Back at NAB 2016 in April, Canon unveiled their firmware update roadmap for the current Cinema EOS camera line and other major camera related products including the EOS C300 Mark II, C100 Mark II, the 1-inch 4K hybrid XC10, the new cine servo 18-80mm zoom and even their DP-V2410 4K reference display. The upcoming firmware updates will bring vital new features such as viewfinder magnification while recording on the C300 II as well as the surprised addition of a new Log gamma – Canon Log 3, which has been designed to protect the highlights (as apposed to Canon Log 2 which favours shadow detail retention). Recently, Canon released firmware 1.0.2.0 for the XC10, adding an MP4 format in Full HD video recording mode, and more importantly a much more snappier auto-focus in video mode – twice as fast compared to the original speed, which was rather sluggish. AF Speeds are also added to the settings menu to make life a bit easier and tailor it to your style of shooting.
Firmware Version 1.0.2.0 Details
- Enables users to select an MP4 recording format for recording HD video.
- Increases the AF speed by a maximum of approximately two times.
- Adds an AF speed settings menu (Fast/Normal/Slow).
- Enhances the image quality in low brightness during HD shooting.
- Makes on-screen displays possible during HDMI output (for HD video only).
- Adds a shutter setting value (NTSC:1/25, 1/50; PAL:1/30) as a flicker reduction measure.
Canon XC10 Features
- 1″ CMOS Sensor and DIGIC DV 5 Processor
- UltraHD 4K at 29.97/23.98p
- H.264 Recording in MXF Wrapper
- Up to 305 Mbps 4K / 50 Mbps HD Recording
- SDHC/SDXC and CFast Card Slots
- HDMI Output – Supports 4K Monitoring
- 10x Zoom / 8.9 to 89mm Focal Length
- f/2.8 to 5.6 Aperture Range
- 100 to 20,000 ISO Range
- Ergonomic Tilting Hand Grip
The Canon XC10 is a handy little power-house of a camera, and the new firmware update does breathe new life into it. I quite like the XC10, it features an excellent on board 422 codec, which offers plenty of room for grading with 305 MB/s in UHD, and can be easily used as a B or C camera to a C300/C100 or C300 Mark II, which you can learn how to do in our post here. Sure, there’s plenty left to be desired especially from the slow lens, but overall, it is a fun little 4K beast at just $2K.
XC10 owners can download firmware 1.0.2.0 directly from Canon here.
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