EOS magazine news

Today, Canon is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the launch of its world-renowned EOS System. Canon’s EOS System made its debut on 1 March 1987 with the launch of the EOS 650 SLR camera and EF lenses, at a time when visiting your local pharmacy to develop your camera film was the norm. Thirty years on the world has changed, but the EOS system remains a staple in the world of photography. Technology featured within the EOS system has helped create and inspire changes in the way people take photos. The EOS system came to life in 1987 after Canon announced its aim to develop a highly-refined autofocus (AF) SLR model. It moved away from its FD lens system to create the world’s first fully electronic mount system. From then the EOS range has included the first affordable consumer DSLR – the EOS 300D – which ushered in a new era of digital photography in 2003. Five years later in 2008, the EOS 5D Mark II revolutionised filmmaking by offering Full HD movie recording on a DSLR. ...

Firmware version 2.1.2 for the EOS 5D Mark II incorporates the following change:  - optimizes the camera’s performance when using certain UDMA 7-compatible CF cards released in February 2012 or later. The firmware upgrade can be installed by the user. Full instructions and downloads are available at the >> Canon Download Centre

Firmware for the EOS 5D Mark II has been updated to version 2.1.1. This incorporates the following fixes and improvements. 1. Fixes a phenomenon where shooting stops after capturing one image when in continuous shooting or the Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) continuous shooting setting. 2. Corrects wording in the Dutch language menu screen. The firmware upgrade can be installed by the user. Full instructions and downloads are available at the >> Canon Download Centre

The feature film, "Captain America: The First Avenger", used the 5D Mark II to shoot motion sequences that were seamlessly integrated with the production's 35mm film footage. "The challenge with a lot of action photography is getting the camera in the right position," noted Jonathan Taylor, second unit director/director of photography. "I'm always looking to get the camera into impossible to reach places because those kinds of shots make action sequences much more exciting. Most 35mm motion-picture cameras and even the leading digital cinematography cameras are just too big to get into interesting positions." Action scenes in "Captain America: The First Avenger" in which Taylor used 5D Mark II cameras for POV (point-of-view) shots include a car chase and crash and a high-speed motorcycle pursuit. The small size of the camera enabled Taylor to mount it on the interiors and exteriors of moving vehicles to capture dramatic action shots....

Firmware Version 2.0.9 for the EOS 5D Mark II incorporates the following improvements and fixes: 1. Improves writing/reading speeds when using UDMA 7-compatible CF cards. 2. Fixes a phenomenon where the IS function will not work when custom function C.Fn III-2 is set to [5: IS start] and the lens attached does not have an AF stop button. This is because custom function C.Fn III-2 allows users to assign IS start to the AF stop button on the lens 3. Corrects misspellings in the menu screens displayed in Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai languages. The firmware upgrade can be installed by the user. Full instructions and downloads are available at the >> Canon Download Centre

Firmware update 2.0.8 for the EOS 5D Mark II incorporates the following changes and fixes: 1. fixes a phenomenon in which movies are not taken at the shooting mode registered in the user's settings if a shooting mode aperture-priority or shutter-priority is registered in any of the camera's user settings (C1, C2, C3) and the user attempts to shoot a movie; 2. fixes a phenomenon in which the shutter will not release when pressing the shutter button when the auto power off function is set to ‘on’; 3. fixes a phenomenon in which overexposure occurs when shooting a Live View shooting simulation with the ISO speed set to L; 4. fixes a phenomenon in which the settings of the Speedlite transmitter ST-E2 revert to the default settings when both the camera and the ST-E2 are set to auto power off; 5. fixes a phenomenon in which the Macro Ring Lite (MR-14EX, MT-24EX) and slave flash do not sync while shooting wirelessly. The firmware upgrade can be installed by the user. Full instr...

Firmware update version 2.0.7 for the EOS 5D Mark II incorporates the following improvements and fixes. 1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the aperture exhibits abnormal movement when shooting movies in manual exposure mode and aperture-priority AE (Av mode) using some Canon lenses (such as macro lenses). 2. Fixes a phenomenon in which the exposure level shown in the LCD panel differs from what is shown in the viewfinder when shooting still images in manual exposure mode. 3. Fixes a phenomenon in which the Wireless File Transmitter (WFT-E4 or WFT-E4 II) may not automatically power off when used for FTP transfers. These phenomenon only occur with the Version 2.0.4 and Version 2.0.3 firmware. The firmware upgrade can be installed by the user. Full instructions and downloads are available at the >> Canon Download Centre

Canon has responded quickly to the problems with firmware version 2.0.3 for the EOS 5D Mark II (see news story 18 March 2010). It has now introduced version 2.0.4 with the following message:   We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience caused to our customers by suspending the availability of the Version 2.0.3 firmware.  We are now introducing the Version 2.0.4 firmware. This firmware corrects the malfunction that occurred in the previous Version 2.0.3 firmware, in which the manual recording level changed and made recording impossible.  Customers who have the Version 2.0.3 firmware on their cameras should update the firmware to Version 2.0.4. The firmware upgrade can be installed by the user. Full instructions and downloads are available at the >> Canon Download Centre

The EOS 5D Mark II firmware update version 2.0.3 released a couple of days ago (see news item on 16 March 2010) has a malfunction and has been withdrawn. Here is the message on Canon's firmware page: Recently we have discovered a malfunction that occurs with Firmware Version 2.0.3, in which the manual recording levels for C1/C2/C3 are changed and the camera becomes unable to record audio if the power is turned off (or if Auto power off takes effect) after registering "Sound Recording: Manual" in the camera user settings. We apologize very sincerely for the inconvenience, but we are going to stop making this firmware available for download. For customers who have already updated to the new firmware, when using the camera with the mode dial set to C1/C2/C3, please either set the sound recording settings to Auto. We are currently preparing firmware that will correct this malfunction. As soon as those preparations have been completed, we will let you know on t...

Firmware Version 2.0.3 for the EOS 5D Mark II incorporates five enhancements to the movie function and a fix to the manual sensor cleaning function 1. Adds or changes the following movie frame rates. NTSC: * 1920×1080 : 30 fps (changed - actual 29.97 fps) * 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added - actual 23.976 fps) * 640×480 : 30 fps (changed - actual 29.97 fps) PAL: * 1920×1080 : 25 fps (added - actual 25.0 fps) * 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added - actual 23.976 fps) * 640×480 : 25 fps (added - actual 25.0 fps) 2. Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels). 3. Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure. 4. Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies. 5. Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz. 6. Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cle...

Canon will soon be releasing a firmware update for the EOS 5D Mark II. Originally announced in late 2009, the update adds 24 and 25 frames per second (fps) recording to the camera’s movie function. Developed following feedback from photographers and cinematographers, Firmware 2.0.3 enhances the EOS 5D Mark II’s video performance. The addition of new frame rates expands the camera’s potential, providing filmmakers with the ability to shoot 1080p Full HD footage at 24fps (actual 23.976fps) – the optimum frame rate for cinematic video. 25fps support at both 1920x1080 and 640x480 resolutions will allow users to film at the frame rate required for the PAL broadcast standard, while the new firmware will also change the 30fps option to the NTSC video standard of 29.97fps. A new histogram display for shooting movies in manual exposure, shutter-priority (Tv) and aperture-priority (Av) have been added and exposure modes will also be available in movie mode. Improved audio functionality will ...

Canon is developing a firmware update for the EOS 5D Mark II to enable the recording of high definition 1080p video at 24 and 25fps. The decision to develop new firmware to support these features has been taken following feedback received from cinematographers and photographers. Introduced in September 2008, the multi award-winning EOS 5D Mark II was the first DSLR product to offer full frame 1080p HD video recording, opening up a multitude of new creative possibilities for photo journalists, news photographers and amateur filmmakers. Since then, Canon has continued to develop its groundbreaking EOS Movie functionality, firstly with the firmware update to the EOS 5D Mark II that enabled manual exposure control, and more recently by introducing a choice of video recording frame rates with the EOS 7D and EOS 1D Mark IV. Canon currently expects the firmware update to be made available during the first half of 2010. An announcement regarding details of the update and its availability...

Compact, lightweight and with environmental protection, EOS 5D successor boasts a newly designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions. The new DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver medium format territory image quality at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames. Triggered from Live View Mode, HD video capture allows users to shoot uninterrupted at full 1080 resolution at 30fps – for amazing quality footage with outstanding levels of detail and realism. More >> Replacing the EF 24mm f/1.4L USM, the EF 24mm f1.4L II USM has been completely redesigned to provide an exacting partner lens to Canon’s new EOS digital SLRs, the EOS 50D and the EOS 5D MKII. More >>