? That’s possibly because I will now make it my life’s work to be certain no one involved in taking this photo is ever happy again. Ever.

And feel free, those of you who would like, to say a few words about the departed Hostess products. They will be missed. Even you Vegans had you a Twinkie way back in the day, now, didn’t you?

Oh, for you Fanboys: This is a Hostess post. This is not the time for trolling, telling us how your brand of snack cakes is better.

I’ll tally up the votes later. Right now I’m off to see if there are any Hostess products left on the shelf of the neighborhood grocery store.

Roger Cicala

Lensrentals.com

November, 2012

Based on a Sony NEX-7, the Looney specs a 24.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, an ISO range of 100-16000, 0.02 second shutter lag, a 3-inch LCD screen, a built-in EVF, 25 AF points, Sony E and A mount compatibility, and 10fps continuous shooting.

The camera’s name and look pay homage to the fact that Lensrentals’ staff howl at the moon. The Italian design (Cicala is Italian, sort of) features handgrips made of real fake leather, and precious carbon polymer gems on various switches and knobs, and a unique lens cap made from the finest recycled wood fibers and hand embossed by a member of the staff.

The Looney is basically a whole series of cameras made to order with different styles and materials. We have some fake green and black leather; yellow, green and blue gemstones, and some gold glitter left over from Drew’s sceptor.

Here is your chance to own a unique camera that you won’t see at every soccer game. Compared to many recent releases, the Looney is a bargain at only, oh, let’s say $4,500. $4,500 sounds good, doesn’t it?

So, here’s a thread from Hammeruser.com

Thread Title: Nails for Stiletto TB15?

Hammeruser: I’ve saved up for months and just got my Stiletto TB15SS titanium hammer. At $220 they’re pricey but with the replaceable stainless steel face, ultra light weight handle, and excellent balance I can see myself using this for many years. I’ve had it 3 days now and it’s just wonderful. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good framing nail to use with this hammer?

Hammergeek: You say it’s wonderful but I don’t see any photos of nails you’ve driven. I think it’s just overpriced crap.

Hammerfiend: You know, Ken Rockbuster said the Stiletto is really overpriced and he wouldn’t have one. For $14 you can get a Tekton rubber mallet set. It’s not any good for driving nails, but it is great for body work on your car. That’s what Ken recommends.

MC: If you really were a professional, you’d be using a Graintex SH 1660 sledgehammer. It’s got a 36 inch handle and 20 lb head and can tear through walls in a heartbeat. Your Stiletto can’t touch this.

Hammeruser: I do framing work and carpentry, so tearing through walls really doesn’t apply to my work.

M.C.: That’s because you have absolutely no skills. A good hammer user can drive nails with a 20 pound sledghammer with no problem. You’re one of those rich doctors, aren’t you, that thinks upgrading your hammer is going to make you a better carpenter?

Hammeruser: Here’s a picture of some framing I did with the hammer yesterday in about 2 hours. I really think it’s going to make me more productive.

Hammertime: I blew up those pictures 200%, ran them through Photoshop and measured the arctan radius of the depth of the nailheads. It’s obvious that you were torquing the hammer from right to left when using it, which makes all of the framing you did inconsequenctial and of no use to anyone. A better hammer doesn’t make up for poor technique.

Banger: A real carpenter could have done that with rusty wire and a rock. It’s not about the equipment, it’s about the carpenter.

Hammerangel2: User, don’t pay any attention to M.C., he’s an absolute Graintex fanboy and has lost all perspective.

M.C.: How would you know what I am? I’ve made hundreds of dollars every year with my Graintex tearing down walls, which makes me a full-time professional. You amateurs make me sick.

Newhammerer: I’ve got an order in for mine through Amazon, but I’m concerned about getting a bad copy. How do I test the hammer when I first get it to make sure I have a good copy?

Thor: You guys are all wrong. I do all my work with an SE 11” rock pick. M. C., haven’t you watched Shawshank Redemtion? That guy hammered through a prison with an SE 11. Sure it took a few years, but anything you really love doing you’ll be doing for years. Just because something is newer, doesn’t make it better.

Hammeruser: Could anyone make some suggestions about good nails?

WhammerHammer: Why don’t you read the manual, do a Google search, and stop wasting our time with inane questions? Besides which, if you were a really good hammerer it wouldn’t matter what type of nails you used.

Whacker: H2O just released their latest Impact Index and the Stilleto rated 92.745, the highest impact per oblique force applied they’ve measured (except for jackhammers).

BigBanger: I don’t trust anything H20 measures, they’re numbers are all crap and don’t reflect real-world hammering. Besides, they down score everything to be equivalent to a 6 ounce jewelers hammer, which makes no sense. I prefer a ‘hand’s on’ review. Maxwell’s reviews over at SilverHammer.com really let you know how a hammer does in the real world.

Nailguru2: Hammeruser, while others will stick with the mainstream manufacturers, I’d take a real hard look at Grip Rite galvanized zinc coated sinkers. They’re a classic design, the sharpest nails made, and have amazing microcontact. Plus they’re hand assembled in Germany, not mass-produced in Taiwan.

Hammergeek: All I can say is after reading this thread I’ve cancelled my order for the Stilletto TB15. I’ll wait until the price drops. In the meantime I’m thinking about buying a used TB10 on the Buy and Sell forum.

Banger: Why don’t you rent one for a few days and see how you like it? Hammerrentals.com has them for $29 for 4 days. You could build a nice shed in that amount of time and really get a feel for how it works for you.

WhammerHammer: I agree with Hammergeek. The price is insane. I’ve started a petition to boycott Stilletto until they make their prices more reasonable. They think just because there’s a 4 month waiting list for their new hammers they can charge whatever they want. They’d sell twice as many if they just charged $25.

Euronailer: You guys think you’ve got it bad? Over here the Stilleto is 300 Euros and we’ve got 17% VAT. You guys in the U. S. need to stop complaining. I may fly over to the U. S. and pick one up, the money I save would pay for 1/162 of my air fare.

Justgotmine. I just finished using my brand new Stilleto. Here’s some shots of nails I’ve driven. Do you guys think I have a good copy of the hammer? The nails seem a little crooked to me, but that might just be technique.

Hammerguru: Justgotmine – looking at your images those are pretty long nails. Were you using good technique with a nail stabilizer? It also seems the hammer wasn’t lined up square to the target. It’s impossible for us to help you if you don’t eliminate all the other variables. It could be the hammer, could be the nails, could be technique.

Nailed’em: Nailguru, you’re always over here spouting about ‘microcontact’ and the way the nails ‘render’. That’s all BS put out by you Grip Right elitists. I can get 4 boxes of Smegma nails for what just one box of Grip Right costs and they work just fine.

Banger: I had to try 4 boxes of Smegma nails to get just one that was sharp.

Nailguru2: I’m not a Smegma fan by any means, but if you get soft nails you can send them back to the factory to be resharpened under warranty. I had them resharpen a box of mine and they were incredible!

Nailer: Did you guys see that Hammerrumors.com says that Big Blu hammers is coming out with an X-2 in time for Hammerkina? It’s going to have a synthetic rubber grip, fiberglass shock absorbing, and a semi-square rocker face. I’m holding off any new purchases till I see some nails driven with that baby.

Roger: In this case, it truly is the user, not the hammer: Hammertime

</Satire off>

Author’s note: This little post got a lot more attention than I had expected. The most interesting thing to me is that it’s now been reposted to forums involving gun collecting, coffee tasting, audiophiles, automobiles, computer programming, videography, racing bicycles, and (I should have known)  various tools. All of whom identified with it. So I guess I learned today that it isn’t just photographers who act like we act. Apparently it’s people.

And from the “OMG are we sick or what?” department, Amazon is now nearly sold out of Stilletto TB15SS. Seriously. You guys just had to try it out, didn’t you?

Finally, don’t stop reading here. The reader’s comments are much funnier than the blog post. As always, I thank everyone who took the time to post comments. Once again the reader’s comments are better than the author’s blog.

PS – for the several people who suggested nail guns should be included in the discussion, that wouldn’t work because . . . .

. . . . wait for it . . .

this forum doesn’t discuss point and shoots.

Tamron

Tamron 10-24: “Wider and longer than others in its class.”

Let me think. . . that’s the class that includes the Sigma 8-16, Nikon 10-24, Canon 10-22, etc. So exactly how is it wider and longer? Oh, wait. I get it. The lens is 3.9 inches long, which is longer than anything else in this class. Still not sure about the wider part, though.

Tamron SP 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VC: “provides the ultimate in image quality and handling in the telephoto zoom class.”

You said, that. Really? So it’s got better image quality than the Sigma 50-500, Canon 100-400 IS L or 70-300 IS L, Sigma 120-300, or Nikon 200-400? If you’re gonna say stuff like that, you better stop publishing your MTF charts – they make you look, at best, foolish.

Tamron 18-270: “The lens provides a 1:3.5 macro”

What, exactly, is a 1:3.5 macro? I’ve seen macro, and 1:3.5 magnification isn’t  it.

Tokina

Tokina 12-24: “With the built-in motor, the lens can be used in AF mode with the Nikon D60 and D40 and other silent wave bodies.”

I actually know what they are trying to say, but I sure can’t find the term “silent wave body” anywhere. Sounds like some type of interpretive dance.

Sigma

Sigma 18-250 f/3.5-6.3 DC OS: “at the long end it can be used for sports actions.”

Note to marketing department: never use “f/6.3” and “sports action” all in one sentence. That’s just really wrong.

Sigma 18-250 f/3.5-6.3 DC OS: Perfect for all shooting situations, at the wide end the Sigma’s 18-250mm is perfect for scenic, landscape or group photography; at the long end it can be used for sports actions or great shot from a day on safari. Of course, you can do great candid portraits with it as well.

Brilliant! If you’re gonna tell lies, might as well tell lots of lies.

Sigma 20 f/1.8: “provides great creative freedom to the photographer who wishes to exploit its capabilities for juxtaposing very near subject with the surrounding background.”

Juxtapose vb: to place close together or side by side

OK, so am I supposed to put the “near subject” beside the background, or close to the background? I’m so confused. I guess I should read up on juxtaposition photography.

Sigma 120-400: “Rear focusing system corrects for fluctuation of aberration due to focusing.”

There are lots of advantages (and a few disadvantages) to a rear focusing system, but correcting for “fluctuations of aberration” isn’t one that I’ve ever found. But if it is true, then why doesn’t the rear focusing system in all of your other telephoto zooms correct for ‘fluctuation of aberration’?

Sigma 300-800: “A perfect lens for surveillance use, its stealth black finish is unobtrusive and easily concealed.”

OK, let me get this straight: the lens weighs 13 pounds,  is nearly 3 feet long with the hood mounted, and has a front element the size of a dinner plate. But by painting it black, it’s now “ unobtrusive and easily concealed”. If you mount it as a gun on a battleship, maybe.

Nikon

Nikon J1: “Set free from technicalities and complicated operation, you can capture the desired image faster and more unfailingly.”

You mean I’ve spent thousands of hours over a decade learning how to do things like select aperture, choose ISO, frame shots, use strobes; but all this time the key was being set free from complicated technicalities. Oh, the waste of it all.

NIkon J1: “What’s more, it will automatically select the most spectacular shot from the series of shots taken.”

That’s good to know, because I can spend hours looking at a day’s shots in Lightroom and still not be able to do that.

Nikon J1: “The only buttons you will find on the top of the camera are the power switch, shutter-release button, and movie-record button so you will have an amazing range of functions at your fingertips.”

Three apparently is the new “amazing range”.

Canon

Goverment Marketing Division Mission Statement: “The Canon Government Marketing Division represents Canon U.S.A., Inc. in the Government Market…”

Wow, am I glad they pointed that out. For a moment there I thought maybe Canon was marketing governments to small island nations or something.

The Mission of Canon Australia: To be the preferred supplier we will be easy to deal with and provide quality, value for the money, products and services.

My Australian friends tell me this rivals the Sigma 18-250 blurb for most lies in the fewest words. But I guess if you are the only supplier, you’re the preferred supplier.\

Canon G1x: “the new 1.5-inch High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor”

OK, your 1.5” sensor measures 22.3mm diagonally, which is actually 0.88 inches. So 0.88 is the new 1.5. Got it.

Canon G1x: “The new 14.3 Megapixel sensor, combined with a new lens and DIGIC 5 Image Processor, creates the HS SYSTEM that delivers image quality previously impossible in a compact camera.”

Hmmm. Maybe so, but since the Sony NEX-5n and 7, Fuji X-100, Leica X-1, Panasonic GX-1, and Olympus E-P3 are all at least as compact, it’s quite a claim, don’t you think? Maybe you could show us a bit of data to back that up? No? OK.

Sony

Sony SAL 30mm f/2.8: “While most Macro lenses are not image stabilized, this one is, because Sony builds SteadyShot^® INSIDE image stabilization into every ‘A’ camera body.”

And the camera body has what to do with the lens? Especially since you also push it as a small macro to shoot with an adapter on NEX bodies? And how come the Sony 100 Macro isn’t image stabilized? I read the blurb on it carefully and it doesn’t say a thing about it. I’d rather have IS on my 100.

And in a somewhat related topic, will the real “world’s fastest camera” please stand up?

Apparently “fastest”is going to take over from “most megapixels” in the marketing wars this year. After reading all these claims, I’m so confused. . .

Olympus E-P3 “Worlds Fastest Autofocus”

Olympus OM-D “employs the FAST (Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology) AF system, introduced in the PEN E-P3, but with even greater speed.”

Nikon V1: “First, we present the world’s fastest autofocus camera”

Nikon J1: “World’s fastest continuous shooting, 10 fps”

Nikon D3s: “11 fps in Dx mode”

Nikon V1: “The world’s fastest shooting time lag”

Sony NEX: “The world’s shortest shooting time lag”

I’m sure there are dozens more entertaining marketing blurbs that I’ve missed, so please add any good ones you’ve run found in the comments. But reading these reminds me of why I insist on us writing our own “takes” on various items, rather than copy-pasting the manufacturer’s blurbs like most sites do.

Roger Cicala
Lensrentals.com

February, 2012