XL H1 Firmware Upgrade Details

Nick Hiltgen · September 13th, 2006, 09:57 AM

Drat.

Just received my firmware update and when I went to install it the camera says that I already have the 1.0.3.0 update BUT my iris only advances in quarter stops. (i.e. 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8) so now I get to be on the line with canon tech support and to be honest like msot people have discovered in this thread they don't really seem to be super knowledgeable about the camera...

oh well.

Dan Keaton · September 13th, 2006, 11:49 AM

Dear Nick,

This is tricky.

After the firmware update, the iris (F-Stop) numbers will be as you indicated.

However, when you move the iris dial, there will be a F-Stop value in-between each number.

For example, as you go from 2.0 to 2.2, you will have to move the iris dial two clips, with the first click being halfway between 2.0 and 2.2.

If you look carefully in the viewfinder or monitor, you will be able to see a subtle difference.

Canon does have technical support specialists that are knowledgeable with the XL H1. When I stumped one of their reps with a question, they transferred me to a person that was knowledgeable.

Nick Hiltgen · September 14th, 2006, 06:42 AM

::ahem::

That is to say canon knew exactly what they were talking about and I was an idiot. Just as Dan pointed out the iris does not LIST a change there is just an extra click, thinking back abotu ti I'm pretty sure I also read that some where (probably this thread) any how turns out I did have the firmware update the whole time so II guess I should have reported this earlier, I just didn't use the stock lens enough to notice.

so uh yeah, once again,
canon = super great (though I was on hold for a while)
nick= idiot.

I'm going to go crawl under soemthing...

Dan Keaton · September 14th, 2006, 06:55 AM

Dear Nick,

I hope I did not offend you in any way, no offense was intended.

I was only trying to state that when I called Canon, the rep knew that he was in over his head and immediately referred me to the XL H1 specialist. I was probably lucky.

The other part of my post was to explain how subtle the change was. I was expecting the numerical F-Stop values to change each time I moved the iris dial, I was surprised how it actually worked.

Marty Hudzik · September 14th, 2006, 01:52 PM

I just ordered my SD card via the assigned phone number. Sure enough I had to haggle to get them to send it to me. They wanted me to send the H1 in for service. Not happening! I finally convinced them and hopefully it is on it's way!

I'll let you all know how it turns out. Can't wait for thos 1/8 stop changes. 1/4 stop increments are for pansies!!!!!

:)

Jonas Nystrom · September 14th, 2006, 03:14 PM

Johan, did you have any further contact with Canon RCC about the firmware?

Nick Hiltgen · September 14th, 2006, 05:25 PM

Dan

NO offense at all, in fact there was literally nothing for me to be offended about. You were completely right I just felt like an idiot for going through all fo this crap with canon and actually having the updated firmware already (I had sent my camera in in june). I think it's a good thing for other people out there that you wrote what you did so hopefully no one else makes the same mistake.

Also as a testiment to canon's throughness I just received my second 1.0.3.0 update sd card today.

Lauri Kettunen · September 27th, 2006, 07:23 AM

Got my XL H1 firmware updated yesterday. An interesting detail was revealed simultaneously.

I had to send the camera to maintenance to another city, and thus, asked them to adjust the color balance of the EVF at the same token. For the EVF of my camera is bit towards magenta. They said this should be a simple thing to do.

However, after updating the firmware they called me and said, that although in the earlier Canon models (XL1 and XL2) this was possible, the EVF color balance of XL H1 is not adjustable. If I got it right, in XL 1 there are adjustment screws and in the XL 2 color adjustment is set with some maintenance program. But, in XL H1 no such things exist any more. They added, that this is a surprise for them as well, for one would have expected to see such an adjustment in this level of camera.

Guess Canon had to balance with various things to keep the cost of XL H1 reasonable.

Anyhow, as you guys tend to say, just my couple cents (although I would have very much wanted to have the EVF calibrated) ...

Dan Keaton · September 27th, 2006, 02:08 PM

Have you tried adjusting the viewfinder's hue using the menu?

I was able to adjust mine to what I considered correct.

Lauri Kettunen · September 28th, 2006, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Keaton

Have you tried adjusting the viewfinder's hue using the menu?

Dan, where do you have such a setting? In the EVF menu there are only brightness, contrast and color, but no hue. I searched the manual with key word hue, and the only other place it is mentioned is the skin detail function.

Dan Keaton · September 28th, 2006, 07:00 AM

Dear Lauri,

I did not have the XL H1 with me when I posted yesterday.

I checked the menus last night and the menu lists it as "Color", not "Hue". I could not remember what nomenclature the menu used.

I am sorry for the confusion.

Using a calibrated field monitor for comparison, I was able to adjust the XL H1's brightness, contrast, and color to match. It took about an hour shooting various scenes, under various lighting to get it right, but it has been well worth it.

I highly recommend calibrating your viewfinder. I have been able to use the manual white balance controls, in the field, without the benefit of a field monitor, and still obtain the desired color. In other words, I can now trust whats on the viewfinder to be what I am recording on tape.

Karen Nakamura · October 3rd, 2006, 07:50 AM

I just checked my XL-H1 and it was at version 1.0.0.0. That's not surprising because given my unit's serial number and when I got it (mid December 2005), I think it was one of the first 100 produced off the line.

Anyone know what happened to the firmware between 1.0.0.0 and 1.0.2.0? That is, what were the minor updates before this 1.0.3.0 release?

Thanks!

Karen Nakamura
www.photoethnography.com

Johan Forssblad · October 27th, 2006, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonas Nystrom

Johan, did you have any further contact with Canon RCC about the firmware?

Yes, yesterday I visited Canon RCC in Gothenburg and they loaded the new firmware 1.0.3.0 while I did another job in town. Service was free of charge because of guarantee. However, I should have had brought the bill with me to prove the camera was less than a year. My words "the XL H1 has still not been on the market a year" didn't convince the lady in the reception. But they probably managed to get a copy from the retailer.
The technician said there is also a 1.0.3.1 firmware to cope with camcorders with NTSC also.

According to their Swedish policy they will not send out any self upgrade SD cards. We have a handful of service stations which are allowed to do the upgrade.

BTW, I had a color laser photo of a screenshot showing plenty of the purple fringes. I asked if this was a problem with my camera or normal. He didn't comment this issue at all. He just said the camcorder was checked and looked OK.

Carlos Quinones · November 13th, 2006, 11:13 PM

I have the same situation, my H1 is having problems with the rack focus...

Carlos Quinones
It's Written Productions, LLc.

Chris Hurd · November 14th, 2006, 12:24 AM

Carlos, can you be more specific? Exactly what kind of problems with the rack focus are you experiencing?

September 13th, 2006, 09:57 AM	#46
Nick Hiltgen Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 1,427	Drat. Just received my firmware update and when I went to install it the camera says that I already have the 1.0.3.0 update BUT my iris only advances in quarter stops. (i.e. 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8) so now I get to be on the line with canon tech support and to be honest like msot people have discovered in this thread they don't really seem to be super knowledgeable about the camera... oh well. __________________ I have a dream that one day canon will release a 35mm ef to xl adapter and I'll have iris control and a 35mm dof of all my ef lenses, and it will be awesome...

September 13th, 2006, 11:49 AM	#47
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Nick, This is tricky. After the firmware update, the iris (F-Stop) numbers will be as you indicated. However, when you move the iris dial, there will be a F-Stop value in-between each number. For example, as you go from 2.0 to 2.2, you will have to move the iris dial two clips, with the first click being halfway between 2.0 and 2.2. If you look carefully in the viewfinder or monitor, you will be able to see a subtle difference. Canon does have technical support specialists that are knowledgeable with the XL H1. When I stumped one of their reps with a question, they transferred me to a person that was knowledgeable. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia Last edited by Dan Keaton; September 14th, 2006 at 07:01 AM.

September 14th, 2006, 06:42 AM	#48
Nick Hiltgen Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 1,427	::ahem:: That is to say canon knew exactly what they were talking about and I was an idiot. Just as Dan pointed out the iris does not LIST a change there is just an extra click, thinking back abotu ti I'm pretty sure I also read that some where (probably this thread) any how turns out I did have the firmware update the whole time so II guess I should have reported this earlier, I just didn't use the stock lens enough to notice. so uh yeah, once again, canon = super great (though I was on hold for a while) nick= idiot. I'm going to go crawl under soemthing... __________________ I have a dream that one day canon will release a 35mm ef to xl adapter and I'll have iris control and a 35mm dof of all my ef lenses, and it will be awesome...

September 14th, 2006, 06:55 AM	#49
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Nick, I hope I did not offend you in any way, no offense was intended. I was only trying to state that when I called Canon, the rep knew that he was in over his head and immediately referred me to the XL H1 specialist. I was probably lucky. The other part of my post was to explain how subtle the change was. I was expecting the numerical F-Stop values to change each time I moved the iris dial, I was surprised how it actually worked. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 14th, 2006, 03:14 PM	#51
Jonas Nystrom Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Göteborg, Sweden Posts: 306	Johan, did you have any further contact with Canon RCC about the firmware? __________________ Jonas Nyström, DoP :: HOT SHOT® SWEDEN :: www.hotshot.nu :: RED #1567, RED 18-50mm T3 :: XL A1, Letus Extreme :: XL H1, 20X & 6X lens (for sale) :: www.vimeo.com/nystrom

September 14th, 2006, 01:52 PM	#50
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	I just ordered my SD card via the assigned phone number. Sure enough I had to haggle to get them to send it to me. They wanted me to send the H1 in for service. Not happening! I finally convinced them and hopefully it is on it's way! I'll let you all know how it turns out. Can't wait for thos 1/8 stop changes. 1/4 stop increments are for pansies!!!!! :)

September 14th, 2006, 05:25 PM	#52
Nick Hiltgen Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 1,427	Dan NO offense at all, in fact there was literally nothing for me to be offended about. You were completely right I just felt like an idiot for going through all fo this crap with canon and actually having the updated firmware already (I had sent my camera in in june). I think it's a good thing for other people out there that you wrote what you did so hopefully no one else makes the same mistake. Also as a testiment to canon's throughness I just received my second 1.0.3.0 update sd card today. __________________ I have a dream that one day canon will release a 35mm ef to xl adapter and I'll have iris control and a 35mm dof of all my ef lenses, and it will be awesome...

September 27th, 2006, 07:23 AM	#53
Lauri Kettunen Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kangasala, Finland Posts: 445	Got my XL H1 firmware updated yesterday. An interesting detail was revealed simultaneously. I had to send the camera to maintenance to another city, and thus, asked them to adjust the color balance of the EVF at the same token. For the EVF of my camera is bit towards magenta. They said this should be a simple thing to do. However, after updating the firmware they called me and said, that although in the earlier Canon models (XL1 and XL2) this was possible, the EVF color balance of XL H1 is not adjustable. If I got it right, in XL 1 there are adjustment screws and in the XL 2 color adjustment is set with some maintenance program. But, in XL H1 no such things exist any more. They added, that this is a surprise for them as well, for one would have expected to see such an adjustment in this level of camera. Guess Canon had to balance with various things to keep the cost of XL H1 reasonable. Anyhow, as you guys tend to say, just my couple cents (although I would have very much wanted to have the EVF calibrated) ...

September 27th, 2006, 02:08 PM	#54
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Have you tried adjusting the viewfinder's hue using the menu? I was able to adjust mine to what I considered correct. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 28th, 2006, 07:00 AM	#56
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Lauri, I did not have the XL H1 with me when I posted yesterday. I checked the menus last night and the menu lists it as "Color", not "Hue". I could not remember what nomenclature the menu used. I am sorry for the confusion. Using a calibrated field monitor for comparison, I was able to adjust the XL H1's brightness, contrast, and color to match. It took about an hour shooting various scenes, under various lighting to get it right, but it has been well worth it. I highly recommend calibrating your viewfinder. I have been able to use the manual white balance controls, in the field, without the benefit of a field monitor, and still obtain the desired color. In other words, I can now trust whats on the viewfinder to be what I am recording on tape. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

October 3rd, 2006, 07:50 AM	#57
Karen Nakamura New Boot Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New Haven, CT Posts: 5	What happened between 1.0.0.0 and 1.0.2.0? I just checked my XL-H1 and it was at version 1.0.0.0. That's not surprising because given my unit's serial number and when I got it (mid December 2005), I think it was one of the first 100 produced off the line. Anyone know what happened to the firmware between 1.0.0.0 and 1.0.2.0? That is, what were the minor updates before this 1.0.3.0 release? Thanks! Karen Nakamura www.photoethnography.com

November 13th, 2006, 11:13 PM	#59
Carlos Quinones Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Miami Florida Posts: 70	Where...do I go ? I have the same situation, my H1 is having problems with the rack focus... Carlos Quinones It's Written Productions, LLc.

November 14th, 2006, 12:24 AM	#60
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Carlos, can you be more specific? Exactly what kind of problems with the rack focus are you experiencing? __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!