Close Menu

    5D Mark II Firmware 2.0.3 Broken

    By 71 Comments2 Mins Read

    Important Update Information for Firmware Update Version 2.0.3
    Thank you for using Canon products.

    We have learned that some users of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera are experiencing issues with Firmware Update Version 2.0.3.

    We are working on a new firmware update to address these phenomena, which will be available soon. If you have not registered your EOS 5D Mark II, please register so we will be able to notify you via e-mail when future firmware updates become available for download.

    Canon always strives to provide the highest quality products to our customers. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience these phenomena may have caused. We appreciate your kind patronage and support.

    Official Link: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=MultiMiscPageAct&key=EOS_5DMKII_Firmware&fcategoryid=139

    Some of the complaints
    “No audio in C modes unless I set my audio levels in one of the “creative” modes (M, Av, Tv, ) first and then go into my C mode of choice. Kinda defeats the purpose of having a C mode if I have to go to another mode first…”

    “I have found the same thing. It only seems to work if you move from one of the other creative modes to a Custom mode. If you turn the camera OFF, then go to a Custom mode, turn the camera back ON, and then try to record Manual audio, you will get signal levels on your meters, but no audio is recorded.”

    From 5D Mark II Team: http://5dmark2.wordpress.com/

    Thanks Jay

    cr

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.

    71 Comments

    2. Jason on

      I was going to upgrade my firmware this evening so I could shoot video at 24p this weekend. If anyone is experiencing these “phenomena” can you please post what you’ve encountered here. Thanks.

    4. Jason on

      I hope not. Phillip Bloom has been using it for a few weeks and posted a few features shot on it already. No mention of any issues with it in his post. Strange.

    5. Son of Daguerre on

      Canon, how about a link to the older firmware (“disguised” as Firmware 2.0.4 so the camera won’t reject it as an older version)?

    6. Maarten on

      Things I experienced tonight with the new 2.0.3 FW:

      Bad:

      ISO button did not respond sometimes when shooting video in M or Av mode

      Communication interrupted when downloading images with EOS Utility (error message reported something like ¨taking a picture is not available in this mode, replace battery” (I did not touch any buttons)

      Good:

      Sound recording on auto in a very loud scene with internal mic (SPL ~100dB), MAJOR improvement!

      Question:

      Why is the shutter minimal setting still 30 while fps is set at 25?

      Bummer:

      I would really appreciate 720P 60fps, limitation of only one DIGIC? 720p is about half the pixels of 1920, puzzles me!

    7. 5D Mark II TEAM on

      As it’s reported in the link CR posted above, so far, the issue is found when you try to use the Custom modes (C1, C2, C3).

      You will notice the new Audio settings are not properly registered on those modes.

      After you turn OFF, and then ON your camera, the previous registered setting in any Cx mode will not remain the same you chose.

      In many cases you won’t get audio recorded unless you change the settings again, as it’s described in the Blog post.

      That represents a big risk for those users who use Custom modes and Movie/Video function. Currently you cannot use Cx modes reliably because it could result in a footage with no sound.

      There might be other issues, but so far this is the only one fully confirmed.

      If you take that precaution, you can shoot at 24p and 25p without problems.

      There are already many 24p and 25p test made with this new firmware on vimeo. You also need to consider other aspects at the time of watching a 24p footage (don’t trust on the camera’s LCD, check it on a proper display with a proper player)

    9. Jason on

      Thank you for your reply. That information you quoted above was not present at the time of my reply. It has been recently added after its original post.

    11. imageshooter on

      I experienced some “choppiness” while shooting @24p as if the camera dropped frames or experienced a shock. I immediately wondered if it might be a firmware bug.

    12. Josh on

      I experienced the exact same thing playing with 24p today. Glad to know someone else noticed it and I’m not just going crazy.

    13. Josh on

      Sorry, now I also remember while shooting in manual mode, the aperature would stop down quickly and then click back. I know my cameras well and am sure I wasn’t chaning the aperature or focusing. It was while I was recording. The screen would dim and you could hear the aperature changing.

    14. Craig on

      So far things have been fine for me just shooting stills. As long as they can avoid breaking THAT, I’m okay.

    16. aperian on

      i don’t shoot with any Cx for video so i think i’m good. everything else seems to work fine except for the jittery video while recording.

      not a problem when actually viewing the footage on a computer after recording.

      still, will update once new fix is out. thanks for the heads up.

    19. james on

      canon should just hire trammel from magic lantern…what this guy did alone should make canon feel ashamed that with all their resources and time – they botched it!!!

    21. Martijn M on

      This is great. First withhold the firmware for more than a half year due to marketing. And then release a buggy version. What’s going on Canon?

    25. Canonus on

      haha, guess Nikon´s having a blast.

      canon should fix it quick and add the 720p and real AutoIso for the trouble of their beloved customers.

    27. Simon on

      What blast? Not a major issue just someone having audio issue in C mode which I dont use anyway.

    28. Lee on

      oh, it would be great if they would add 720p as a sort-of sorry we had a bug in the firmware. However I wonder why canon didnt include it – not even a comment about it.

    29. Ivica on

      As Canon 5DmkII owner, I have upgraded my camera from firmware version1.2.4 to the newest 2.0.3. After the upgrade, in all modes except C1,C2 and C3, I am receiving ERROR 70 message, and camera is not usable. I managed to downgrade camera back to FW 1.2.4 and now it iseems that everything works fine again. After trying to upgrade to 2.0.3 again, camera was not working again.

      What is wrong here, my camera or the new firmware? Please help.

    30. Martin on

      So, some minor audio problems in the C-Modes.
      Why does the Headline say “Firmware broken” ???

      Quite everything else is working fine, right !!!!????

    31. 50/50 on

      Well, I’m not especially suprised, and tbh I wouldn’t even find it that big a deal if canon hadn’t made us wait so long for this firmware that I’m pretty sure they’ve had ready for months.

      You’d think that over such an extended “test” period they’d have found glitches like this and fixed them… I don’t know if 720p 50/60 fps can even be implemented on a 5dII but I think all 5dII users would really appreciate a little love from canon after this… in the form of adding that mode, or allowing users to set auto iso limits… or increasing the range of AEB or something… seriously show us your sorry canon!

    33. Ergi on

      I’m sure it will be fixed soon, too, however it does look unprofessional. The fact that the used software architecture obviously doesn’t make such an omission immediately apparent to the programmer and that they didn’t discover this during testing tells me that they need more structure in their processes.

    34. Paul on

      Just did a 10 minute interview with the head of a Spanish airline (here in the UK) – and there is no audio on the file, need to phone up my boss and tell her the good news.

      : (

      I am curious as to why Canon would not even check this, it’s not like the issue turned up several weeks after the firmware had been out because it was obscure, if you look on some of the forums it now appears it became obvious with hours of users updating their firmware ?

      Why did Canon not catch this, they have had the firmware for weeks, maybe even months ?

      Idiots.

    35. Paul on

      Martin, this dangerous flaw is enough to warrant the title ‘broken’.

      It is dangerous because it is so easy to shoot an interview and think you are getting the audio just fine, only to discover your whole interview is ruined when you later upload to your computer.

      This can be disastrous – as I have found out.

    36. Pinky Willis on

      I was thinking the same.
      Trammel would be happy, and Canon would have a great firmware.

    38. Chuck on

      I started my download on monday and it’s still trickling in from japan. I’m not starting it again.

    39. Camgirl76 on

      Don’t worry. Like we see on this page, some are saying it’s a minor problem. Certainly not broken.

      /sarcasm

    42. Nathan on

      Tell her the airline dude was not actually saying anything outloud?

      Yeah though it is rubbish – good luck.

    43. Nick on

      worked fine for me.. shot about an hour and half of video around the city yesterday.

      meh somtimes canon annoys me almost as much as apple.

    44. gtrial on

      Why cannon cannot develop something perfectly? They have not seen the Magic Lantern firmware? The audio manual setting is good, this is that I wanted most, but why they do NOT put the audio meter onto the top of the LCD, like lantern?

      Whit this fw, you still not able to see the actual audio level while recording. Unacceptable.

    46. Minh on

      I haven’t even had time to download the firmware. I guess that’s a good thing. Seems like it didn’t effect everyone though.

    47. 5D Mark II TEAM on

      Good question. Probably to avoid people saying that Canon “copied” Magic Lantern.

      But in fact most users wouldn’t say that, they would be really happy instead.

      We still think a new “fresh air” of ideas would be VERY good to Canon, and benefit everyone.

    48. off topic on

      I have had this “jumpy aperture” problem as well. While pulling focus with the 100mm macro (old school version) the aperture would stop down for a second and then open back up during the pull. This occurred in manual mode with the new firmware. Annoying, I thought it was the lens at the time.

    49. Rod on

      You did a pro interview with only ONE audio source? On new, untested firmware? Sorry but You were asking for trouble on that one ;)

      I always have 3 Audio sources, on camera, portable recorder with inbuilt condenser mics and another mic plugged in on the XLR.

      Having said that, man I feel for you…that’s a bloody disaster! And it’s only a matter of time before something like this happens to all of us. Good luck.

    50. Rod on

      I have never used any of the Custom dials and probably never will. All I can say is that so far, 24 hours later and after several tests – mine are coping with the FW well.

      I’m going to be really interested to see how this new audio FW upgrade will alter my sound recording technique. Maybe now I can get clean enough sound directly out of the camera using a line to mic 3.5mm cable from the line out of my DR100? (or H4n for that matter – although you can’t monitor sound on the H4n and use the line out at the same time – which sucks).

    54. Dannybuoy on

      All seems fine on my 5D2. I don’t shoot in C zones so can’t say if it’s broken or not. I know for one I wouldn’t go to an important shoot until I had thoroughly tested the new firmware first. Feel for you dude. Get him to fly back, he should be able to get a free flight ;-)

    55. Off topic on

      It was during a studio test, I was definitely shooting in manual mode. Thanks for your response.

    56. Scott Milner on

      I would say the firmware is broken! I had no problems with my camera till now. It is now a very nice paperweight, and is going on vacation to Canon in Virginia. After talking to their tech department, they said they have heard of this happening. They said the only fix is for them to completely dump the internal ROM memory and reinstall FW 1.2.4. So its 2 weeks without my 5D2. Back to my trusty 40D!!!

    57. Scalesusa on

      Canon has already stated that there will be no 720P because the hardware in the 5D MK II doesn’t support it. The hardware in the 7D and 1D MK IV does support it.

    58. Scalesusa on

      In case you haven’t read it, Canon says 720P is not supported by the hardware in the 5D MK II. It will not happen — ever.

    59. Scalesusa on

      It is no problem at all, mine takes great photos, and video as well. The issue is easy to work around, just do not turn on the camera in the c1, c2, or c3 mode, start in another creative mode, set the volume, and switch to the c1 mode.

      Better yet, don’t use manual audio, it works fine in automatic.

    60. Maarten on

      Scott Milner Says: So its 2 weeks without my 5D2. Back to my trusty 40D!!!

      Nonsense, there are some problems but none are a reason to put the camera aside…

    62. gibbygoo on

      I’m skeptical about claims of Jittery video in 24p, especially from those who are less experienced in videography and film-making. Compared to 30p, 24p has a certain hint of jitter and that is part of what provides the cinematic look. If you are experiencing “jittery” video in manual mode, post it to vimeo. I’d love to see it for myself.

      For the record, my firmware upgrade works perfectly (I never use CS. Don’t even know what it is. Don’t care.)

    63. Radu on

      I would agree if it wasn’t for the 550D which is the cheapest of them all and has 720p/60!!! Where is the official statement from Canon?

    66. Dannybuoy on

      Yep, they have patched it. I also got a 1mbps download. I guess they want to get this patch out as fast as possible. Then they can start about adding 720p in earnest. ;-)

    67. Tad Brown on

      Just upgraded to 2.0.4

      After shooting video in manual mode, the camera jumps to auto ISO during still photos, even with the dial set to M and ISO previously manually set.

    69. Elizabeth on

      and yes friends here is gift from me to u all friends .. have free air tickets just chill enjoy!!! and yes dont forget to say thanks to me ;)

    Leave A Reply