Canon EOS 7D digital SLR camera is a great camera for photography enthusiasts, but there’s still room for some improvements on the software front. If you have felt so, seems like it’s your lucky day because Canon has announced that EOS 7D firmware v2 is now available.
Canon today enhanced the EOS 7D with firmware v2, adding few new features which will supposedly help enthusiasts push the limits of their photography skills. Building on the camera’s high speed, advanced handling and creative versatility, the new firmware provides photographers with a range of fresh capabilities.
Firmware v2 will offer superior control of image settings and functionality. Notable changes include a higher maximum RAW burst rate, which is now 25 RAW files or 130 JPEGs. Once updated, the camera will give users a better control over images just after capturing. A new series of in-camera editing functions have been made available which include processing of RAW files, and ability to adjust various parameters such as sharpness, picture style and white balance. Greater control over Auto ISO levels now allows the user to bound ISO speeds within the native range of ISO 400 to 6400 using which manipulating exposure in various situations is possible. One can control the ISO levels both in still and movie shooting, thus delivering more flexibility.
Some of the features worth explaining in detail include:
Enhanced RAW performance: With the 18 MP APS-C CMOS sensor and Dual “DIGIC 4” processors that is built-in EOS 7D, the camera offers a maximum ISO of 12,800. This camera is really fast, and is able to deliver a whopping 8 high quality frames per second. Firmware v2 will add powerful memory management algorithms that have been borrowed from Canon’s flagship EOS-1 series, using which the software will offer better flexibility while shooting continuously. As stated earlier, the maximum RAW buffer is now extended to accommodate up to 25 RAW files or 130 JPEGs, which should satisfy any photographer’s needs. This RAW performance when meshed with camera’s 18 megapixel sensor and 14 bit image processing will allow the user to shoot rich detailed images of crucial events.
In-camera image editing and rating: With firmware v2, the in camera editing capability of the camera stands enhanced. The new editing options allow photographers to have additional control over the appearance of the images, and enables post production to begin in the camera itself.
User can now process their RAW files and adjust various parameters such as distortion, peripheral illumination and chromatic aberration. A host of other adjustments can be carried out and the results are saved as a new JPEG file, and what’s more? You can even resize the JPEG files without needing a computer, a very handy option indeed.
If you’re returning from a photo shoot and bored, you don’t have to sit idle. You can instead start filtering large volumes of pictures that you shot using the inbuilt image rating facility. This neat feature lets you rate individual images and the rating is stored in the metadata of each file. Rating data can be accessed and used by an array of image editing clients including Canon Digital Photo Professional, and other popular software like Apple Aperture, Adobe Lightroom and Bridge.
Extra control in stills and movies: The new firmware gives users extra control over pictures and videos. The latest Auto ISO feature allows photographers to bind the maximum ISO speed within the given range of ISO 400-6,400. This feature will allow photographers to limit the maximum ISO speed that can be selected by automatic ISO speed selector as per user’s requirements and location’s demands.
Audio functionality in movie mode has been improved by major extent and should provide greater control over the camera while shooting videos. The Full HD 1080p movie footage capability of camera is complemented with 16 bit digital stereo sound that is sampled to match broadcast quality of 48 KHz. One can even manually adjust the audio level or choose from 64 different preset sound levels. A digital wind cut filter has also been incorporated and will reduce noise made by movement of air around the microphone to a major extent and should also promise crystal clear sound in the video.
Track your travels with GPS compatibility: It’s a great idea to have GPS module in a camera, and that’s exactly what Canon has done with this firmware update. The camera itself doesn’t have a hardware GPS module, however, the camera major has added support for GPS Receiver GP-E2 in the Firmware v2 update. GPS Receiver GP-E2 is Canon’s latest high performance GPS unit and can be secured to the hotshoe and communicates with the camera using a cable. Using GPS Receiver GP-E2, EOS 7D users should be able to geo tag photos with data such as longitude, latitude and altitude. The information will be added to EXIF file of the image which can be read later. It is worth noting that GPS information can be added only to still images and not the videos.
A GPS Logger is also added which tracks the camera’s movements by refreshing GPS data at definite intervals. Added compatibility with Google Maps only means that users can track their route using Canon’s own free Map Utility software.
Below is a quick summary of new features of firmware v2 and key features of Canon EOS 7D as stated in the press release:
Canon EOS 7D firmware v2 – new features:
Improved maximum burst for RAW images (up to 25)
In-camera RAW image editing
In-camera Image Rating
In-camera JPEG resizing
Maximum Auto ISO setting (ISO 400-6400)
Manual audio level adjustment in movie recording
GPS compatibility
File name customisation
Time zone settings
Faster scrolling of magnified images
Quick control screen during playback
Canon EOS 7D – Key features:
18MP APS-C CMOS sensor
Up to 8fps shooting
ISO range up to 12800
Approx. 100% Viewfinder
19 cross-type AF points
iFCL metering system
Dual “DIGIC 4” processing
Full HD movie recording
Integrated Speedlite Transmitter
3’’ Clear View LCD
Magnesium alloy body with environmental protection
Do you own Canon 7D? If yes, do you find it better after the firmware v2 update? Share your experience with us using the comment form below.
No comments:
Post a Comment