C100: Firmware Upgrade & AF: Please Explain

nedcam

nedcam

Well-known member
There's a blog I respect and if you visit THE 3RD STORY DOWN it discusses how the upgrade improves the C100 but I am a little confused. Is it saying we have to buy a chip to be factory installed for $500 to appreciate the dual pixel function? It implies that there may be "blurring" as the circuitry tries to decide what to focus on? Would that look like motion blur as when there's no shutter in effect? If so, why risk having the AF turned on?

I come from the school that AF is for video amateurs or professional still photogs but hey, if I could get AF to really work, where the audience doesn't see it hunting (overshooting), then I will be all for it and would get the upgrade. So if your brain is bigger than mine, please read that third story and report back as to what this upgrade really means. And if I don't want to do a $500 new chip installation should I bother with the firmware upgrade at all? I plan to buy a 70D (on sale now at Coscto!) which has the same feature, mainly because my wife is nagging me for better vacation photos, but that will allow me to see what this dual AF really means. Please respond in easy to understand plain English. Thanks!

http://www.newsshooter.com/category/canon-c100/
 
Thanks Dustylense, I missed that video. So what is the $500 for that is mentioned about the "factory installation"?
 
Now that we know its not a hardware upgrade and only firmware and settings tweaking I feel it's kind of expensive however it looks like it works very well. To bad it only works in the center. It would be great to follow or track with the mini joystick?
 
+1 Erik, I often shoot off of center and without being able to track with the joy stick, it's probably not going to be high on my list of upgrades I'm willing to drop $500 on. I can just imagine someone walking in front of my camera and driving the focus nuts. Maybe some good techniques will be developed that will change my mind about it though...
 
I'm speculating that the 'one-push AF' button at the front could be mapped to 'AF on/off' - which gets us the flipside of 'Push-AF' oft loved by Sony camcorder users. Or the 'MAGN.' button on the handle?
 
With all the information that is now known + the video shown above, surely this is a no-brainer.

AF is not meant to be on all the time. You press a button and the camera just locks in. Then you release the focus button until it's time to lock onto something else. If you are tracking something you just keep the focus button pressed for continuous...

There is no way you can focus as quickly and accurately as this on your own. I don't see that happening.

This will effectively let a single operator ditch the monitor for critical focus and you can really work with a tidy package. Not to mention all steadicam or Mōvi type rigs that will now focus properly.

Sure... a movable area would be great, but still.
 
$500 to activate the feature? Plus shipping and loss of the camera for who knows how long? And the camera already had the ability to do this when I bought the camera?
Sorry but I'm just not drinking the cool aid on this one. Something is wrong with a company when their own people are confused about what needs to happen for upgrading a new feature.

And the feature is already built into the C300 and C500 but you can't upgrade. Something is fishy here.
Yeah, it is a no brainer.
 
greenheron said:
$500 to activate the feature? Plus shipping and loss of the camera for who knows how long? And the camera already had the ability to do this when I bought the camera?
Sorry but I'm just not drinking the cool aid on this one. Something is wrong with a company when their own people are confused about what needs to happen for upgrading a new feature.

And the feature is already built into the C300 and C500 but you can't upgrade. Something is fishy here.
Yeah, it is a no brainer.
Click to expand...

I agree with these sentiments... If the £500 also included the addition of an internal 422 codec and 1080 50/60p I would feel it worthy of spending approx £120 (I checked this recently) to ship it with insurance cover to Canon from Northern Ireland. As it stands I won't bother.
 
I currently only own a few Zeiss lenses.... Manual Lenses... heh - No go for me (and to be honest, wouldn't bother if I had the glass)
 
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