Half of you are probably asleep after reading a headline with “firmware” and “manual exposure control” in it, but it’s seriously a major update. Exposure control is a must-have if you’re doing any serious shooting, and since the 5D is so popular among people who think they’re serious shooters (I kid, I kid), this is an important update.

In case you’re wondering, you’ll be able to adjust pretty much everything: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. This removes one of my major issues with the 5D’s video; its method of forming the image is still questionable and will likely remain so, but this manual exposure control makes it a much more viable tool for filmmakers and amateurs alike.

The update doesn’t seem to apply at all to the T1i, but hopefully it’ll reach that poor creature as well. Although I doubt they’re going to fix the fact that it only shoots 20FPS in 1080p mode. I still can’t believe they let it out the door like that. It’s like trying to sell half a horse.

You’ll be able to get it starting June 2nd, for free of course, since it was their bad not to include it in the first place. Here’s the news in their words:

With the introduction of the EOS 5D Mark II, Canon revolutionized the video industry with the ability to shoot Full HD Video on a 24mm x 36mm sensor. This provided depth of field characteristics that were previously unseen in any video camera.

The EOS 5D Mark II has been met with incredible enthusiasm by major motion picture studios, independent filmmakers and professional videographers. The consensus was that the EOS 5D Mark II is a phenomenal tool but needed to include manual exposure control within video to be fully utilized.

After months of extensive engineering and testing, Canon is please to announce a free downloadable firmware update that enables manual exposure controls while shooting video including: ISO, aperture and shutter speeds.

This update transforms the Canon EOS 5D Mark II into the first full frame 24mm x 36mm DSLR with manual exposure control, creating an amazing tool for the video and motion picture industries alike, leaving no need to compromise with inferior workarounds.