Canon released Firmware update V1.2.1 to EOS-1D X Mark III camera

Canon has released new firmware V1.2.1 for the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III body. You can read a real life review of this camera and see the photos from my recent wildlife photography tours of Brazil and Japan.

Firmware Version 1.2.1 incorporates the following fix :

1. Fixes a phenomenon, in which, after updating the camera’s firmware to version 1.2.0, the Smart Controller may respond slowly or not at all on some cameras. *)
2. *) The phenomenon described above may occur in cameras whose first two digits of the serial number are “01” “02” “03” or “04”.

Firmware Version 1.2.1 also incorporates the following fixes and enhancements from Firmware Version 1.2.0 :

Enhancements when using Browser Remote :

1. The image list displayed will be refreshed automatically on the browser.
2. On the shooting screen of the browser, you can set the movie resolution and a high frame rate.
3. On the shooting screen of the browser, you can change the movie shooting mode.
4. On the shooting screen of the browser, Live View will be displayed as soon as you select the movie shooting button.
5. Enhances Auto Focus (AF) for improved face and eye recognition at greater distances.
6. Fixes a phenomenon that may occur during viewfinder shooting, in which the shutter may not be released or the camera may not operate in the following settings:
7. In One-Shot AF mode, when the AF Area Selection Mode is set as Zone AF, Large Zone AF or Automatic Selection AF.
8. In AI Servo AF, when direct AF point selection is made using the smart controller.
9. When the Register/Recall Shooting Function is assigned to the AE Lock button, in the Custom Controls.
10. Connectivity during FTP transmission, has been improved.
11. Improves Wi-Fi connectivity when using the Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E9.
12. Fixes a phenomenon, in which the card access time may take longer, when using certain CFexpress cards.

Download firmware V1.2.1 at Canon USA

Back from my wildlife photo tour of the Pantanal, Brazil

Back from my wildlife tour of the Pantanal in Brazil over the weekend. The wild fires that devastated parts of the Pantanal were not as bad as I had feared.

It was very hot down there and very few photographers. After all, Brazil has been designated as a Level 4 (Do Not Travel there) country by the US State Department due to the Covid 19 pandemic. I felt very safe down there and almost everyone wears masks and take precautions to avoid spreading the virus further. 

I brought the EOS-1D X Mark III as my primary body and the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV as my backup cameras. You can follow my travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, see my equipment bag and more of my works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Canon EOS R1 and EOS R7 mirrorless cameras coming in 2021

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer. I have been using Canon gear for over 30 years. I have returned from a wildlife photo tour of the Pantanal in Brazil over the weekend. You can follow my travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Throughout the decades, I have owned and/or used all the EOS camera lines. I bought my first EOS 1 back in 1989 as my main camera and have upgraded to every model since. Now the EOS-1D X Mark III is my primary body and the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV are my backup cameras and occasionally I use the EOS-7D Mark II for far away wildlife shots.

As you know I am not enamored with mirrorless cameras. When the EOS R was first introduced, I was invited to a VIP preview but found the camera wanting. The latest EOS R5 and R6 are great improvement over the original EOS R but they are not there yet and not wildlife centric cameras.

My biggest dislike of mirrorless camera is their small ergonomic size,  limited battery life and 'slow' EVF as compared to the real time sensation of SLR cameras. The EOS R5's BG-R10 grip solves the battery life problem but I do not like the look of addon grips.

The EOS R1 will have a comfortable grip sculptured into the camera body and holds a robust single battery. With the expected first-in-class EVF performance, hopefully with practically no latency and IBIS mated to a mid 20+MP state-of-the-art sensor, this new camera will most probably make a buyer out of me. 

The second mirrorless body that may interest me will be the EOS R7, a APS-C mirrorless camera. It should have the same 1.6X crop factor that all Canon APS-C cameras have. This body will be designed for wildlife photographers who like to have the extra reach for certain circumstances. I expect the EOS R7 to come with an addon grip and use the same LP-E6NH battery as the EOS R5 and EOS R6.

However, I will not be buying any RF lenses. My complement of EF lenses have served me well and I do not need another series of lenses to clutter my equipment bags.

Stay tune as I get the latest leaks and information concerning the upcoming EOS R1 and EOS R7. If the Japanese government is serious about hosting the Summer Olympics on July 23, 2021, Canon is likely to have a development announcement in early 2021 and possible limited delivery for both cameras in time for the Olympics. 

Canon gaining market share in mirrorless camera sales. Will surpass Sony eventually

Canon Inc. is gaining market share in mirrorless camera sales, both in Japan and worldwide, according the the latest BCN report. Nikon is falling further behind.

Japanese article machine translated from BCN’s report :

As of April, the decline in mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras was greater than that of the interchangeable lens type as a whole, and the number of units sold was 19.7% year-on-year, a decrease of more than 80%. However, it recovered rapidly after July. In September, the number of units sold was 97.8% compared to the same month of the previous year, and the amount was 90.3%, approaching the same level as the previous year. In reaction to the last-minute purchase before the tax increase that occurred in September last year, the number of interchangeable lenses as a whole increased temporarily to 52.1% and the amount of money was 56.3%. In such an environment, full-size mirrorless cameras are doing very well.

The positive environment for cameras, such as the Go To Travel Campaign, has been set up, and new full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras are being released one after another. Canon will release the EOS RP in April, the R5 in July, and the R6 in August. Nikon released the Z5 in August, and Panasonic released the LUMIX S5 in September. After October, Sony will release the α7C and α7S III, and Nikon will release the Z6II and Z7II. Consumers’ choices are expanding all at once, and the camera market is returning to its bustling atmosphere.

The manufacturer share has also changed. Until the summer of 2018, Sony maintained a nearly 100% share of the market. Nikon and Canon entered the market one after another in the fall of 2018. Panasonic entered the market in February 2019 and Sigma entered the market in October, and the full-size mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera market was launched in earnest. However, the structure in which Sony maintains a market share of 50% or more has not changed, and the situation of one-strong vs. others has continued.

This year, sales of new products introduced by Canon in particular increased, and the share of sales volume was 34.7%. It is just behind Sony, which has fallen to 43.9%. Nikon’s flagship product has not yet been released, and the momentum is the same as before. With the introduction of a low-priced model, Panasonic has finally gained a presence despite its single-digit share of 5.8%. Sigma, which temporarily overtook Nikon, has only one model in its lineup, so it has been overtaken by Panasonic and is content with 2.6%.

Canon ME20F-SH Ultra Low Light Camera can shoot in almost complete darkness

The Canon ME20F-SH camera can shoot in almost complete darkness and can achieve a mind-blowing ISO 4,500,000.  This camera was used for the Awavena documentary by Emmy awarding-winning artist and director Lynette Wallworth.

"For the Amazonian Yawanawá, “medicine” has the power to transport you in a vision to a place you have never been. Hushuhu, the first woman shaman of the Yawanawá, uses VR as medicine to open a portal to another way of knowing. Awavena is a collaboration between a community and an artist, melding cutting edge technology and transcendent experience so that a vision can be shared, and a story can be told of a people ascending from the edge of extinction."

Awavena contains some night scenes with fluorescent luminance of plants and insects in the Amazon.

"The challenge of shooting documentary footage at night in the jungle is that any lighting you may use will disrupt the activity of the creatures you’re trying to capture. In the award-winning documentary Awavena, Director of Photography Greg Downing used Canon’s ME20F-SH camera to showcase the remarkable fluorescent luminance of plants and insects in the Amazon. The project, which chronicles the Yawanawa tribe and its first ever female shaman, utilizes mixed reality to give viewers the experience of a vision quest. In this video, Downing describes how the incredible 4,500,000 ISO of the ME20 helped to create the stunning visuals to simulate a vision quest."

New firmware for Canon EOS-5D Mark IV and EOS-6D Mark II cameras announced

Canon has released a new EOS 5D Mark IV firmware update. Version 1.3.0 available for download. 

Firmware Version 1.3.0 incorporates the following fixes and enhancements :

1. Enables NFC connection with smartphones running Android 10 operating system.
2. *For Android running v6.0 or later, use Camera Connect v2.7.10 or later.
3. *For Android running v5.0 or older, use a connection method other than NFC. 
4. Enables support for the .CR2 image file format on Image.canon.
5. Fixes a phenomenon in which some camera operations may not be possible or an error may occur after an insufficient flash output is produced when shooting with the flash.

Canon has released a new EOS 6D Mark II firmware update. Version 1.1.0 available for download. 

Firmware Version 1.1.0 incorporates the following fixes and enhancements :

1. Enables NFC connection with smartphones running Android 10 operating system.
2. *For Android running v6.0 or later, use Camera Connect v2.7.10 or later.
3. *For Android running v5.0 or older, use a connection method other than NFC.
4. Enables support for the .CR2 image file format on Image.canon.

Canon EOS R1 mirrorless camera will be the most advanced camera in Canon's history

 

I am on a tour of the Pantanal in Brazil photographing Jaguars and other wildlife. Just want to update my readers on the latest news of the upcoming Canon EOS R1, top of the line full frame mirrorless camera. It will be something like no one has ever seen before from Canon.

It will come a brand new sensor, state of the art AF system and Global shutter with a frame rate even faster than the EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR camera. A development announcement should occur late this year or early with limited delivery perhaps before the 2021 Summer Olympics in July in Tokyo, Japan.

I am very busy and tired from a grueling schedule in the Pantanal. Visit my Facebook page to keep up with my tour.

Canon Super Telephoto RF 400mm f/2.8 and RF 500mm f/4 lenses to debut with EOS R1 camera?

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer. I have been using Canon gear for over 30 years. You can follow my travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Throughout the decades, I have owned and/or used all the EOS camera lines. I bought my first EOS 1 back in 1989 as my main camera and have upgraded to every model since. Now the EOS-1D X Mark III is my primary body and the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV are my backup cameras.

As you know, I am not enamored with the current mirrorless cameras on the market. However, I may make an exception when the top-of-the-line Canon EOS R1 mirrorless camera debuts next year. So far, Canon has not produced any Super Telephoto lens in the RF mount. However, in 2021 there will be two new lenses available with the R1.

My guess is, it will be the RF 400mm f/2.8L IS and RF 500mm f/4L IS. Both lenses will come with a hefty weight reduction by perhaps one pound or more. As much as I am excited to try out the EOS R1, I will not be buying any RF lenses. My complement of EF lenses have served me well and I do not need another series of lenses to clutter my equipment bags.

Stay tune as I get the latest leaks and information on the upcoming EOS R1 and Super Telephoto lenses. If the Japanese government is serious about hosting the Summer Olympics on July 23, 2021, Canon is likely to have a development announcement in early 2021 and possible limited delivery in time for the Olympics.