7d Firmware Upgrade

[conropl]

I see no reason it would need to be connected to the hotshoe - it's powered by an internal AA battery and draws no power from the camera via the hotshoe. I'd assume Canon provides the USB connection mainly so you can simultaneously use a mounted flash, just on a 7D that's the only option. It can be mounted on the 7D hotshoe for convenience, but it's not necessary.

Ok - now I am confussed. This is a quote from Bryan's "Canon News, Nikon News, & What's New" write-up:

"This GPS Receiver can be mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe or clipped to a belt and tethered via a USB cable."

That sounds like it can be connected via the accessory shoe or tethered.

[neuroanatomist]

Ok - now I am confussed. This is a quote from Bryan's "Canon News, Nikon News, & What's New" write-up:

"This GPS Receiver can be mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe or clipped to a belt and tethered via a USB cable."

That sounds like it can be connected via the accessory shoe or tethered.

Yes, that's true - as long as you're using it with a 5DIII or 1D X. But with a 7D, it's only via USB tether, according to the footnote from Canon (in the press release, on the product page, etc.).

[conropl]

Yes, that's true - as long as you're using it with a 5DIII or 1D X. But with a 7D, it's only via USB tether, according to the footnote from Canon (in the press release, on the product page, etc.).

That quote from Bryan was in reference to the 7D firmware upgrade. Personally, I do not know, and I do not doubt your statement; but if that is true then Bryan's "What's New" on the 7D firmware update is incorrect. Perhaps he was referring to current capabilities, but that is not how it was written.

Thanks for setting straight.

[Busted Knuckles]

The reason I started this thread was to get an idea on how attractive the 7D new feature set, combined with it's existing feature set, would be if it were full frame and priced at 2k. Sort of the succussor to where the 5dII is now.

Thoughts?

[Sean Setters]

Let's see, a full-framer like the 7D with the new feature set sounds (surprisingly enough) like a 5D III, and that's been proven to be an attractive camera--even at $3500.

A budget entry full-framer would likely be stripped down in its feature set--it may not be weather sealed, shoot video, bracket exposures, or have any kind of state-of-the-art AF. You sacrafice things when you're on a budget--that's kind of the point.

[HDNitehawk]

The reason I started this thread was to get an idea on how attractive the 7D new feature set, combined with it's existing feature set, would be if it were full frame and priced at 2k. Sort of the succussor to where the 5dII is now.

Thoughts?

So you think the successor of the 7D will be like the 5D II only improved with a few of the 7D's features. So instead of a it being called a 5D III they will call it a 7D II, since after all instead of naming the successor of the 1Ds III a 1Ds IV they named it a 5D III.

[jrw]

I can see the desire to have a lower priced FF camera with lower specs in the market place but I won't be expecting it from the popular 7D line. Pure speculation, but it would make more sense to me to put the 7D2 back at the top of the cropped bodies (it has a single digit model number after all) and introduce a new number for a new FF body. The 1Dx and 5D3 would be more FF pro oriented, new 7D2 would cover high end crop body market, and this leaves a hole in the lineup for an inexpensive (relative of course) FF camera with some improved features over the 5D2.

As always, we'll just have to sit back to wait and see what shiny new things the marketing department thinks they can make the most profits from.

[Sean Setters]

You know, I think they could lower the retail price of the 5D Mark II to $1650 and most people wanting a budget full-framer would be happy. The 5D Mark II may be long in the tooth, but I picked one up at the beginning of this year and I'm loving it. The build quality isn't as good as the 7D, but it's hard to beat the images I can create with it.

[neuroanatomist]

That quote from Bryan was in reference to the 7D firmware upgrade. Personally, I do not know, and I do not doubt your statement; but if that is true then Bryan's "What's New" on the 7D firmware update is incorrect. Perhaps he was referring to current capabilities, but that is not how it was written.

Thanks for setting straight.

Bryan's post isn't his - it's a copy-paste of the Canon USA press release on the firmware update. Canon seem to be masters of linguistic obfuscation. Consider: "This GPS Receiver can be mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe or clipped to a belt and tethered via a USB cable.". It's correct, but can be interpreted as 1) <mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe> or <clipped to a belt and tethered via a USB cable>, or as 2) <mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe or clipped to a belt> and <tethered via a USB cable>. The first one is what you're thinking (and cynically, I bet that's exactly what Canon wants you to think); the second is the actual case, I think.

Click on the link at the bottom of the News post, which takes you to Canon USA page on the new firmware. Click the Key Features, and in the GP-E2 section, you'll still see the footnote:

† When the EOS 7D is used with the GP-E2 the following restrictions will apply: ... d) transmission via the hot shoe is not possible.

Check the picture in that same section. It's no accident they're showing it mounted and attached via cable - would you really want to use it like that? I wouldn't, but showing it on a 7D without the cable (which is how it'll look on the 5DIII/1D X) would likely be considered deceptive advertising.

[Sean Setters]

I think Neuro's spot on.