The Canon 1D X firmware update that Canon accidentally leaked yesterday is now official and available over on Canon’s website. The upgrade adds two autofocus features that photographers have been asking for since the camera was released: illuminated AF points and the ability to use cross-type autofocus at f/8.
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Ever since the Canon 1D X and 5D Mark III were released, photographers have been complaining about sometimes not being able to see the black AF points in the new 61-point system. In July we wrote that Canon was reportedly working on a fix. It now looks like the fix may soon be upon us, in the form of a firmware update.
A press release announcing the new firmware appeared briefly on Canon’s website today but was quickly taken down once the news started getting around. The release mentioned two impending upgrades to the 1D X: red AF point illumination and cross-type autofocusing at f/8.
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If your DSLR ever dies in your arms or starts acting funny, here’s a simple thing to check before shelling out money to have it examined by professionals: the camera’s internal clock battery. Redditor Aero93 writes,
So my camera died out of nowhere. No matter what I did and tested, it wouldn’t turn on. Canon quoted $400 to check the cam + labor parts. Independent repair guy was around $250. It was too much for me. I decided to tackle the problem on my own. I got the manual online. Started taking the camera apart. I got stuck on one thing.
After that, I started asking around on a forum. Somebody suggested I check the internal clock battery, I didn’t even now it existed and its right next to the regular battery. I went out and bought a new one. Boom, camera fired right up.
The internal clock battery is the one that keeps the clock in your camera running even when the main battery is removed. They usually cost about a buck each.
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Sebastian Guerrero, an independent researcher in Barcelona says he’s discovered a way to force friendship with any Instagram user — private or public — by exploiting an Instagram server-side vulnerability. In one case, Guerrerro forced Mark Zuckerberg to follow his test account. Then Guerrerro sent him a message through a photo post, which would show up in Zuckerberg’s photo feed of people he follows. Guerrero also used a test account to follow a private user without the required approval from the private user.
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After receiving several complaints from professional and private sources alike, Nikon has finally stepped forward to admit to and address the reported “lock up” issue with its new D4 and D800 DSLRs. The issue, which Nikon maintains only affects “a small number of D4/D800 users,” causes both cameras to lock up unexpectedly and up until now could only be “fixed” by removing and reinserting the battery. Read more…
Canon has received some pretty bad publicity over the past month due to the 5D Mark III’s “light leak” issue — a relatively minor flaw in which light from (or through) the LCD panel can affect the camera’s exposure readings in extremely dark environments. Last week Canon finished investigating the issue, and reported that it only affects a certain range of serial numbers, suggesting that the company has implemented a fix for newer bodies. It also announced that service centers would be providing free “inspections” for owners concerned about this issue.
If you were wondering what kind of fancy fix the company came up with, here it is: tape. The folks over at LensRentals received a batch of newer 5D Mark III cameras, and took one apart to compare with the old version. They found that the innards under the LCD screen are now covered with a large strip of black tape. And yes, the problem is gone.
(via LensRentals via Planet5D)
Back in August, it came to light that some of Leica’s $7,000 M9 cameras had a problem in which they would corrupt the SD card being used — a problem that caused one photographer to permanently lose work after a day of shooting. The company quickly acknowledged the problem, and today announced that they had finally discovered the cause:
Thanks to the close collaboration with SD card manufacturers, Leica has now managed to rectify the fault by making adjustments to the firmware. To ensure compatibility with as many cards as possible and to ensure that all the related processes remain fault-free and are not compromised, comprehensive testing must be carried out in the development phase.
In the coming weeks we will test a beta version of the firmware in practice in cooperation with affected and selected customers.
The firmware fix will be released to the general public after they’ve thoroughly tested it.
Well, that was fast.
Just a day after removing Version 2.0.3 of the 5D Mark II firmware due to a bug, Canon has released firmware Version 2.0.4, which simply fixes the bug in Version 2.0.3.
We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience caused to our customers by suspending the availability of the Version 2.0.3 firmware.
We are now introducing the Version 2.0.4 firmware. This firmware corrects the malfunction that occurred in the previous Version 2.0.3 firmware, in which the manual recording level changed and made recording impossible.
Customers who have the Version 2.0.3 firmware on their cameras should update the firmware to Version 2.0.4.
Hopefully Canon got it right this time.
Thanks for sending in the tip Jonathan!
