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New range of professional accessories

Canon has extended its range of EOS accessories, unveiling a number of new items for its professional and mid-range EOS Digital SLRs.

The Speedlite 600EX-RT is Canon’s first flash unit to feature inbuilt wireless radio connectivity. It replaces the Speedlite 580EX II (which uses infrared wireless control). Also new is Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT, a slave unit which can sit in the camera hot-shoe to control the off-camera 600RX-RT.

Speedlite 600EX-RT Key features
Guide number 60 (m, ISO 100, at 200mm)
Radio triggering with 30m range
Use up to 15 units together
Infra-red wireless functionality
Remote camera triggering
Bounce-and-swivel head with zoom control
White-balance correction filters
Fast, quiet recycling

Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT Key features

Radio frequency remote flash trigger.
Fire selected Speedlites from 30m away.
Controls up to 15 flashguns.
Remote camera triggering.
Weather sealed against dust and moisture. 

Integrated radio frequency triggering, in addition to standard infra-red wireless flash control, allows photographers to achieve exciting results with complex on-and-off-camera lighting set-ups. Using one master 600EX-RT or the new ST-E3-RT radio-frequency wireless Speedlite transmitter, up to 15 600EX-RT flash units, positioned up to 30m away, can be remotely triggered – offering great potential to experiment with more creative lighting techniques and effects. EOS cameras with a connected Speedlite 600EX-RT can also be triggered remotely by either unit.

Like its predecessor, the Speedlite 600EX-RT communicates white balance settings to the camera through the hot shoe connection. However, to further balance flash and ambient light, a new colour filter adapter and two supplied colour gels can be fitted to balance the temperature of the flash and create a more natural effect when shooting around tungsten or mercury lighting. When shooting in dark conditions, photographers can also employ the AF-assist beam for accurate autofocus with lenses of 28mm or longer, ensuring the subject remains in focus when the flash fires.

The Speedlite 600EX-RT and Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT feature a robust, weatherproof design matching that of the EOS-1D X, with a clear LCD display making it easy to select settings and switch between normal flash mode and wireless modes.

WFT-E7 – High-speed wireless control
The WFT-E7 is a new wireless file transmitter for a wide range of EOS models. For those who need to transfer their images quickly and easily (photojournalists or sports photographers, for example), the new WFT-E7 provides enhanced versatility through high-speed Wi-Fi and support for wired connectivity over Gigabit Ethernet. Featuring 802.11a/b/g/n support for file transfer speeds of up to 150mbps, and Bluetooth for linking to external GPS units, the WFT-E7 offers super-fast image transfer direct to an FTP server or even to a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance ) -enabled HDTV.

When creative shoots or harsh conditions require the photographer to control the camera from a distance, the WFT Server function of the WFT-E7 allows the camera settings and the scene framed in the viewfinder to be accessed and controlled through a web page on any internet-enabled device, such as smartphones, tablets or laptops. Camera settings can also be changed remotely via EOS Utility, allowing photographers to control and trigger the camera over a wired or wireless LAN connection.

The WFT-E7 has a lightweight design and can be attached to the bottom of the camera, to the new bracket AB-E1 or even to the strap. For added versatility, it also supports Linked shooting with up to ten other cameras, with Wireless Time syncing ensuring that the time across all slave devices is aligned with the master camera in order to maintain consistency across multiple units. During Linked shooting, the WFT server function can also be activated to allow easy remote access to the master and slave cameras for even greater creative control of lighting effects during multi-camera shoots.

Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7 Key features
Supports IEEE 802.11n
Built in Bluetooth
Versatile design
Easy Wi-Fi protected Setup
FTP server transfer
Remote control functions
DLNA media server compatible
Linked shooting

GP-E2 – Geo-tag your images with compact, lightweight GPS
Also announced is the GPS receiver GP-E2 – a new compact, lightweight, high-performance hot shoe GPS unit which makes it easy for photographers to geo-tag their images.  Compatible with the EOS-1D X, EOS 7D (via firmware update – connection via cable only)  and new EOS 5D Mark III, the GP-E2 tags photos with longitude, latitude and altitude data as well as the direction in which the shot was taken, adding information to the EXIF file of the image.

A GPS Logger function also allows photographers to track their route by downloading GPS data at regular intervals, whether the unit is attached to the camera body or stored in its case. Once back in the studio, photographers can tag their images with the GPS data stored in the log files and their route can be displayed using Google Maps or the bundled Map Utility software.

For improved accuracy and precision when recording the time of image capture, photographers can also synchronise the clocks of their cameras with the global atomic clock via UTC information downloaded from the satellite.

GPS Receiver GP-E2 Key features
Hotshoe-mounted GPS unit for compatible EOS cameras.
Embeds location and altitude data into each file’s metadata.
Digital compass records heading information.
Data logging mode.
Portable design, powered by 1xAA battery.
Accurately set camera’s time using UTC time.

BG-E11 – Improved handling for the EOS 5D Mark III
For photographers who want to shoot for longer with the EOS 5D Mark III, the new ergonomic battery grip BG-E11, doubles the battery life with two LP-E6 batteries, with the added flexibility of using AA batteries as an emergency back-up. For those who frequently shoot vertically, such as sports or portrait photographers, duplicate AF start, Focus point and AE-lock controls in addition to a second Multi Controller and Control Dial make shooting vertically more comfortable and intuitive.

Battery Grip BG-E11 Key features
Improved handling for EOS 5D Mark III
Duplicate controls for vertical shooting.
Larger grip for bigger hands.
Use two LP-E6 batteries, or four AA/LR6 cells as an alternative.

Pricing and Availability

The SpeedLite 600EX-RT is priced at £679.99 / €809.99 RRP incl. VAT.
The SpeedLite 600EX is priced at £639.99/€761.99 RRP incl. VAT.
The SpeedLite Transmitter ST-E3-RT is priced at £309.99/€369.99 RRP incl. VAT.
All available from the end of March 2012.

The Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7B is priced at £789.99/€939.99 RRP incl. VAT.
The Battery Grip BG-E11 is priced at £329.99/€389.99 RRP incl. VAT.
The GPS Receiver GP-E2 is priced at £299.99/€356.99 RRP incl. VAT.
All available from the end of April 2012.


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