In the camera...wise guy ;-)

Relief!

I went to UK Canon and saw it with my own eyes: Canon UK - Canon EOS 5D Mark II: Statement on Firmware Development

So they are giving themselves a 9-month leeway to get this to us. Does this forum have that sort of patience to not have to see anymore 24p 5D threads? :)

Now the question is do I wait that long to start any serious project with the 5D?

It'll be interesting to see what they do about 30p, whether they leave it at 30fps, change it to 29.97 or have options for both. Since they're obviously setting the cameras up to compliment one another it seems likely they'll all sport 29.97, but I guess we'll see!

My understanding is that it will match the 7D (and the forthcoming 1D Mk. IV), which means it will be 29.97.

Agreed. When I said the 5D3 would be "at least" 3 months after the firmware, I did not mean to make any implications about the upper bound on the release date of the 5D3. (My personal guess is first quarter 2011.) My intention was only to comment on the lower bound.

We all have Nikon to thank for this
 

Competition is very good indeed. I somehow doubt it that Canon would've put this out had it not been for Nikon and their embracing of video.

Yay...thanks for that info Chris.

2nd post in this thread updated with the full text from the Canon UK press release:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/1434986-post2.html

Good news: firmware update for 24 and 25p
 

Canon has discovered Europe! According to a press release yesterday, there will be a firmware update that will allow to shoot in 24p en 25p modes in the first half of 2010:

Press Release:

London, 20 October 2009 – Canon today announces that it is currently developing a firmware update to the EOS 5D Mark II to enable the recording of high definition 1080p video at 24 and 25fps. The decision to develop new firmware to support these features has been taken following feedback received from cinematographers and photographers.

Oops, in my joy I overlooked the fact that this was already posted. Sorry!

Great news!

Yes indeed, we have come a long way. Though, ever since I parted with my dear workhorse, the Canon XL2, I've been missing not only all the different frame-rates but more so its audio capabilities -- so to me (even if I've always been a sucker for 24p) I would now kill for SMPTE and manual audio... or as we say in Norway; much wants more.

-- peer

The long lead time on the firmware update really puzzles me - I don't see any marketing advantage to holding out. Maybe a few people hold out and wait for it, but for those who can't wait it means a lot of 7D sales that might have gone to the 5D instead. But it also seems like they either have it or they don't, I can't believe they'd announce it if it wasn't already working - so why wait so long?

They are probably waiting till the 1DMKIV takes a foothold... or maybe, and just maybe
they are waiting on some competition to show a card or two and then put out firmware
not only for the 5DII but also the other cams too... its a poker game right now and it
looks like canon has a full house. Maybe RED will join in the poker game by then too.

You have to keep several things in mind. It took Canon six months just to enable manual control, and 24p is three times more difficult, so it will take 18 months (they've been working on it since the camera came out.)

Furthermore, you have to be patient with them due to their limited resources. I know it seems easy to compare Canon's glacial progress to the rapid improvements from the Magic Lantern firmware by Tramm Hudson, but it's really not fair at all. Here's why:

Tramm Hudson is not an actual human being. "Magic Lantern" is actually the name of a multi-billion dollar corporation tasked with developing and improving the 5D2 firmware, and "Tramm" is just the alias used by dozens of their top software engineers. This gives you the false impression that it's just a single guy working in his basement somewhere.

Canon, on the other hand, gives you the false impression that they are a billion-dollar corporation with dozens of software engineers, but is in fact just a single guy working from a basement in Tokyo for free, collaborating with a few other individual who donate their time as well. It's no wonder they can't add 24p in a short amount of time.

Canon is handicapped by several things. First, don't have any of the source code to the cameras (Tramm has this all locked up in his proprietary Magic Lantern source code, which Canon doesn't have access to.) That alone is what made it possible for Magic Lantern to have auto bracketing and other features that Canon has been unable to add for years.

Second, Canon doesn't have enough money to even buy a second camera. There was a very real risk that they would brick their only camera during development. Tramm, on the other hand, has hundreds of cameras available at the snap of a finger. Such an unfair advantage gave him plenty of time for developing extras like zebras and focus/DOF readouts, where Canon could not.

Third, Tramm has full documentation on the camera hardware and software, as well as direct access to the engineers who made it. Canon, on the other hand, has to reverse engineer almost everything from scratch, before they can even start to add new features. That's why Canon was not able to implement manual audio control, whereas Tramm was able to add it in a matter of days.

I could go on and on, but I hope it's clear by now just how difficult it is for Canon. We can hope that some day they will be able to compete with Tramm, but that will not happen until they can raise at least $10,000 for software development, or somehow find a way to hire at least one additional software engineer, or even just get access to the source code.

Until then we must be patient and understanding of Canon's many handicaps.