EOS-1D X firmware Version 1.2.4 available for download

Canon has announced that a new firmware update – Version 1.2.4 – for its flagship EOS-1D X DSLR is now available for download. Details of the exact firmware fixes and improvements are shown below...

EOS-1D X Firmware Version 1.2.4

Firmware Version 1.2.4 incorporates the following functional improvements and fixes:

1. Improves the speed of the camera’s acquisition of focus when using a Canon Speedlite’s AF-assist beam.
2. Reduces the time it takes to display the metering result on the LCD or Viewfinder when the meter has been activated.
3. Fixes a phenomenon in which a ‘Caution 02’ message is unnecessarily recorded in the camera status log.
4. Fixes a phenomenon in which continuous shooting pauses when using a Canon Speedlite.
5. Fixes a phenomenon*, when the GP-E1 is attached, which causes the GPS device settings to be reset to default when the camera has been powered off.

Note:

* This phenomenon occurs only with firmware Version 1.2.1.

* After changing the GPS device settings, please be sure to power off the camera before removing the battery. This will ensure that the camera's GPS device settings will be saved.

EOS-1D X Firmware Version 1.2.4 is available to download – please click www.avantech.com.mt, then enter your country and camera details and select the firmware option to download the firmware. Firmware Version 1.2.4 is for cameras with firmware version 1.2.1 or earlier. If your camera’s firmware is already Version 1.2.4, it is not necessary to update the firmware. Please remember to read all of the instructions carefully before downloading the firmware.

Photographer ‘Shops His Baby Daughter Into Strange Situations

When Emil Nyström‘s daughter Signhild grows up, she’ll have a number of baby photos showing how adventurous she was as an infant. Since Signhild was less than 1, Nyström has been creating whimsical conceptual photos of the girl in strange situations.

The Umeå, Sweden-based photographer uses clever photography and careful Photoshop work to create the images, which show Signhild doing everything from painting a room in their house to chopping flying fruit as the Fruit Ninja.


Nyström tells us that his ideas come from places at different times. For example, the painting photo above came about when the family decided to have one of their rooms repainted. Shooting the photo involved holding Signhild up and then digitally removing the supporting arms:

The photographs in the series were shot using a Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8, and Sigma 50mm f/1.4.
Here’s what he tells us about shooting the actual photographs:

When shooting a baby like mine, I have to prepare a lot before I shoot, since she is usually not very keen on long working hours. If I get 15 engaged minutes, I’ve had it good. So lights, settings, scenery have to all be in place. Once the baby is on scene, I have to try getting the right facial expression and all the right poses as quickly as possible. Usually I get help from my wife with it. Sometimes when it’s more elaborate we have to have even more people helping. Other then that, there is usually not many problems with these types of shots.

Canon EOS 650D: tips for using your EOS camera

So you think you know how to use your Canon 650D? Like many of us, you may have a DSLR or compact system camera but tend to use only a handful of your its features.

In our ongoing review of some of the more popular current and ‘out of date’ Canon cameras, we want to help you better harness the creative potential of your camera.

Call them camera tips, or call it a user’s guide to your favourite Canon camera. The advice below comes from experts who have used the Canon 650D and know this DSLR inside and out.

If you have your own Canon 650D tips you’d like to share, post them in the comments below. What we want to build is an ever-growing user’s guide for the Canon 650D that comes not from a press release or a lab test, but from the photographers who shoot with this DSLR.

We want to inspire you to twist the mode dial and move beyond your favorite settings and functions and get more out of your Canon 650D starting today!

1 Nose adjustments
If you’ve activated the touchscreen on the ‘Q’ menus, the viewfinder sensor won’t switch off the LCD when you hold the camera to your eye, and this means you can change settings accidentally with your nose! So switch off the LCD by pressing INFO.

2 Better audio
The 650D offers continuous focus for shooting movies, but the noise made by the focusing system’s motor as it makes adjustments can be picked up by the on-
board stereo microphones. For audio that matches the quality of the pictures, use an external mic.

3 Picture Style Auto
Like the 600D, the 650D has an Auto setting for Picture Style. This has a tendency to create a more vibrant image, so if you’re looking for a more subtle colour palette, choose the Faithful or Neutral Picture Style (if you shoot Raw you can change styles in DPP).

4 Movie Servo AF
The autofocus is set to Continuous by default when you enter Movie mode. As well as tapping the icon on screen to switch this feature off if you want to focus manually, you can disable the setting in the Live View shooting menu (the fourth red menu).

5 Auto ISO
If you select the Auto ISO option, the camera won’t select an ISO higher than ISO6400, in order to ensure the best possible image quality. If you want a higher sensitivity, to enable you to use a faster shutter speed or narrower aperture, you’ll have to set it manually.