Firmware update for EOS 50D, EOS 450D and EOS 1000D

Canon has made new firmware updates available from it's website for the EOS 50D, 450D (Rebel XSi) and 1000D (Rebel XS). The changed functionality is listed below for each of the cameras.

EOS 50D - firmware version 1.0.6

• Reduces vertical banding noise that can appear in images shot in SRAW1 image sizes
• Adds additional details to error messages with more specific errors rather then the often generic Err 99 that people have seen
• Adds support for the focus assist beam feature of the new Speedlite 270EX that was announced with the EOS 500D earlier in March
  

EOS 50D cameras have been reported in the market with firmware version 1.0.5 direct from the factory. This now seems to have been an interim version, maybe the same as 1.06 but without the AF assist beam support for the Speedlite 270EX?? If your camera is running the older firmwares then time for an update. The banding in SRWAW1 images was also addressed for the EOS 5D Mark II earlier in firmware version 1.0.7 back in January.

EOS 450D / Rebel XSi - firmware version 1.1.0

• Adds support for the focus assist beam feature of the new Speedlite 270EX that was announced with the EOS 500D earlier in March.
  

EOS 1000D / Rebel XS - firmware version 1.0.5

• Adds support for the focus assist beam feature of the new Speedlite 270EX that was announced with the EOS 500D earlier in March.
  

Top tips for hassle free firmware update;

• use a fully charged battery in the camera
• use a small memory card to load the firmware update on
• take your lens off the camera before doing the update
  

Have you tried the new firmware and for the EOS 50D does it fix any problems you have had?

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Highlight Tone Priority - ISO range limits

Have you tried Highlight Tone Priority? You know the one, the setting that shifts your dynamic range from the shadows to the highlights giving smoother tonal gradation in the highlight areas. While it's very useful in some situations - anywhere with lots of highlights and not much shadow - it can cause issues when you get to shadow areas as that dynamic range has to come from somewhere - the shadow tones. this could cause more noise in the shadow areas, so use it sparingly. 

Anyway, this post is not about that per se, but about the limitations it puts on your ISO range. We'll show you some examples of images with and without HTP in a future post. 

This list shows you the standard ISO range (with expansion turned on) of the camera and the ISO range once Highlight Tone Priority is turned on. 

EOS-1D Mark III - STD: 50-6400, HTP:ON 200-3200

EOS-1Ds Mark III - STD: 50-3200, HTP:ON 200-1600

EOS 5D Mark II - STD: 50-25,600, HTP:ON 200-6400

EOS 50D - STD: 100-12,600, HTP:ON 200-3200

EOS 40D - STD: 100-3200, HTP:ON 200-1600

EOS 450D - STD: 100-1600, HTP:ON 200-1600

For a quick way to check if you have HTP switched on or not, looked at the information screen - either the top LCD panel for those cameras that have one, or the rear LCD for the EOS 450D. 

On the EOS-1D/1Ds Mark III, EOS 40D and EOS 450D, the ISO speed when HTP is turned on, will show with small zeros eg: 2oo rather than 200. For the EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 50D, this has been changed so that it now shows D+ on the top LCD panel. 

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Getting the correct exposure when using a remote release cable

It's another one of these what is that bit for kind of articles. EOS cameras can all be triggered using cable releases or in some cases infra-red remote releases. Usually this is done when the camera is on a tripod or located in a difficult to reach location. This odd location can cause problems since the light from the environment can enter the viewfinder from the rear - where you would normally be looking - and this can cause the exposure meter to meter erroneously. To prevent this kind of error you need to use something to block the light entering the viewfinder.

Canon has two solutions, the EOS-1D series solution with an eyepiece blind, and the other method of a piece of rubber on the camera neck strap. Since yesterday looked at EOS-1D models then today it's EOS 450D's turn. Though this also applies to the EOS 1000D, 40D, 50D and 5D Mark II. 

First up you need to remove the eyepiece rubber frame so that your camera looks similar to this one. 

The next part is to locate the rubber cover on the strap, it's always now that you realise you left that bit on the standard strap when you replaced it with an Optec one!

Here the cover is fitted over the eyepiece and will block stray light entering the viewfinder and messing up the exposure.

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Peripheral Illumination Correction

The perfect lens. Oh how nice that would be. Sadly, it's just not possible. Well, not unless you're a multi millionaire and are willing to pay many millions for each lens. Even then optical physics gets in the way and there would have to be compromises. Oh, and if you had "the perfect lens" you wouldn't be able to carry many of them!

So, with that in mind, Canon introduced a feature to DPP a while ago to help correct the problem of corner shading. Essentially they used testing and optical data to work out how a lens responds on a particular camera and then it can be corrected automatically. Simply go to the DPP NR/Lens/ALO tab and choose tune next to Lens Aberration Correction.

Now, that's all well and good, but what about in camera? Well, since they've got the data, there is no reason why, in theory, it couldn't be put into the camera. And that's what they've done with the DIGIC 4 processor. So, on the EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II there is a Peripheral Illumination Correction option in the menu that allows you to enable or disable it.

Obviously it only works with Canon lenses, and currently it's only working for around 40 lenses. 26 are pre-loaded into the camera and the rest, up to a maximum of 40 at a time, can be added using EOS Utility.

What you should remember about this is that it's nothing to do with AF Microadjustment, which we'll look at in a future post.

What does it look like? Well, the images below should give you some idea.

Oh, and in the image that has darker corners, it's not vignetting! Vignetting is a hard corner and has different causes. This is a softer corner and is caused by light not striking the pixels in the corners of the frame squarely.

PIC OFF


PIC ON



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Canon Europe EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II campaign

If you've picked up a photo magazine in Europe in the last few weeks you've probably seen one or more of the latest adverts for the EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II that were shot by Rick Guest. Entitled Make Photography New Again the visuals are quite neat but in my view hardly inspiring. Way too high tech for mere mortals - maybe that's how adverts should be. Canon Europe posts clips on youTube from time to time in their channel.

I found that they also have a website mentioned on the advertising http://www.canon-europe.com/newEOS/, but amazingly it crashes Firefox on both my PC and MAC so I'll stay away from that one.

If you've got an opinion on this then express yourself in the comments.

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WiFi grips gotcha

If you are thinking to get one of the WiFi 'grips' for your Canon EOS camera don't get caught out with this supremely annoying gotcha.

Canon Wireless File Transmitters WFT-E1, WFT-E3 and WFT-E4 need to have a battery installed to work and the battery is not supplied in the box with the WiFi grip.

Yes you read that right, you spend all that money on a WiFi grip only to find you need to put a battery in it. Even better is that the battery in the WiFi grip cannot power the camera and the grip. So if you plan on getting a WFT-E1, WFT-E2 or WFT-E3 don't forget to get the additional battery or else you can have camera operation and no WiFi - OR - WiFi operation and no camera.

WFT-E1 for the older EOS-1D Mark II, EOS-1Ds Mark II, EOS-1D Mark II N, EOS 5D, EOS 20D, EOS 30D needs a BP-511A battery (and charger if you're using an EOS-1D model; double doh!)

WFT-E3
for the EOS 40D and EOS 50D (firmware update to v2.0 needed) needs a BP-511A battery. You can use the charger that comes with the camera to charge this battery

WFT-E4 for the EOS 5D Mark II needs an LP-E6 battery. You can use the charger that comes with the camera to charge this battery. Though since the LP-E6 is new and exclusive to the EOS 5D Mark II they could be in pretty short supply now that EOS 5D Mark IIs seem to be hitting the stores.

Lucky people with an EOS-1D Mark III or EOS-1Ds Mark III and the WFT-E2 sleep safe since the camera does provide power to this one.

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