Comments or feedback should be addressed to Robert Scott

Quiet as a mouse

We've been using the EOS 5D extensively over the last few weeks, and loving it. Having been brought up on 35mm film cameras, it's good to to be back with the full frame format again. And the larger preview screen is excellent. But what we weren't expecting are the very low 'noise' levels at the top ISO speeds.

Noise is caused by unwanted background signals from the pixels in the sensor. In a perfect world, a pixel would only generate a signal in response to light. But an active pixel can give a low level response even without light. Pixels in CMOS sensors tend to create more noise than those in CCD sensors, which is why many manufacturers prefer CCDs.

Noise in digital images is a bit like grain in film images. It increases with the ISO speed. This is because digital ISO increases are produced by boosting the amplification of the pixel signal - which means an increase in the level of background noise.

One of the ways that Canon has reduced background noise is by taking two readings from the CMOS sensor. First, a normal exposure is made, capturing the image signals complete with all the background noise. Then a second reading is taken from the active sensor, but without an exposure. This captures just the background noise. By subtracting the noise signals from the full exposure, you get an image with very little noise.

The technique works very well in the EOS 5D, with images at ISO speeds as high as 1600 showing very little noise in the shadow areas. News photographers, in particular, have been quick to see the advantages - they can now shoot with a hand held camera in low light without flash.

Keeping up-to-date

If you have a digital camera, it's important to make sure you are using the latest firmware version.

Firmware is rather like an operating manual. It's a set of instructions embedded in the camera's ROM (read-only memory), telling it what to do in different situations. Firmware in EOS cameras can be updated by the user. Basically, you download the latest version from a Canon website, copy it to a CompactFlash card, insert the card int the camera, and run an update program (but follow the instructions given on the website for the complete procedure).

Revised firmware can not only eradicate bugs (problems) in earlier versions, but also add new features to the camera. The firmware version you are using can be found as one of the menu items on an EOS digital camera. You can download the latest version by following the links from Canon BeBit. Current versions are:

EOS-1Ds Mark II: version 1.1.4
EOS 1Ds: version 1.0.3
EOS-1D Mark II: version 1.2.4
EOS 1D: version 1.4.0
EOS 20D: version 2.0.3
EOS 20Da: version 2.0.3
EOS 10D: version 2.0.1
EOS 350D: version 1.0.3
EOS 300D: version 1.1.1
EOS D60: version 1.0.4
EOS D30: version 1.0.3.0

Firmware is also used by the
Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E1: version 2.0.1

RAW Shooter Premium

Pixmantec, the creator of RAW Shooter Essentials, has released RAW Shooter Premium. In the very first version, it supports the new Canon EOS 5D and the EOS 1D Mark II N - currently the only available third party RAW software to do this. It offers some very nice features for your workflow, including a RAW vs. RAW comparison where you can see two images side by side and decide which is the sharpest, an integrated image downloader and full support for curves and levels adjustment.

The price is $99. However, if you buy before the end of October (sorry for the short notice) you can make a $40 saving and get the whole package for only $59.

Visit Pixmantic to learn more.

Apple Aperture

Apple Computers has released information about their forthcoming Aperture RAW conversion software. It has a list price of $499, but current information suggests that it could be very good, with a host of features specifically designed for professional photographers, all integrated into the Apple Mac OS X operating system. If you are a Mac user, this could be the answer for your RAW conversion needs. Only time will tell. Estimated availability is six to eight weeks.

Visit Apple to learn more.

EF 24-105mm recall

According to Canon USA, there is a problem with early production units of the EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens. There is an unacceptable level of flare in certain conditions, most noticeable at the wide zoom and wide aperture settings.

Only lenses with a serial number under 1000 are affected. You will find the number engraved on the rear of the lens. It is not always easy to see - we find that it helps to shine a light at an angle across the rear of the lens to increase the texture, and use a magnifying glass. The number is prefixed by 'UT' (which indicates the factory of manufacture).

If you live in the USA, starting 14 November 2005, Canon will repair free-of-charge, any affected lenses (see Canon press release). Other countries have yet to post information, but check their web sites over the next few days, or contact your local Canon Service Centre.

Win a Canon camera and printer

If you bought The Sunday Times newspaper for 30 October and have not yet sent it for recycling, turn to page 9 of the News Review section. There you will find the opportunity to win one of fifteen kits of a Canon EOS 350D camera with a Pixma iP8500 photo printer. To stand a chance of winning, you have to answer the following question: Which aristocrat was one of the first professional photographers to start shooting with digital cameras? a) Screaming Lord Sutch; b) Lord Haw-Haw; c) Lord Lichfield?

Now we don't want to spoil things by telling you the answer, but there might be a clue in the fact that a) and b) were not aristocrats (David Edward Sutch changed his name to Screaming Lord Sutch by deed poll; Lord Haw-Haw was the nickname of, among others, William Joyce, an American-born citizen who broadcast German propaganda in English during the second world war).

Which means that the answer is the professional photographer well-known for advertising Olympus cameras in the 1970s, and who switched to a Hasselblad camera with digital back in the late 1990s. Let's hope that the cost of the prizes comes from the 60p per minute you pay to phone in your entry (you can enter free online) rather than from Canon's marketing budget!

EOS mail order

All the mail-order items featured in EOS magazine are now available online. The latest additions are a range of Speedlite diffusers. Also new is the 'Soft Screen' – a small diffuser which clips to your camera and softens the illumination from the built-in flash. Go to EOS magazine sales.

Back issues now available online

You can now order back issues of EOS magazine online. They cost £3.50 each, plus postage, and can be despatched worldwide. For more details go to EOS magazine back issues

Free issue when you subscribe online
If you are not already a subscriber to EOS magazine, visit the EOS magazine website to see what you are missing. Subscribing online gives you the bonus af a free back issue.