Not good.

J.

Hey, I just got my H1 back from the shop, and on the repair notes it says "updated firmware to 1.0.6.0"

Anyone know any info on this yet? Still won't have my eyepiece and lens for another week, so haven't done any testing.

Does anyone have any info on firmware 1.0.6 that Russell mentioned? Maybe it adds support to write HDV files directly to the SD card! Ok.....seriously....what does it add/fix? Probably fixes obscure under the hood glitches....but it would be nice to know. Maybe it supports a new HD qulaity viewfinder! I can dream right?

Maybe it adds a hard drive recorder and a 35mm sensor. Maybe not. It would be nice to know what it does do.

I got to play with the Red last weekend. It's gonna be great when they get all the bugs kilt.

Hello all.

Does someone still have this firmware update on a SD card? If so, could you send its content (the files or, better, card's full image) to irusskih@gmail.com?

Thanks in advance!

Is it an alarming sign that Canon not develop any major firmvare updates to H1? Is the H2 around the corner?

No, it isn't alarming.

It is!

Of course not ;-), but it could be some development; it haven't been any major improvment in firmware. I would like to se flip possibility, alt framerates, development at the gain levels (+12 - +18 is useless IMHO).

And about the H2; someone in a neighbour forum had heard "release of the H2 in the coming months" from a sales rep. Maybe we will see something at NAB.

We're not too much on spreading rumors here; a little lighthearted stuff goes on in Area 51 but not the camera forums. I would think engineering timelines and marketing forces would be the main drivers for a new camera model. The next one will be out when Canon is ready to announce and market it.

That said, of course Canon has new cameras in development. All the companies are always working toward the next product. I doubt that how many times or how much they patch the firmware for a current camera has much bearing on future cameras.

I'm doubtful you'll see those big enhancements like flip (but would be nice for those who need it and ya never know). Canon hasn't done a lot of dramatic upgrades to the firmware of the XL cameras.

Tis said in this frum somewhere else that someone has received a firmware update - recently. It is alo newer than the version I have.

I have written to Canon service director (UK) and asked why Canon keep it so difficult to get hold of these updates. Clearly they are developed for a reason and clearly they are user installable and more than clearly they are highly portable (i.e downloadable).

Don't hold your breath. The three emails I received from support regarding the sending to me downloading of the file resulted in "Your equipment has to go to a centre" stock reply.

A major corporation stacked with enough intelligence to design and build these cameras, yet....

Done a fair bit of searching for the 1.06 new firmware and can find no info on it. Canon has set up this cam for firmware updates in a very smart way... just wish they would make the final step - availability - just as sweet.

Maybe there is a reason for not releasing it yet?

Since none of us know the specifics of what it does accomplish, it's more of a curiosity at this point.

Hope Chris can glean some info on this firmware for us.

...or maybe even comparable; but this my question - why can't Canon improve and develop firmware in faster pace, when for example RED has done 15, soon 16 firmware updates in less of a year?

I love my XL H1, and my new XH A1, but, have Canon still the spirit...

Jonas, I think that is an apples to oranges comparison. RED is a new and novel camera system that even as it is released in small numbers is under active development by an upstart camera company (albeit quite well funded!) and the XL is well established and at present is sold in much larger numbers to a much wider customer base.

I don't see much incentive for Canon to put a lot of effort into wringing new features out of firmware that is working well to do what it is supposed to do. But you never know; reps from ALL the manufacturers DO read DVinfo even if they don't post.

More confusing is the fact they don't seeem to need too much incentive to do the firmware updates as it would appear there is one floating around.

The tragedy here is not necessarily the regularity of the updates but the attitude toward their customers. Canon should be posting the availability of the update in as many places they can - not tucking it away - only to be applied to cameras being turned in for other more important service or repairs.

Frankly, this so called smaller upstart, with their under active development is getting greater and better acclaim not only due to the quality of their goods but their strikingly different attitude to their customers, it's an attitude I suspect Canon used to have when they were young, struggling and developing - back in the days when "if anyone could, Canon could" which mean't they probably would.

As has been said, the development of a new firmware update means Canon have identified aspects of the cameras behaviour that need or can be improved, but there's an air of "you can only have it if you give us work to install it for which we can legitimately charge you and which costs you to get it".

Maybe I will llook at the upstart company and it's product if they are going to mlook after me and value me as a customer.

Now then, RED, were are......

Words like "alarming" and "tragedy" conjure up excessive emotion that is out of place in a discussion such is this, as are the negative nonsubstantive comments, some of which have been removed from recent posts.

Again, apples to oranges: RED is a really interesting new 4K system in a "ready to shoot" price point of $25,000+ and the XL-H1 is a 1080 camera that can be had for around $8,000 ready to shoot. The workflow is quite different, and the companies are quite different. The shooter should buy the one that matches his or her needs; if the frequency and ease of firmware updates is important to you, well, weigh that in.

If you want specific features that the XL H1 doesn't support, look elsewhere. Here's the RED forum (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=110). A couple of folks spouting unkind hyperbole in a public forum about a company is neither very productive nor allowed here on DVifno. That some customers want more and easier access to XL H1 firmware has been amply stated already. Stay on topic and stay factual. Thanks.

Apologies for my overzealous emotions, suppose I must get used to what I can't have and move on as I only bought in the 8,000 bracket.

Pete, I think Dave's main point was a valid one - not that there aren't more firmware updates, but that when there is one, it is almost like they don't care if we even know about it. I have felt the same frustration.

I couldn't care less whether they release many updates. If the camera never changes again, I would be satisfied with what I have purchased. It does exactly what it's supposed to do and it does it well. But if they do release updates, I would like to be able to enjoy the benefits of it, as a loyal consumer.

I have 4 XL-H1s, so I am heavily invested in this technology, and obviously I believe in the product. I do find it strange that it is all but impossible to find out about a firmware improvement, and then more inconvenient than need be to receive it. You can look higher on this thread to see my attempt almost a year ago to get the update that fixed timecode issues and almost doubled the f-stop increments.

It was like pulling teeth to find someone at Canon who, number one - knew there was an update, and number two - knew how I could get it.

Once I did get the update, it was so nice to just sit down for about 15 minutes and quickly and conveniently update all my cameras (At the time, I had three). Then, when I bought a fourth from another forum member, I was able to immediately update that one, since I still had the card in my possession. That is how it ought to work. This was a crucial update, in my opinion, and it should have been MUCH easier to learn about it and much easier to get it.

it is all but impossible to find out about a firmware improvementNot if you're reading DV Info Net on a regular basis it isn't.

It was like pulling teeth to find someone at Canon who, number one - knew there was an update, and number two - knew how I could get it.Here's the reason for that. The main Canon help line (1-800-OK-CANON) may be an outsourced facility for all I know, but their expertise lies primarily in the still camera and printer product lines. The XL H1 is a highly specialized item relative to everything else they make, and with regard to firmware updates there may be three or four Canon people in the U.S. that have any real, in-depth knowledge about the details of the upgrade... perhaps even fewer abroad. So yes it's a somewhat mysterious process and I'm only scratching the surface of it here, but one of the reasons why I started this site was to facilitate these exact types of issues between market and manufacturer.

RED and their fifteen builds is an apples to oranges comparison. For RED, it's all they do. Theirs is a product continuously undergoing changes so of course there will be build after build. That's entirely different in a wide variety of ways from how the XL H1 is developed. Not saying one way is better than the other, just saying that's how it is... for now at least.

Hi Guys
I could not agree more. Thank you for bringing this facility to bring market and manufacturer together which for you in the USA appears to be working.
In the UK, this manufacturer needs to pay more attention to its market. We don't have to my knowledge a registered owners club where we can get firmware updates free like you do in the USA.

The USA Canon store is full of accessories - easily accessible for the XL-H1. The Canon UK store mixes XL-H1 accessories with everything else Canon do so they are not easy to identify in fact it even links direct to eBay so you can buy third party non Canon accessories that don't carry Canon warranties. Try the Canon UK store for an XL-H1 cleaning kit right now by choosing accessories, selecting cleaning equipment and their cart brings up a scart to three phonos! LOL....That's how much care and attention XL-H1 owners get in the UK. Think its funny or unlikely? Check it out here: https://store.canon-europe.com/DRHM/servlet/SecureControllerServlet?Action=DisplayCategoryProductLineListPage&SiteID=canoncon&Locale=en_GB&Env=BASE&categoryID=11012600. This is not a great example of manufacturer coming together with market.

Yes I do love the camera but would I go buy another three like Vence has done - right now - probably not. This manufacturer has a lot to do to come together with its market here in the UK and it is having a detrimental effect on their sales - who knows they don't know if I was sold on buying three or four XL-H2's?

Chris - any chance of your sources providing specifics on what the latest firmware accomplishes?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Anyone who has had their H1 recently serviced by a Canon Service Center notice any new features or improvements in operation due to the new firmware installed at servicing?

Anyone who has had their H1 recently serviced by a Canon Service Center notice any new features or improvements in operation due to the new firmware installed at servicing?....Just had my camera in for its first servicing at the authorized Canon service center here in Canada in early December and it came back with no upgrades. The camera did return with a way cleaner viewfinder, as I just about destroyed mine trying to clean it !

Thanks much. Looks like we're at the end of the line on any further firmware development for the original XLH1.

That's right -- from here the upgrade from the XL H1 is the XL H1A or H1S.

Just got my XL H1 back from the Canon UK RCC at Elstree, North London, and it is now at firmware 1.0.4.0. It was in for a new mainboard as my computer manufacturer looked to have missed that the firewire connection to the front panel of the PC was one row of pins out. This put +12V DC on one pair of data pins and 0V Ground on the other pair. With an 1100W PSU sitting behind that rail, it smoked two cameras and the PC mainboard too.

Repairs for the Canon were around $1200 USD and the Sony $400 USD plus another $500 USD for the PC damage. Strangely though the Sony kept on working but lost its iLink connection which gave me no clue what was wrong - I wrongly assumed Vista didn't like the camera. The Canon actually smoked and everything shut down but the damage was already done.

All fixed and paid for by the computer supplier, but ouch!!

I am assuming that in the UK, firmware 1.0.4.0 is the latest for the H1

Rick

Hi there

Is the firmaware extension .FIM?

Think I just found the firmware 1.0.4.0


Best
Nuno

Looks like we're at the end of the line on any further firmware development for the original XLH1.
Not yet, John!

I had our XL H1 at Canon RCC, Gothenburg, Sweden" this week for replacing the fragile and broken 4-pin FireWire connector and a cleaning.

I just checked the firmware and it is now upgraded to 1.0.7.0 !! But I still have no clue what has changed.

Does anybody know more about any possible improvements? /Johan

They have improved (the hated) sloppy servo function of the focus ring on the 20x lens!

Before the upgrade (from 1.0.4.0), near the wide zoom end, the focus went from close distance to infinity with nearly no movement at all. Then, at tele zoom, you had to turn the focus ring much more for the same distance change. It was more or less impossible to know and feel how much you should turn the focus ring for a certain distance change. If you had focused on , lets say 1 m, and wanted to go to 1.5 m, the lens focused to past infinity with a slight movement of the focus ring if it was on wide angle.

Now the function seems much smoother and easy to control. Focus works more similar no matter which what zoom setting you have. More like an EF lens or manual lens.

HOWEVER, THE DISTANCE SCALE IN THE VIEWFINDER SEEMS TO BE GONE!! I'm on the phone with Canon ... I have used the distance scale very much rather than to wiggle back and forth to achieve good focus.

This is a loss. Perhaps people found the distance scale inaccurate so Canon removed it ... I don't buy it.

According to Canon they should have improved the zoom ring too. I have no idea what was included in (if any) firmware 1.0.5.0 nor 1.0.6.0.

Edit: Sorry, but I don't know if the servo is improved when using manual focus. The Canon workshop had flipped the switch to auto focus. Then the focus ring reacted in another way than usually. Canon just said they have improved the function of the focus and zoom rings on the 20x lens. Don't know if this is valid to the old (non II) original lens. If you find more info about this firmware, please chime in!

HOWEVER, THE DISTANCE SCALE IN THE VIEWFINDER SEEMS TO BE GONE!

Menu > Custom Function > 12 Obj Dist Unit > 00 (meters) or 01 (feet) > On.

Menu > Custom Function > 12 Obj Dist Unit > 00 (meters) or 01 (feet) > On.
Hi Chris,
Not so on our 2005 XL H1 (non s/a). It has this function under DISPLAY SETUP - (next page) - OBJ DST UNIT - m (or ft). It cannot be switched off there.

But I found the error: The Canon service had flipped the auto focus lens switch to auto focus. I have never used it. It disables the distance readout though.

Sorry for making smoke!

Thank you for this great forum! /Johan

Thanks guys for the info on the new firmware.

Wished we could find out more detail on specifics from Canon.

This has been one great camcorder - added an XDR from Convergent Design and it's still going strong with the 6X and 20X lenses.

Hey there Chris,

New firmware for the XLH1 which fixes the 20x zoom focus readout?

Can you suggest a way of getting hold of this? Is it available on any Canon site?

And can anyone tell me, please, how I can keep the distance indicator in the viewfinder ON all the time? Mine is only visible when I move the focus ring. I can't find a way to keep it on permanently.

Best

Harry.

Hi Harry, Canon USA has not made it available for download as far I know.

However, if you're in the L.A. area, you could simply drive your camera down
to the CUSA service facility in Irvine and have them do a clean & check. That's
the fastest and easiest way to get the latest firmware for an XL series camera.

Thanks for the reply, Chris.

I'll see if I can get Chris Canada down there to send it to me.

Best,

Harry.

Okay, I have gone around and around with Canon for over three months.
Everytime I called, they said they would send the card, but never did. Finally today, they said they have a new policy and won't send any more cards. They want me to send my cameras in. This has gotten very frustrating! All of my cameras have firmware 1.0.0.0

I have three XL-H1s and I can not afford to be without them for any length of time and sure as heck can't afford to express ship them all back and forth. I have three jobs in November that require me to genlock and link my cameras with timecode, and without the firmware update, my understanding is, it does not work well. Plus, I could REALLY use those smaller iris steps. Too often, one click is just too much change.

Does anyone have a firmware upgrade on SD card that you would be willing to send to me. I'll pay to have it sent back and forth and I will return it. Please!

Thanks,

Vence

I have the XLH1 that I bought used about a year ago, I just purchased the 6X wide lens used for it. I do not have the correct firmware (V1.0.3.0) to use the iris ring (which is why I puchased this) Called Canon and they are tell me I have to ship the camera to them to get the latest firmware. Well I can not be long without my camera as its my job. Could anyone help me out here and sent me the .FIM file by email or hook me up with the SD card to load and I will return it. Thanks for your help.

I can't help you because I have the same firmware as you (1.0.3.0).

But if you manage to get hold of a more recent version, please post on this thread, ok?

Best,

Harry.

So no one can help me here?

I have version 1.0.3.0 on my XLH1. Let's see if I can help you.

I cannot assist you via this board because, if your camera explodes, the owner/administrator of this board Chris Hurd must be completely clear of liability.

(Chris, I imagine you agree)

You can email me at:

myxtrosequel@me.com

and I will try to help you.

Best wishes,

Harry.

PM me if you are still looking for that 6X firmware. I have version 1.0.4.0

Thanks Mark, I just sent you an email.

Travis

Thanks again Mark for your help!
All good to go now!

Hi;
I still have a Canon XlH1 and I'm still using it! Anyway, I'm in Brazil, and my camera have the normal setting to 24, 30 and 60. I will have have some productions to a small channel in England, and I tried (hard) to find a way to have the update to 25p, but the Canon here doesn't do this anymore. The camera is an "arquived" product...
I've read here that this setting (to have both 24 and 25p) is a kind of "firmware update" (my camera is 1.03.00) and that, in some cases, they did it sending a card with the update to the camera owner. I know that is against copyright and etc, but, please, anyone have this file? I really would like to be able to produce directly in 25p, but Canon here simply considered my ask to update as a "joke", and don't care anymore for who still using this camera. I like the camera and want to still using it for a while...
Any light in the end of the tunnel???
Thank you very much;

Marco Carrero

It was only done as a paid upgrade in authorized Canon facilities I believe. I don't think there was ever a firmware card available to the public.

Hi, Marco..............

What format, exactly, were you going to provide to this outfit in the UK and what delivery method?

I ask, as if you are shooting NTSC and delivering on DVD, it'll work fine on any DVD player in Europe, whether it be a Pal or Secam player, they all play standard NTSC discs as long as they haven't been area coded, and many don't take any note of the area code anyway because they've been hacked, either during production or after.

I think you'd even be OK with a BD shot at 24.


CS

Hello Simon, hello Chris;
Thank you very much for the answers!
Actually I will deliver the tapes, so my doubt is if they have to do any conversion to 25p it would not cause any kind of loss on the image quality or even problems on the movement...

About the camera upgrade, probably I mixed (badly!!!) some informations that I've read.
Anyway, thank you very much!

Cheers;

Marco Carrero

Er, a suggestion if I may..................

DO NOT SEND THEM THE ORIGINAL TAPES!

Possible problems include (but are not restricted to):

1. They are the original tapes, unless you have copied them, if they get lost or damaged, they're toast.

2. If they have been shot at Canons 24p, unless they have a Canon HDV codec camera/ tape drive, they will NOT be able to read them.

3. Even if they can read them at all, their deck may not be completely compatible with the deck in your camera, ergo, drop outs everywhere, assuming even you can actually get a clean read on your camera to start with.

I strongly suggest you ingest them into your NLE to check them for readability, and transpose them to a format of their choice, other than Canon HDV, and send them on Optical disc instead.


CS