Canon 5D Mark II new firmware: It’s here. Canon has announced the long-awaited firmware upgrade to the 5D Mark II DSLR. The upgrade will add 24 and 25 frames-per-second (fps) video recording modes to the camera’s video functions. Photographers will be able to download the up
The firmware (version 2.0.3) will make the video functions meet broadcast standards. Filmmakers will be able to shoot 1080p Full HD files at 24 fps – the standard frame rate for cinematic videos. The new 25 fps at 1920 x 1090 and 640 x 480 will allow video buffs to record to PAL broadcast standards. The firmware will also change the existing Canon 5D Mark II 30 fps speed to the NTSC standard of 29.96 fps.
A histogram display has been added to the new firmware for recording movies in manual exposure, shutter priority (Tv) and aperture priority (Av) modes. Exposure modes, says Canon in their press release, will also be available in movie mode.
Sound, also problematic on the Canon 5D Mark II, has been upgraded in the new firmware. Photographers can now set sound levels using a sound level meter on the LCD display. More good news: the audio sampling frequency has been upgraded from 44.1 Khz to 48 Khz – the optimum signal for pro and broadcast material.
The addition of video functions to a professional DSLR has started a revolution in the filmmaking world. Extreme sports photographer Richard Walch shot a movie I Love My Friends with a Canon 5D Mark II. Many others have followed suit. A full-range of video accessories for DSLR cinematography have appeared, making the Canon 5D Mk II a video-recording force to be reckoned with.
Launched in September 2008, the camera immediately created a wide range of new possibilities for photographers and videographers, and the addition of new frame rates and manual audio levels extends those possibilities even further – allowing movie makers to shoot stunning movies to suit practically any creative purpose.