I’m alive! The blog has been static for a few months, but I’ve been more active on Twitter with short updates as some of you know. I just couldn’t find the time to update the blog because of being swamped with work at the office here at Canon USA. There’s just so much to talk about, so I’m hoping to find more time to do regular updates.
But first things first. I’m fucking pissed off at PDN for their 2011 Photo Gear of the Year awards. Those of you who have been reading this blog since 2008 know that I am a reasonable guy. I like to be fair. When things suck I say it. When things rock, I also say it. And the 2011 photo gear awards at PDN quite frankly is a big pile of shit. And no, I’m not just saying this because Canon got left out of it this year. I even think they purposely left us out as Dan Havlik personally made a remark about this on Twitter, just to make sure we noticed:
Fake Chuck (@fcwestfall) can’t be happy Canon was shut out of PDN’s Gear of the Year awards for the 1st time: http://bit.ly/vaeZvr
Now I know we didn’t do much in 2011 as far as DSLRs are concerned. Yeah we announced the 1DX, but technically that’s a 2012 camera. But what we did release in 2011 is the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye lens. And anyone with at least some insight in this area will tell you that this lens is a fucking brilliant design and stunning piece of engineering. Nobody in this goddamn industry has such a lens or anything that comes even close!
No contest here, the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye should have won.
You’d think that this lens would have easily won the 2011 PDN Gear of the Year award for lenses. But no, instead they chose the NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G lens. In PDN’s own words:
The replacement for the legendary Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D AF that launched back in 1995, the new 85mm f/1.4G doesn’t break any significant new ground and that’s a good thing.
I’m sorry, but what? The lens doesn’t break any significant new ground and that’s a good thing?! The lens doesn’t break any significant new ground but it fucking wins the 2011 PDN Gear of the Year award??? Folks, enlighten me please, am I the one going crazy here, or are they fucking morons at PDN?
Listen, PDN, unlike the boring as fuck NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G, our brand new state of the art EF 8-15mm f/4L ZOOM FISHEYE lens *does break significant new ground*. This lens practically defines the word innovation. It’s the world’s first fisheye zoom lens to offer both a circular and full frame image. When was the last time you guys came across such a lens? Hmmm??? There’s so much brilliance that went into the design of this lens that I don’t know where to start. It really doesn’t take an expert to recognize the brilliance of this lens design. But if you are an expert, you’ll notice even the small details, for example, that Canon Inc. took care to make the nodal point of this lens the same at both 8mm and 15mm making it easy for photographers to make lower resolution (3-4 images) and high resolution (16-25 images) panoramic images at the same time on location without having to recalibrate their setup. It’s the small design considerations like this that greatly benefit photographers. Only professionals can appreciate these things.
But not at PDN. PDN chose the NIKKOR 85mm instead. What. a. fucking. joke. My God, my God.
Just when things start to go really well here at Canon and I think I can finally keep my blood pressure in a healthy range, people like Havlik show up and completely fuck it all up for me again.
I can tell you that Japan was fucking pissed when I forwarded them the link to the awards page on PDN. Why they haven’t yet pulled all advertising for Canon products from PDN is beyond me. PDN is very fortunate that I’m not the one in charge here at Canon. Dan Havlik personally is also fortunate that I forgot the password to the Fake Dan Havlik blog I ran a few years ago, or else I would start posting there again too.
I’ll be back soon with more updates. I should also mention the new blog design which I launched yesterday. After 3 years it was time for some change. Personally I like the new design, looks cleaner and more professional. And since I’m as professional as they get in this industry, I think this blog design really suits me well. You may disagree with this, but please be advised that I don’t really care. After all, I’m the Canon Camera Guru here, not you.
Fake Chuck Westfall 
Although I get your point and the Canon 8-15 is indeed a nice lens, it’s not that different from an old Tokina/Pentax 10-17mm, just a bit wider, better built, probably sharper, but I would not go for groundbreaking I guess. The lens scheme does not look that different too.
It’s quite insulting to me that you compare the Canon 8-15mm to the Pentax 10-17mm fisheye lens. I can understand why you’re doing it, but that lens comes nowhere near our 8-15mm f/4L.
So you live, eh Chuck? I was pretty sure that you had gotten bored with pretending to be someone and had wandered off into the woods, never to be seen again. And as to being more active on Twitter, I wouldn’t say you were burning up the Internets there either.
Regardless, it’s always good to here from you, no matter how infrequently you wake from your drug-induced coma to get pissed off about something.
See you in another 4 months!
I got out of rehab weeks ago man, then I just had a lot of work to catch up to. I expect to post more often now. Love you too!
You got a 2nd job?
Because in Canon you can´t be doing very much…
I guess that’s true for most executives at Canon. But a simple Google search will reveal that this doesn’t apply to me. I bust my ass for this company every day!
As far as I am concerned, I sold all my lenses and invested in the Canon Fisheye: my dream came true and really cannot figure out a more versatile glass.
…Well, actually, I am also desperately waiting for the new tele lens with the built in converter!
That will be the ONE lens to RULE THEM ALL!!!!!!!!
…And finally, may I dare to ask Canon to focus their R&D on a Mirror Reflector Wide Angle Lens? That would be something really new and would free us from the hassle of the diaphragm!
Chuck … I like the new web site but … is it snowing in here or did you forget to use your Head & Shoulders again? Either way, it’s freaking me out.
Is that supposed to be some kind of cruel joke? You know I don’t have much hair left on my head right?
Working for Canon will do that to you….
The truth is, since the 5D, I never needed another camera.
The reason is that nothing has really changed much since.
“Nobody in this goddamn industry has such a lens or anything that comes even close”
“It’s the world’s first fisheye zoom lens to offer both a circular and full frame image”
Complete idi.., hm-hm, canon executive guide to define world innovation:
1. Go back to 60th and find product/feature you’re lacking (look on ebay old film cameras from competitors for that). Circular fisheye is good example.
2. Look around for some ideas that lie on the surface, like zoom fisheye (again look at competitions: pentax, samsung, e.t.c).
3. Combine first too.
4. Add some bells and whistles. (Don’t forget red ring, you idi.., hm-hm).
5. Congratulation, you’ve just defined groundbreaking world innovation!!!
Pentax 17-28 was first zoom fisheye. And idea to put tokina 10-17 on fullframe for circular fisheye so obvious that there’s now a hole industry to shave hood from this lens just to do that.
Finally when those two lenses are fitted on fullframe and crop accordingly you can use full fl range they offer.
But what to do with “groundbreaking innovation” i.e. cropped image circle with black corners (when fl is in between) I have no idea.
Thanks Vincent!
You’re welcome man!
WAKE UP FAKE CHUCK! Where are you when the shit, it are hitting the fan?
The 1D Mark IV can’t auto-focus an f/8 objective? The first EOS ! camera EVER that can’t!!!
Is this some sort of plan to exert market pressure to make everyone upgrade to f/2.8 telephotos? Screw the customer without deep pockets and a strong back?
And the G1 X with “integrated optical viewfinder”? Hahaha, frakking ludicrous!
Since when did OV become a flaw?
A crap OV that offers only 80% coverage has always been a detriment!
What do think about this endless Canon rebates?!
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