Your add-on request for Canon DSLR's stock firmware

[MxM]

What would you like to see in a future firmware update as an global add-on? I'm not talking ML here!!

I would like to see:
- An intervalometer
- The possibility to use the LED at the front of the camera grip as a Focus Assist LED

 

[Khalai]

I'd love PIP for LV magnification - i.e. only magnify the picture in the selection rectangle, while maintaing the whole composition in the original frame. Just an option to turn on/off, not a replacement of how the current LV works.

 

[Marsu42]

What would you like to see in a future firmware update as an global add-on?

I'd like to have the firmware crippling removed, please. This would cost Canon nothing to implement (just remove the #ifdef DUMB_CRIPPLING_FOR_MARKETING statements from the source code), though it might indeed upsell less people to the more expensive models. Examples:

* afma on 60d
* af tracking fw settings on 60d
* f8 af
* af patterns on 60d & 6d (not just all or none)
* hdr with raw and save(!) source pictures on 6d
* all minor models: more function->key customizations
* spot af on 70d
* (you name it, long list).

 

[Loswr]

- The possibility to use the LED at the front of the camera grip as a Focus Assist LED

What LED are you talking about? I suspect you're thinking of the IR receiver 'window' for remote triggering...

 

[Jim Saunders]

I'd love PIP for LV magnification - i.e. only magnify the picture in the selection rectangle, while maintaing the whole composition in the original frame. Just an option to turn on/off, not a replacement of how the current LV works.

This! I was trying to shoot at the zoo, and this would have helped a lot to get the focus and composition at the same time.

Jim

 

[MxM]

- The possibility to use the LED at the front of the camera grip as a Focus Assist LED

What LED are you talking about? I suspect you're thinking of the IR receiver 'window' for remote triggering...

The LED/light that blinks when using 2 sec or 10 sec delay...

 

[Loswr]

- The possibility to use the LED at the front of the camera grip as a Focus Assist LED

What LED are you talking about? I suspect you're thinking of the IR receiver 'window' for remote triggering...

The LED/light that blinks when using 2 sec or 10 sec delay...

Ahhh, makes sense. I'm not sure that it's bright enough, though.

 

[Khalai]

What would you like to see in a future firmware update as an global add-on?

I'd like to have the firmware crippling removed, please. This would cost Canon nothing to implement (just remove the #ifdef DUMB_CRIPPLING_FOR_MARKETING statements from the source code), though it might indeed upsell less people to the more expensive models. Examples:

* afma on 60d
* af tracking fw settings on 60d
* f8 af
* af patterns on 60d & 6d (not just all or none)
* hdr with raw and save(!) source pictures on 6d
* all minor models: more function->key customizations
* spot af on 70d
* (you name it, long list).

That would cost them a lot I'm afraid You basicly want 7D2 features in 60D/70D and 5D3 features in 6D.

 

[raptor3x]

Increase minimum shutter speed for Av mode to at least 1/2000 like the 1DX. Preferably just copy the 7D2's Auto ISO behavior.

 

[Sabaki]

Well, I'd like them to use a touch screen interface that replaces the control units on flash guns.

Probably more practical for macro flash units but that means Canon need to first build flashes like that

 

[shtfmeister]

focus peaking

 

[DominoDude]

I wouldn't mind having the ability to get more than 3 shots while bracketing. Would also want a slight change of the way the exposure is displayed in the viewfinder, and I think it could be done through some alterations to the FW.
Not sure I can exemplify the last one properly, but I know that I look at the display at times expecting to see how much I'm off (like you can see it in Manual mode) and all I see is the blinking aperture.

 

[Marsu42]

That would cost them a lot I'm afraid You basicly want 7D2 features in 60D/70D and 5D3 features in 6D.

Software features, yes, but the hardware (af array, fps, digic processing power, camera build, button layout, ...) is vastly different and leaves enough to be desired when buying a more expensive model.

Imho Canon goes over the top with this firmware crippling, it's not complete feature removal (like 60d afma) but cutting back features so they are nearly useless. For example they removed the option to save the source files for in-camera hdr from the 6d ... but you can now play audio tracks along your slideshow. Or the options for setting functions to keys is strangely limited, and they went out of their way to make the dof preview button nearly impossible to access.

I doubt a lot of people upgrade to the 5d3 because you can save your hdr source files, but I'd wager the guess that Canon manages to annoy a lot of 6d users or owners of other, lesser and cheaper camera bodies.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Virtually every product that uses internal processors and firmware has features removed for various or even all models.

Making them available for all models is not going to happen. In some cases, the control buttons are different, so its not just a simple case of firmware, a physical control needs to be added.

 

[Jim Saunders]

How about angle data embedded into the exif data? The ability to automatically level images to the horizon (in post) would be useful.

Jim

 

[ScottyP]

It doesn't exist yet, but if someone really could get the camera to do its own AFMA using DPAF (or whatever) that would be truly great.

I also think they would be smart to put it in every body (or every one that has DPAF ) not just the higher end ones. That would just go to the basic functionality of the camera and the basic image quality, and it would be concealing their own minor manufacturing inconsistency to make every Canon body work perfectly with every lens. Cheaper than trying to accomplish the same thing with massive quality control improvement efforts. And it wouldn't upset the separation of price points between models. The simple one would focus simply but accurately.