Canon has just announced that it is about to release a firmware update in order to bring 24p (23.98fps) video to the newly released EOS 90D, EOS RP, and Powershot G7 X Mark III, with an update to the EOS M6 Mark II arriving next year. Quite why it was missing in the first place will remain a mystery.
Canon’s decision to cripple specific cameras with strange video specifications has been subject to much debate in recent months, raising questions as to whether it is deliberately trying to nudge certain customers towards certain camera models, or even whether it is a means of cutting costs by avoiding patent fees for encoding technology.
Further confusion abounded by the fact that the heavily cropped 4K (1.6x) on the EOS RP was available at 24p, but the full-frame HD was not. On the 90D and the EOS M6 Mark II, 24p was absent completely.
Canon’s Cripple Hammer has been widely derided since the emergence of the EOS R a year ago, and the press release is keen to point out that Canon is listening to consumer concerns. “Canon is committed to providing a diverse and full line-up of products,” it reads, “to cater for all capabilities and interests by listening to our customers feedback and providing enhancements accordingly.”
If you’ve any thoughts on what other firmware updates Canon should introduce, leave a comment below.
I love how well known Camera Conspiracies has become :)
At any point in history, now is more important than ever for manufacturers to make the absolute best cameras they can for specific price points if they want avoid bleeding revenue.
Sony is in such a rush to put out the best of what they can do that they’re willing to spite their own customers on resale value. They don’t, and probably shouldn’t, keep up with Sony’s release schedule, but Canon and Nikon need to put out their absolute, level best hardware in each category. With a full lineup of glass and an open mount spec inviting even more third party glass, there are more excuses than ever for Canon and Nikon users to switch and fewer still for them to upgrade within their own walled gardens due to the dearth of available lenses their closed spec policies create.
Continuing to play the proprietary game and liberal use of the “cripple hammer” only frustrates their respective, dwindling customer bases. Canon, especially, has frustrated their users into switching to Sony in droves and they only have themselves to blame. From a business perspective, now is not the time for fear-based decision making; now is the time to be taking calculated risks. The first should be to stop the protectionist attitudes by producing crippled cameras with proprietary lens mounts. Stop with the obtuse crippling of features and welcome third party glass to fill out the lineup to give users a reason to buy into the new lens mount, be it Z or RF, or risk users buying into E or L mount.
Cripple Hammer :-)
Focus stacking on the EOS R anybody? It's on the RP, but not on the R. Why?