A Canon Rumors reader let us know about a service update for the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV that we missed from back in January.
The voice tag upgrade service is listed on the Canon Europe support web site.
From Canon:
Thank you for using Canon products.
We have released a new upgrade service for the EOS 5D Mark IV. With the upgrade, you can record a voice memo to a captured image.
The Voice Tag Upgrade Service is available as a chargeable service exclusively via Canon authorized service-centers.
Please note: Canon-Log and Voice-Tag settings cannot be simultaneously made for the same camera.
How to Arrange the Voice Tag Upgrade Service
Owners have the option to send their EOS 5D Mk IV to a Canon Service & Repair Centre or to a local Authorised Service Partner for the Voice Tag Upgrade Service.
When requesting this service from a Canon Service & Repair Centre, this will be provided on a fixed price basis and invoices will be issued in the local currency of the Canon Service & Repair Centre that performs the service. Service pricing is as follows:
| € (excl. VAT) | £ (excl. VAT) | SEK (excl. VAT) | RUB (Incl. VAT) |
| 82.50 | 69.25 | 800 | 6000 |
Please note: the prices quoted above may be subject to change and exclude inbound shipping. When requesting this service from a local Authorised Service Partner, prices may vary.
Thanks Sebastian
Oh wait, is this the killer feature reserved for the 1D line that customers must pay an extra $3,000 for? :)
It wouldn't surprise me if we see more of this. Panasonic offers some of their firmware updates and their customers put up with it.
Probably Canon didn't release a firmware with both included.
I think it depends on what you shoot.
For a landscape shooter, it's probably mostly there, but as an alternative to the 5D4, not a "refresh." When I think about a refresh, I don't think sensor changes that merely optimize for a different flange difference as a sensor improvement, for example. That's a lateral change. Canon executives have also indicated same sentiments a few weeks after launch.
For an action shooter (me), it is very much not a refresh or even a lateral move. 3 fps in servo focus is dismal. I recognize that this isn't a big deal for a great number of people.
I just put a pre-order in for the RP as a tiny backup camera. I prefer it over the R because it has 4 fps (relatively blazing!) in servo. This is really an excuse for me to buy a couple of the RF lenses I've been eyeing, while waiting for the real 5 series or equivalent to come out.
I don't think this'll happen anytime soon, as all evidence points to processing power being a severe limitation (the reason the RP has 1/3 more fps than the R is likely due to smaller megapixels allowing a fixed amount of processing power to do a little more). My expectation is that Canon is beavering away at a fairly radical processor upgrade - perhaps even outsourcing the hardware - so as to allow their bodies to provide some of the minimal functionality we today take for granted on our mirrorslappers, like 7 fps+. I don't think they get this with an incremental Digic upgrade, although perhaps they could squeeze it out by putting in three chips or more and providing a massive battery - not the most elegant solution. I suspect they are going to wind up taking this opportunity to set themselves up on a new platform - whether produced in house or not - and this will involve massive amounts of code replacement. Canon is good at planning those things long-term, but it's not good at having those long-term plans realized on the schedule they would like. I think this may have much to do with gobs of awesome pro lenses showing up without a camera quite up to commensurate expectations. But they'll get there.
In the meantime, I might dally with some other systems to amuse myself, perhaps the upcoming Sigma L mount offering, or the new Panasonic L mount. I see it as an opportunity to learn about the alternatives, but will very likely come back to Canon exclusively when they get this right.
Um...maybe one could use a notebook or a smartphone?