For the first time, Canon didn’t just tweak the settings on a camera with a firmware update, they actually enhanced the camera. But after updating the 5D II to allow manual exposure, they still had a lot to do. And today, finally, it seems they’ve done it.

So what’s the big deal with the new firmware? Hit the jump to get a simple explanation of frame rates and audio samples, as well as the complete list of firmware changes. But if that sounds all too boring, feel free to just click here (scroll down, hit “I Agree”) to get the firmware and be on your merry way!

First, a list of the changes, and while it’s only a list of six, they are huge:

Firmware Version 2.0.3 incorporates five enhancements to the movie function and a fix to the manual sensor cleaning function of the EOS 5D Mark II camera.

1. Adds or changes the following movie frame rates.
   • 1920×1080 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
   • 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
   • 640×480 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
   • 1920×1080 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)
   • 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
   • 640×480 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)

NTSC: PAL:

2. Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels).
3. Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure.
4. Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies.
5. Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz.
6. Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cleaning. (This phenomenon only affects units with Firmware Version 1.2.4.)

Next up, What’s the deal with all those frame rates?

It’s all about standards. NTSC is the standard used for broadcast across most continents (PAL being the other standard). It’s also the standard used for DVD’s and Blu-Ray discs. And the players. And the standards for most editing programs that create those DVD’s and Blu-Ray discs. Basically, to not adhere to NTSC (or PAL) standards, is to ask for a whole lot of work just to get your video to work within those standards. So what are those standards . . .

29.97 fps for video, and 48Khz for audio. Which means every time you used a 5D, you had to resample that video and upsample the audio to match the standards. And that resampling was not perfect. your audio might not match perfectly so it would get slowed down (albeit by .1%, but still). And that audio, 44.1khz on the 5D II, is a great standard . . . for CD’s. But video has required 48khz for over a decade (maybe two. When did DVD’s come out again?)

Sure, the 7D and now 1D IV offer all these features. But neither has the one killer feature that made the 5D II such an attractive camera despite all those issues.

Being a full frame sensor, the 5D could really simulate the “film look” in video, which is a mix of that shallow depth of field (check), and the old film speed of 24fps (d’oh!). Which is funny because we were just talking about the NTSC standard of 29.97, and here I am harking for 24fps. Well, actually, since the beginning of film to tv and dvd conversion, a process called telecine has been used to turn 24fps film into a compatible 29.97fps video. After a while, they decided to make it easier by switching that standard to 23.976 (which is a perfect 4/5 of 29.97 and therefore easier to work with).

So, back to the point: Canon, with this firmware, has made the 5D II compatible with the NTSC standards, 29.97 and 23.976 fps, with 48khz audio.

On top of that, they added a few nice features, like allowing 64 levels of audio recording. Previously this was automatic, which meant you couldn’t really capture consistent sound levels, and without sound, your video is basically pre-talkie.

The histogram feature for video is also nice to have, as it lets you see exactly what the camera is capturing, rather than relying on the back of the screen (which may all well be fine, but isn’t very scientific at all).

All in all, this is a great step forward for Canon. Their support for an older camera shows that they are listening to their current user base, and attracting new users, all without forcing users to buy a new camera, and without having to release another new camera.

Here’s how important this is to me: I’m currently a Nikon user, and formerly a Canon user. I still have the equipment, but haven’t used it much (except for remotes). I own a D3s, and love it. It also does video, and also has a full frame sensor, but it suffers from some of the same issues as the 5D II. Only 24fps, not 23.976 or 29.97. Oh and it’s 720p, rather than full 1080p (so 2004). I even bought a 7D, figuring it had everything I needed (except that full frame sensor). Hated it. Sold it 3 days later (at cost, so no loss to me). Figured after that, I wouldn’t really dabble in Canon for a while, using my remaining equipment as alternate and remote gear.

But now? that 5D II really has me considering a purchase. Nikon, the ball is in your court. Better step up that video game.

BTW, if you need more details on anything I said, I will gladly elaborate on anything asked in comments, via meebo, email, phone, smoke signal, morse code. You send the message, I’ll be there to answer it. I understand some of the standards I mentioned above might be confusing. It’s confusing to me, and I’m a video guy, having worked at a TV station as a broadcast graphic designer. You’d think this stuff would just make sense to me, but it has me shaking my head from time to time. BTW, you think this is bad? Ask me why TV’s were 4:3 standard forever, but DVD’s were 720×480 (a 2:3 ratio), yet fit perfectly. Damn engineers.

Goodnight!

Raise your hand if you were excited about Snow Leopard coming out last Friday? I admit, I was intrigued, and went ahead and picked up a copy at my local Apple Store. But before I even got to open the package, I started reading reports that people had problems with older applications not being compatible, and even newer applications needing updates and patches just to be compatible. A personal computer having problems isn’t that big a deal. Maybe you’re inconvenienced because you can’t sync the latest songs to your iPhone, or can’t use Tweetdeck or who know’s what else.

But what if this is your work computer? What if your entire business depends on this computer? What if Snow Leopard creates incompatibilities that wouldn’t just inconvenience you, it would prevent you from working? Think I’m kidding? Adobe CS3 application users have already expressed concerns, and you would think CS4 users are safer. Maybe not.

If only there was a way to test out Snow Leopard on your system, without jeopardizing your current setup. Well, there is, and it’s not very complicated. So if you’re an expert level user, I won’t be sharing anything too mind blowing. However, for the novice to intermediate user, this may just make your day. Read on for more.

First things first, here’s what you’ll need:

• The latest updates for all your software. Developers have been scrambling to put together updates and patches for Snow Leopard. At the very least, update the software you use the most. Read any information on the developer’s site to be sure that you updated properly.
• An external hard drive. You could use pretty much anything, so long as it contains enough space to hold all the files on your current Macintosh HD. It could be a flash drive, one of those portable drives that don’t require power, or a full fledged external drive. Try to connect via Firewire 800 if possible, if not 400, and if all else fails, USB will do just fine. Oh and it should be empty. You’re going to have to format it.
• Carbon Copy Cloner is free (donationware) software that allows you to easily make your external drive a copy of your current Macintosh HD. Done right, you can boot from this drive (basically run OS X from the external drive). Which makes it a perfect guinea pig. Please download and install it.
• A copy of Snow Leopard. You can get it at the Apple Store, or buy it online. At 29 dollars, it’s pretty affordable, and if you have multiple Mac’s, 49 dollars gets you a 5 license family pack. There’s also a full version, in case you’re not currently on Leopard. For the purposes of this post, we’re using the upgrade.
• Time. Using CCC to copy everything over took a few hours, which was 100GB of data, via USB, to an external mini hard drive. Basically, the slowest possible drive I had handy. That’s ok. Just take a nap or go to lunch while this runs.
• More time. Ya, installing Snow Leopard took about an hour on my drive. Maybe a little less. Again take a nap (I did. That’s why I said it took about an hour, I’m not really sure).

Ok so let’s begin. In order to format your external drive, go to your Utilities folder (shortcut: Shift Command U). Then select Disk Utility.app. This utility provides basic functions for formatting, erasing, partition, etc, of all your data drives, both internal and external. You can even set up a software RAID.

Using Disk Utility, go to the Partition tab (up top, middle), then select your external drive. It will be listed by its size (in my case 232.9GB) and manufacturer (WD). Note mine already has “BOOTABLE” as the name under it. That’s because I’ve already done this. But in the case of your external, it should match the name of the drive that appears on your desktop when you plug in.

Under Volume Scheme, select 1 partition. type in any name (I like BOOTABLE, it’s very clear that way). Set the Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). And one last bit: select Options, then choose GUID Partition Table. It even explains that you need to select GUID to use the disk to start up an Intel-Based Mac. Hit Ok, and then go ahead and hit Apply. It shouldn’t take too long. Once it’s done, you can go ahead and close out Disk Utility.

Now that you have a freshly formatted external drive that you can boot into, you need to load it with your data. Start up Carbon Copy Cloner. At this point, you need to select your Source Disk (which is the disk you want to copy), and your Target Disk (the disk you wish to copy to). It’s fairly straightforward, but just in case:

For Source Disk, please select Macintosh HD. This is where OS X is installed, complete with all your applications and other files, such as settings, are written to. All your other drives, internal or external will not be affected by the upgrade, so we don’t need to worry about them, but you could unplug them just in case.

Then, for your Target Disk, please select the drive that you just formatted. In my case, it’s titled BOOTABLE. I labeled it as such in order to make it pretty obvious which drive I would be copying to. Be careful in selecting the proper Target Disk, so you don’t accidentally erase any important data. Again, if you wish to be totally safe, you can disconnect all your other drives except for the Macintosh HD and your external bootable drive.

Once you’ve selected your Source and Target Disk, choose the Backup Everything option. You can leave the “delete the items that don’t exist” option unchecked. If everything is fine, you should see the green light below the options, stating that this volume will be bootable. That’s exactly what we need. Select Clone to start the process, and let it run to completion.

With your external drive now a clone of your current Macintosh HD, it’s time to boot into it, so we can proceed with the Snow Leopard install. To do this, reboot your Mac, and hold down Option as it starts up. You should see a screen with various drives. Select your external drive (it’s the orange one), and press Return. For more info, click on the image to go to the Apple Support page about Startup Manager.

Booting into your external drive may take a while longer than your standard startup procedure, again depending on various factors. This isn’t about speed, it’s about safety.

Once you’ve booted up, you are all set to install Snow Leopard. Insert your Snow Leopard disc into your Superdrive, and select Install Mac OS X.app. You’re now on your way to installing Snow Leopard. Just follow the instructions and let it run its course. When asked which drive you’d like to install to, just select your external drive.

Once you’ve finished with the install, you’re ready to test your Snow Leopard install. Just run all your usual apps, and see if any of them pose any problems. For me, I had a few key apps fail. You can try and see if reapplying any patches, or updating will help, but if you did that before installing Snow Leopard, then there’s not much more you can do.

So now what? Well, if you’re in the same boat I’m in, just hold off on upgrading your Macintosh HD. Simply reboot back into your main drive, and that’s it. This is a very safe way to test things out. And once more Snow Leopard updates come out from both Apple and the software developers for your most used applications, you can try the test install again. Simply format the external drive, and follow the steps above.

But what if Snow Leopard worked out well? Then you can simple boot back into your Macintosh HD, and run the Snow Leopard install on that drive.

I would still suggest you play it safe, and reformat that external drive, and then use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your Macintosh HD again before it’s upgraded. If anything happens to your Macintosh HD after upgrading it to Snow Leopard, say a week down the line, you can just clone back the info from the External to the Macintosh HD.

It’s definitely time consuming, but the few hours it took me were well worth it. I experienced color shifts on my monitor, some key apps did not work, and I generally was not prepared for the upgrade. If I had gone about it on my Macintosh HD, I might not have been able to blog about this experience.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

AdoramaPix is at it again with their big print sale. Running through March, 4.95 gets you a 16×20 Kodak Endura Matte or Lustre print, and 7.95 for a Kodak Metallic. And like last time, you can purchase prepaid prints at these prices, and use them after the sale ends. This is great for anyone who prepurchased the metallics last time, as they’re still paying 4.95 for those.

Not only that, but if you’re signing up for the first time, you get 25 4×6 prints free.  And if you happen to do that, please consider dropping my name as a referral (my email address for this is msimbron at gmail dot com). I’ve accrued a bunch of 4×6 prints and plan to do something (don’t know yet) with them.

If you read my previous article on this, “Big Print Giveth,” there are comments from users who purchased large prints from AdoramaPix and were quite happy with the quality.

Feel free to add any thoughts or queries in the comments.

The week long pass that I posted about last week expired. It was a very popular post on this blog, so I contacted Lynda.com to see if there were any other trials available or coming up. It took a few days, but they responded.

As I mentioned in my other post, Lynda.com is a good resource for training, and the monthly or yearly cost is a boon to anyone who has an interest in learning more than one application. For my review of the service, read last weeks blog post

Click more to read on about my response from Lynda.com customer service, and the link to the 24 hour pass.

After writing Lynda.com customer service regarding the expiration of the week long pass, I received an email a few days later. Here is their response:

Hello,

We currently do not have any other 7 day trials for you to share but we do have a one day trial, www.lynda.com/freepass/24 Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Thank you for your interest in lynda.com,

lynda.com Customer Service

So, the good news is that there is still a trial available. If you have a day where you can sit in front of the computer or laptop and really poke around, give that link up there a shot.

One thing to note: for some reason when I first went to the link, it didn’t work. I had to click the link twice, or refresh it. This may be because I’m already a subscriber. Just warning ya in case it doesn’t work the first time around.

Second note: They mention that by signing up, you become part of their newsletter, but won’t sell your info or anything. Fair trade for the pass I guess, but that’s a decision for you to make.

Questions, comments? Email me, or post a comment.

Let’s install Windows. Where was that disk again? Countless reboots and hours later, you have Windows. But no updates. Reboot more, like it’s going out of style. Ok SP3, here we are. But no Photoshop. No Photo Mechanic. Crap, even my email hasn’t been set up yet. Oh and if you run Vista, you may just be better off going without a computer until Windows 7 shows up.

The last time my computer went out on me, I reasoned that it was old enough to not be worth saving, so I went and got a Mac. That’s how much I hate reformatting. Also, to be honest, I was simply unprepared. So how could having software like Acronis True Image have saved me? More on that, and the link to the article and info after the jump.

Acronis True Image creates a copy of your drive, known as a disk image, in its current state. It can then write this file to an external drive, or DVD’s. Because it’s a copy of your current set up, you can use it to go back to this setup anytime. Lets say you create an image last tonight. Then today, you install some software, but somehow it messes up your computer. No problem, just use the DVD’s you created, and in little while, your computer will be set up as it was last night. For that alone, it’s a lifesaver. But there’s more.

Let’s say you got a new computer. Why would you need an image of that? Well, you really wouldn’t. But what’s the first thing we do when we get a new computer or laptop? Install software. Well what if you installed your software, and your computer was spiffy clean, and running fast. Why not make an image now. That way, when your computer starts slowing down, and maybe has a few too many glitches, instead of reformatting, and going through some Sisyphusian install procedure, you can load up that image from when you first got your computer. Now it will have all that software preinstalled. You can even take out all that software that’s bundled with your computer that you never want to use, install the programs you do want, and make an image of all that.

The best part is that the process is automated. Creating a boot disc and the DVD’s of your image takes a few clicks. Put in the boot disc and follow the instructions, and you’re back up and running, complete with all your applications.

BTW, I found out about this from Lifehacker. Much as I enjoy people visiting my blog, you could cut to the chase by going there and checking that place out. I found out about a lot of tools that I use for everyday productivity over at Lifehacker. Definitely worth a bookmark (maybe next to your bookmark for my blog?)

Here’s the article at Lifehacker (Click here) with instructions on registering for the free software

And the link to Acronis (Click here)

The link to the Acronis site is VERY busy. it took me no less than three tries and a minute to load it.

Feel free to comment, especially if you’ve used Acronis software in the past.

Even if you don’t like Acronis, you really should consider SOME drive imaging software. Ghost and DriveImage XML are both alternatives you should look into.

UPDATE: The trial offer has now expired. I will do my best to find a new one.

UPDATE 2/17/09: The trial is back on. I believe it will alternate on and off, so try it. if you’re in a rush, try the day pass in my other post. Remember, each one requires an email address.

Lynda.com has always been a great resource for a variety of training. In my experience using them for two years, I find that Lynda offers the best bang for the buck when it comes to training for creative tools. at 25 dollars a month, or 250 for a year, it’s hard to beat their offerings. They have training for all the Adobe apps (which do include the former Macromedia apps), as well as Apple’s own creative suites (Final Cut, Aperture, etc). I could spend another few paragraphs listing it all. Instead, just look at their online training library master list

So, is Lynda.com is a clear choice, a must have? Not necessarily. Read on for the link to the free trial (really, the best way to figure out if you want it), and my opinion on Lynda.com

First, the training varies in length and subjects. Photoshop training used to be more about Photoshop as a graphics editing tool, not really photographer specific. Recently that has changed, but it took a while. Also, they may not have a robust library of videos for the apps you really need.

I found as well that my ability to learn what I was viewing was very dependent on the style of the instructor. Maybe this isn’t true for all of us, but for me, I found people with higher energy like Deke McClelland kept me engaged. Others were the equivalent of online NyQuil.

The training is also basic to intermediate level. I’ve had the opportunity to try out Total Training for various Adobe applications. I really felt their product was better, and really geared towards someone who wants to work in the creative industry. But for 150-200 dollars per course, it had to be. Of course now (years later for me, sigh) they offer online libraries, for 299 a year. A good deal, if you specifically want Adobe, Microsoft, and audio training. Apple users, there’s nothing there for you.

Lynda’s goal is simply to get you comfortable using an application. How far you take it after that is up to you. Because it’s online, the videos are broken up into various sections. I don’t like having to click through video by video, but I do like that I can quickly cover a small topic by clicking on the relevant link. I do this often with Illustrator, where I forget as many shortcuts as I remember, so I’m always running through video snippets to remember what I need.

For an extra fee, Lynda offers access to the work files for certain training, such as PSD’s for Photoshop, and sets of Images for Lightroom. The first year I used Lynda, I had this service. I never used it. I honestly was too interested in learning what I needed to know, then use it on whatever I needed to know it for.

You need an internet connection to view the files, as there’s no offline caching of the videos. So if you were hoping to save hours and hours of training for an especially long road trip or airplane ride, try again. Lynda offers them for some courses, with a per course fee of about 100 dollars for a DVD. No thanks.

In a nutshell, Lynda is a great idea, but far from perfect. It offers basic training, which may not be enough for you. It offers a huge library of application training, but you may not use them all (I basically stick to Adobe, Apple stuff, Cinema 4D, and soon the WordPress training). It has a ton of videos, but no way to view them on anything but a laptop or desktop, maybe a netbook (mental note: get a netbook). And to me, the training really depends on the trainer. You may just soak in the knowledge regardless.

So uh, why am I recommending them? Because, as imperfect as it is, it’s still useful. Lynda is always on top of new versions of applications, even using beta versions to display the new features. This is great when evaluating whether or not you need the upgrade. They’re great about adding new applications. They just added WordPress training. I would have loved that 8 months ago, when PShizzy.com was born, but hey, I’m still gonna view it. All of the new and extra training is including in your monthly/yearly fee. Instead of having to shell out some money to buy a book (so 1986…) or get a new training DVD, I just log in, find the new stuff, and view.

But maybe you’re a book learner. Maybe you want HD quality video. Maybe you want specific training for a specific app to get you up to speed at an advanced level. Maybe Lynda isn’t for you. Why not try it out for yourself first, for one week, for free. Click the yellow link below. UPDATE: The trial offer has expired.

UPDATE 2/17/09: The trial is back on. I believe it will alternate on and off, so try it. if you’re in a rush, try the day pass in my other post. Remember, each one requires an email address.

Click Here for the Trial: Welcome, Fans of Deke.

If you’re a user of the service, please feel free to comment. Questions? Email me.

Note, this is Windows only, which makes me a sad Mac. Not really though, because I have a PC laptop.

EDIT: Link is up. Click on the links above, or HERE.

And, if you look closely, the ad mentions prepaying. Lock in that price over 25 prints for 124.00, so you can still cash in on the savings long after the sale is over.

Of course, there are other factors to consider besides price. I love Millers lab (same place as MPix, but for businesses, while MPix is open to anyone), and their service and shipping time is superb. Still, a big metallic for five dollars is hard to beat. I would say that anyone considering the prepaid option should at least order one print up front, or a couple, and see how they like Adorama versus their current print shop.

If anyone has any experience with Adoramapix, please comment, I’d love to know more. I typically don’t print much of anything for myself (I’m more of a digital screen kinda guy), but if I do put in an order, I’ll report back.