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Canon's upcoming 5D Mark III firmware update brings uncompressed HDMI output support, enhanced AF functionality
Proud owners of that sleek and relatively powerful Mark III will be happy to know Canon has just announced a firmware update for its flagship 5D model. The Japanese camera maker is touting this upcoming release as one that will bring clean HDMI-out support to the EOS shooter, which should be great for folks who would like to monitor their recordings in real time. Additionally, Canon's improved the Mark III's AF functionalities yet again; this time out by enabling the unit's auto focus system to adequately adjust to the type of lens that it is paired with. Unfortunately, it looks like users will have to wait a little while to install the new firmware, as the company won't be making it available until April of next year -- at which point it can be grabbed from the soon-to-be bookmarked source link below.
Engadget's back to school guide 2012: digital cameras
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we've got our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Your smartphone can take pictures, you say? Well, sure it can, but try snapping away at a frat party -- you're likely to walk away with a blurry mess. Your Facebook friends and future employers deserve an accurate account of those glory days, and you'll need a proper snapper to get the job done. College is as good a time as any to learn responsibility, but don't expect to walk out of the experience with all your gear unscathed. To that end, freshmen should look long and hard at our point-and-shoot picks, which include models that you won't be afraid to toss around, or drop in the jungle juice. After that come the mirrorless ILCs, which should satisfy the more advanced photogs in the bunch, followed by our digital SLR picks, which, sadly, may be out of reach of all but photography majors and deep-pocketed private school types. Finally, you'll have yet another opportunity to enter our fantastic giveaway at the bottom of the page, just after the break.
Canon announces EOS 5D Mark III: 22.3 MP full-frame sensor, 6 fps, 102,400 max ISO, 1080/30p HD, yours for $3,500 (video)
Suffice it to say, March 2012 is a notable month for Canon. Not only does it mark the 25th anniversary of the first EOS SLR, but it's also ushering in Canon's latest addition to its full-frame DSLR lineup. That gorgeous beast your eyes are feasting upon is the company's new EOS 5D Mark III. That's right folks, this isn't a replacement for the Mark II, but rather an updated variant meant to sit between the workhorse of four years and the company's soon to arrive EOS-1D X. At a glance, the shooter is nearly indistinguishable from its older sibling, although a closer inspection reveals a new name badge, improved weather- and dust-resistance and some slight tweaks to its top-mounted info display and buttons on the back. Don't be fooled, however, as there are obviously major changes here worthy of the new moniker. Key specs include a larger 1,040,000-dot 3.2-inch rear LCD, Digic 5+ processor, 22.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, 61-Point High Density Reticular autofocus with 41 cross-types (all of which are borrowed from the 1D X), dual memory card slots (SD and CompactFlash) an extended ISO range of 50 to 102,400 (100 to 25,600, natively), OVF with 100 percent coverage (versus 98 previously), and a maximum 6 FPS burst speed. Naturally, the 5D Mark III is no slouch in the video department: it can capture h.264 footage at HD resolutions up to 1080 at 24/25/30p or 720 at 50/60p, with an effective ISO range of 100-128,000 -- and of course there's a stereo mic input for the microphone of your choice. Better yet, not only does it allow for real-time control of your audio levels during filming, but also monitoring, being the first EOS-series DSLR to come equipped with a headphone jack (!) -- something that's been sorely missing in the world of ILC cameras. We've only skimmed the surface, however, so join us past the break for further details and a quick video overview. %Gallery-149132%
Canon's EOS-1D / EOS-1Ds Mark III leaking oil all over your precious images
As if the Canon EOS-1D Mark III autofocus issues weren't enough, the company has issued yet another service notice for it and its sibling, the EOS-1Ds Mark III. It looks like the cameras' mirror box has the potential to leak lubricant -- causing the excess oil to end up on the surface of the low pass filter, whereupon your award-winning pictures exhibit large, ring-shaped spots. So there you have it -- it wasn't your lousy photographic skills after all! The company has offered to repair the affected models for free, so make sure you notify customer support to get the ball rolling. Hit that read link for all the details.[Via Adorama]
Canon says EOS-1D Mark III AF issues fixed, now leave us alone
Canon just updated the official status on the auto-focus issue plaguing the EOS-1D Mark III. According to Canon USA, "After the AF mirror Adjustment, including the updated firmware version 1.1.3, the EOS-1D Mark III AF function performed better in our tests than all previous EOS camera models." Unfortunately, they made no comment about those other fixes supposedly in the works. Sounds like Canon is washing their hands of the topic at least until they make the jump to the next EOS-1D product iteration. [Via DigitalCameraInfo]
Canon brewing yet another autofocus fix for EOS-1D Mark III?
Unfortunately, details are extraordinarily scant at the moment, but it appears that Canon is readying one more fix for the EOS-1D Mark III, which has been plagued with an autofocus issue for what seems like ages. Apparently, the forthcoming fix -- which could involve hardware and / or firmware alterations -- will make improvements even over last year's tweak. Reportedly, the firm's AF engineers are confident that they have now realized the "root cause" of the problem, hinting that this solution may in fact be the last. Per usual, there's been no clues handed out as to when users will actually be notified that a fix is available, but we're sure official word will stream out soon enough if there's anything to this.
Canon's EOS-1D Mark III autofocus fix makes strides, stops short
Remember that autofocus fix that Canon was supposedly working up? Turns out, the company isn't quite ready to start accepting faulty EOS-1D Mark IIIs just yet, but it is shipping out upgraded versions to new buyers. Rob Galbraith managed to wrap his hands around not one, but three of the new DSLRs in order to substantiate his findings, and what he found was noticeable improvement. In summary, the sub-mirror fix was said to boost the performance of the AF, as it enabled the camera to deliver "about the same number of in-focus frames whether it was warm or cold." Unfortunately, it seems that the solution still left a lot to be desired; Mr. Galbraith noted that it still couldn't match the EOS-1D Mark II N, and implied that there was still room for betterment. 'Course, we're really just scratching the surface on his thorough (and we mean thorough) look at the sub-mirror fix and v1.1.3 firmware, so if this issue has been hounding you, do yourself a favor and check out the read link.[Thanks, Anand]
Canon's 21.1 megapixel EOS 1Ds Mark III: thanks, Amazon
Not only did Amazon loose the goods on Canon's EOS 40D, they've also activated the page for Canon's 21.1 megapixel EOS 1Ds Mark III for the pros. That's an 11 megapixel jump from their EOS 1D Mark III (pictured) announced in February... Shazam! Canon's hope is to supplant the medium-format cameras dominating fashion and commercial photo studios with this relatively light-weight, full-frame DSLR. We're talking a 36 x 24-mm self-cleaning CMOS sensor; a pair of DIGIC III image processers operating in parallel; improved 45-point advanced autofocus; 5fps continuous shooting (for bursts of up to 45 Large/Fine JPEGs or 15 RAW images); sRAW image support; 3-inch Live View LCD with 5x or 10x magnification; and CF, SD/SDHC storage options. Of course, it won't come cheap when (and if) it ships on December 10th. In fact, you'll be looking at $8,000 for the body (only) according to Amazon's site. While it's not an official announcement, it's close. Besides, we've been waiting for this thing to get official since we first heard about it in February. So expect one of two things to happen next: either Canon will officially announce in the next few days or Amazon will pull their pages. Update: Amazon pulled the price and delivery date. No worries, we've got the screengrab after the break.Update 2: Oops, the whole page is gone now. No probs, we've captured the specs to the gallery below.%Gallery-6101%[Thanks, Robby B and Manhog]
Canon readying 22-megapixel mini 1DS Mark II?
You guessed it, this here is nothing more than somewhat believable rumor mill material, but it seems that Canon just might be readying a 22-megapixel beast of a digicam that would come in "around half the size of the firm's EOS-1DS Mark II." Unsurprisingly codenamed the 1DS Mark III, this DSLR is said to have been behind a few photo shoots seen in recent editions of Vanity Fair, and Canon is reportedly "hustling to make lenses that will work with what this body can resolve," not to mention the possibility of a "new mount for an entirely new lens design." While this certainly isn't the first big-name digicam to start in depths of shadows, we purportedly won't see it surface (or not) until this fall, as the elusive 1DS Mark III won't be shown to the public before the PhotoPlus Expo in October (if it's proven real at all).[Via Image-Acquire]
