Judging by my title, you'll be shocked to know that I have always been a Canon loyalist. From learning with the Canon A-1 inherited from my grandmother in 1999, to the latest mirrorless models, I have been a devoted customer and an advocate of the brand for over two decades. That is, until the Canon EOS R5. The Canon R5 is where my bond to the brand was systematically dismantled as the hardware itself did.
Let me walk you through how I'm falling out of love with Canon as its product went from buzz-worthy to broken, held together with rubber bands.Good pics when it works
— Canon Reviewer
Why I Have Loved Canon
If I could sum up my sentiment about the Canon EOS R5 in the most condensed phrase it would be this simplistic but accurate review at the top of the Canon review site. Canon has always been my uncontended choice. I have worked with files from almost every major brand and for me, Canon leads in what is most important to my work: color, sharpness, and dynamic range. For my commercial work, it gives me everything I need to capture color, detail, and texture. It delivers sharp, crisp images. For my sports work it gives me incredible burst rates and great dynamic range. They have top-of-the-line of lenses for every different subject matter. As my peers left Canon for the award-winning Sony mirrorless cameras or the game-changing Nikon Z9, I stayed the course with Canon... until my R5.
What the Short-Term Versus Long-Term Reviews Are Uncovering
If you read many of the glowing reviews online regarding the R5, a large portion of them are from newly acquired bodies — i.e written within the first two years of owning the camera. With these reviews, I would agree.
The viewfinder is terrific. The files are very large, so is the ability to crop dramatically and still get a great image. I've been using it for about 6 months with no problems. Animal, people, and eye tracking for autofocus is really impressive
— Canon Review
I've had the R5 for a little over a month. I'm using it with an RF 70-200mm f2.8 and an EF 17-40mm f4 with a control ring adapter. I continue to be amazed by the versatility of this camera and the stunning image quality.
— Canon Review
I have been using the Canon R5 for a couple of months. I have several EF lenses and it works flawlessly with them. In December I purchased the RF 100-500 L lens. What an incredible combination. I do photography only (no video) and I can honestly say that this camera impresses me every time I shoot with it. Best camera I have ever owned.
— Canon Review
I agree with all of these reports and more: color is what has sustained my love affair with Canon for over two decades now. But what is being echoed by users of over two years?
Good pics when it works. I've had the R5 for over a year now and am glad I read the reviews about it frequently freezing up before buying it. If [you] leave it on for several minutes it may freeze up requiring it to be turned off for several seconds before it resumes normal functioning again. If you leave it on for more than several minutes [while] shooting it can shut down for half a day, however. I've had to adapt by frequently turning it off then on again when I'm shooting so that I don't miss (more) shots.
— Canon Review
Great camera but fragile shutter system. The R5 is all I wanted. A better autofocus than my 5D Mark IV, rotating screen, IBS, etc. and I was very happy with it until an error code No 20 appears on the screen. I sent it to Canon and the shutter system had to be changed. The camera had 40,000 shoots.... less than 10% of the 500,000 promised. Now I am not so confident with the Camera.
— Canon Review
Long-term review: frequent crashes, subpar build quality. I loved the camera at first. After over a year, I'm still mostly happy with it. In terms of features and image quality, it's a winner. The autofocus is amazing. However, it crashes too often for a pro camera. Lately, it's been OK, but it went through a nearly unusable phase in the last version of the firmware and I missed many shots because of camera crashes. It's also not well weather sealed and if I'm out in light rain, I quickly get condensation behind the viewfinder. Honestly, I just don't trust it out in the weather and that prevents me from getting the job done. Similarly, the build quality in general is nowhere near the standard of Canon's older pro cameras. Unfortunately, for me, Canon just doesn't have the right offerings anymore. I'll likely be moving over to another brand. It's such a shame because Canon still has great technology, features, and optics. But build quality, repairs, customer service, have all gone downhill and those things are critical for professionals.
— Canon Review
I could continue this with more reviews from Canon's site, additional ones from B&H, and a whole slew of messages on Facebook groups, discussions on Quora regarding the recurring "Error 20" code, camera malfunctions, and cameras just plain falling apart. Now though, let me now tell you my story.
How My R5 Systematically Fell Apart
Error 20
I bought my R5 just over two years ago. Similar to the experience of other reviewers, I was over the moon about my new gear. It delivered on advanced auto-focusing, state-of-the-art image stabilization, high-speed continuous shooting, and showcased many of the flagship Canon characteristics such as rich color, sharp images, and high-resolution files. Just past its first-year mark, however, I started getting the error 20 code. This code is described vaguely on the Canon website.
As the message describes this error required me to turn off my camera, remove the battery, and restart the camera. At first, it was once or twice a week, then every day, and soon up to to a dozen times a day. This happened for weeks on end. I did some research and it is a widespread problem. There was everything from Quora discussions about it to YouTube tutorials, Facebook chats, and more.
This problem occurs nowhere near the promised shutter count. After researching the problem, I reached out to Canon directly with the data I had gathered in 2022. I was redirected many times until I reached the Sr. Specialist Public Relations for Canon. She replied to my email positively and requested me to gather information and specific testimonials. After collecting the requested data, I sent the testimonials with the users' full names and additional information to Canon. Here are two of many examples I provided.
Photographer 2: He works in the studio as a fashion photographer and his camera is around 105k actuations. It happens when he is shooting normally (not live view). The mirror gets stuck and frozen and the camera displays error 20 and this cycle repeats itself. He brought it in for repair, it was 600 euros to swap a new shutter and mirror. This cycle has started happening again. The mirror gets stuck. The camera says 'error 20'. He doesn't know why.
Photographer 7: 'I purchased my R5 in February of 2021. It worked well for two months then died completely. I contacted Canon and then sent it back for repair. Turned out that the entire main motherboard failed. They replaced it and two weeks later it was back at home with me.'
Per the request of the Canon PR contact, I kept track of what I was shooting with when receiving the error 20 messages, noting if there were any commonalities. I took notes on:
1) Whether it was a Canon battery or an off-brand battery
2) What type and brand of memory card I was working with
3) If I was using strobes or shooting natural light
4) If I was shooting bursts or single shots
5) If I was using an RF or EF lens
6) If I was shooting tethered
There were no patterns. No matter what lens, battery, card, or lighting I shot with, the error 20 code continued. By the end of my data collecting it was around a dozen times a day. I offered to send my camera in for the engineers to look at it. After meticulously tracking all the requested information and providing it to Canon with the offer to look over the problem on my camera, the PR woman stopped responding. That was in 2022.
It was a $479 repair for a shutter that stopped working after only one year of purchase. This is a shutter that was listed to have a half-a-million count shutter life on it.
Canon never answered me again.
Gray Pocket on Screen
Earlier this year I was shooting in my studio. My camera was on a tripod and I was shooting products on a simple white background. When I set the next product up to be photographed, I came back to my camera and my LCD had a large grey pocket that took up about 1/5th of the screen. Initially, I thought there was a shadow on my scene. There was not. I hooked my computer up for tethering and looked at the shot on my Mac. Nothing was in the image; It was the LCD.
I was told in my repair report that the LCD had been impacted. At the time of this occurrence though there was no impact. I had a very simple "shopping cart" on white set up with the camera on a tripod.
LCD Detaches and Dangles by Wires
I had intended to send it in for repair but I was in the middle of a hectic month of back-to-back contracts so I decided to work my way through them shooting tethered. One day as I was working camera in-hand, the LCD just plopped out of the frame and dangled by a braided set of small colorful wires. Shocked, I pushed it back in and it fell right back out. I was forced to hold it together with a rubber band.
The Hot Shoe Becomes Unscrewed
So there I was, my two year-old camera broken again, being held together by a rubber band. I contacted CPS about sending it in for repair, planning to do so upon my return from my weekend contract. I head out to my job, strap on my flash, and walk to my starting point. As I'm walking though, the flash feels as though it's wobbling around on the hot shoe. I stopped and had a look. I discovered that the screw which holds the hot shoe down had become loose and had made the connection between my flash — as well as my pocket wizard for the strobes — unusable. I thought perhaps that if I could find a screw driver I could tighten it back up; but in the R5 model they moved the screws to the inside of the camera body. Now, 15 minutes into my two-day shoot, my rubber band-jimmied camera is officially unusual able for flash or strobes. I had to pivot and use my Mark IV all weekend — a big step down from the dynamic range and ISO capabilities of the R5. The images suffered.
The following Monday, I finally sent it in to CPS and a whopping $759 repair got me functional again for the 2nd time.
In total the repairs were priced at $1,238 for the $3,699 camera: I spent 33% of the cost of the camera to keep it working. Within two years the repairs totaled a third of the cost of the camera.
I am not the only one.
Why Isn't the R5 Lasting?
Why are so many Canon users experiencing these problems with the R5? Why the surge in reports about mechanical shutter errors, overheating, and the camera falling apart structurally? It used to be that cameras were built for durability. I remember shooting in the desert and seeing my peer throw his camera into the sand — actually throw it — leaving it there for a good 15-20 minutes while he resolved an issue with a staff member. Then, he just picked it back up and kept shooting. Canons were built for it. My Mark II, III, and IV have been through water, mud, and sand. They have been dropped; they have suffered through hot, cold, wet — yet I never once had to send any of them in for repair. It's one of the many reasons I loved Canon. The cameras were built like vaults. What happened?
I've discussed this question with many peers over the last year that I've been working on the article. I've received a wide array of answers but they have all fallen under an umbrella theme: durability is not at the top of the list of values for Canon anymore. Colleagues hypothesize that it used to be that Canon built cameras for career photographers. Durability was a central value. Now, they suspect, their audience is different.
"They build cameras for vloggers, and hobbyists now who go out to capture lifestyle work. They want their mirrorless camera to be lightweight and have great sensors. They don't care about durability anymore."
Others hypothesize that since photographers clamor to upgrade to the latest model every time it comes out, Canon doesn't feel the need to build a camera that's going to last five or six years anymore.
Is it true? Is durability an extinct value in the generation of city-slicker vloggers who care about the sensor, weight, burst rate and video capability?
Not all brands are skimping on durability and resilience. OM Systems, for example, runs their cameras though rigorous testing such as this impressive splash test.
Closing Thoughts
It used to be that Canon and Nikon were the uncontested kings of the jungle. Any camera they made was the top of the line model available. Some other cameras like Leica held a close third spot especially for a certain look — but if you look at the sales numbers, historically Canon and Nikon were at the top. Over the years though, other brands have impressively stepped up their game. I feel there's rarely a month that goes by that I don't have someone asking "You're still shooting Canon?" as if Sony was now the only brand to flaunt. Nikon came out with their Z 9 and showed they they are maintaining their stance as industry leaders.
...And here is my R5 being held together with a rubber band and no hot shoe.
I had planned to purchase the EOS R3 but since my experience, Canon has lost my trust to invest thousands more towards a new body. Canon: this is my message to you. You have to worry about retaining your photographers. Other brands are stepping up and the reputation Canon once had is being challenged.
I recently walked to the meeting point for a shoot and an obnoxious photographer who always touts his mouth asked, "What are you shooting with today?" I responded, "The R5." He laughed and looked at the other photographer standing with us, sarcastically commenting, "Really?"
He had the Z9 and the other photographer had the Sony a7R V. In retrospect, I am glad the shoot wasn't a few weeks later when my rubber band was holding my camera together.
I invited the PR contact for Canon to comment on this article. She didn't reply. I still love Canon. For me, the colors and the quality of the image is just untouchable. But I'll close with the same quote I opened with from the Canon website reviews, it's the best camera... when it works. Is it time to switch brands? Canon needs to earn my trust again.
That's it! I'm moving to Australia! Good Canon warranties AND good surfing, what more can a girl ask for? In all seriousness though... I did test if the batteries were affecting my camera and in my case they were not. I'm glad that in your case it was a simple fix. I wonder why Canon has different warranties for different countries. Another worth article topic there.
'Photographer 2: He works in the studio as a fashion photographer and his camera is around 105k actuations. It happens when he is shooting normally (not live view). The mirror gets stuck and frozen and the camera displays error 20 and this cycle repeats itself.'
The R5 does not have a mirror so clearly this person cannot be talking about the R5.
You're right about this. I copied and pasted all the data into one sheet and in some of them, photographers jumped about the same Error 20 problem happening on other bodies they have. I shouldn't have included this one. Thanks for catching that! That's a mistake on my part.
Michelle, your article is clearly biased against Canon. It is a pity Fstoppers to allow articles like this.
Of course, it's biased against Canon. It is an article about widespread problems with the sensor and with overheating. The article was not a survey of all camera brands. If you scroll up to the comment under Laurence Huber you will see that for over a year, I attempted to PARTNER with Canon to resolve the problem. I collected and provided data and attempted to work with them. Even in this article, I praise Canon for its color, sharpness, burst rates etc. Only writing 100% positive things all the time is not the standard for good journalism. That's not logical. In your opinion for Fstoppers to be a valid platform, their writers cannot share a year of data and ask questions?
If you don't have any investment in Canon or work for them or benefit from Canon, you are not limited to silence. No manufacturer that receives bad product or service from a supplier would keep working with them. They would refuse the work ask for a new batch or ask for money back. Why should the client accept less if the product appears to have a lot of flaws and the manufacturer ignore the complaints? This makes no sense.
Agreed
Wow, I guess I'm luck. Had my R5 for 2.5 years, it's been caught out in heavy rains, dropped a couple times and most recently got knocked out of the back seat of my truck and there's barely a scratch on it and it works fine. Never the had lock up that people talk about. So perhaps there were a bad batch? Since 2009, I've had 8 Canon bodies and 14 lenses and only had an issue with my 40D and a 24-105L v1. Any mfg can have QC issues. Sorry to hear some of you have had such poor experiences.
This is an interesting theory that someone mentioned above. Thanks for sharing I think that could very well be worth the engineers investigating.
After a year and a half of use, no issues. I've never experienced the dreaded freeze. My lone complaint isn't with the body and it has nothing to do with reliability, is the * button on the grip has a different placement relative to the * button on the body which I have set for Eye Detect. A nit being picked, but it's the only thing I find a little frustrating with my R5.
Years ago I had a D5. The images were full of noise and unusable. In it went to Canon for repair out of warranty. There was no charge indicating that Canon knew something was up with that model/batch. Canon replaced the main board, sensor, and much of the guts. The fix lasted a short while. It was traded in and a Nikon was purchased. I'm on my second Nikon and have had no issues. My first had a recall and Nikon fixed it while I waited. I'll be staying with Nikon.
Thanks for sharing. I'm actually, despite what you must gather from this article, a big Canon fan. It does seem to me though that my colleagues who shoot Nikon often stay with Nikon. I saw a lot of crossover with the waiting on the mirrorless but Nikoners seem to be a happy bunch!
Some thoughts:
1. As a professional, you shouldn't have only "one" camera for work. I've been using Canon cameras for many, many, perhaps too many years, and have suffered only a minor inconvenience only once in my life. But I never have showed up for work with only one camera in my bag.
2. I can't imagine a professional photographer going to work with a mirrorless camera (if it isn't a Leica).
3. The best camera for working is a reflex (digital or analog) because this is the only way to see through your lens, and see exactly what you are doing.
4. The new mirrorless camera are only a way to increase the revenue of the camera making companies by slashing cost (no prism, no mirror, no expensive mechanisms to drive the mirror, etc.) and selling the "new" low cost (only for them) cameras at the same price that they were selling DSLR cameras (pricier to build). They have (the mirrorless cameras) no advantages to photographers and you are only making real big business for the camera maker.
5. The Canon service department and PR people seem to be very inefficient, at least in the writer's case. I can't comment about them as I never had have the need to recur to them. My Canon cameras have never failed once and the only minor inconvenience was a slightly loose screw in the mount of my very, very well used Canon EOS 1n, immediately fixed with a small screwdriver.
6. I have used, and still have almost all of them: Canon 1, 1A (2), 650, 630, 1n, 3, 300D, 1Ds, 20D, 40D, 5D, 5D Mark II, 5D Mark IV, 1Dx and many T's (T2, T3, T6, T7, currently, I have 5 of them). My daily workhorses are the 1Dx, 5D Mark IV, 2 T7s. The "just for" fun ones are: 1Ds (the most beautiful "body" to have in ones hands), 1n (you can have it in your hands for more than 12 hours feeling perfectly comfortable), 3, 650, T7 (great image quality at a ridiculously low price).
7. I have used also some Nikon cameras (just to try them for fun), never have any problems, but I only keep very few of them because I simply love the ergonomics of Canon and never did I felt "at home" with any Nikon digital cameras, so I keep only the 35 mm ones.
8. As a former photography teacher at the local University, I have the opportunity to try almost all makes and types of cameras and I've found they are all reliable, except for some early Sony and Samsung digital cameras. The students (and some pros) are very rude with the cameras, I've seen, among many other cases, a Canon 6D with almost all controls destroyed, and the back LCD broken, producing very good images!
9. My 1n, 1Ds and 1Dx have been used on the most demanding ambiences without any issues, from subzero temperatures all the way to deserts at more than 100 F!
Best wishes to you all,
Max
Are you being serious on point number two? I’m a commercial photographer and have shot campaigns using exclusively mirror less bodies for the past four years now and have had zero reliability issues. I haven’t had a single creative- or art director say, “Oh, you’re shooting mirrorless? That’s brave.”
No, lol. And your exquisite work speaks to that.
A few years ago, when I showed up to a shoot of a concept car for a major manufacturer, the design team was there and a few designers were very interested in the brand new Sony mirrorless I was using. The Canon stayed in the case except for a few shots done with a 45mm t/s lens.
Tethering a mirrorless or a DSLR shows exactly what I am doing.
In about 40 years of professional shooting I have known a lot of pros, and only 4 used Leicas...
"I can't imagine a professional photographer going to work with a mirrorless camera"
Tea almost came out of my nose.
My morning coffee too. Lol
Max Alvelais . Thank you for your comment. Like you, I have always used and loved Canon. I have had models for 2 decades (I was a teacher also) and I have always loved the reliability of Canon. I agree that the ergonomics just feel right. As part of my job as the lead on my Spartan contracts, I have to make sure all the (almost always and only) men on my team get a break. So I spend a good chunk of my afternoon on those contracts taking over their cameras and shooting their assignment while they eat. I've handled so many cameras and, like you- the ergonomics of Canon are my favorite. Maybe that's just because it's what I'm used to.
I
1- You may want to re-read the article more closely. It clearly says that I had to end up shooting with my 2nd body all weekend. I own 3 up-to-date cameras and I bring 2 to every job.
2 &3 Those sentences just don't even make sense. Many of the best commercial photographers worldwide use mirrorless cameras.
You lost me at #2, Max.
I realize this is an opinion piece, but I’ve got to say that I’m surprised that FStoppers is okay with an author penning such a piece without providing more than anecdotal evidence and conversations. Reaching out to Canon, Nikon, Sony, and/or some groups like LensRentals to get some hard data (repair data, warranty claims, etc) seems like a fair gesture in giving such a major player in our industry like Canon a fair shake. The headline alone screams “Don’t buy Canon anymore.”
Au contraire, I think it's good to get updates and real use issues in the open. Since the camera intro three years ago, there were over 100 articles related to the R5 on this site alone. This was a year ago... I think Canon got plenty of exposure for that model alone. If the R5 is considered perfect then one must wonder why Canon came out with the R5c within two years after the R5 launch. It's simple, they shouldn't put that much heavy video on still cameras that small.
David Cannon everything in this article is 100% factual data. It was collected over a year, it was discussed with Canon directly, and it was presented here to the community for review and discussion. I ran all the details by my editor (a Canon photographer) to ask his opinion when I was ready to write it. He said, yes, I should write it. Even though the clickbait opinion pieces get a TON more traffic, if you look at the body of my writing I have steered clear of writing those all together. In all my articles I have the purpose to test, review and discuss. This article was no different. If we cannot share a problem which is hapening worldwide and disucss it, then are we really a credible platform- or are we just a PR agency for brands that want us to peddle information to our readers? If you feel that the article was not reserached, or that any of the data in it is false, I'm sorry to disapoint.
Michelle VanTine You’re right… I just looked back through the article and thanks for steering theme right.
As many, I lost faith on Canon on theR5 released and the fake overheating timer.
All this was PR lies and I'm not surprised Canon did not answered you.
I saw so many website sites I trusted before, being so happy with a camera that did not work properly, Claiming all was fine.
I realized how twisted the reviews I could see could be. Everyone, in front of an obvious timer based on duration and not temperature was claiming it was the right way to deal with overheat, when another overheat sensor was also in place.
I got banned for just claiming something was not right.
Few firmware update later, Canon removed this timer and all was fine, no one ever apologies backing Canon and the so called 'independent' reviewer.
Such a disgrace Canon.
Now, I never really be found of Sony little mirrorless, and love my 5D and how I can relay on it when traveling, just dropping it in my bag, taking picture under the rain or crazy warm days.
I would love to see and have a real review including many review from real user after many years, what is, now, the 5D equivalent, in any brand...
Please help me, I'm lost in the 'influencer' review world.
I think that all the positive buzz about the R5 when it was released is worthy. I was buzzing also! It seems to me that chronic problems with camera bodies (across brands) are often revealed in long-term (2+) reviews. This is why it seems important to make sure as a photography community to write long-term reviews on our gear. Write one out of the box, and write a 2nd one at the two-year mark.
What was new with the R5 fake overheat system is that it was discovered immediately.
And still, major reviewers ignored it and calling it a functionality, fight and ban whoever was proving them wrong.
It was a major surprise to see how review are tired with a brand, even in front of PR stunt that makes no sense.
Imagine for a damage shutter how little they will talk about if an obvious timer that shut down for no reason a camera is acceptable.
@cameramanDop You seem really frustrated by the R5 overheating issue. You're entitled to your opinion, however it is completely inaccurate to suggest it was "discovered" and then ignored by reviewers. The overheating issue was fully disclosed by Canon in the User Guide before the camera was even released. And then every reviewer and their brother made a huge deal out of it. The consensus of most reviews was that the R5 was an excellent stills camera but was limited when it came to video.
You may disagree with the decision by Canon to protect the internals of the camera by using time as a factor rather than just temperature but the R5 was working as designed. It was not "not right". I think a reasonable case can be made that this was the conservative approach to take. Canon did build in some user control over the overheating situation in later firmware. Perhaps this was a reaction to criticism. Perhaps it was because they'd seen enough data to get a sense that the camera could handle it. Regardless of why, the one thing we should be able to agree on is that Canon had no incentive to intentionally cripple the R5. The overheating timer was not the Cripple Hammer at work. Overheating was a legitimate issue Canon was trying to address.
Nikon guy here- I had an acquaintance that shot pro football for a press service. He covered games in Seattle and there were time that his Canon 1D would magically become a rain gauge, despite the covers. After those wet games, they'd dry out and be back in service the following week. I've respected Canon based on those, and many other credible photographer's experiences and war stories. However, I have not become a Canon shooter, and short of being totally jilted by Nikon service, or being gifted with the R3 or R5, I'm photographically married to Nikon. My D700 still loudly clicks, my other ancient DSLR's reliably interchange lenses and my adaption to the Z continues. I hope Canon somehow owns up to these service problems and maintains their loyal users.
The 1D is a beast of a camera. I think the lines that are designed with sports photographers in mind seem to have durability and resilience as a top priority. Canon knows that no matter what happens, we have to keep shooting. It will be interesting to see if they reply. I sent the article Monday but I had 2 back to back shoots yesterday so today is catch-up. I'll share if I get a response.
I'm sure all three major brands have quality control issues at some point. I love my Nikon Z 9 but many Z 8 users are frustrated with the lens mount and strap lug service advisories.
As for the theory that quality has dropped due to "instant replacement" syndrome, I think it's more to do with the obsession with camera weight and size. Nikons get blasted by reviewers for being too big, too heavy, etc. It's become a race to make cell phone weight cameras for most vloggers and YouTubers. The YouTube reviewers are watched by the casual photographers that don't realize the lighter tech may have durability tradeoffs. Just a theory.
I agree with your theory. Thanks for sharing!
Is it possible that this is limited to those cameras manufactured during the depths of the pandemic, or during the height of the worldwide supply chain disruption? Or is it too soon after those things to tell if these two things could be factors in poor build integration?
M Hector hector A few other readers put forth this theory and I think it's completely valid. I think this would be something worth looking into for the Canon engineers. Great thought there
Thank you, Michelle. Hopefully there is an explanation that is ephemeral and that any quality control issues are now in the past. I have moved to Sony since Canon abandoned the M mount, but I otherwise have a high regard for Canon as a company and it "does not compute" that they would suffer continued QC issues or worse, poor engineering. That doesn't seem like the Canon I have known my whole life of photography.
Me neither! But I actually had a call with the PR team 2 days ago and I think they are finally taking it seriously. Let's hope. My camera and findings are (supposedly) going to Tokyo for review.
I am a little late coming back here to comment. Hope it went well!
What a fickle bunch some photographers seem to be! After years of happy use along comes one dud camera and the relationship almost falls apart. I can understand the disappointment and frustration but to abandon the brand would be somewhat knee-jerk.
If I had this camera I would have fumed at the supplier (yeah, I know UK consumer law is different) and had them swap the camera for a different one (not fit for purpose rule).
It is shamefull on Canon's part that you spend over £4,000 on a, basically, dud camera. I hope you have the situation resolved soon. Don't change brand, that may cause you unseen headaches, heartache and costs. Oh, and that obnoxious photographer you mentioned, you don't need toxic twits like him your life.
Lol- he runs his mouth about everything at every race. He once asked me if I knew how to change my shutter speed. I replied to him that I could build a working camera with an oatmeal tin.
Yes, I do agree with you. I don't think one dud is worth throwing a longstanding relationship away over. I've always loved Canon. I've been interviewed in Shotkit, DDP, I had a 12-page feature in LENS Magazine etc., and in all of them, I bragged on Canon. I was disappointed that Canon asked me to collect data and send it - then ghosted me. I was disappointed that after so many issues in such a short time, they didn't just replace my camera. I had considered buying the R3... but I think for now I'll just sit tight, hope that I don't have to reach in my rubber band drawer any more, and see what they put out next. Cheers! Thanks for sharing your thoughts chris bryant
I hope you do a follow-up on what happens next. Come on Canon, get it sorted!
No reply from the PR contact. Day 3. Shocked.
Especially nowadays when profit is the only thing that matters, it's a good time to reevaluate your vendor relationships.
As a 24 year Canon customer, I am counting the days until I can go and buy a Nikon or a Panasonic with a 50mm 1.4.
You know, that lens that Canon won't build because it would cut into sales of their $2,000 50mm 1.2. There is no middle ground with Canon lenses, but ironically there is with bodies. It's such a dumb situation.
I know that many media folks would consider it bad form to really give Canon the business for turning their lens market into only super cheap or super expensive, but somebody's got to do it. Companies only respond nowadays to embarrassment by media publications.
Every single time I see another OEM come out with a 50 mm 1.4, while canons version is only 20+ years old, I just get angry and angrier at them.
They need to listen to customers! The days of just being the undisputed kings of the industry is over. Other brands are making seriously attention-worthy gear. I hope you find what you're looking for!
This is one of my correspondences showing that I would like to write a positive article for people experiencing this problem worldwide and asking for them to partner on this. Sadly, Canon (after collecting and turning in the requested data) chose not to respond.
Andrew Perales I'm not sure why I can't respond under your thread but thank you for your comment. I wonder the same. Do we have to choose between "Rock solid" and the latest shiny tech on the inside? Give me a vault with a mirrorless inside- I can carry extra ounces I really don't care. It will be interesting to see if values that may have been put on the back seat (durability) come back in the next round.
I think the next R5 will be a bit bigger in size or will have less video crap. See how fast they came up with the R5c. It took them no time to find and design that fix and realize they could squeeze more profit by having a more video dedicated and designed camera. I think they will come with something new and better engineered. I mean they have no choice. They still sell slrs, and to me that screams issues in the back somewhere. Lots of people like me didn't want a video camera and haven't purchased lenses or cameras (mirrorless) for many years and then people are probably be freaking about the idea that the R5 replacement will fall apart within a couple years. That would be a downward spiral like the Kodak slow self destruction that started in the 70's. Clearly when you lose your hand on being a leader you take a big chance. I know if I buy a R5 replacement, it's going to have to be solid and still photography dedicated. I'm fine with video as long as it's not the primary focus and affect the camera performances, but I'll wait a year to see what happens. The thing is, who will be crazy enough to be first to buy? There will be people, but nothing like when the R5 came out. I don't get why cameras have to be miniaturized this small in the first pace. Phones have grown in size to the point of not being that practical to use as phones to answer calls.
I’m so sad to hear that. We were thinking of selling our Z6 for an R5 a couple years ago but stuck with it as we prefer Nikon colors. However, my Z fc had to go in for an LCD repair which is crazy because my D3400 has been working perfectly since I purchased it forever ago. I’m not sure anyone is making rock solid mirrorless cameras. I don’t have any experience outside of Canon and Nikon. DSLRs required big bodies which may have played a part in their ruggedness.
Very well written article Michelle that brings up an important issue. By repeatedly clarifying that this is not brand bashing since you are clearly stating your positive experiences with Canon over the years, you also invite more constructive comments from the readers here. I think you have shown great patience with Canon here before posting this article. And who knows this can also be an opportunity for Canon to show that they take these type of matters seriously and by displaying some constructive goodwill to discuss what they do and plan to do regarding quality management, they can promote customer loyalty. As having worked within the IT industry for many years, I know that more complex software and faster life cycles tends to cause more quality issues over time if time to market becomes too much of a priority if internal testing takes more and more of a back seat. More articles on long term use of our camera equipment can help to put increased focus on quality aspects instead of being tempted too much with the shiny tech news, which of course is still fun to follow.
Thank you Jack Winther for this well-written and insightful response. I'm glad that the intention behind the article can poke through. I think you may be onto something with your question about if camera brands have been micro-focused on "shiny tech stuff" and removed the priority of durability since the mirrorless. I'm ready for a camera that marries both: the toughness of the older bodies with the tech of the newer ones. Give me a few extra ounces, I don't care. I want something that I can work with rain, studio, MMA cage... anywhere the job takes me - no rubber bands required.
Starting off as a Canon shooter / fanboy I too thought I was destined to shoot Canon but a while back I made note of Nikon’s progress and dedication producing quality equipment fit for Pros and enthusiasts alike; focusing on optics predominantly but equally cameras that handle well and produce exceptional images.
So glad I bit the bullet back then when they released their first mirrorless, even with all the niggly issues that they subsequently addressed via firmware. No regrets as I managed to amass an impressive range of optics in the meantime, all at reasonable prices. Haven’t looked back 😊