I have voted for:
- Move AE Shift function from menu to iris ring: I use auto modes quite a lot, and going through the menu to adjust this is a pain. I guess the iris ring is the right place for Auto and Tv modes, but it would have to be the shutter dial in Av mode.

- Display active C. Preset name (record and playback): I only have two CPs set up at the moment, so I can remember what they are, but if I ever go beyond 4, or start tinkering with them, it will be a bit of a lottery. Also, at the moment I'm "back announcing" the settings I've used at the end of the shot - when I remember. But I don't always...

- Soft clipping / limiter in Manual Audio mode: you never really know how loud a steam engine is going to be, so I normally make do with auto-level. If I knew I could trust a limiter when the saftey valves lift or the whistle is blown, I could manual levels.

- OIS On / Off mappable to Custom Key. This won over "Allow Peaking and Zebra together" and "Preset maximum Gain value for AGC", but only just.

Looking forward to the XH-A2 or XM3-HD...

I spent Saturday before last at the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire. Most of the day, I shot at 0db, and swapped between ND settings, just to see what happened. However, for the last few shots of the day, as dusk was falling, I really needed a dial so that I could pick any gain setting, rather than delving into the menu to reprogram the switch. I was deliberately underexposing, to exagerate the effect of the station lights, but even so...

Piotr, my suggestion would give us TWO more Custom Keys (and mapped to where it makes more logical sense) as opposed to your mere ONE extra :) Think about it. Put your thumb on the menu wheel... press inward, like you would to select something... while holding that in, press Custom Key 1 (in this scenario that would "shift" Custom Key 1 to being a Custom Key 3. Do the same for Custom Key 2... which would shift to become a Custom Key 4.

I would think this would be very easy to implement in firmware, but this idea of mine didn't make the cut, due to my brain not thinking of it from the getgo.

Unless... ummm... Chris wants to ummm... ahemmm... add it to the poll results he hands off to Canon :D

Bill

Bill, I do understand your brilliant idea - but with additional custom key (and the silly cp on/off button could easily become one, with the activating/deactivating a chosen preset moved to the cp select button), it would make 3x2=6 custom keys!

But again, the number of assignable functions would also have to be increased to actually benefit from that many custom keys (OIS on/off, XLR on/off being the most important to include).

And the beauty of this idea is that it could be done in firmware - no additional hardware needed. I bet some brilliant Russian hackers are already working on this:)

I agree with the CP on/off button. It's a silly design being to get rid of the flashing indicator you still have to scroll through presets to the CP OFF icon.

I was never too hip with the XLR on/off suggestion for the poll. I mean, how long does it actually take to dig into the Audio Setup menu & make that change? 10 secs? Also the possibility of accidentally touching the Key button & not knowing it could spell disaster.

Currently I have my 2 CK buttons setup as Key 1=VCR STOP (being in a predominantly run & gun biz, there's a lot of waiting & waiting) & Key2=CP BKWD KEY. OIS if implemented would be my 3rd selection. Not sure what my 4th would be yet.

It's all relative anyway. None of us know if anything will come of this :-\

Bill

Bill, I must tell you that after a couple of iterations, I've also settled with those 2 functions assigned (the CP BKWD KEY I adopted after downloading all 18 presets from Chris). And also like yours, my third favourite would most certainly be the OIS on/off. With the XLR on/off - well I don't quite agree it's not needed, but of course it can depend on the microphone setup you're using, and the specifics of a recorded project. Sometimes you need to catch the ambient sound with on-board stereo, and when suddenly your talent starts speaking again, you'd like to quickly switch to the XLR shotgun or wireless.

What ever happened to the magnification during recording, as an option, in the firmware race? I thought that it was a very good idea.

It's the eighth one down the list: "F. Asst. Mag. on displays / analog out during Rec. "

Thanks, I would have voted for it, but it was more condensed than I realized. Thanks

It doesn't take any longer to switch than the OIS on/off, but like OIS, it also often needs to be toggled back and forth in an instant, and 10 seconds becomes longer than it sounds (pun intended).

Got to get a plug in for one of my four!

Voted for:

-Peaking/zebras at same time
-OIS custom button
-Battery displayed in minutes
-Slower preset focus speed

Would have replaced battery displayed in minutes with an audio limiter had I spent more time reading it.

I really wish the A1 had a rack focus ability. The 1-way rack focus isn't nearly as helpful as a true rack focus would be.

I would like to see an option that zooming in or out turns off the Focus Assist feature.

I just got mine this week, and that has been the thing that is bugging me the most. I zoom in to get focus, choose the Focus Assist, and then I want to zoom back to get my shot. Right now I have to zoom out and press that ill-placed button.

Lol - or is this an option that I just haven't found yet?

It is indeed one of the poll options, Barry... third one up from the bottom: "Option: AF off during zoom (prevent focus pulsing)." Looks like it's been a popular choice too.

Hmmm, I think that is different. I don't mean in AF Mode. I mean when you press Focus Assist Mag. and it digitally zooms in to give you better resolution to focus. If you then zoom out manually, it stays in Focus Assist mode. I'd like to see any change in the zoom automatically turn off the Focus Assist Mag.

I can't imagine wanting to change the zoom with that option on. You need it off to frame a shot.

Oh man... I *completely* misunderstood you earlier, Barry! Focus Assist... duh! That's what I get for not waiting for my first cup of coffee. Looks like I mentally transposed "AF" (autofocus) for Focus Assist.

Anyhoo, I think you're dead on with that request. I sure wish it had been brought up back when we were seeking submissions to the poll. What we might wind up doing, is to run the poll one more time with a refined set of options. We'll drop the top-voted winning options, and the bottom options which got the least number of votes. And then we can throw in a couple of excellent idea submissions such as yours that weren't picked up the first time around.

We could call it "F. Asst. Mag. auto off when zooming." Maybe it could be a Custom Functions option.

So maybe we'll do that after this one reaches 100 voters or so.

2 questions
 

Hi all, 2 questions regarding the firmware updates:

1. Why aren't more people concerned with the lack of Peaking customization and colors? I don't own the A1 (yet) but I've messed around with it, and I do think the color peaking on the Sony V1U, for example, is vastly superior and makes focusing much easier than on the A1. Am I missing something? Is the A1's peaking function actually just fine as it is, even given its smallish LCD? Wouldn't peaking colors and customization be a huge, fundamental improvement to one of the most important functions of the A1 - to accurately focus an image?

2. When might a firmware update for the A1 actually happen? Did Canon put a firmware update out for the GL2, and if so, how long after that camera was introduced?

Ben, I also find the peaking to be one of the weakest points of the A1 - even more annoying than its mutual exclusiveness with the zebra.

As far as I know, there has never been a firmware update issued for the GL2.

There's no guarantee that one will be issued for the XH series camcorders either.

Hmm. Do you know whether there have ever been firmware updates for any of the Canon camcorders? This info could very well factor into people's decisions to buy now vs. to wait for improvements that may only arrive with the A2...

So far there have been a couple of firmware upgrades issued for the XL H1.

Thanks for putting up the poll, Chris.

Lots of great suggestions. Tough to pick only four. I voted for switchable audio limiting, zebra with peaking, AGC gain limit option, and viewable preset names.

Two that didn't make the list:

1) A menu option for 2:3:3:2 advanced pulldown for the 60i analog outputs when shooting 24F HD.
This is primarily for recording without tape, such as directly into a computer (where you can choose a non-HDV codec that might be better for green screen work). Advanced pulldown is easier to remove cleanly to get back to 24 fps.

2) A menu option to make letterboxing active on composite outputs while shooting 16x9.
Currently letterboxing only works during playback. Composite monitoring during shooting is always vertically stretched to 4x3. Letterboxing to show the actual aspect would make it more useful for clients to see framing while shooting.

Cheers,
-Jamie
www.JamieKrutz.com/jvideo.html

manual focus while zooming
 

I was a little concerned that the A1 does not allow any sort of manual focusing while simultaneously zooming. It's funny though because assuming all the manual dials are servo mechanisms the A1 will zoom and change it's aperture simultaneously so why not zoom and focus?

That would be a feature to add in my opinion.

This is a feature the XLH1 is afflicted with as well. Someone in the Canon
Organization let this design flaw go by and it keeps popping up. Apparently they have only one mechanisim to control zoom and focus and when one is trying to use manual focus you are not actually adjusting the lens but the mechanism is. When you are zooming it is already busy so you can't focus and vice versa.

All digital video camcorders using auto-servo lenses work like this. It's not a Canon thing.

The only manufacturer that lets you zoom and focus at the same time is Panasonic, and only on a couple of models.

Well Hooray for Panasonic since they have figured out how to make Auto Focus and Manual focus work on the same lens. As far as I can tell there are only four manufacturers in this part of the market. Sony, JVC, Panasonic and Canon.
Canon had more than a few years to see what Panasonic did with similarly priced cameras and dropped the ball. I don't know of any video/ filmmaker who would want the Canon Focus Zoom lens design compared to the Panasonic one in this instance.
It doesn't mean the overall package is bad but it is one of the least professional aspects of the Canon cameras.

It's not about figuring out how to do it, it is a matter of cost, size and weight. Besides most pros would not be trying to zoom and focus simultaneously. I think even with a separate motor for both, that any camera would have a difficult time using its autofocus while zooming, except maybe while on a tripod and rock steady. Would that be correct Chris?

With the lens adjusted correctly, you would stay in focus while zooming anyway.

Mike

Catagorically, the Sony FX1 and Z1 CAN zoom and focus at the same time.

Canon A1 will autofocus and zoom at the same time, but no manual focus and zoom.

There are two types of shots where simultanious zoom & focus is needed - dolly zooms (the "vertigo" effect); and the travel show standard - a zoom pull focus from a scenic background to a foreground presenter.

ding! ding! ding! zoom/pull focus...my original concern all along about the focusing issue. As for being able to autofocus while zooming I think it's not what you may think.... I have tried very slow zooms with autofocus engaged and it does not seem to update focus until after the zoom has stopped.

I'm certainly not suggesting that this shortcoming will come up often....these shots are not often used but still....it's like.....come on?

So if a firmware were to allow this to happen THAT would top my list for updates. Then everything else....

So does that leave Canon as the only manufacturer at this level which doesn't allow you to manually focus and zoom at the same time?

As for when this is useful try shooting a live event where you are constantly following action and reframing.

another one ...
 

you can try give option "LCD color and VCF without color together" :-) , thanks.

Wow Chris where's the "all of the above". Some of these things I didn't even know the camera couldn't do in it's current state. I'm still trying to learn it.

It's my first Canon camera since I started out in video. I switched early on from a GL-1/XL-1s combo for a VX2100/PD170 combo for low light performance (weddings).

So far I'm very impressed with the A1 so far.

Ok, so these conversations are good, but let's get back to the question at hand:

IS CANON COMMING OUT WITH A FIRMWARE UPDATE OR NOT?

Histogram
 

I would like the option of four separate histograms (R, G, B, and luminance) or one combined. And the option of large or small.

I would like to be able to select the Custom Preset 'by name' in the menu and activate it at that point, rather then having to remember what number it was assigned to and then use the silly buttons on the side.

Or better still - have just one button (assigning something more important to the other), and be able to cycle with it through all presets including OFF and displaying their names (not just numbers) on the LCD/VF.

That's why we offered "Display active C. Preset name (record and playback)" as one of the poll options, but really I don't think activating a preset should be buried in the menu. The last thing I want to do when calling up a preset is to open the menu and dig for it. The buttons on the side make much more sense.

No, you really do need two buttons; one to cycle and one for on / off. If I want to turn on a preset, or turn it off, I want a dedicated button for that. I don't want to cycle through a bunch of presets just to find the "off" setting. The way it's set up right now makes sense, with the exception of the blinking "CP Off" for a few seconds, which takes some getting used to. Even better is the ability of the Custom Key #2 to works as a "CP Backward" button. That three-button combination is very easy to work with: scroll backward, on / off, scroll forward.

Display Record Indicator Only
 

I'd love to see a display option for record on/off indicator only. I'm surprised I'm the first to mention this. I find it very hard to compose a shot, particularly when a subject is in top right area, with screen obstructed by all the indicators.
When turning all indicators off I'm then left with no record confidence in viewfinder/lcd. Why not just leave record confidence indicator on?

Lower knee setting
 

In my personal shotout btw Sony HVR-V1 and Canon XH-A1 I noticed that the knee settings of the A1 are very weak, almost unnoticeable. With the Sony in low knee I can really manage a full stop of higlight more than Canon, so, I wish in a most effective low knee setting (a ultra-low level added to the standard 3 levels for compatibility with older presets), I think it would be a great improvement in highly contrast images handling; sorry for my bad english...

So how are we doing with this. Is it time to present it to Canon?

I'd like to present it with some kind of an even number. We're currently at 186 people who have participated in the poll, so perhaps we'll cut it off at 200 (but 250 would be even better).

Sounds like a plan! Thanks Chris.