Canon at the Olympics

[Mike Farley]

I lost interest in the Olympics decades back when it became apparent that many of the performances were simply too good to be true. As one example there are athletics "records" dating back many years, for the women's and strength events especially, which will never be broken. Recent revelations concerning the Russian team and the inadequate response by the IOC have done nothing to persuade me that the situation is really any better than it was 30 or 40 years ago. While I am sure that many athletes are competing without the aid of illegal drugs, there is no way to tell who they are. And that invalidates everything as far as I am concerned. Medals will be won in Rio which will be rescinded later once the testing regime catches up with the cheats and stored samples are analysed.

Not everyone shares my scepticism and the Olympics remain a spectacle which is there to be photographed. Both Nikon and Canon have launched new professional DSLR cameras this year to coincide with the event, as they do for every Olympics. As ever the companies will be there in force to support professional photographers and this article gives a brief insight into Canon's preparations. I wonder how much the equipment stored in that room is worth? It has to be in the millions.

http://petapixel.com/2016/08/03/canons- ... -olympics/

[Mike Farley]

More about Canon at Rio from DPReview. For me the last page was the most interesting from a technical perspective. Canon is talking about DSLRs still being in use, but with more convergence with video which will have morphed into 4K by then.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/382120956 ... o-olympics

[Mike Farley]

This guy could well be thankful that Canon has pitched up in Rio with so much kit.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/967933883 ... mpics-zone

[Mike Farley]

In one of those "you couldn't make it up" moments, the robbed photographer was reunited with the man who stole his gear the previous day. Doubtless the missing $40k of equipment has long disappeared into the shady network of the criminal underworld.

http://petapixel.com/2016/08/07/robbed- ... ing-venue/

[Mike Farley]

.... and Nikon.

http://petapixel.com/2016/08/12/peek-in ... -olympics/

[Mike Farley]

Canon claims that 70% of the pros at the Rio Olympics are using its gear and it has compiled a list of the gear it has loaned out most fequently. One surprise is that the original 1DX features in the top ten. I would have thought that anyone going to the expense of shooting at the Olympics would want to use the latest gear to make the best of the opportunity. It seems not. Possibly it is an indication of the diminishing returns as equipment is updated, but some will also want the security of shooting with a camera with which they are familiar at such an important event.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/20 ... ear-in-rio