Sony has just released a new firmware update for one of their most popular bridge cameras on the market, the Sony RX10 IV. This firmware update 2.00 adds real-time Eye AF for animals. Let’s take a closer look at it. Sony RX10 IV Firmware Update The Sony RX10 IV is a bridge camera that was released in 2017, and even to this day, it’s one of the most expensive cameras in its category. In short, it features a built-in Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-600mm F/2.4 – 4 x25x times zoom lens in front of a 1″ 20MP BSI CMOS Exmor R sensor. The camera can take stills in JPG/RAW at up to 24 frames, and the autofocus performance is some of the best available in a bridge camera: 0.03s AF speed and subject tracking that also works in video mode. Sony RX10 IV. Image credit: Sony Talking about the video side, the Sony RX10 IV can record in 4K UHD at up to 30 frames per second in XAVC S/AVCHD. Also, you can shoot in slow motion at up to 60 frames per second in FHD, and up to 1000 frames per second in 912 x 308. There is a micro HDMI port on the camera, microphone input, and headphone jack 3.5mm ports, and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth capabilities. To this day, the RX10 IV is still relevant if you are starting and want an all-in-one camera. Nearly two years after its launch, the Sony RX10 IV just got better with firmware 2.00, that adds the following features: Adds real-time Eye AF for animals. Enables the possibility to operate the real-time EYE AF by half-pressing the shutter button. Improves the overall stability of the camera. Real-time Eye AF for animals is a feature that is already available on the Sony a7R III and a7 III full-frame mirrorless cameras. It is nice to see that Sony is adding this feature to more “consumer” cameras. The real-time Eye AF for animals of the Sony RX10 IV tracks both eyes of your favorite animal. Pricing and Availability The firmware 2.00 for the Sony RX10 IV is a free firmware update, and it is available now on Sony’s website. Have you ever tried the Sony RX10 IV? What do you think of the real-time Eye AF for animals feature on cameras? Let us know in the comments below!

During Inter BEE 2019, we had the chance to talk with SIGMA about the upcoming firmware update for the fp camera. We’ve been told that a firmware update will bring exciting new video features such as in-camera playback of cinemaDNG footage, and something that a lot of shooters are waiting for: a LOG picture profile and RAW output video recording via HDMI. Let’s take a closer look at it! SIGMA fp – A true pocket size camera – Image Credit: cinema5D SIGMA fp Features Inter BEE 2019 is now over, the SIGMA fp is shipping for some weeks now, and it’s a trendy camera amongst filmmakers. The SIGMA fp is a compact full-frame mirrorless camera capable of recording Cinema DNG 12bit RAW to an external SSD at up to 30 frames per second in 4K UHD, and up to 120 fps in HD – Cinema DNG 8bit internal recording to SD card is possible too. The camera features an L-mount, it is competent in low-light conditions, and, the build quality is top-notch. For more information, you can take a look at our review here and our exclusive behind-the-scenes on how the SIGMA fp is being made. SIGMA fp Upcoming Firmware Update During Inter BEE 2019, we had the chance to talk to Takuma WAKAMATSU – SIGMA’s product planner – about the upcoming firmware update for the SIGMA fp cinema camera. Earlier this month, the camera already received a firmware update to fix a couple of bugs mainly related to CinemaDNG RAW recording. SIGMA has already announced that the following features are coming on the next round of firmware update: The possibility to playback CinemaDNG RAW footage directly in-camera. For most of us, this seems like a “normal thing” to be able to playback your RAW footage in-camera, but it requires a lot of power for such a tiny and compact camera. You’ll be able to take still photography during cine recording. But the BIG news is, that at a later stage further enhancements to the camera will be made. Those will be pushed via a firmware update too: And what every filmmaker has been waiting for: a LOG picture profile in MOV mode. This picture profile should improve the dynamic range of the fp camera and allow greater flexibility when going through the color correction process. RAW recording via HDMI. This update will allow connection to an external recorder like the Atomos Ninja V and record to a compressed RAW format (Namely ProRes RAW) if needed. Nice to see that SIGMA is listening and doing its best to enhance the video capabilities of their new camera! Pricing and Availability Those upcoming firmware updates should be free of charge and will come during next year. What do you think of this upcoming firmware update? Do you already own the SIGMA fp camera? Let us know in the comments below!

Canon has announced firmware updates for the EOS 90D DSLR and EOS RP Mirrorless cameras that will enable 23.98P in video mode. The future inclusion of 23.98p for certain stills cameras over firmware updates was announced earlier this month. The PowerShot G7X Mark III, G5 X Mark II, and EOS M6 Mark II will all get the same update, but for the EOS 90D and EOS RP, the time is now. It was a strange omission from the offset, one reminiscent of early 5D mkII days, when you originally couldn’t control manual exposure. But after what has seemed like a positive response to user feedback, you can now enable 23.98p through a firmware update, for both fullHD and 4K recording formats. Said firmware update will improve compatibility of the Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM and f/1.2L Lenses on either stills body. Canon EOS RP Firmware Update 1.4.0 can be found here Canon ROS 90D Firmware Update 1.1.1 can be found here

Blackmagic Design is continuously working hard to improve its BMPCC 4K and BMPCC 6K video cameras, and they now released a new firmware update: Blackmagic Camera Setup 6.6. This update unlocks a couple of new recording modes, a built-in camera horizon tool, improvements to the autofocus performances, and many other features. Let’s take a closer look at it! Image credit: Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Camera Setup 6.6 Blackmagic Design has now announced a new firmware update for its BMPCC 4K and 6K models called Blackmagic Camera Setup 6.6. This firmware update improves a lot of features on both Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras including: Added support for Blackmagic Pocket Battery Grip. The Battery Grip was announced during NAB 2019, and support up to two Sony NP-F style batteries for extended battery life. Added support for language localization. Added support for built-in camera horizon tool. This feature is useful for making sure your camera is perfectly level. Added support for pinch to zoom up to 8x magnification. USB PTP control support. You now can type in customized frame guide ratios; you have no limit anymore to the built-in ones. It has improved autofocus performance. BMPCC 4K – Image credit: Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Camera Setup 6.6 for BMPCC 4K Users Now for BMPCC 4K users only, you have access to a bunch of new features: New anamorphic recording mode: 2.8K 4:3 2880 x 2160 recording in Blackmagic RAW up to 80 fps for anamorphic lenses. Additional recording modes: 4K 2.4:1 4096 x 1712 in Blackmagic RAW up to 75 fps. Also, you can record in Blackmagic RAW in 2.6K 2688 x 1512 at up to 120 fps, which is suitable for Super16mm lenses. It now supports a 2x de-squeeze preview when recording 4K 4:3. Also, if you are using 1.33x anamorphic lenses, there is a 1.33x de-squeeze preview. You can now embed custom 3D LUTs in Blackmagic RAW clips as metadata. Added common off-speed frame rate options above slider when changing frames. Added common ISO options above slider when changing ISO settings. You now can monitor voltage levels when powering via the 12V DC connector. A lot of the improvements for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K are “anamorphic oriented”. Indeed, the BMPCC 4K features a smaller sensor compared to the 6K version. Also, the BMPCC 4K can be used with more lenses due to the MFT lens mount. Blackmagic Camera Setup 6.6 RAW Improvements Finally, Blackmagic Design improved the Blackmagic RAW plugins for Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro. The plugins should now be more stable and more efficient. Last but not least, Blackmagic worked on CUDA general performance and stability improvements. Pricing and Availability The Blackmagic Camera Setup 6.6 is a free firmware update. It is available now, and you can download it on Blackmagic Design’s website here. What do you think of this new firmware update? Will these features help you in the field? What are the features you are still waiting for? Let us know in the comments!

Sound Devices released a new free firmware update V3.00 for their Scorpio and 833 recorders. It adds Sound Devices’ MixAssist algorithm, integration with the popular CL-12 linear fader controller, AAC recording for immediate handoff to transcription and more. Sound Devices Scorpio and 833 Firmware Update V3.00 Scorpio and 833, capable audio recorders from the US-based company Sound Devices, have both been released this year. Scorpio is Sound Devices’ flagship sound field mixer and recorder that can record up to 32 channel/36 tracks. 833 is a compact mixer and recorder with 6 mic/line preamplifiers, 8 channels, a 256 GB internal SSD, and dual L-Mount charging and powering. Both recorders just got a new firmware update version 3.00. Which new features and improvements does it bring? Sound Devices Scorpio and 833 V3.00 Update Firmware version 3.00 includes Sound Devices’ MixAssist algorithm, integration with the popular CL-12 linear fader controller, AAC recording for immediate handoff to transcription and more features. Sound Devices’ MixAssist algorithm intelligently attenuates unused microphones to reduce unwanted artifacts in multi-microphone applications. MixAssist has been available for both 7-Series recorders and 6-Series mixer/recorders and now has joined Dugan Automixing as an available algorithm on the Scorpio and 833. The Sound Devices CL-12 linear fader controller is now supported. The CL-12 is purpose-built for location sound recording needs and expands the flexibility of the Scorpio and 833 ecosystems. Sound Devices Scorpio Firmware version 3.00 also features recording of timecode-stamped compressed AAC files for easy handoff to transcription services. AAC files can be tracked separately to redundant media while maintaining a primary and backup record option. Additionally, Smart Battery telemetry has been added to the Scorpio and the 833. Both mixer-recorders will now display relevant Smart Battery information, such as battery time remaining, percentage remaining, cycle count, and temperature. Sound Devices 833 Scorpio and 833 users can upgrade to firmware v3.00 free of charge by visiting the Sound Devices Downloads page. Do you use Sound Devices recorders for your work? What do you think about the new features added in version 3.00? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Canon’s next announcement today included the new zoom full-frame lenses for Canon RF mount and a firmware update for the Canon EOS R and Canon EOS RP cameras, which enhances AF for object tracking. Those new lenses are the ultra-wide 15-35mm f/2.8 and the standard range 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens. Canon also teased the new 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, which will come later this year. The firmware update for Canon EOS R and EOS RP cameras. Canon announced new RF lenses and Firmware update for EOS R and EOS RP cameras. This article only covers today’s Canon RF mount news. For two new Canon camera announcements – the EOS 90D and EOS M6 Mark II – please refer to our second article. New Canon RF Lenses One of the two newly announced lenses is the ultra-wide Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 IS USM. It covers full-frame sensors, features three aspherical elements and two ultra-low dispersion elements. The lens has an 82mm front filter thread and minimum focusing distance of 11.02″ (28cm). With 15mm on the wide end this lens is the widest Canon lens for the RF mount yet. The other newly announced lens is Canon’s standard range zoom Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 IS USM. The lens of course also covers full-frame sensors and features three aspherical elements and three ultra-low dispersion elements. The minimal focusing distance is 8.27″ (21cm) and the lens has 9 diaphragm blades. Both lenses feature image stabilization system and they are available now for pre-order. The price for each lens has been set to US $2,299. New Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 IS USM lens. New Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 IS USM lens. Canon also teased their new Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, which should be properly introduced at the end of 2019.  The lens looks surprisingly compact when compared to its EF mount version. It seems Canon redesigned the optical design. I am really curious about this lens. Canon EOS R and Canon EOS RP Firmware Update Newly announced firmware updates for the Canon EOS R (Version 1.4.0) and EOS RP (Version 1.3.0) bring enhanced and more precise autofocus for face-detection and object-tracking. The eye-tracking autofocus got enhanced too. Before the update, the face had to take up at least 13-15% of the image so that the camera could recognize it. With the new firmware only 3% are enough for the eye to be tracked and focused on. All autofocus improvements are effective for both stills and video recording. These firmware updates for both cameras will be available as a free download links in September directly via the Canon website. What do you think of the new Canon RF lenses and the Canon firmware update? Do you use the Canon EOS R or EOS RP for your work? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a powerful camera, and it just gets better with the new firmware update version 3.0. This new firmware adds a lot of functions previously available on the newest OM-D E-M1X, including the possibility to now shoot using the OM-Log400 profile. Let’s take a closer look at it! Olympus OM-D E M1 Mark II Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Firmware Version 3.0 – What’s New It’s always a beautiful thing to see that companies continue to care and update their older product and not only focus on pushing out new models (Especially if the update is for free)… Three years is a lot in camera age, and back in 2016, we reviewed the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. This new firmware version 3.0 brings a lot of functionalities that are found in the more recent OM-D E-M1X that we reviewed here. Here is a list of the improvements/additions that this firmware brings to the OM-D E-M1 Mark II: OM-Log400 movie-exclusive picture mode is now available. A new AF algorithm that utilizes the OM-D E-M1X AF algorithm and works in stills and movie mode. The camera now uses the On-chip Phase Detection AF sensor to improve AF performances in video mode. New AF modes such as C-AF Center Priority, S-AF, and group 25-point has been added to AF Target. Also, C-AF+MF1 is now available, which allows users to instantly switch to MF by turning the focus ring while in C-AF for fine-tuning the focus. If you are using an F/1.2 lens in very dark conditions, the AF low light limit is now -6.0 EV. Less noise when shooting at high ISO settings, improvement is around 1/3 of a step. Detail Priority is now available when shooting in low ISO conditions if you need higher resolution images. ISO 100 is now the lowest setting possible. If you connect your camera directly to a computer by USB, USB RAW Data Edit is now available for faster RAW processing in Olympus Workspace. There are new Anti-flicker shooting capabilities. Frame Rate Priority added to Live View Boost/On2 display. Quick image selection is now possible, and Instant Film is available to Art Filter. Olympus OM-D E-M1X and Olympus Workspace A new version of the Olympus Workspace Image Editing Software (version 1.1) is also part of the update. It includes new features such as Focus Stacking for compositing images shot in Focus Bracketing. There is also a new lighten composite mode, and the addition of the USB RAW Data Edit for high-speed RAW processing. Finally, the OM-D E-M1X gets an update to firmware version 1.1 to support the new Olympus Workspace version, and the RAW Data Edit functions. Both firmware for the OM-D E-M1 Mark II and E-M1X are available right now on Olympus’ website. You can download the new version of Olympus Workspace here. What do you think of these new features added to the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II? Do you own an Olympus camera? Let us know in the comments!

Panasonic just released the new EVA1 firmware 3.0. As with all previous versions, the download is available for free. The update brings HEVC H.265 codec in 4K 50p/60p, support for a third party USB-LAN adapter for multicam control, quicker switching of shooting modes and few more improvements. EVA1 gets Firmware 3.0. Source: Panasonic Panasonic certainly takes a good care of their customers. In reaction to user feedback, they frequently release firmware updates for their cameras fixing issues and bringing new features. Their super35 cinema camera EVA1 already got two firmware updates since its introduction in 2017 (firmware 2.0 and firmware 2.5). Now it is time for another firmware update – the version 3.0. What Is new? Panasonic EVA1 Firmware 3.0 The free upgrade is available today through the official Panasonic firmware update page. Key feature of the new update is HEVC H.265 codec that can record in 4K 50p/60p video with 4:2:0 10bit video sampling. Available bitrates are 200Mbps in 4K 50p/59.94p and 150Mbps in 4K 24p/25p/29.97p. Compared to the existing H.264 codec, this allows up to twice the amount of compressed data, while maintaining the same high quality resolution. A week ago, after Panasonic introduced their new flagship handheld camcorder AG-CX350 with the H.265 4K 50p/60p mode, many EVA1 users were hoping their camera will get it too. So yes, here it is. Thank you, Panasonic. Another feature is the support for a third party’s USB-LAN adapter with internet protocol control. This enables EVA1 live multicam control with the advanced integration of CyanView Cy-RCP remote control panel. Furthermore, new functions can be assigned to user button for quick switching of shooting modes & framerates which simplifies system menu change. This is a very welcomed feature since EVA1 users were complaining how complicated and time consuming it is switching from – say – 4K 25fps ProRes to 1080p 240fps slow motion ProRes RAW with the Atomos Shogun Inferno. In this (kind of extreme) example it took about one minute (!) to change the shooting modes. I hope this new feature will work correctly to significantly cut down that time. The following video demonstrates the pain of switching the shooting modes. Other functionality added as part of the upgrade include still image capture in playback mode, enabling the EVA1 to capture still JPEG images and store them on to the SD card. Additionally, the camera now allows two auto white balance presets, a focus indicator in the LCD head-up display, and SDR monitoring when shooting in HDR (HLG). Lastly, Panasonic has announced a reduction in pricing of the EVA1 by €500, with a new RRP (recommended retail price) of €6,790 (excl. VAT). The EVA1 already is much cheaper in stores, so maybe we can expect another price drop? It is not the first price drop this camera received and I can only speculate what it means – is the camera not selling quite as well as Panasonic expected? I own an EVA1 myself and one of the reasons I decided to invest in the camera was the good customer relationship which Panasonic is providing. These frequent free firmware updates are one part of it. What do you think of the EVA1 and its new firmware update? Are you an EVA1 user? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.