Firmware Friday: Firmware updates aplenty from Canon, Sigma and Sony, plus Fuji software too!

 

 

Our Firmware Friday roundup this week is mostly a tale of one company, as Canon dominates proceedings with no less than five video cameras and four reference displays either receiving new firmware in the past seven days, or slated to do so shortly. If you're not a Canon shooter, you may want to read on regardless, though, for news of firmware and software from Fujifilm, Sigma and Sony as well.

Let's get right down to the updates and see what's new!

Canon Cinema EOS C200 / C200B; VIXIA GX10, XF400, XF405; DP-V2410, V2411, 2420 and 2421

Canon's firmware news arrives on two fronts this week. The company has updates available or on the way for five of its professional video cameras and four reference displays. We'll start off with the Cinema EOS C200 and C200B, which just received firmware version 1.0.4.1.00. The new update makes the following three changes:

1. Fixes image quality degradation, such as color misalignment or edge distortion, may occur in the recorded footage when using the following combination of settings:

   • recording format XF-AVC

   • frame rate 59.94i / 50.00i

   • 1920x1080 resolution

2. Optimizes the [Black Gamma] compensation when [Normal 1] to [Normal 4] is set for [Gamma] in the Custom Picture settings.

3. Optimizes color accuracy in areas of high brightness when [Normal 1] to [Normal 4] is set for [Gamma] in the Custom Picture settings.

You can download firmware version 1.0.4.1.00 for the Canon Cinema EOS C200 and C200B here.

Moving along to the VIXIA GX10 video camera, Canon reports the potential for white balance issues when using Auto, Portrait, Sports, Night Scene, Snow, Low Light or Spotlight modes in current firmware. A firmware fix is planned for release in the near future, says the company, and offers up a workaround in the meantime. If you're having this problem, just set Auto white balance in Program, Aperture or Shutter-priority or Manual modes first, and then select Auto or Scene modes as applicable.

And finally for the video cameras, we come to the closely-related XF400 and XF405. Here, Canon advises customers of potential image quality degradation when recording 1080i59.94 or 1080i50 footage in XF-AVC format, as well as the aforementioned white balance issue from the VIXIA GX10. The previous workaround is also applicable here for that issue, but there's no way to work around the image quality concern unless you can use different encoding and capture resolution/rate. Once again, new firmware is promised in the near future.

And that brings us to the new firmware for Canon's reference displays. Here, the Canon DP-V2410, V2411, V2420 and V2421 all receive a lengthy laundry list of new features, with anywhere from 24 to 27 bullet points on the change log for each camera. All four models receive the following changes:

1. A function has been added that automatically switches the picture quality settings in accordance with the video resolution (4K/2K) and the metadata - Colorimetry bit of the video payload ID, cinema camera type (CINEMA EOS SYSTEM/ARRI/Panasonic), and HDMI. This enables more practical and efficient operation in environments that use both HDR and SDR.

2. A function has been added that displays the brightness values or RGB values of the input video of the specified pixel position. This enables to check the subject brightness in greater detail.

3. A function has been added that displays the peak and average brightness values, or the peak and average gradation values as well as the transition in these values for the entire input video picture (frame). This enables to visually check changes in brightness during video production.

4. A comparison display function has been added that enables HDR/SDR comparison display, and CDL/User LUT ON/OFF comparison. This enables left-right picture quality comparison display with the press of a single button.

5. A function has been added that colors areas which are over the specified range. The rest of the image is shown in monochrome. This enables to visually check the brightness level during HDR shooting.

6. A function has been added to “False Color” that enables users to adjust the boundary positions of the brightness range.

7. A function has been added to “2020 Outside of Gamut View” that colors areas outside the native color gamut of the panel.

8. PLUGE and Color Bar test pattern images for HDR signals have been added to “Test Pattern”.

9. A function has been added for remotely controlling the display using a Web browser. This enables to use a Computer, tablet or other device to check and manipulate the displayed video and settings.

10. Functions “2020 PQ to 2020 SDR”, “2020 PQ to 709 SDR”, and “2020 HLG to 709 HLG” have been added to the “CDL/User LUT”. This enables display of PQ signals converted to SDR characteristics and display with the PQ/HLG signal color gamut converted to BT.709.

11. The ARRI cinema camera LUTs “ARRI (Rec2100-PQ-1K-100)” and “ARRI (Rec2100-HLG-1K-200)” and the Panasonic cinema camera LUT “VARICAM (V-Log to V-709)” have been added to “User LUT”.

12. “Preset Log 1”, “Preset Log 2”, “ARRI (Rec2100-PQ-1K-100)” and “ARRI (Rec2100-HLG-1K-200)” scale display have been added to “Wave Form Monitor”.

13. A function has been added to “Wave Form Monitor” so that colors appear on areas outside the ranges set by “Color Range” and “HDR Range”. This allows for an easy check for the areas outside these ranges.

14. A waveform monitor can now be displayed in both the left and right pictures during MultiView (Dual) display.

15. The system gamma can now be adjusted between 1.000 and 1.500 when “Gamma/EOTF” is set to “Hybrid Log-Gamma.

16. The auto setting operation in “Color Range” has been changed to “Full” when “Gamma /EOTF” is set to “Preset Log 1” or “Preset Log 2”.

17. A “D65-Custom” setting has been added to “Color Temperature” to enable fine adjustment of the D65 color temperature.

18. An anamorphic image can now be zoomed in the proper ratio.

19. “Gray” color has been added to the line display color setting, and “Half” bightness to the brightness setting have been added in the “Aspect Marker/Safety Zone Marker 1/Safety Zone Marker 2/Area Marker/Center Marker/Grid Marker” settings. This enables dark display during HDR display.

20. A display size setting has been added to “Center Marker /Audio Level Meter”.

21. Horizontal display position adjustment, brightness adjustment, and VITC/LTC display ON/OFF settings have been added to “Time Code”.

22. A save format setting has been added so that JPEG format capture is now possible in addition to the previous bitmap format.

23. Other UI and operation performance enhancements have also been made.

All but the DP-V2410 receive the following change:

• A brightness adjustment function has been added to “Wave Form Monitor”.

And all but the DP-V2411 get the following change:

• The operation when “Color Range” is set to “Limited” has been enhanced so that over-white and under-black areas can be displayed.

The DP-V2411 and V2421 alone receive the following change:

• A function has been added so that 4K video signals can now be resized to 2K size for 4-picture or 2-picture display. In addition, a function has been added that resizes 8K video to 4K size and displays it to enable checking 8K content.

And the DP-V2420 and V2421 both get the following change:

• HDR/SDR comparison display is now possible when “Peak Luminance Control” is set to “On”.

You can download firmware version 1.3.1 for the DP-V2410 here, version 1.1.1 for the DP-V2411 here, version 1.2.1 for the DP-V2420 here and version 1.2.1 for the DP-V2421 here.

Fujifilm Raw File Converter EX 2.0, X Acquire and Tethered Capture Plug-in for Lightroom

Fuji's news this week is all on the software front rather than being firmware per se, and it's also relatively minor, but it's nevertheless worthy of a quick mention. Fuji Raw File Converter EX 2.0 version 4.3.1.0 for Windows and Mac adds support for the Fuji X-T100 camera body, and makes no other changes. Fuji X Acquire v1.10 for Windows and Mac both make the same change as does the Tethered Capture Plug-in for Lightroom v1.10 update (also available for Windows and Mac): All three apps get a new warning when the filetype selected in the camera doesn't match that in the software, resulting in no image being downloaded. In addition, the X Acquire v1.10 update for Mac alone makes one further change, fixing a problem that resulted in both filetypes being downloaded when only one was selected.

Sigma sd Quattro and Quattro H

Moving along to Sigma, the company has this week shipped new firmware for the sd Quattro (version 1.10) and sd Quattro H (version 1.06) cameras. In both cases, the list of changes is as follows:

1. It has become possible to automatically retract the lens barrel of the SIGMA 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO | Art, when the camera’s power is turned off.

2. It has set the maximum shutter speed in SFD (Super Fine Detail) Mode to 1/500 sec., so as not to duplicate shutter speeds of the individual images.

3. It has corrected the phenomenon that the X3F/X3I images taken with SIGMA Capture Pro cannot be developed properly when the value adjusted by SIGMA Photo Pro is saved to the file.

4. It has corrected the phenomenon that the images occasionally show some green or magenta color rendering after updating the firmware.

You can download the sd Quattro version 1.10 firmware here, and the sd Quattro H version 1.06 firmware here.

Sony 18-110mm f/4

And finally for this week, we come to the Sony E PZ 18–110 mm F4 G OSS zoom lens, which is now compatible with firmware version 02. This is said to bring improved focus tracking accuracy and stability, and also resolves an issue with FullMF mode. You can grab the update here for Mac or Windows platforms.

...which brings us to the end of this week's roundup. Be sure to check back next time for more Firmware Friday news!

(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.)