7D Firmware officially announced

[Marsu42]

I cannot see any firmware/programming difficulty whatsover to enable EC in M mode as it is enabled in ALL shooting modes

A company designing the 1dx surely is capable of implementing much more features in firmware than are currently available. The question just is: What does Canon want? The answer: Maximize profit. This means: 1) minimize costs (like recycling the 5d2 sensor for the 5d3 and have as little support/testing for seldom used firmware features as possible). And 2) maximize money flowing to them (sell as as much cameras as they can and as expensive models as they can).

To achieve the sales goal, first they have to competitive, so they of course provide the basic feature set (like 3x bracketing) and cover up for problems (like in-camera hdr & multi-shot nr). Furthermore, they have to differentiate their products. And between mid-range and top cameras this will concern features that are important if you are an advanced photog. Examples of this are afma (dropped on the 60d for the 7d) and Ec on m (no dice on 5d) - so unless you can come up with a commercial reason for Canon to implement it, forget it.

It is very unfortunate Magic Lantern is not able to fix most things outside live view - but well, never look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[Loswr]

* metering linked to active AF-field in Spot metering?

Canon's iFCL color metering always factors in the active AF points. FOCUS, COLOR and LUMINANCE metering. Its weighted, and exactly what weighting it gets depends on your metering mode, but this has been around since the 7D was released (and is available in all other bodies that use iFCL metering, including the 5D III.)

I think you're missing the point. Those long statements from Canon about iFCL metering which you posted are referring to evaluative metering, and yes, that's been weighted toward the selected AF point for a long time. What AvTvM is talking about is spot metering, where the metering is done exclusively (not 'weighted' to some unknown fraction) at a small spot (1.5-4% of the field, depending on model). On 1-series bodies, that spot metering areas can be immediately surrounding any selected AF point, whereas on all other current bodies, spot metering is only in the center, regardles of the AF point seleted (meaning if you want an off-center subject and you want to focus and meter specifically on that subject, you must meter-AELock-recompose-focus-shoot, vs. just shoot).

Try it yourself on a non-1-series - put an off-center AF point on a static subject that's much darker or brighter than the rest of the scene, meter using evaluative metering, then try spot metering right on that subject - you'll usually get a different exposure value, sometimes very different depending on subject and background.

 

[Loswr]

When I look at the list of new features in the v2.0 firmware, I think: "Gee, there are some nice improvements there, a couple of them are even useful to me."

Then I get this email from Canon. I mean, I kow that exaggeration is Marketing's job...but...reallly?!?

Then again, I suppose the truth, "We're throwing you a bone with the inclusion of a few features we delivered on newer, lower-end models," was too long to fit inside the center of the sunburst-type graphic...

 

[Marsu42]

Then I get this email from Canon. I mean, I kow that exaggeration is Marketing's job...but...reallly?!?

Omh, this is hilarious - if this wasn't you posting the picture, I'd say it's pure sarcasm from a Nikon troll :-> ... imagine what Canon could achieve if they gave 1/10th of their marketing staff a programing tutorial and put them into development to figure out and implement really useful features...

 

[infared]

Two Words: EXPANDED BRACKETING

 

[Marsu42]

Two Words: EXPANDED BRACKETING

To say something good about Canon for a change: Nikon cripples its camera bodies even more, and there's no Magic Lantern to provide unlimited, automatic bracketing there. For example, the d7000 only allows for 3x +-2ev bracketing which is a known Nikon nuisance and often isn't enough for very high contrast hdr scenes...

 

[DB]

Canon 7D Firmware 2.0 Update

 

[candyman]

Canon 7D Firmware 2.0 Update

In the video it is mentioned:

2 Figure based on updated firmware, ISO 100, Standard Picture Style and with UDMA 7 CF memory cards
Note: UDMA 7 CF memory card read/write speeds are not fully supported with the EOS 7D Digital SLR camera

Pardon me, I am trying to understand that. You have a speed increasement based upon use of UDMA 7 CF memory cards. But the UDMA 7 CF Memory card is not fully supported? Can someone explain what they mean here?

 

[unfocused]

Then I get this email from Canon. I mean, I kow that exaggeration is Marketing's job...but...reallly?!?

Omh, this is hilarious - if this wasn't you posting the picture, I'd say it's pure sarcasm from a Nikon troll :-> ...

It is amusing. But I keep asking myself, would Canon be offering this firmware and hyping it to this degree if they were about to kill off the 7D series? These are the actions of a company trying to buy some time between upgrades, not a company about to radically reposition or dump a model.

As Neuro knows, there is all kinds of crazy talk going on in other threads. Fantasies about a new APS-H body being delivered to the masses by bigfoot riding a unicorn notwithstanding, I see this firmware announcement as an affirmation of the 7D series.

 

[candyman]

O, and another thing. What is it with the UDMA 7 and speed?

Sandisk is offering a 600x (90MB/s) 64GB CF and they mention it as: UDMA 6
Transcend is offering a 600x (90MB/s) 64GB CF and they mention it as: UDMA 7

Both have the same specifications but are not the same UDMA?

 

[John Thomas]

@AvTvM - Many thanks for confirming that
Now all we need is the min shutter speed and we get the faux M with ec through using AV
M with autoiso/ec would be good but I suspect min shutter speed would be easier

I cannot see any firmware/programming difficulty whatsover to enable EC in M mode as it is enabled in ALL shooting modes [other than "M" and "B"]. I suspect all it would take is to change a "0 for No" to "1 for Yes" in one single byte of the EPROM for "M" mode.

Hmmm... It might be if they already have the code in 7D's firmware, otherwise I don't think so. There are other things to be updated like the GUI, for example. Don't forget that EC gauge in M mode shows other things.

However this isn't a showstopper at all and they must do it, imho. Just pointing out that sometimes the things aren't so easy as it sounds.

 

[CanonCollector]

The unexpected firmware that only makes this very good camera even better by adding new features beyond those you purchased it with is not good enough for you people? OMG

 

[jasonkrasnov]

The Canon 7D's firmware will be released in early August.

There will not be a Canon 7D Mark ii anytime soon and I would gladly buy a 3 year old Canon 7d for shooting photo and video.

The new firmware has a lot of great updates with manual recording levels for sound. This is a huge help for filmmakers and photographers transitioning into video.

 

[candyman]

O, and another thing. What is it with the UDMA 7 and speed?

Sandisk is offering a 600x (90MB/s) 64GB CF and they mention it as: UDMA 6
Transcend is offering a 600x (90MB/s) 64GB CF and they mention it as: UDMA 7

Both have the same specifications but are not the same UDMA?

UDMA is the way in which the card can talk to the camera.

The speed is how fast the card can read/write internally.

Okay.
So to stay with the example of the two cards mentioned here; I have to choose the Transcend to take full advantage of the firmware new introduced maximum RAW buffer since it is a UDMA 7 with 90MB/s. Correct?

 

[DB]

O, and another thing. What is it with the UDMA 7 and speed?

Sandisk is offering a 600x (90MB/s) 64GB CF and they mention it as: UDMA 6
Transcend is offering a 600x (90MB/s) 64GB CF and they mention it as: UDMA 7

Both have the same specifications but are not the same UDMA?

UDMA is the way in which the card can talk to the camera.

The speed is how fast the card can read/write internally.

Plus the maximum write speed on a UDMA 6 card is 133MB/sec, but is up to 167MB/sec for UDMA 7, so > 25% faster (in terms of actually getting the data from the camera processor onto the memory card).

It seems that Canon have tried to address this issue back in April 2011 with firmware 1.2.5, but with not too much success (see link below). Now it appears that they've mastered the problem.

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/resources/blogs/2011/20110426_eos7d_firmware125.shtml

It would appear that firmware 2.0 for the 7D will create a big uptick in demand for UDMA 7 CF cards, which by the way are quite difficult to find (on eBay only find one seller in Brooklyn, NY) and most sellers just say UDMA-enabled (not version 5, 6 or 7).

 

[DHaass]

One thing to note in the small print from the Canon USA site speaking to the firmware update:

* Figure based on ISO 100, Standard Picture Style and with UDMA CF memory card.

** Figure based on updated firmware, ISO 100, Standard Picture Style and with UDMA 7 CF memory cards. Note: UDMA 7 CF memory card read/write speeds are not fully supported with the EOS 7D Digital SLR camera, if using UDMA 7 memory cards, the read/write speeds will be equivalent to UDMA 6.

 

[jasonkrasnov]

Does anyone know the deal for the *** integration?

I heard you can map out a route using google maps as well via a mounted receiver that can be attached?

 

[Marsu42]

But I keep asking myself, would Canon be offering this firmware and hyping it to this degree if they were about to kill off the 7D series? These are the actions of a company trying to buy some time between upgrades, not a company about to radically reposition or dump a model.

You might be right, and since Canon seems to be very conservative (euphemism for non-innovative), maybe all will stay the same:

The 70d in q4/2012 might be a release like the 5d3: upgraded body (metal) and firmware (afma), but just a face-lifted sensor with the current tech. And then, maybe in q4/2013 with the time they just bought the 7d2 with a real sensor upgrade as the new aps-c flagship.

 

[japhoto]

But I keep asking myself, would Canon be offering this firmware and hyping it to this degree if they were about to kill off the 7D series? These are the actions of a company trying to buy some time between upgrades, not a company about to radically reposition or dump a model.

You might be right, and since Canon seems to be very conservative (euphemism for non-innovative), maybe all will stay the same:

The 70d in q4/2012 might be a release like the 5d3: upgraded body (metal) and firmware (afma), but just a face-lifted sensor with the current tech. And then, maybe in q4/2013 with the time they just bought the 7d2 with a real sensor upgrade as the new aps-c flagship.

There could be many reasons for the bigger firmware upgrade. It could be that the demand for this 3 year old camera is down and they have loads of them in stock (or parts for 7D cameras that can not be used in another model). So they try to make it more appealing over the coming 70D with this firmware so they can keep selling it.

Sure it's good to see that Canon as a company is "supporting" the older gear as well, but I can also see why people are not too impressed with this upgrade in the whole. Most of the "new features" are quite trivial with a few exceptions and they sure are done in a way that doesn't even start to step on the toes of the more expensive models in the Canon lineup. The much wanted bracketing is one of these things.

It's a free update, which is great (although the timeline and the hype before it is ridiculous). What I don't get is the mentality that some here have about praising the update because it adds features to the camera that weren't even there when it was first bought. I think camera manufacturers should go even further with the firmware updates and definitely do them more often. As a piece of consumer electronics a camera isn't cheap so with the 7D I'm pretty sure they could have improved on the AF and more importantly the noise levels via firmware updates.

Maybe that's just me, but as consumers I think we should demand that the support from the manufacturer should be more than just incremental and trivial updates. With film cameras it was a different deal, but DSLRs could be made better just by implementing a new firmware. The manufacturers seem to be stuck in the film ages still...

And yes, I do see the reason why they do things this way, but it isn't necessarily the best way to do business.

 

[AvTvM]

1. the current firmware upgrade even if it is free is: too little, too late
2. rather than this hyped, free FW update I would have preferred Canon to provide an open interface for third party software providers like Magic Lantern for the 7D. THEN we would be receiveing firmware updates that would be truly innovative and worthwiloe. Rather than the lukewarm Canon software junk.

3. Buffer depth: the table at the bottom of Canon's marketing info on firmware 2.0.X,
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/EOS7D_firmware_compare
and the small print at the very bottom state, that RAW buffer goes from 15 to 23 frames in succession if a 8GB CF card ("standard speed" - whatever that may mean) is in the camera. 25 RAWs in succession were achieved using an UDMA-7 CF Crad with 128 GB (unfortunately they don't say which specific make and model). The smallprint footnote states, that UDMA-7 is not supported by the 7D (irrespective of firmware version). UDMA 7 cards operate at the same speed as UDMA-6 cards in the 7D. Unfortunately Canon leaves it open, whether 25 RAWs in a row could also be achieved with an UDMA-6 card and/or with CF cards smaller than 128 GB.

So I guess we will have to wait until Rob Galbraith tests the new 7D firmware with CF cards of various speeds and sizes. I hope he is gin to do this.

My take on this is, that Canon has tweaked the firmware a little bit to make better use of faster CF cards - but that's all there is to it. Many users report that they do get 24-26 RAWs in succession with thze 7D and current firmware plus some of the faster CF cards.

Certainly this firmware upgrade does NOT make the 7D a new, better camera. It is basically the smallest possible patch to some of the shortcomings the camera had all along. This is not to say, it is a bad camera - I use one myself and generally am fairly happy with it. However, items like Auto ISO, exposure bracketing and some other lacking or poorly implemented features could and should have been fixed much better and much sooner with one of the many firmware updates we already had. Rather than just correcting spelling mistakes in the Greek or Korean language menus.