Canon Inc. recalls EOS-1D firmware...
By
Mike Tomkins
(Tuesday, October 2, 2001 - 19:21 EDT)
Error in the tone curve of our prototype camera degrades image highlights; sample pictures withdrawn, at least for the moment...
Arrgghh! Hours/days of labor lost, no Canon EOS-1D images for another little while!
When we received our preproduction test unit of the EOS-1D, Canon told us it was fully up to specifications for the purposes of shooting test photos, so we began our normal evaluation process. Today though (10/2/01), Canon USA alerted us that Canon Inc. has discovered a design error in the tone curve on the "MT-2" group of EOS-1D prototypes, which our test unit was one of. (Firmware version 1.0.0) This design error degrades highlights in JPEG images. (As we and our readers had observed.)
Canon is currently working on a revision of the 1D's firmware to correct this issue, and has promised us that we'll receive an updated unit as soon as one becomes available. We'll of course immediately update our test photos at that point. (We also hope to be able to show before/after images, so our readers can see the nature of the changes that were made.)
In the meantime, Canon USA has asked us to refrain from showing images shot with the original firmware, as they are not up to Canon's design goals for the camera. (The good news here is that the overly-contrasty images with poor highlight detail do not reflect Canon's goals.)
Stay tuned, we'll have updated images available as soon as the revised firmware is made available. In the meantime, we'll continue working on an expanded "Preview" of the 1D's functions and capabilities. Watch our news and "new on the site" pages for an announcement of updated test shots as soon as they're available!
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