Ways To Speed Up WinXP

1. Defragmenting remains an important task. Why? For one, power consumption and heat can be directly related to a fragmented hard drive. When the computer's operating system requests data, if a file is not contiguous, then extra seeking on the disk may be required. But a more important consideration is disk failure. Should a hard drive fail, the likelihood of successfully recovering data from the dead or damaged drive improves significantly if the data is contiguous rather than randomly scattered about the drive platters.

2. If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3. Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4. Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5. Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers.

6. Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

7. In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

8. Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

9. Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed.

10. Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine. Using the MSCONFIG utility is one way. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, and then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine. Or even better yet. If you have Spybot S&D installed. You can use it to stop programs from starting up.
Open Spybot and go into Advanced Mode. Go down to Tools, and then open System Startup. There you can disable programs from starting.
NOTE: If you have the Genuine Windows Advantage installed, you will want to leave all "system.ini" running. Or you wont be able to get updates from MS to install.

11. Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

12. Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer.

13. If you are an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

14. Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

15. Update your anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure you have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

16. Make sure you have fewer than 500 type fonts installed on your computer. The more fonts you have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.

17. Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

18. Check your system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

19. If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

20. Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that you most likely do not need.

21. At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks.

How do I backup my files and folders in XP?

Windows XP comes with a backup tool called NTBACKUP (NTBACKUP.MSI from Windows XP CD-ROM). In Windows XP Home Edition, this tool has to be installed manually from the CD-ROM, whereas in Windows XP Professional, this tool is installed by default.

Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file in the following location on the Windows XP Home Edition CD to start a wizard that installs NTBackup: X:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP

X:\ refers to the CD-ROM drive-letter

Note: Usually, OEMs such as Compaq, DELL won't ship the Windows XP CD nor they include the NTBACKUP utility by default. You can download a copy of NTBACKUP.MSI here.

Backing up your files using NTBackup Utility:

Click Start, Run and type NTBACKUP

Select Backup tab at the top

In the left pane, scroll to the file/folder which you want to backup and put a checkmark on it.

At the bottom, mention the output filename (the backup output)

Once set, click Start Backup button in the right, and again click Start Backup in resulting dialog

>

>

NTBACKUP does not have the ability to write to CDs directly. You will need to save the backup to hard drive, then transfer or burn it to a CD-ROM. Also, while backing up several files, make sure you backup the files in separate sets of each max 650MB (so that it fits on a CD-ROM)

See also

FREE Windows Backup Software add-on for NTBackup

Enhanced Windows Backup uses Windows' built in backup engine called Windows Backup (ntbackup.exe) which provides state-of-the-art core backup technology. Enhanced Windows Backup substantially extends the capabilities of NTBackup, providing an effective integrated backup solution.

Three Prime lenses launched by Leica

Pre-Photokina 2008: Leica has, amongst its latest announcments, launched three new prime lenses - the SUMMILUX-M 21 mm f / 1.4 ASPH, SUMMILUX-M 24 mm f / 1.4 ASPH and Elmar-M 24 MM F / 3.8 ASPH Lens. Ideal with the M8/8.2, the all three lenses are specifically designed to keep vignetting and distortion to a minimum.

Super fast, compact, with sensational performance even at full aperture, these lenses will enable users to redefine wide angle low light photography. The 21 mm is in fact a world first for 35 mm digital and film photography.

Great care has been taken in the optical designs of the lenses. Despite their pronounced wide–angle characteristics, these lenses can feature extremely shallow field depth. This allows for creative and expressive photography not usually available when shooting wide. Stopped down to medium f values the depth of field can be so great that an entire landscape can be depicted in sharp focus.

Vignetting and distortion, the parameters traditionally difficult to control in fast wide angle lenses, have been corrected to such a high degree in these new Summilux-M lenses that they are hardly noticeable in practice.

The combination of lens speed and width has now become possible by using leading edge lens blank-pressing techniques for aspherical elements. Hand assembled in Solms Germany, the lenses also combine meticulous craftsmanship ensuring life long reliability even in challenging user conditions.Two new metal body view finders (21 mm and 24 mm) will be available as accessories. These new viewfinders will have markings to enable use on Leica M digital and film bodies.

Available from December 2008, the LEICA SUMMILUX-M 21 mm f / 1.4 ASPH and the LEICA
SUMMILUX-M 24 mm f / 1.4 ASPH are £3990 each (inc VAT) SRP.

New Compact Leica Elmar-M 24 MM F / 3.8 ASPH Lens

Leica continues its strategy of producing a range of ultra compact high performance prime lenses.

Ideal for M8 users, this lens is equally at home with M film models. At full aperture, contrast and detail rendering are excellent. Stopping down to medium f values gives such great depth of field, that precise focusing is not required resulting in your M combination outperforming any camera with auto focus in the speed stakes.

Additionally, the new LEICA ELMAR-M 24 mm f / 3.8 ASPH lens is a perfect companion to a faster lens, particularly for day time travel or photography in risk environments. All focal lengths detailed above are based on 35 mm film camera photography. For use on M8/M8.2 camera bodies, all focal lengths should be multiplied by 1.33.

Available from November 2008, the LEICA ELMAR-M 24 mm f / 3.8 ASPH lens is £1380 (inc
VAT) SRP

Carl Zeiss launches Distagon T* 2.8/21

OBERKOCHEN/Germany – September 16, 2008: The legendary Distagon T* 2.8/21 is now being introduced for SLR cameras with EF, F and K bayonets. Thanks to its excellent performance, this modernized version from the former Contax system sets new standards in this focal length class.

“The outstanding correction of chromatic aberration enables photos without color fringes even in high-contrast light conditions”, says Martin Klottig, Marketing Manager, Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division. “Even at full aperture, the floating element design ensures optimum edge-to-edge image quality over the entire focusing range.

And even in difficult light conditions, the new Distagon provides excellent results thanks to its T* coating, optimum reflection reduction and exceptional chromatic correction.” The shortest possible distance setting of only 0.22 m makes the lens ideal for impressive perspectives. Typical applications include architectural, journalistic and landscape photography.

The Distagon 2.8/21 is available with an EF bayonet (ZE), F bayonet (ZF) and a K bayonet (ZK). It is suitable for both digital and analog full-format SLR cameras.

Delivery of the Distagon T* 2.8/21 is scheduled to begin by the end of this year with the ZF and ZK version. Its selling price is estimated at 1,399 euros (incl. 19% German VAT).

Mamiya launches ZDb Digital Back

Cologne, Germany – September 2008 – Mamiya Digital Imaging has announced the next model of their digital back – called the Mamiya ZDb 22 megapixel Digital Back – will be shown at Photokina 2008. To further refine the successful Mamiya ZD Digital Back system, the R&D team at Mamiya has developed the new ZDb Digital Back with several useful enhancements.

To allow longer shooting sessions, the ZDb will have a buffer with up to twice the memory of the original ZD Digital Back – this means that you can continuously shoot up to 22 frames of full resolution RAW files before the buffer is full. The new back is now compatible with SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards that can store up to 32 gigabytes of images. The Mamiya ZDb Digital Back can also use SD, SDHC, CF I and CF II cards.

When used with the new Mamiya 645AFDIII, the ZDb Back will display the camera’s 35 custom function controls on the LCD panel. This will make custom camera settings fast and user-friendly. In addition, a beta version of the new Mamiya Remote Capture software will soon be downloadable from our homepage, www.mamiya.com. This software makes shooting tethered with the Mamiya ZDb Back faster and easier.

Boasting a 22 mega pixel Dalsa CCD sensor at an affordable price, the ZDb Digital Back allows the Mamiya 645AFDII, Mamiya 645AFDIII, RZ67Pro-IID and RB67Pro-SD to take razor-sharp digital images - transforming professional quality film cameras into high-end digital systems.

Pricing and delivery will be announced in the fall of 2008.

Canon 24mm f/1.4 L II USM lens

EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM fast aperture wide-angle prime lens

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 17 September, 2008: Canon today strengthens its line-up of EF-series lenses with the introduction of a new fast aperture prime lens: the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM. Replacing the EF 24mm f/1.4L USM, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM has been completely redesigned to provide an exacting partner lens to Canon’s new EOS digital SLRs, the EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II.

The EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM offers:

• Fast f/1.4 aperture
  
• Aspherical and UD lens elements for correction of chromatic aberration
  
• Sub Wavelength structure Coating (SWC) to dramatically reduce ghosting and flare
  
• Circular aperture for pleasing bokeh
  
• USM for full-time manual focus
  
• Lead-free glass (RoHS compliance)
  
• Lens hood and pouch supplied

Superior image performance
Featuring a 13-element, 10-group lens, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM is designed to achieve the highest standards of image quality. Two high-precision GMo aspheric lenses are employed to correct various forms of aberration such as curvature of field and distortion, with a floating mechanism ensuring crisp corner-to-corner detail throughout the focal range. In addition, two UD lenses reduce the chromatic aberration common in wide-angle lenses.

A fast, ultra-large maximum aperture of f/1.4 delivers excellent low-light performance, with the circular aperture offering the potential for creative out-of-focus highlights. A focal length of 24mm and a USM focus motor providing full-time manual focus also make the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM ideal for situations where a wide-angle, high-performance lens is required.

Advanced lens coating
Reflections off a digital camera’s image sensor can compromise images with ghosting and flare. To help reduce this, the inside of EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM’s front element is treated with Canon’s new Sub Wavelength structure Coating. Developed specifically to work with Canon optics, this anti-reflective coating helps reduce flare and ghosting - for consistently crisp, undistorted images.

Robust build quality
The EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM is designed to withstand the rigours of even the most testing shooting environment – with Canon’s advanced weather and dust sealing making it the perfect choice for photojournalists and landscape photographers.

Additional images

Sub Wavelength structure Coating

The 24mm F1.4 L USM II sees the debut of Canon's new 'Sub Wavelength structure Coating' (SWC) technology. Considered by Canon to be considerably more effective then their existing 'Super Spectra Coating', the new coating is applied to the inside surface of the front lens element, and is designed to minimize flare and ghosting caused by secondary reflections between the sensor surface and the lens elements, which can lead to significant image degradation in digital SLRs.

The new biomimetic coating is inspired by features found within the eyes of moths, and uses a nano-scale structure to reduce dramatically the amount of internally-reflected light in lenses that contain large curve-radius elements. It is therefore particularly effective with fast wideangles such as the new 24mm F1.4L II USM.

How it works

Conventional anti-reflective coatings work by creating two surfaces off which light can reflect: one at the boundary between the coating and the air, and a second at the boundary between the coating and the glass. The thickness of the coating ensures the distance between these two surfaces is one quarter of the wavelength of light. Consequently, any light reflecting off the second (coating/glass) surface will be half a wavelength out of phase with the light that reflected off the first (air/coating) surface, by the time it has bounced back and will cancel it out.
	Unfortunately, this process only works well when the light strikes the surfaces relatively straight-on (having a small angle of incidence). As the angle at which the light strikes the coating becomes less direct, more light is reflected.
	Canon's new coating works by varying the density of the coating, depending on the distance from the glass surface.
	The coating's ordered, nano-scale structure means that light encountering it is bent as it travels into the increasingly dense coating (and encounters an increasingly high refractive index). The result is that it always reaches the coating/glass boundary at a relatively direct angle, reducing the reflection, particularly at the edges of lenses or, in this instance, on highly curved lens surfaces.
	The new SWC coating dramatically reduces light reflected off the lens surfaces compared to Canon's conventional vapor-deposited Super-Spectra Coating especially at high angles of incidence.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Hands-on Preview

Preview based on a pre-production EOS 5D Mark II

Back in August 2005 Canon 'defined a new DSLR category' (their words) with the EOS 5D. Unlike any previous 'full frame' sensor camera, the 5D was the first with a compact body (i.e. not having an integral vertical grip) and has since then proved to be very popular, perhaps because if you wanted a full frame DSLR to use with your Canon lenses and you didn't want the chunky EOS-1D style body then the EOS 5D has been your only choice. Three years on and two competitors have turned up in the shape of the Nikon D700 and Sony DSLR-A900, and Canon clearly believes it's time for a refresh.

So here is the 5D Mark II, which punches high in terms of both resolution and features, headlining: 21 megapixels, 1080p video, 3.0" VGA LCD, Live view, higher capacity battery. In other words, a camera that aims to leapfrog both its direct rivals, either in terms of resolution (in the case of the D700) or features (in the case of the DSLR-A900). Full detail below.

Key features / improvements

• 21 megapixel CMOS sensor (very similar to the sensor in the EOS-1Ds Mark III)
• Sensor dust reduction by vibration of filter
• ISO 100 - 6400 calibrated range, ISO 50 - 25600 expansion (1Ds Mark III & 5D max ISO 3200)
• Auto ISO (100 - 3200) in all modes except manual
• 3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
• DIGIC 4 processor, new menus / interface as per the EOS 50D
• Image processing features:
  • Highlight tone priority
  • Auto lighting optimizer (4 levels)
  • High ISO noise reduction (4 levels)
  • Lens peripheral illumination correction (vignetting correction)
• RAW and SRAW1 (10 MP) / SRAW2 (5 MP)
• RAW / JPEG selection made separately
• Permanent display of ISO on both top plate and viewfinder displays
• AF microadjustment (up to 20 lenses individually)
• Three custom modes on command dial, Creative Auto mode
• Image copyright metadata support
• 98% coverage viewfinder (0.71x magnification)
• 3.0" 920,000 dot LCD monitor with 'Clear View' cover / coatings, 170° viewing angle
• Automatic LCD brightness adjustment (ambient light sensor)
• Live view with three mode auto-focus (including face detection)
• No mirror-flip for exposures in Live View if contrast detect AF selected
• Movie recording in live view (1080p H.264 up to 12 minutes, VGA H.264 up to 24 mins per clip)
• Two mode silent shooting (in live view)
• New jump options in play mode
• HDMI and standard composite (AV) video out
• Full audio support: built-in mic and speaker, mic-in socket, audio-out over AV (although not HDMI)
• IrPort (supports IR remote shutter release using optional RC1 / RC5 controllers)
• UDMA CompactFlash support
• New 1800 mAh battery with improved battery information / logging
• New optional WFT-E4 WiFi / LAN / USB vertical grip
• Water resistance: 10 mm rain in 3 minutes

Canon EOS 5D Mark II: 21MP and HD movies

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 17 September 2008: Canon announces the full frame, 21.1 Megapixel EOS 5D Mark II: the first EOS with full High Definition video capability.

Compact, lightweight with environmental protection, EOS 5D successor boasts a newly designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions. The new DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver medium format territory image quality at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames.

Triggered from Live View Mode, HD video capture allows users to shoot uninterrupted at full 1080 resolution at 30fps – for amazing quality footage with outstanding levels of detail and realism.

The integration of HD movie capability into a high-end 21.1 Megapixel camera opens a multitude of new possibilities for photojournalists and news photographers. With its full frame CMOS sensor and outstanding ISO performance, the EOS 5D Mark II will appeal to any photographer in search of the finest camera equipment available – from studio and wedding to nature and travel photographers.
Other improvements to the EOS 5D include

• Addition of Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System, with a new Fluorine coating on the low-pass filter
• Larger 3.0” Clear View LCD with VGA resolution, a 170° angle of view and anti-reflective coatings
• Improved menu system including Quick Control Screen for more direct access to common settings
• Automatic peripheral illumination correction, utilising detailed EF lens information to optimise JPEG images straight out of the camera
• Magnesium alloy construction with additional environmental protection
• UDMA memory card compatibility.

“Professional photojournalists and wedding photographers already choose the EOS 5D for its discrete size and outstanding image quality,” said Mogens Jensen, head of Canon Consumer Imaging. “The addition of HD movie recording opens a new chapter for EOS. It creates new possibilities for EOS photographers to capture and share their stories and to stay relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.”

Key Specifications:

• New 21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with improved EOS Integrated Cleaning System (E.I.C.S.)
• New Full HD 1080 resolution movie recording
• 3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
• High performance DIGIC 4 providing superb image quality
• Maximum 310 large JPEG images in a single burst with a UDMA card
• 3.0” VGA (920k dots) Clear View LCD
• ISO 100-6400 (expansion from 50 up to 25,600)
• 9 AF points + 6 Assist AF points

Additional information

New CMOS sensor
The EOS 5D Mark II’s newly designed full frame 21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor features ISO sensitivity from 100-6400, expandable to 50, 12,800 and 25,600. Large 6.4µm2 pixels have been redesigned to capture more light and yield a better signal to noise ratio to ensure lower noise images throughout the ISO range. The full frame sensor has the same dimensions as a frame of 35mm film. This means that wide-angle lenses stay wide, without the change in angle of view associated with smaller sensor cameras. As well as benefiting from finer control over depth of field, photographers moving up to the EOS 5D Mark II’s full frame format will find the newly designed wide, bright 98% coverage viewfinder on a joy to work with.

New DIGIC 4 processor
A new DIGIC 4 processor combined with 14-bit analogue to digital conversion provides smooth gradations in mono-tonal areas such as skies, and highly accurate colour rendition. As well as HD movie shooting, DIGIC 4’s high speed provides for long uninterrupted continuous bursts of large JPEGs, near-instant start-up times and immediate and fast review after shooting. DIGIC 4 also provides for improved noise reduction algorithms, complementing the already low noise images from the EOS 5D Mark II’s CMOS sensor.

HD video capture
The EOS 5D Mark II is Canon’s first D-SLR to incorporate full HD 1920x1080 video capture. Once filming is started from Live View mode, photographers can fire off either single of continuous stills, with video capture continuing after the final frame is captured.

See everything
A new 3.0” VGA resolution LCD provides a wide 170º angle-of-view, providing plenty of clarity for accurate focus checks in playback. The screen brightness can automatically adjust to suit viewing conditions, extending battery life in low light and improving viewing in bright conditions. A new dedicated Live View button switches modes to display a real-time image on the LCD. This allows EOS 5D Mark II photographers to enjoy simplified shooting from awkward angles. Simple connection to a PC provides easy remote shooting.

Precision focus and metering
A 9-point auto focus system is supported by 6 additional invisible Assist AF points, located inside the spot-metering circle to optimise subject tracking performance in AI SERVO AF mode. For accurate exposure readings in tricky lighting conditions, the spot metering circle covers just 3.5% of the frame.

Control
The EOS 5D Mark II’s redesigned menu system includes a new Quick Control screen, for instant access to the most commonly changed settings. A new Creative Auto mode allows photographers to cede control of key settings to the camera, while retaining control over creative variables such background blur, drive mode and image brightness. Custom user settings allow photographers to switch between two completely different camera setups. This is ideal for changing quickly between two different environments, such as switching from working inside a church without flash to outdoors with fill-flash at a wedding.

Accessories
Shooting flexibility is enhanced with a range of new accessories. Shooting capacity can be extended with either the high capacity 1800mAh lithium-ion Battery Pack LP-E6, or Battery Grip BG-E6.

A new optional Wireless File Transmitter –
the WFT-E4 – offers external HDD and GPS compatibility along with ability to transmit images direct to computer or FTP server, or operate the camera wirelessly. Both the BG-E6 and WFT-E4 feature a vertical orientation shutter release and other key controls for comfortable portraiture work, with a substantial grip to help balance the camera when used with long lenses.

Technologies Explained:

CMOS
Canon’s CMOS technology is one of the company’s key competitive advantages, with noise reduction circuitry at each pixel site delivering virtually noise-free images. In comparison with CCD technology, the lower power consumption characteristics of Canon’s CMOS sensors also contribute to longer battery life.

Signal conversion in Canon’s CMOS sensors is handled by individual amplifiers at each pixel site. Unnecessary charge transfer operations are avoided, vastly speeding up the process of getting signal to the image processor. Noise generation is reduced, power consumption is limited and faster frame rate potential is increased.

DIGIC
Image data captured by the CMOS sensor is processed by Canon’s purpose-built DIGIC image processors before being written to the camera's memory card. DIGIC technology uses advanced image processing algorithms to ensure precise, natural colours, accurate white balance, and advanced noise reduction. Ultra-fast processing speeds result in highly responsive camera operation and near-instant start-up times.

DIGIC chips work with a high speed DDR-SDRAM image buffer – reading, processing, compressing and writing image data fast enough to keep the buffer clear during long continuous shooting bursts. And because DIGIC integrates all key processing functions, power consumption is kept to a minimum.

EOS Integrated Cleaning System
The EOS Integrated Cleaning System combats sensor dust in three important ways: Reduce, Repel and Remove.

• Reduce - Internal camera mechanisms are designed to minimise dust generation. The redesigned body cap prevents dust generation through wear on the cap itself.
• Repel - Anti-static technologies, including a special fluorine coating, are applied to the low-pass filter covering the front of the sensor so as not to attract dust.
• Remove - A Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit uses hi-frequency vibrations to shake dust from the infrared filter for a period of approximately one second after each start up. For instant shooting after power up, this feature is disabled immediately the shutter release is depressed.

Canon has also developed an internal Dust Delete Data system, which can map the position of visible dust on the sensor. This can then be deleted automatically after the shoot with the latest Digital Photo Professional software.

Picture Style
Picture Style pre-sets simplify in-camera control over image qualities. Picture Style pre-sets can be likened to different film types – each one offering a different colour response. Within each selectable pre-set, photographers have control over sharpness, contrast, colour tone and saturation. The camera’s factory default configuration is set to deliver immediately-usable JPEG images without need for additional menu settings. Picture Style presets applied to a RAW image can be revised with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software.

The six pre-sets are:

• Standard – for crisp, vivid images that don’t require post-processing
• Portrait – optimises colour tone and saturation and weakens sharpening to achieve attractive skin tones
• Landscape – for punchier greens and blues with stronger sharpening to give a crisp edge to mountain, tree and building outlines
• Neutral – ideal for post-processing
• Faithful – adjusts colour to match the subject colour when shot under a colour temperature of 5200K
• Monochrome – for black and white shooting with a range of filter effects (yellow, orange, red and green) and toning effects (sepia, blue, purple and green).

Software
Digital Photo Professional Software
Digital Photo Professional software provides high speed, high quality processing of lossless RAW images. Processing with Digital Photo Professional allows real-time display and immediate application of image adjustments, giving control over RAW image variables such as white balance, dynamic range, exposure compensation, noise reduction and colour tone – plus the ability to view Auto Focus points on an image. The Lens Aberration correction tool allows precise correction of different types of distortion caused by certain cameras. Images can be recorded in camera with sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space.

Digital Photo Professional supports sRGB, Adobe RGB, ColorMatch RGB, Apple RGB and Wide Gamut RGB colour spaces. ICC (International Colour Consortium) profiles can be attached to TIFF or JPEG images when converted from RAW. This allows faithful reproduction of colours in software applications that support ICC profiles, such as Adobe Photoshop. For improved efficiency, a set of image adjustments can be saved as a recipe and applied.

EOS Utility
The latest version of EOS Utility provides essential support for Live View remote shooting, camera configuration and image transfers. Tightly integrated with Digital Photo Professional, EOS Utility can be configured to monitor ‘hot’ folders, automatically renaming and moving incoming images to a structured file system. Users can also tag their images with EXIF data, including copyright information.

Picture Style Editor
Picture Style Editor allows users to create individual Picture Styles that fit with their personal requirements. Each Picture Style contains detailed information on how specific colours should be represented within an image. Once new Picture Styles have been created, they can be uploaded directly into the camera and applied to JPEG or RAW images. When working with RAW files in DPP, both personal Picture Styles and the 6 predetermined Picture Styles can all be adjusted.

Additional images