Canon preps for even faster 4K video capture with EOS-1D C

Canon's impressive, video-oriented EOS-1D C professional digital SLR has been shipping for a couple of months now, and as early adopters are finding out, it's capable of some mighty impressive 4K movie capture. This summer, though, its video performance could be kicked up another notch.

A product advisory issued by Canon today notes that it is preparing for a service upgrade that will see the EOS-1D C able to shoot 4K video at an even higher framerate. Currently, the camera is limited to shooting at an NTSC-friendly (after pulldown) rate of 23.976 frames per second when in 4K mode, but after the update, videographers will be able to opt for 4K capture at 25 frames per second.

That might not sound a huge increase -- it's only an extra frame every second, after all -- but it means the camera will need to process a little over 4% more data than it's already doing. The new rate will make the EOS-1D C better suited to shooting video for overseas markets, as it's precisely half the field rate (and thereby, matches the frame rate) of most PAL video formats, widely used outside of North America.

The update, says Canon, will be available free of charge. No information is yet available on how it will be provided, but Canon says it will provide more information this April, once it has decided on an availability date.

In the meantime, you can check out our earlier coverage showing what can already be done with the EOS-1D C...