Firmware Friday: New features for Canon 1DX II, Leica S and S-E; better performance for Techart M-E adapter
posted Friday, September 16, 2016 at 7:09 PM EDT
Another week has flown by, and it's that time once more: Firmware Friday is here! This week, we have news of updates for three cameras, and in all three cases it's not just bug fixes -- there are new features on offer here too! And for good measure, we also have news of an update for Techart's Leica M to Sony E-mount adapter. Let's start off with Canon...
Canon 1DX Mark II
Firmware version 1.1.2 for the Canon 1DX II contains a total of seven changes, according to the company's official release notes. With the latest firmware installed, the pro-oriented DSLR now offers the same LCD color-tone control that was introduced in the Canon 5D IV recently. It can also now append IPTC data to images, transfer only those images which have been set as protected, and allows the user to control the time for which GPS data should be retained after a GPS fix is lost. Additionally, the new firmware doubles the number of network connection settings which can be saved on a memory card to 40, extends the auto power-off time to 10 minutes if an FTP transfer is being retried, and improves wireless transmission with the WFT-E6 Wireless File Transmitter.
You can get the new firmware from Canon's website here.
Leica S and S-E
Leica's firmware updates have just landed in the Owners' Area of the company's website.
The Leica S firmware version 4.0.0.0 update includes a new rear-panel info display layout which packs in more detail, as well as changes to the top-deck info display including an optional distance display in feet, an indication of remaining recording time during video capture and a PC indication when connected to a computer. There's also a new rating function supported by Adobe products, and a change to the playback zoom function which ensures it now remembers and returns to the last-used zoom level.
Finally for the new features, the viewfinder display now shows the number of burst shots remaining when the shutter button is half-pressed, and a "mirror-up" icon is shown on the LCD monitor when the mirror lockup function is engaged. And Leica has also corrected three bugs -- stuck pixels at exposure times between two and eight seconds, intermittent clock inaccuracy when using Auto GPS time, and communications problems when using the Leica S-Adapter H.
The Leica S-E version 2.5.0 update, meanwhile, fixes a problem with slow camera startup if the camera is powered on with GPS enabled in Iceland. The new firmware also rolls in the latest Leica lens firmware updates.
More details can be found by Leica S and S-E owners on the company's website.
Techart Pro Leica M - Sony E Autofocus Adapter
Finally for this week, we come to Techart's LM-EA7 Leica M to Sony E-mount adapter. Version 4.0.0 of firmware for the adapter is said to improve autofocus speed and focus drive rate, and to reduce viewfinder blackout times. The firmware update can be installed using Techart's Android or iOS apps.
(Camera parts image courtesy of Kelly Hofer / Flickr; used under a Creative Commons CC-BY-2.0 license. Image has been modified from the original.)