Canon 1DC gets long-awaited 25p 4K update, through service facilities only

Recently, Canon announced the availability of the long-awaited 25p 4K firmware for its filmmaking-focused DSLR, the Canon 1DC (watch my Canon 1DC review video here and our comparison to the Sony F55 here). So far, the camera was only able to record 24p in 4K, basically making it irrelevant for any TV production in Europe and other PAL countries around the world (which rely on 25p/50i workflows and broadcasting).

This makes the camera a whole lot more interesting to filmmakers and production companies in said countries. However, if you think you can download the firmware update and install it yourself, you are mistaken: Canon requires you to hand your 1DC over to a Canon-certified service center to perform the upgrade.

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Canon 5D Mark III firmware update for clean HDMI output leaked
UPDATE: Now officially out!

The firmware update for the Canon 5D Mark III scheduled for April 30 has just been leaked by an unknown source. It enables the camera to output clean HDMI, and according to Canon “HDMI Output makes possible the recording of high-definition uncompressed video data (YCbCr 4:2:2, 8 bit) from the EOS 5D Mark III to an external recorder via the camera’s HDMI terminal”.

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But what about Sony’s 4K FS700?

When the Sony FS700 came out they also announced a firmware update to unlock its 4K mode, making the camera “future proof” in a way. With the F5 and F55 Sony also announced the 4K solution for the FS700, but this looks a lot more costly than expected.

Recently the prices for Sony’s AXS-R5 recorder leaked on Sony’s Japenese coming in at about $5800 excluding tax (after Yen conversion). Apparently it is also necessary to get a special module called HXR-IFR5 (as seen on the left) to get 4K RAW via 3G HD-SDI out of the FS700 (at 59.94p max).

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Geeky stuff – Streaming DSLR signal to iPad

We’ve reported about the Teradek cube before. It’s almost a “cube” with a hotshoe below it so you can mount it on your camera and stream hdmi directly to your iPad or another network capable device.

In this video the Cube people show how it works as a directors wireless field monitor. Great, and at $1199 a great affordable deal. However there is a lag, so you should be careful about using it as a monitoring device to control focus or your camera.

With the new firmware update the device now won’t cause trouble on hdmi switching cameras like the 5D or T2i.

This is the model you want to use with your iPad, but there are several other models which you can see here or on the Teradek Cube website itself.

via Vincent’s blog