Ever since people started getting their hands on the 5D Mark III and the 1D X’s 61-point AF system, they have been complaining about the black AF points for one reason or another (mostly regarding visibility). Whatever the complaints, however, the resounding request has been the same: bring back the red-when-active AF-points from the last 1D. And even though we’re not sure if that’s how Canon intends to fix the problem, Canon Rumors is reporting that the the Japanese camera giant has heard the complaints, and is currently working on solution.
Admittedly, the fact that CR was told the solution “may not be ideal for everyone” is anything but heartening, but at least Canon knows there is a problem, and is very likely going to fix it in an upcoming firmware update.
Update: It looks like the update is working on Macs just fine, even if it isn’t showing up online. Thanks to all our E-M5 toting readers for letting us know!
Firmware updates come pretty often, so they don’t typically make news unless they bring with them a particularly impressive set of improvements, like v2.0 for Canon’s 7D a few weeks back. And although Olympus’ firmware version 1.2 for the OM-D E-M5 does help improve the functionality of your camera, it’s also being talked about for another reason entirely. Read more…
Earlier this month we reported on rumors of a significant Canon EOS 7D firmware update that was possibly in the works, and today that update became official. Not surprisingly, the rumors seem to have been spot on, as firmware v2 for the 7D brings many of the highly-anticipated and frequently-requested features that users of Canon’s flagship APS-C SLR have been pining for. Read more…
A Swedish hacker and robotics student named Björn Mabrö is claiming that he has successfully developed a custom firmware for the Canon 5D Mark II that adds Apple’s Siri voice assistant to the DSLR. Mabrö claims that the hack allows the camera to respond to 124 different voice commands that control everything from the shutter to changing values in settings. Read more…
Nikon’s firmware got decrypted last month, and now an unofficial firmware for Nikon DSLRs has emerged. Rather than offer useful adjustments, the firmware is purely for geekiness: it gives Nikon D5100 DSLRs a Star Wars theme. Read more…
4K video recording may soon be available to Canon T2i/550D users willing to load a firmware hack onto their cameras. Apparently a guy known as Earz62801 on YouTube will be releasing a firmware hack on 1/1/11 that will give the T2i/550D 4K, 3K, and 2K recording capabilities and bit rates between 45MB/s and 175MB/s. He claims that 91 seconds of footage can be recorded at 2K and 175MB/s, though the time drops down to 6 seconds for 4K. Read more…
Owners of Sony’s NEX line of EVIL cameras can now autofocus A-mount lenses that are used with Alpha DSLRs. Previously A-mount lenses attached to NEX cameras via the $200 LA-EA1 adapter could only be manually focused, but with the firmware update Sony released today they can be autofocused for single shots at the blazing speed of 2 to 7 seconds per autofocus.
Wait, what?
Yes, apparently users may have to wait up to seven seconds for your camera to lock onto a subject. You might want to stick with that manual focus after all. The new firmware can be download here.
Sony has released a new firmware update for the NEX-3 and NEX-5 EVIL cameras that adds 3D Sweep Panorama technology. This is the technology shown in the super-annoying Taylor Swift commercial that invaded YouTube videos, except it’s enhanced to offer 3D viewing.
This is interesting, since traditional stereoscopic 3D photographs require 2 separate lenses to record footage from different perspectives. However, the Sweep Panorama technology works by shooting a burst of frames while having you smoothly pan across a scene, so it looks like Sony is using some fancy processing techniques to figure out perspective from the panning action.
Head on over to the Sony Europe Support site to download the firmware update if you have a NEX camera.
Hanson’s new music video for their single, “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’” is really something — and it’s no MMMBop.
The video was shot on a Canon 7D, fitted with some Nikon AI (automatic indexing) prime lenses.
Paul Lawson, the creative director and director of photography for the video said:
I chose the Canon 7D, primarily because this was before the 5D firmware finally came out and I got sick of hearing the rumors so I just went with the 7D to shoot the video. (a week later the firmware actually was released this time). I used an array of old 80’s Nikon AI Prime Lenses to shoot the entire video, to really try an emulate the look and feel of the vintage film.
There’s definitely a lighthearted, vintage feel to the video, which pays homage to the film, “The Blues Brothers,” and features a cameo of “Weird Al” Yankovic on the tambourine.
A photograph of a Canon 7D with firmware version 1.2.0 has appeared before any official word of the update from Canon. It was posted to POTN by forum member garycoleman, who says,
My 7D came from the Canon headquarters in NY because it was a replacement for my defective one. The serial starts with 077xxxxxxxx and has firmware 1.2.0 which I find interesting because the Canon only goes up the 1.1.0 on their webpage. Maybe 1.2.0 is going to be released any day now?
Canon Rumors reports that the firmware update will fix problems related to third party batteries, and adds support for future remotes, accessories, and lenses.
It doesn’t look like the firmware update will be a big deal, but it’s interesting that it appeared in the wild from Canon before any official announcement was made.
