Canon 5D MkIII is go.

[Big Kev]

-Uncompressed HDMI output is now enabled.
-Enables the center AF point to autofocus when the camera is used with Canon EF lens/extender combinations whose combined maximum aperture is f/8.
-Improves the speed of the camera’s acquisition of focus when using a Canon Speedlite’s AF-assist beam.
-Fixes a phenomenon in which the LCD monitor may freeze and display Err 70 or Err 80 when a still photo is taken during Live View or in movie shooting mode.
-Fixes a phenomenon that may occur when the continuous shooting priority setting is enabled for multiple exposures, such that, after the sixth image is taken, there is a slight pause before the remainder of the sequence is completed.
-Fixes a phenomenon in which the viewfinder display shows incorrect information during AEB shooting.
-Communication with the WFT-E7 Wireless File Transmitter has been improved.
-When images have been successfully transferred with the WFT-E7 Wireless File Transmitter through the FTP protocol, an “O” will be displayed. When images have not been successfully transferred with the WFT-E7 Wireless File Transmitter through the FTP protocol, an “X” will be displayed.
-Fixes a phenomenon in which the camera may not function properly when an Eye-Fi card is used.
-Fixes a phenomenon in which the focal length value listed in the Exif information is not displayed correctly for images shot with the EF 24-70mm F4L IS USM lens.
-Fixes a phenomenon in which the lens firmware cannot be updated properly.
-Corrects errors in the Arabic language menu.
-Fixes a phenomenon in which the camera changes the AF microadjustment value to -8.
-Fixes a phenomenon in which the on-screen guidance cannot be fully displayed when setting the maximum limit value for the “Setting the ISO Speed Range for Auto ISO” option.
-Removed "support" for 3rd party batteries

[J.D.]

-Uncompressed HDMI output is now enabled.

I'd be interested to know more about this.

As it is, the camera can be used to capture and pass files direct to a HDD or computer and can be controlled much the same way. Video, though, is normally compressed to H.264 in 1920x1080 and that's that.

If the firmware upgrade means what I think it means, we would be able to shoot uncompressed video - in other words: RAW - at the sensor's full resolution of 5760 x 3840, which would exceed anything else in the video market (with the possible exception of the Nikon D800). That would, at a stroke, make virtually noiseless video possible at very high ISO and I cannot do that with my XDCAM. Not even close. Mind you, the data rate would be spectacular and I'm not sure it could be supported by HDMI yet. Our top data rate is 50MB/s (each frame is approx. 2.2 megapixels at 25 FPS).

Anyone else got any ideas on this?

[Righteous]

JD, you can't get RAW off the sensor, it's essentially a clean 1080p feed. It's 4:2:2 8bit.

Regardless, it's a much better codec option than H.264. Basically people will just be attaching external recorders and recording to ProRes or DNxHD.

It's definitely going to remove some limits for grading and speed up editing by removing a transcoding process.

[J.D.]

Ah thanks. By the way, I think 4.2.2 is 16 bit.

I agree; a Ninja or Samurai recorder will be the G.O.

[Righteous]

Yikers, 16bit, I don't think so. RED footage is 12bit. I think 4:2:2 can be 10bit, but certainly not 16.

I agree, the little ninja recorders would be the go. I think a lot of people are excited that you can get a clean feed for a client monitor now too. Whether you like them or not, these camera's are used pretty heavily in TV commercials so being able to get a clean feed for a client monitor will be a welcome improvement.

Unfortunately the 5Ds still suffer from moire, but being able to record to a better codec is a pretty big deal and gives the DSLR a bit more life.

Unrelated, here's a pretty cool thing from Black Magic http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/product ... nemacamera" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hand held "point and shoot" sized camera that records RAW video with about 13stops of range for $1000. I think that's pretty nuts.

[VTRacing]

You know, I went googling for some of the stuff you guys are talking about and started reading about "chroma subsampling" and "chroma offset by half the luma".

I still have no fucking clue...

[Righteous]

It can get very wordy and explain very little.

Basically, if you were getting an image directly off a camera sensor (RAW) there would be no alteration to the colour of the final clips you got on a card of HDD. This is is 4:4:4. But, cameras will often downgrade the image to lessen the information, to reduce file sizes etc. The next level down is 4:2:2, which is what JDs ENG ("Electronic News Gathering" I think) camera would be recording at. The 5D's 7D's etc all compress their footage down to 4:2:0.

In the end it means you are further away from what the camera's sensor is able to see when you get the final .mov file.

So the firmware update is basically bypassing all the compression that takes place to put the video into a H.264 .mov clip and giving you a clean feed of what the camera is seeing. There has to be some sort of processing that gets that image down from what the stills would be into 1080p format, I'm pretty sure the 5D skips lines to reduce the size, but the final video is much cleaner.

The trade off is that the Compact Flash component of the 5D is probably not fast enough to record all the extra data you would get from the uncompressed footage, hence the need for an external recorder.

I don't know if that has made it easier?

[norbs]

You know, I went googling for some of the stuff you guys are talking about and started reading about "chroma subsampling" and "chroma offset by half the luma".

I still have no fucking clue...

Don't worry TAG, I am with you.

I still get a lot of insider stuff sent to me from when I had the photography blog going. One guy in particular from the UK sends me all this super juicy info, not to be passed on, and he is all excited about it and it means fuck all to me. He is right into those super super slow mo cameras and the techo detail behind them is way beyond my feeble brain.

[J.D.]

The next level down is 4:2:2, which is what JDs ENG ("Electronic News Gathering" I think) camera would be recording at.

Yeah, it's capable of that but we are recording at 420HQ 50i to save space.

[Righteous]

The next level down is 4:2:2, which is what JDs ENG ("Electronic News Gathering" I think) camera would be recording at.

Yeah, it's capable of that but we are recording at 420HQ 50i to save space.

That's interesting. Are you on card or disc? I know there are the EX cameras that shoot to the XDCAM codec, but they shoot to cards. I would assumed you would have treated XDCAM discs the same way you would Digi-Beta? As in, just grab a handfull of them in the morning and head out?

[J.D.]

Discs.

I use a PDW-700. There is also the PMW-350 which uses cards but we don't have any of those.

We don't use EX3s either.

The storage issue relates to what we can keep on the server, not the disc. I have only ever filled a disc once.

[Righteous]

Ahhhh, yes of course, that makes sense.

Back to the 5D then

[Big Kev]

New firmware update

EOS 5D Mark III Firmware Version 1.2.3
Firmware Version 1.2.3 incorporates the following improvements and fixes.

Fixes a phenomenon in which the flash may not fire depending on the timing of when the shutter button is pressed.
Fixes a phenomenon in which the AF microadjustment value may change.*
Fixes a phenomenon in which the LCD monitor may show a line of false color along boundaries of high contrast.
Fixes a phenomenon in which the histogram of a LiveView image is incorrectly displayed when an HDMI cable is connected.
Enables the brightness of the camera’s LCD monitor to be adjusted even when an HDMI cable is connected.
* The phenomenon listed in 2 was addressed with Firmware Version 1.2.1, and has been further improved with Firmware Version 1.2.3.

Firmware Version 1.2.3 is for cameras with firmware up to Version 1.2.1. If the camera’s firmware is already Version 1.2.3, it is not necessary to update the firmware.

When updating the firmware of your camera, please first review the instructions thoroughly before you download the firmware.