Crave

Canon has released new firmware for its EOS 7D camera that it says fixes a ghost-image problem in which faint traces of one image could show in the next.

Version 1.1.0 of the camera firmware "corrects a phenomenon that in images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible," Canon said of the update.

The ghost-image problem showed only in some circumstances when the camera was used in continuous-shooting mode and was more apparent when software was used to enhance the image.

The Canon 7D, which just arrived on the market, costs about $1,700 and can shoot 18-megapixel images at speeds of up to eight frames per second.

(Via Rob Galbraith)

Canon has warned that traces of one photograph taken with the company's new higher-end EOS 7D SLR can sometimes be seen in the next.

Canon's EOS 7D

(Credit: Canon USA)

The good news: new software for the camera should be able to fix the problem at some point. "Canon is currently investigating and analyzing the cause of this phenomenon, and we are planning to release a firmware update to address this issue," the company said in a a service notice.

The problem occurs only when shooting continuously, Canon said: "In images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible. This phenomenon is not noticeable in an image with optimal exposure. The phenomenon may become more noticeable if a retouching process such as level compensation is applied to emphasize the image."

The Canon 7D, which just arrived on the market, costs about $1,700 and can shoot 18-megapixel images at speeds of up to eight frames per second.

(Via Cameratown)

Double your podcast, double your fun: a loooong episode that includes random ramblings about the Canon EOS 7D and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, musings on manual (exposure), and encouraging an interest in infrared. Plus, we dig decay.

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EPISODE 61

(Credit: Canon USA)

Updated, September 1, 2009: As expected, Canon announced the 7D, and all the rumor information turned out to be correct. I've added more details below.

There's enough seemingly reliable information floating around the Internet to guess that Canon plans to announce the long-rumored EOS 7D any day now. For those willing to slog through it, Canon Rumors offers up a difficult-to-parse Google Translate version of a Chinese press release from which everyone's painstakingly pulled the basic specs. (I'll update this post when the camera's officially announced; consensus has that happening on September 1, though it's not clear which continent that refers to, so it might be September 2 here in the U.S.)

(Credit: Canon USA)

Rather than an inexpensive but full-frame version of the 5D Mark II, the 7D looks to be a direct competitor for the Nikon D300s--and it's about time. Canon basically ceded the entry-level pro performance market to Nikon in 2005 with the arrival of the D200; since then, Canon's 30D, 40D, and 50D have taken the slower but less expensive road, with a relatively stagnant AF system, that Nikon leapfrogged. But with entirely new AF and metering systems, a new high-resolution (and seemingly low-noise) eight-channel readout sensor coupled with dual Digic 4 image processors and a new 100 percent coverage viewfinder, plus 1080p video capture, the 7D looks like an aggressive attempt to make a comeback.

One of the features of the Zune HD is its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)

CARLSBAD, Calif.--As D: All Things Digital wrapped up Thursday, I got a quick chance to play around with the Zune HD that Microsoft plans to ship this fall.

The software maker announced plans for the product on Tuesday and released a photo, but this is a product I was curious to see firsthand.

The most striking feature from my brief look was the device's striking organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.

I got a chance to see most of the features, but not the one I am most curious to see--the Internet browser. I'm told it's based on Internet Explorer 6, as is the Windows Mobile browser, but the real question is whether Microsoft has made the interface better than that on its phones.

I'm also curious what Apple does with the iPod Touch in time for this fall. If they add a camera and a bunch of new goodies, it could give the Zune's HD Radio and other features a run for their money.

Anyway, without further ado, here's a quick video look at the Zune HD. (Sorry, the video trails off a bit at the end, but hopefully you get the idea.)

As my colleague Donald Bell notes, Gizmodo and Engadget have Zune HD hands-on looks as well.

(Credit: Plastic Logic)

Plastic Logic envisions its e-reader simplifying life for students.

(Credit: Plastic Logic)

CARLSBAD, Calif.--In between the big name CEOs speaking at D: All Things Digital, Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg also have a few tech companies on stage to show their wares.

A short while ago, electronic book maker Plastic Logic showed off the user interface of its touch-screen reader, which is due out early next year. The interface seemed simple, although the page turns on the prototype seemed interminable.

The company wouldn't reveal pricing, but did say that the device will have both Wi-Fi and 3G wireless, though it did not specify the carrier. As for color screens, they said they have it working in their labs, but it won't be a next year kind of thing.

Currently, the CTO of force feedback specialist Immersion is showing a couple new technologies, including a prototype touchscreen keyboard. When a user presses a key on the soft keyboard they not only see and hear which key they have pressed but can feel it as well.

"It is a very natural experience," said Immersion CTO Cristophe Ramstein. "Sounds are not as profound as touch to give you this feel."

The second demo was what the company is calling "hapticons," essentially adding feel to an electronic message. He sent a love note to Mossberg, with his screen pulsing to a beating heart.

(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET)

Speaking at the D Conference in Carlsbad, Calif., AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson spent the better part of Wednesday morning defending AT&T's network and addressing complaints about how the carrier was ill-prepared to handle all the demands of the iPhone. It's an interesting discussion, which you can catch here in CNET News' Ina Fried's report.

However, here's something else of interest. During the discussion with host Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal, Stephenson added that he sees AT&T selling the Palm Pre once Sprint's exclusive deal with the smartphone is up. This is the first indication that other carriers will offer the Pre, though it's not clear how long Sprint has the exclusive.

It's also a good sign that a GSM version of the smartphone is in the works, which many of you Crave readers have been asking for. Palm has only admitted to a UMTS version of the Pre, which we actually got to see at GSMA 2009. In addition, AT&T is also rumored to be getting another Palm Web OS smartphone, the Palm EOS.

For now, the only version we'll be seeing in the near future is the Palm Pre for Sprint, which goes on sale June 6 at Sprint, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Wal-Mart stores nationwide.

(Source: Wall Street Journal via PhoneScoop)

Canon's EOS 5D will one day be replaced by a new model with a different sensor and other new features.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

According to a post on Gizmodo last week, which came to them via a posting to DPReview's forums, which apparently may have originated at PhotographyBay, and has nothing to do with the fact that Ferris Bueller was seen passed out at 31 Flavors last night, Canon may be announcing a follow-up to the EOS 5D in April. I always find these rumors to be very silly, since it's really easy to come up with a wish list of what you want to see in the camera and then hide behind an anonymous source while your heart fills with glee that people like me have to republish this pablum. Plus, given the normal cycle of things, I would expect Canon to wait until August at least, which would be nearer to the Photokina trade show, which is scheduled for September 23 through September 28 this year in Cologne, Germany.

Could the latest spec wish list be true? Probably not all of it. Supposedly, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II will have 15.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 29-point AF system, Dual Digic III processors, sensitivity of up to ISO 25,600, a 3-inch LCD, up to 6 frames per second for continuous shooting, and the same weather sealing as the 1D series. Canon fans have been clamoring for weather sealing in the 5D for years and while it'd certainly be nice to see it in the 5D successor, I doubt it will happen. ISO 25,600 is a possibility, and not a very creative touch from the original author of this rumor given that Nikon's D3 reaches this level of stratospheric sensitivity, but I'd say it's a stretch for this future model. The rest of the features are shared with the 1D series and mostly expected, though the 29-point AF again might be a bit much for this model. It seems like a lot of hullabaloo has been made so far over this rumor, but I'd wait around for some official details before I get excited Canon fans.

A bug-report form shows an option for 'Canon 5D Mark II'

(Credit: Phase One)

A Web site for reporting bugs in Phase One's raw image conversion software gives a new hint that Canon is preparing a sequel to its EOS 5D, its lower-cost SLR with a relatively large image sensor the size of a full frame of 35mm film.

"Canon 5D Mark II" appears on a list of cameras on Phase One's Capture One bug-report form that otherwise seems populated with shipping models.

Be careful assuming that means the 5D sequel is imminent or has its final name. My coworker Phil Ryan uncovered a reference to a UPC bar code for a Canon 7D in October. And Phase One's list isn't perfect; it doesn't include Olympus' new E-3, for example.

Canon's 5D, announced in August 2005, is popular among serious amateurs, landscape photographers, and as a backup camera for pros. Its starting price of about $3,300 has now dropped to about $2,200, and many expect a sequel soon--perhaps in conjunction with the Photo Marketing Association's trade show in January.

Canon's EOS 5D

(Credit: Canon)

Now that Nikon has entered the full-frame SLR market, the $5,000 professional-oriented D3 due to ship later this month, the 5D has assumed greater strategic importance for Canon. Nikon has a more competitive lineup these days, but at least for now Nikon still doesn't have a lower-cost full-frame model.

(Via Ubergizmo)