The 5D Mark 3 Just Got Way More Awesome

Canon have released firmware update 1.2.1 today for the 5DMK3 which is one of the most comprehensive firmware feature additions ever seen for a Canon camera.  You can download it HERE.

Here is a list of the changes made with this firmware:

1. Uncompressed HDMI output is now enabled.
2. Enables the centre AF point to autofocus when the camera is used with Canon EF lens/extender combinations whose combined maximum aperture is f/8.
3. Improves the speed of the camera’s acquisition of focus when using a Canon Speedlite’s AF-assist beam.
4. Fixes a phenomenon in which the LCD monitor may freeze and display ‘Err 70’ or ‘Err 80’ when a still photo is taken during Live View or in movie shooting mode.
5. Fixes a phenomenon that may occur when the continuous shooting priority setting is enabled for multiple exposures, such that, after the sixth image is taken, there is a slight pause before the remainder of the sequence is completed.
6. Fixes a phenomenon in which the viewfinder display shows incorrect information during AEB shooting.
7. Communication with the WFT-E7 Wireless File Transmitter has been improved.
8. When images have been successfully transferred with the WFT-E7 Wireless File Transmitter through the FTP protocol an ‘O’ will be displayed. When images have not been successfully transferred with the WFT-E7 Wireless File Transmitter through the FTP protocol, an ‘X’ will be displayed.
9. Fixes a phenomenon in which the camera may not function properly when an Eye-Fi card is used.
10. Fixes a phenomenon in which the focal length value listed in the Exif information is not displayed correctly for images shot with the EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens.
11. Fixes a phenomenon in which the lens firmware cannot be updated properly.
12. Corrects errors in the Arabic language menu.
13. Fixes a phenomenon in which the camera changes the AF microadjustment value to -8.
14. The lens compensation data for the EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens has been added.
15. Fixes a phenomenon in which the on-screen guidance cannot be fully displayed when setting the maximum limit value for the ‘Setting the ISO Speed Range for Auto ISO’ option.

Of course the big news here is uncompressed output from the HDMI port as this allows film makers to plug in external recording devices and record to other formats directly like ProRes or DNXHD in a much less compressed way then you can create files in camera.  Video recording quality should be vastly improved with this.Also important is that the HDMI output AND the LCD can be used simlutaneously so that you can frame through the LCD and still be recording or viewing a second monitor from the HDMI feed.  This is also BIG news for people that just want to feed a video village from the camera and it’s not something that Canon has really mentioned but I have tested it myself right now and it works as there is a new option for ‘mirroring’ in the menu system.

For wildlife photographers, or other that require long combinations of lenses and extenders, the AF system has been updated to work with lenses that feature a minimum aperture of f/8.  For example the 400m f4 DO with a 2x extender.