Canon releases $100 firmware update for professional stop-motion photography
Canon has introduced a new firmware option for EOS R owners interested in high-end stop motion photography. The firmware, which has to be installed at a Canon service center, adds a number of features to make shooting stop motion easier, particularly for those using the Dragonframe animation application. A new version of the EOS R has also been released that has the firmware already installed.
The main advantage of the new firmware for animators is the increased resolution of the live preview when the camera is tethered via USB. Without the new firmware, the camera outputs an image of 960x640 pixels, but this is increased to 1920x1280 pixels with the firmware installed. This resolution is higher than all other still cameras compatible with Dragonframe, and the extra detail makes checking the image details and focusing much easier. Output live view resolution from the Nikon Z7 and the Sony A7R IV is 1024x680 pixels, for example, while that from the Olympus OM-D E-M lll is 1280x960 pixels.
The downside of the update is that HDMI output is disabled, as are display performance options. Manual focus peaking becomes an option over USB but it will no longer work in the viewfinder or on the camera’s rear screen in a number of situations:
When an EF-S lens is used
When [Multiple exposure] is set
When [Cropping/aspect ratio] is set to an option other than [FULL]
When the shooting screen is magnified
When you keep holding down the shutter button after shooting
The new firmware costs $100 plus shipping to have installed on an existing EOS R camera, and the new version of the camera with the firmware pre-installed costs $1899 – about $100 more than the standard version.