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Canon EOS 7D Also Graced With New Firmware

Not just Nikonians are feeling the love right now, Canon is also taking caring of it’s 7D-shaped business with its own extensive firmware update. What’s in this one, you ask? Well…

Q: What are the changes in Firmware Version 1.2.5?
A: The following improvements and fixes have been incorporated.
1. Fixed a phenomenon in which there were rare cases where movie files taken could not be opened when repeatedly shooting movies with specific CF cards.
2. Fixed a phenomenon in which there were cases where “Err 02″ appeared when repeatedly shooting still images with specific CF cards.
3. Fixed a phenomenon that occurred when using high-capacity (32 GB or greater) CF cards: If either a CF card with only a little available space remaining or the battery was removed and then reinserted into the camera, and then the user attempted to start shooting movies immediately, shooting would stop.
4. Improved the writing/reading speeds when using UDMA 7-compatible CF cards.
The reading/writing speeds are the same as those for UDMA 6 CF cards.
5. Fixed a phenomenon that occurred when custom function C.Fn 4-1 was set to assign IS start to the AF stop button on the lens: When used with lenses that do not have an AF stop button, the IS function would not work.
6. Corrected some mistakes in the menu screens displayed in Arabic and Portuguese.
(Only for products that come with Arabic or Portuguese menus)

There you go. Straight from the horse’s mouth. If this is your cuppa tea (mine’s keemun, personally, but yours can be 7D, I won’t judge), hit the external link to download for Mac or Windows.



Canon 7D Updates Firmware to 1.2.2, Considers Buying Rosetta Stone

Didn’t quite get this out yesterday, but the EOS 7D has received yet another firmware update. And why paraphrase what it does when we can just quote direct from the horse’s mouth?

Firmware Version 1.2.2 incorporates the following fixes.

  1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the set aperture moves when shooting movies in manual exposure mode using some Canon lenses (such as macro lenses).
  2. Fixes the AF point-selection behavior of the C.Fn III-7 (Manual AF pt. selec. pattern) custom function when set to [1].
  3. Fixes the AF point display for the viewfinder electronic level when shooting in the vertical position.
  4. Corrects misspellings in the Spanish and Thai menus for applicable products.

The Version 1.2.2 firmware is for cameras with firmware up to Version 1.2.1. If the camera’s firmware is already Version 1.2.2, it is not necessary to update the firmware. Note that cameras with the Version 1.2.2 firmware (and also Versions 1.2.0, 1.2.1) cannot be downgraded to a previous firmware version (such as Version 1.1.0).

Itchin’ to have your Thai more grammatically correct? Then hit the external link below and fire it up.



2009 Holiday Shopping Guide: Image Stabilization


2009-holiday-shopping

Well everyone, it’s that time of the year again. Christmas (and other winter holiday) shopping. And, like last year, we’re back to help. Not necessarily by just pushing the products we want you to buy (D3s, 7D, *cough cough*), but by giving you useful, more sweeping tips to make you a more savvy shopper, able to sift through the seas of numbers, specs, and options available.

OK, ok, we’ll probably plug a specific product or two as we go along. We sell camera equipment, it’s what we do, you know?

But, let’s start with a simple one: image stabilization.

Image stabilization is known by many names (basically a different one for each manufacturer), but is ultimately down to the same idea. Some of the more common names for this technology include:

  • Image Stabilization (IS)
  • Vibration Compensation (VC)
  • Vibration Reduction (VR)
  • SuperSteady Shot
  • And many more

So, what does it do? Well, when you hold a camera, it’s subject to slight trembles and other shakes from your hands. These are natural, and how bad they are depends on your age, physical condition, grip, stance, camera, and more. But, what is means without fail is that at longer exposures, the natural movements from your hands will move the camera a little, and make pictures look less sharp.

There are three ways image stabilization works: electronic, optical, and in-body. Of those, you should only ever choose optical or in-body. Those two help reduce shake using complicated gyroscopes that shift elements to counter for your hand shake. Electronic stabilization, however, works by simply pushing your ISO up, which introduces grain and noise and color shifts, and in general trades one problem for a different one.

Also, because it just counters your movement, image stabilization doesn’t change exposure. In low light, you will still need longer exposures which means moving subjects will still have motion blur. But, if you’re shooting largely stationary subjects, or family portraits around the Christmas tree, image stabilization will help keep your shots crisper. Recommending a camera or lens with image stabilization over one without is easy, we’ll recommend it every time.



Canon’s New EOS-1D Mark IV Gets Real

eos-1d-mark-IVCanon this morning in the wee hours when I was decidedly not awake announced their newest pro body, the long-awaited EOS-1D Mark IV. It’s direct predecessor, the Mark III, had just been announced before I hired on here at Roberts, so the announcement of the Mark IV is something of a milestone for me, personally.

Now, getting past the sentimentals, here’s what you need to know:

1. The Mark IV continues the tradition of the 1D line in using an ASP-H sensor with a 1.3x crop factor. The full-frame chips remain a hallmark of the studio-oriented 1Ds line, and of course the 5D series. It’s up now to 16.1 megapixels, and keeps dual-processors (now the DIGIC IV models).

2. It has an all new 45-point autofocus system (39 of which become the more accurate cross-type points with an aperture of f2.8 or wider). Did we  mention it’s all new and reportedly exhaustively field tested?

3. Canon is showing a rare conservative streak, and the continuous shooting mode is throttled back to 10 frames per second (versus the blistering 14 of its predecessor).

4. 1080p video. Really, were you expecting them to leave this out after the 5D Mark II, Rebel T1i, and 7D all got it? If you were, shame on you. If you weren’t, ta-da! HD video for everybody!

5. Expanded ISO. The Mark IV sport an expanded ISO range of 100 – 102,400 (which seems somehow familiar)

Those seem to be the key points, a lot of it is the stock stuff you’d expect from a camera at this price point. It keeps the 3″ 920,000 dot LCD, build, 1/300s EX shutter sync, 100% viewfinder, you get the point. Continuing the trend started with the EOS 7D, Canon’s announced a new wireless file transmitter for this beastie (and one for the 5D Mark II, too), for those of you who dig sending photos straight to a computer.

I shouldn’t have to say Get On Our Wait List Today, but it looks like I just did.




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