Canon Updates Firmware For GP-E2, WFT-E7

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Canon has updated the firmware for their GPS accessory the GP-E2</p>
<p><strong>Firmware Version 2.0.0 incorporates the following fixes and improvements:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Fixes a phenomenon in which, in rare cases, the signal acquisition indicator on the GPS Receiver GP-E2 displays “Slow blinking (Signal acquired)” even if a signal is not yet acquired.</li>
<li>Fixes a phenomenon which new log files may not be saved correctly if the built-in memory of the GPS Receiver GP-E2 becomes full.</li>
<li>Support for the EOS Rebel T6s / EOS 760D and EOS Rebel T6i / EOS 750D cameras has been added.</li>
<li>Support for the EOS 5Ds and EOS 5Ds R cameras has been added.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/professional/professional_cameras/gps_receivers/gps_receiver_gp_e2?WT.mc_id=C126149#DriversAndSoftware" target="_blank">Download firmware 2.0.0 for the GP-E2 at Canon USA</a> | <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/847538-REG/Canon_6363B001_GPS_Receiver_GP_E2.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">Canon GP-E2 at B&H Photo $228</a></p>
<p>Canon has updated the firmware for the wireless file transmitter, the WFT-E7A</p>
<p><strong>Firmware Version 1.2.0 incorporates the following improvement:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Support has been added for the EOS 5Ds / EOS 5Ds R.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/consumer_cameras_wft/wireless_file_transmitter_wft_e7a#DriversAndSoftware" target="_blank">Download firmware 1.2.0 for the WFT-E7A at Canon USA</a> | <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/847547-REG/Canon_5754B001_WFT_E7A_Wireless_File_Transmitter.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">Canon WFT-E7A at B&H Photo $699</a></p>

 

[Simen1]

Did they add a star traction function?
Did they make it an internal device?
Does it leave the flash shoe free?
Is it free of charge when buying a camera?
Did they learn anything from the competition?

 

[fraxs]

I've got the GP-E2 and i'm quite happy but anybody know why it's not supported to see the batterystatus of the GP-E2 ? Or am I wrong?

 

[niels123]

I've got the GP-E2 and i'm quite happy but anybody know why it's not supported to see the batterystatus of the GP-E2 ? Or am I wrong?

1) Remove battery
2) Take a battery checker and check status
3) Put battery back into device



On the serious note: I also have the GP-E2 and I am also happy with it. I used to use it on my 5D3 but since a couple of weeks I also have the 7D2. How can I configure / use it on the 7D2. If I put it on it takes ages to find a GPS signal whereas on my 5D3 it is *fast*. Would it only use internal GPS of 7D2?

 

[niels123]

Did they add a star traction function?
Did they make it an internal device?
Does it leave the flash shoe free?
Is it free of charge when buying a camera?
Did they learn anything from the competition?

You can get a bracket to leave the USB shoe free and connect it to the camera via usb.

 

[niels123]

With "GeoSetter" and a phone app like "ViewRanger", I get GPS tracking for $0 with all my cameras.

Why would I want to pay $238 extra for GPS tracking?

because this is my only cell phone:

 

[captainkanji]

Yay 6D!

 

[LDS]

Did they add a star traction function?
Did they make it an internal device?
Does it leave the flash shoe free?
Is it free of charge when buying a camera?
Did they learn anything from the competition?

It comes with a belt holder also, but it can be mounted on the camera because it can also record the direction the camera was aimed to when shooting, something that needs a fixed orientation (relative to the camera).

It also allows for very precise time recording, but of course these are features far beyond the average photographers needs.

 

[LDS]

I've got the GP-E2 and i'm quite happy but anybody know why it's not supported to see the batterystatus of the GP-E2 ? Or am I wrong?

The manual says it has a blinking led telling battery status.

 

[LDS]

With "GeoSetter" and a phone app like "ViewRanger", I get GPS tracking for $0 with all my cameras.

Why would I want to pay $238 extra for GPS tracking?

because this is my only cell phone:
...

If you can afford a GP-E2 or WFT-E7 then you can afford a new mobile (smart) phone with GPS capabilities.

Or maybe exactly because of those prices no money were left for a new phone...

 

[kphoto99]

<li>Support for the EOS Rebel T6s / EOS 760D and EOS Rebel T6i / EOS 750D cameras has been added.</li>
<li>Support for the EOS 5Ds and EOS 5Ds R cameras has been added.</li>

Talk about poor API design, and not planning for the future.

 

[MiamiC70]

how is this news? I downloaded v2.0.0 two months ago.

 

[kirbyzhou]

I hate WFT-E7.
It is big, heavy, like a monster, compared to WFT-E6.
Even WFT-E4 is better, it is designed to be a grip.

Who knows why canon designed such a ugly product -- WFT-E7?

 

[LDS]

I hate WFT-E7.
It is big, heavy, like a monster, compared to WFT-E6.
Even WFT-E4 is better, it is designed to be a grip.

The EOS-1Dx already has wired network connectivity built-in. The WFT-E6 just adds the wireless part. Moreover it's powered by the camera.

I agree that a grip design is much more comfortable, but it also makes it very camera-specific. The WFT-E7 can be used with different camera models, making it a little more "appealing", at that price...

 

[sulla]

Oh, I agree, all the WFTs are just a horrible products: Attached via a (I believe) USB cable, mounted under the camera in a most unergonomic way, and the worst is: Too slow for anything useful. Gosh, even Canon adorses the WiFi-SD-cards right in the firmware of their cameras!
The other day I was at a Canon-Presentation of the 5Ds and the demo photographer used the WFT to transfer photos from the camera to a screen right as they were shot - but only *SMALL JPG* files. He said the WFT is waaaaaaaaaay toooooooo slow for transmitting RAW files. No way did that thing achieve anything close to 802.11n's maximum data rate of 600MBit/s. What the f*$§" for 700 USD/EUR/GBP??
But it could be such a good funcionality: If only I didn't need to remove the CF cards or plug in a USB cable to download my photos to my PC when I return home! It is really high time that Canon integrates good WLAN functionality into all cameras, hey, this is 2015.

As to the GP-E2: yes, I too own a mobile phone with GPS. And yes, I COULD have geotagged all my photos for ages using geosetter. Fact is, I didn't, because it was too cumbersome: first, the times of the camera and the GPS never matched well enough, then sometimes I leave my phone in the car and walk a few hundred steps to take a photo, so the gps-data an the location of my camera sometimes don't match, then, it is several additional steps to be done before Lightroom (loading and storing gps-data from my phone, putting everything into geosetter, synching everything, saving modified RAWs - which I do not like to modify etc...) Could all those things be overcome? Certainly! But painfully.
The GP-E2 solves all those issues PLUS it records the direction of the camera via a built in compass right into the RAW-files. PLUS - it seems to me - it has a much better antenna than my mobile phone.
A wonderful product!
Could it be improved upon? Definitely: integrate an electronic level (or record that data from the electronic level of the camera), wire through the hot-shoe signals etc... Poor interface design that requires a firmware update to support new cameras? Definitely, as Canon flashes are much better designed and never need such updates.
But still - I love it!

 

[LDS]

802.11n's maximum data rate of 600MBit/s. What the f*$§" for 700 USD/EUR/GBP??

As long it uses an USB 2.0 connection the bottleneck is there. Also 802.11n uses MIMO, that works with multiple antennas to achieve the full speed - if a device is 802.11n but doesn't have the proper number of antennas, it can't reach the maximum speed - it happens with phones and other devices as well, including access points. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11n-2009#Number_of_antennas

Thereby most products advertising "up to 600 Mb/s" are usually deceiving.

wire through the hot-shoe signals

It does that, but with the 7D and 1200D.

 

[MiamiC70]

I have been out of the DSLR (actually SLR) scene for a while but just got back in with a 70D. I am very surprised and even shocked by how little innovation and technology has trickled into DSLR's in that time. It is after all 2015. Some of the things that drew me to the 70D was the touch screen, articulating EVF, and Wi-Fi.

Why are these things so special in a DSLR? They should be in EVERY DSLR. Heck by now should be mainstream and expected. Every smart phone and many point and shoots have these features for years. Yet in 2015 I had to spend money for a separate GPS unit for my 70D! I love the GPS and the GP-E2 is nice but come on really Canon and you want $250 for it?