Firmware update to enable Auto-Level horizon feature?

Bionic963 wrote:

I have shot the R7 on a few occasions.

The R7 IBIS has an "Auto-Level feature, which uses the sensor's rotation capability (roll correction) to get the horizon level in your shots." The sensor rotates a few degrees to make sure the horizon is level.

I love this feature! I don't have to spend time making sure the horizon is perfectly straight. Long as it is close the sensor will shift to make it perfectly straight!

I wonder why the R6 Mark II doesn't have this feature? Maybe it has something to do with the sensor in the R7 being smaller and having room to shift. Whereas the Full Frame sensors don't have the available space surrounding the sensor to allow the sensor to shift that much.

If it's a physical limitation, I hope the Canon engineers' figure this out and start making all the cameras with that feature. If it is just corporate feature withholding at play here, I hope they soon release firmware for other Cameras to enable this feature.

Is the limit a few degrees it can correct? Is that done by cutting the image down or by rotating the sensor?

Ephemeris wrote:

Is that done by cutting the image down or by rotating the sensor?

By rotating the sensor. Needs to have IBIS implementation that includes rotation.

Ephemeris wrote:

Bionic963 wrote:

I have shot the R7 on a few occasions.

The R7 IBIS has an "Auto-Level feature, which uses the sensor's rotation capability (roll correction) to get the horizon level in your shots." The sensor rotates a few degrees to make sure the horizon is level.

I love this feature! I don't have to spend time making sure the horizon is perfectly straight. Long as it is close the sensor will shift to make it perfectly straight!

I wonder why the R6 Mark II doesn't have this feature? Maybe it has something to do with the sensor in the R7 being smaller and having room to shift. Whereas the Full Frame sensors don't have the available space surrounding the sensor to allow the sensor to shift that much.

If it's a physical limitation, I hope the Canon engineers' figure this out and start making all the cameras with that feature. If it is just corporate feature withholding at play here, I hope they soon release firmware for other Cameras to enable this feature.

Is the limit a few degrees it can correct? Is that done by cutting the image down or by rotating the sensor?

The actual sensor tilts 1 axis (left and right)..

I had an ac battery adapter come unplugged and instantly kill all power to the camera. When that happens, the shutter does not close and remain open.. So when I dismounted the lens I could clearly see the sensor, and the entire sensor was crooked!

The instant loss of power also kept the sensor in the corrected tilt...  Was pretty strange to see for the 1st time..

Thanks Brook.

I assume it can maybe cope with a max of +/- 3 Deg?

Many of my images are rotated in the same direction so I'd welcome this as a feature of cameras to save me trimming each one a little.

Ephemeris wrote:

Thanks Brook.

I assume it can maybe cope with a max of +/- 3 Deg?

Many of my images are rotated in the same direction so I'd welcome this as a feature of cameras to save me trimming each one a little.

I will be shooting all day tomorrow with it.. May have some down time to to record some video of it in action. If I can, I will try to get the camera to do the maximum tilt, then take a photo of the tilted sensor. Then we may be able to calculate the max allowable angle.

robgendreau wrote:

And whether they bother to add firmware to older bodies.

They will never add it to older bodies, because their (R5, R6) IBIS can't rotate the sensor.

No idea about R6II, but it may have the same IBIS unit the original R6 had.

Thank you.

When the camera is rotated away from the horizon does it try to 'stick' to it? I wondered at what point does it try to level.

If the camera can record the motion into the image then maybe that would make it easier for something like lightroom to get level. (Maybe it already does).

Gam3r01 wrote:

kikimora wrote:

robgendreau wrote:

And whether they bother to add firmware to older bodies.

They will never add it to older bodies, because their (R5, R6) IBIS can't rotate the sensor.

No idea about R6II, but it may have the same IBIS unit the original R6 had.

The R6 was one of the first bodies to get roll correction as part of the 5 axis IBIS system (along with the R5 ans R3). https://www.canon.com.cy/cameras/eos-r6/image-quality/

That said, I don't see them updating it into older bodies.

So do you think it is a possibility that Canon could unlock the Auto Level Horizon feature on the R6 and the R6 Mark via a firmware upgrade?  Or perhaps there are other hardware requirements and/or physical clearances needed for this feature to work in additon to the roll correction part of the 5 axis IBIS system.

When I switched systems I noticed right away that my new camera had a tilt to it. I turned on the viewfinder level and used it to help train my hand to hold the camera level. It took a while (old age) but I reached the point where the camera was level most of the time. Just some new muscle memory that had to be learned.

I got used to the level being in the viewfinder so I just left it there. Makes it easy for a quick check to be sure.

Marco sunset, March 9, 2023

Sunset at Marco Island, FL, handheld JPEG straight (uncropped, unedited) from R7/RFS18-150. An unlikely shot without auto-level, worth the price of admission to the R7.

The chip is more sensitive to the the relative changes than absolute.

Meanwhile, the auto horizon is not so reliable and may tilt the horizon.

It's for reference only.

I created a video of the Auto Level feature in action. I recorded the screen as well as the sensor itself..

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4703861