If you’re looking for a dental photography lens to make your portrait and intraoral photos even better, it’s time to take some new players under consideration. Warning: you might be shocked!
For the longest time, Canon, Nikon and Sony were the kings of lenses and we, dental photographers, couldn’t imagine working in our dental offices without them. But things change! In the last few years Sigma and Tamron have not only released some seriously shout-worthy lenses, but they’re often a lot more affordable than first-party equivalents.
And while Canon stays on top of the sales rank, the second and third place are pretty surprising.
From the latest Japanese data there is just 3.3% separating the top 5 market shareholders in the interchangeable lens market, with Canon in first place (17.1%), Sigma in second (16%), Tamron coming in third (15.1%) followed by Sony in fourth (14.2%) and finally Nikon in fifth (13.8%).
The results show that the interchangeable lens market is booming, that the popular manufacturers aren’t as powerful as they used to be and that a famous name doesn’t mean an obvious success.
And, what’s more, cameras with interchangeable lenses are gaining in popularity and this is living proof of the fact that smartphones aren’t enough. Especially in dental digital photography.
If you’re using the Olympus system in your dental photography practice, this one’s for you!
The Micro 4/3 macro lens users finally can choose the long-focus lens.
The lens offers the highest ever magnification which will be helpful especially in intraoral photography. Shooting a single tooth won’t be an issue! What’s more, the lens allows creativity and it’s not so usual with other, regular macro lenses. We’re pretty sure you’ll be happy with it if macro photography is your hobby in general, apart from the dental photography industry.
The automatic stacking system lets the lens work smoothly with all the OM system cameras. Sharp pictures are guaranteed! The 2x macro combined with the Micro 4/3 gives the 4x magnification for the 35 mm format and when we’re talking stabilization, we mean perfection. You won’t need a tripod for intraoral photography and we know how big a difference it makes. Leaving a tripod at the dental office door means easier work and less inconveniences.
Now, let’s move on to the technical data.
The 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO is an autofocus lens that delivers up to 2x macro (or 4x with a 2x teleconverter). Its stabilization system is compatible with the Sync IS system, allowing it to work in conjunction with in-body stabilization of Olympus/OM System cameras.
The lens is constructed from 18 elements, arranged in 13 groups. Its design has two focus groups that act in conjunction, allowing very close focus when the focus limit switch is in the ‘Macro’ position. The lens also has a focus ring that can be snapped back to reveal a focus distance scale and (on Olympus or OM System cameras) engage manual focus.
Of course, its macro possibilities are only one of many features and it will cope with a dental portrait and creating a dental portfolio as well.
KEY FEATURES
High resolution macro lens
Exceptional Magnification–Delivers 4x equivalent shooting when paired with the MC-20 2x teleconverter
Autofocus without limits–High speed, high precision AF
High performance 5-axis image stabilization
Built to enable split-second macro shooting capabilities
IP534 splash proof and dustproof performance
Freezeproof down to 14°F
Fluorine coating
Weight: approx. 453 g5 (lens only)
The OM System 90mm F3.5 macro IS pro’s price tag is $1,499.99.
You may expect it year after year but hold your horses. If we weren’t sure until now, now we are, because Canon says it without any doubt: DLSRs are alive and they’re fine and you can work with them as a dental photographer.
Canon still accounts for a third of the entire camera market, with as many as 1.8 million digital SLRs being sold last year! And of course, Canon sells more than anyone else.
Why would anyone think that this is the end of the DSLR era? Well, there were no new models shown during the last CP+ event. But there’s an easy explanation to that.
“CP+ is a place to present new products, and that’s why you won’t see many DSLRs this year. All companies are of course focusing on hybrids. But SLRs still represent 30% of global sales. That means there’s always demand for this range – and most DSLRs sold globally are made by Canon.
“There is also a high volume of lenses that are still intended for the DSLR ecosystem. We do not envisage a sudden end to SLRs, nor an instant switch to hybrids. Sure, there will likely be a gradual decline, but the demand is still there. – says Go Tokura, general manager of Canon’s Imaging Division.
Interestingly, as we can see, Canon distinguishes three camera types at the moment: mirrorless, hybrid and DSLRs. And the latter is still hanging in there.
Are you a DSLR or mirrorless fan in your dental office?
It’s our mission as a camera manufacturer to figure out ways to make any camera system easier and more comfortable to operate. So, in terms of the eye control system, or eye-controlled focus, we intend to deploy this to various other models as well. At the same time, we’d like to improve the performance and usability. – says Canon management at the CP+ Expo in Japan.
This means we can expect the eye-controlled AF in the next EOS Rs!
For us, dental photographers, it can be a groundbreaking feature. Taking intraoral photos means adjusting the focus more and more precisely. To be honest, it takes years of practice to master such conditions. With the eye-controlled AF digital dental photography and intraoral photography will become easier and more approachable.
The feature is already available in the R3, but for a dental digital camera, it’s quite expensive. We’re really happy to hear that every dental photographer, regardless of their cameras’ price, will be able to use this feature.
We’re just hoping it will be possible sooner rather than later!
As usual, we’ll keep you posted. Stay with us for more dental photography news!
The statement was made by Go Tokura, general manager of Canon’s Imaging Division, during an interview with Photo Trend.
“If you look at our portfolio, obviously our highest-end case is the EOS R3. I think we can say that it is our flagship product. (…)
So, of course, the EOS R3 could already claim the flagship title, but there’s a reason we named it ‘3’… And you can expect there to be a ‘1’, which is currently being worked on and will be our most premium model. So that’s the kind of interpretation you can do (laughs). I had never mentioned it so clearly before, so that’s probably how you can interpret it!”
Just a quick reminder of what we should expect. Will it be suited for dental photography?
We’re pretty sure that EOS R1 will be similar to Sony A1 or Nikon Z9. What does it mean? We’ll expect a high resolution sensor, high processing power and impressive speed, allowing us to work in a dynamic environment. On the other hand, the cameras are more and more advanced, so we’d like to see a totally new feature in EOS R1. This can be the best chance to set the new development direction and make dental photography and photography in general more intuitive.
The camera is said to not have any one specialty but will rather excel at all specialties, much like what Canon’s 5D series of DSLRs aimed to do by being accessible enough for amateurs yet powerful enough for professionals.
The camera will undoubtedly boast more features than the 5D line to work for professionals in ways 5D cameras were never designed to.
Other features and specs being mentioned include 45+ or even 85+ megapixels, 40 fps burst mode, 9 megapixels electronic viewfinder and 10 bit touch screen. Our source mentions a 100 megapixels sensor, global shutter and putting emphasis on the 8K quality. And then there’s also the new, patented in 2019 Quad Pixel AF system that has been mentioned for a while now.
And a price somewhere north of the R3’s $5,999.
Will the EOS R1 meet the dental photographers’ expectations? That’s for sure! Moreover, its features can be ever too much. It looks like the new Canon will be suited for dental photography lovers with a large budget. They’ll have to keep in mind the camera’s heavy weight, though.
When can we expect the Canon’s top model? All signs point to an early 2024 announcement, with a launch in time for the 2024 Olympic Games. More details should emerge into the light pretty soon and we’ll keep you posted!
Canon’s new speedlite – awaited also by dental photographers – has some problems on its way
Canon’ statement says: Regarding the “Speedlite EL-2022”, which was announced on November 11, 2 and scheduled to be released in March 2023, due to production reasons, we have decided to postpone the release to around the summer of 2023 because we cannot prepare a sufficient supply for the release.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
(Before change) Scheduled to be released in March 2023
(After change) Scheduled to be released around summer 2023
The Speedlite EL-5 is to be Canon’s first to take advantage of the multi-function hotshoe found on its latest EOS R series mirrorless cameras. It seems to be a potential, new dental photography equipment to choose.
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