Rumors and talk about Canon's coming ‘Retro' style camera that will likely pay hommage to the Canon AE-1 to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026 have been relatively quiet over the last few months. There have been a few things mentioned over that time, but nothing worth publishing. This past week I had a discussion […]

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Firmware Notice: EOS R5: Firmware Version 2.2.1​

Firmware Version 2.2.1 incorporates the following fixes:

1. Fixes an issue that, in rare instances, may prevent certain CFexpress cards from being formatted in the camera.
2. Fixes an issue that may prevent the camera's firmware from being updated via an Internet connection, even when a newer firmware version is available on Canon servers.

Please perform the firmware update with only the firmware file to be updated stored on the memory card.

If the camera's firmware is already Version 2.2.1, it is not necessary to update the firmware.

I bought a Digital Rebel with the 18-55 kit lens in September 2003 and upgraded regularly through the T6s. Eventually I also got three 5D series bodies. I had been using the EOS system since 1993, so I was well equipped with EF lenses and Speedlites.

My main problem was the lack of wide primes and fast zooms. The EF-S 17-55/2,8 was great, but it had L size and price. Eventually two Tokina f/2.8 zooms made up a variant of the Holy Trinity.

But for primes I only found three, the 24/2.8 pancake, the 60 macro and one more. For a while I used the EF 28/1.8 as a normal lens, but the results were suboptimal. Eventually a Sigma 30/1.4 (pre Art) came to the rescue. I could use my 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 as portrait lenses, but at the wide end, nada!

With great fanfare Canon introduced the R system in 2018. What they left unsaid, though, was that they had started the M series in 2012 and developed it significantly. With the M5 in 2015 I started using it professionally. In 2018 appeared the M6 II which to some extent is still my favorite camera. Early on they had introduced the EF-M 22/2 which was a nice little lens. Late in the game Canon introduced what I think was their most ambitious normal lens to date, the 32/1.4. That puppy had 14 elements, at a time when the Zeiss Otis 55/1.4 had 12 elements. Anyway, in 2022 they pulled the plug on the M system. Long live the R!

The R7 and R10 have now been available for a while and variable aperture zooms abound. There should have been adequate time to remount the two EF-M primes as RF-S lenses. Definitely hasn’t happened yet, maybe it never will. “Wasn’t invented here!”.

Sony is successfully running a two format system, with lenses for both, primes and zooms. I still have most of my EF system and still use it for some jobs. But for travel the M system is still my preference. I have, however, built up my R7 system. I like primes and I have bought a batch of Sigma Contemporary f/1.4 primes and two f/2.8 zooms, as well as an f/1.8 Art zoom. Canon has NOTHING like it!!!

We don’t all need/want Full Frame, or even if we have it, we may still want an APS-C outfit. I like my R7, I like the stabilizer and the full sviwel screen. Personally I don’t need two cards and I would prefer an LP-E17 battery, it’s easy to carry extras in return for a smaller body.

By its policy Canon lost out on about $ 4-5 K in lens purchases. Good job, guys!

And that concludes my rant!

Over the course of the year, the biggest trend has been that consistently every month, compact or built-in lens camera sales have been much higher than last year. CIPA has just released its October CIPA 2025 results, which show against the past reporting period of October, shipments of built-in lens cameras jumped to 60% growth […]

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I'll say it right off the top, nailing down when firmware is going to be announced has always been difficult to nearly impossible. Though, the odd time it does work out. We recently saw new firmware for the R5 Mark II and R1, those updates focused more on compatibility and bug fixes than new features. New Features! I have been told that a “firmware announcement” is tentatively scheduled for February ahead of CP+, and that it looks like it'll be announced before it will be available for download. This has happened many times over the years, so it's not a […]

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I'll say it right off the top, nailing down when firmware is going to be announced has always been difficult to nearly impossible. Though, the odd time it does work out. We recently saw new firmware for the R5 Mark II and R1, those updates focused more on compatibility and bug fixes than new features. […]

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Today, Sony announced the Sony A7 V, the latest in the long line of prosumer full-frame mirrorless cameras from Sony, going back to 2013 with the release of the A7. The Sensor and Stuff The Sony Alpha A7 V features a new 33 megapixel BSI sensor and a BIONZ XR2 processor. The sensor's ISO range […]

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Canon has likely finished their announcement cycle for 2025, which is a bit of a bummer as we were hoping that some exciting new lenses would make an appearance before we flip over to 2026. It's still possible, but the usual suspects haven't heard anything about announcements dates. I think Canon will be announcing new […]

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I don't do bird photography so I can't comment about how good this is, only to say that the glossy demo/pictures/videos look deceptively good. And yes, I'm sure they cherry picked a scenario for the video, it's advertising afterall.

I just received my first mirrorless camera, and I would like to use this thread to post questions as they pop up. I do not have any SD cards at the moment, so I cannot play with the camera too much yet. I do have some micro SD cards and an adapter, but I discovered in the user manual that it was not recommended. Of course, "not recommended" is not the same as "DO NOT USE A MICRO SD", so I was curious if this is really something to not do, even if it is to just have the ability to take a few pics while I am waiting on the regular SD cards to arrive???

In late 2024, Canon surprised us with the announcement of the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM, a fast zoom in a very small package. Earlier this year, Canon followed that up by launching the RF 16-28mm f/2.8 IS STM. Both lenses have been well received by the Canon community and for good reasons. This is […]

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The Canon R6 Mark III is here—literally, in my hands—and I'm going to put it through its paces from a filmmaking and videography perspective. Has Canon perfected the mid-range, do-it-all content creator tool?

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Dpreview today has put out their studio scene with the EOS R6 Mark III, which gives us our first side-by-side look at how the EOS R6 Mark III compares to its relatives and also its competitors. One thing about sensor design is that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Something has to […]

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Laowa is at it again, with another unique lens offering. Laowa today announced the 35mm f/2.8 Tilt-shift lens with a .5x Macro, named the Laowa 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D Tilt-Shift 0.5× Macro. Since this lens is manual focus only and has no electronic connections to the camera body, it is also available for the Canon RF […]

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I just purchased a 200-800 for a retirement gift. only to find no carry case had to get a knock off pro-master for 40.00 not the 175.00 for a canon one. but I was told that if you have a uv filter on the lens you can't flip the lens hood for storage. Anyone know if this is true? I have yet to open it from the box.

What’s this “EOS RS AGALL” camera I spotted on CR?

Canon has had a busy last couple of months with the announcements of the Cinema EOS C50, EOS R6 Mark III and RF 45mm f/1.2 STM. The latter being extremely popular going by the pre-order numbers that we have seen. Prior to the announcement of the EOS R6 Mark III, there were other “embargoed” dates […]

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With Black Friday deals around the corner, I want to take a look at Canon’s top affordable cameras for video under $1000. Given all of our collective uncertainty with the economy, there's no reason that you need to break the bank for good video quality this holiday season.

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Underwater photography is a ton of fun. Whether you're snorkeling, SCUBA diving or surfing, it can add to the fun of whatever you're doing. While it is an extremely difficult photography discipline to get good at, it tends to keep people engaged over the long haul. You never know what you're going to see under the water. You can spend less than $500 for an action camera or go crazy and spend $10,000+ for an EOS R5 Mark II setup! I will touch on lighting a bit, but that is probably another article, there are way too many options and […]

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Isn't that the truth? I was quickly wiped out during the pandemic as far as gear goes. I haven't a single RF lens. On the positive side, I managed to hang on to my R body, Canon EF 135mm f\2L, Tamron 45mm, and dozens of very old M42 mount lenses.

I can add one new RF 'L' lens a year, starting next year. Yes, my R is old, but I haven't shot with it much and it takes wonderful still life and portrait photos. It's slow as heck, and an R6 Mark III is on the far horizon, but I want glass.

The RF 28-70mm f/2L is the obvious first choice for me. Then Canon releases that damned RF 24-105mm f/2.8L with internal focusing. #$@&!

My obvious second choice is the RF 85mm f/1.2L. Then the RF 50mm f/1.2L. Simple. Then Canon releases the VCM primes. UGH!!!!

It was far easier when there were a few known 'great' lenses for what the project required. It was easy to choose. Now, from where I'm sitting, we are very spoiled. Thank you Canon.

Anyone get it yet that pre ordered. I was in a shop yesterday that has them in. I’m pre ordered from adorama so I didn’t want to mess things up.

Jim

Canon has released new firmware for the Canon EOS R1, bringing it up to version 1.2.0. The latest firmware update is more about bug and stability fixes than new features. Unfortuntaely, we still cannot bind pre-capture to a button. Why? Who knows, but we can keep wishing! I tend to wait a week or so […]

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The rumormill is continuing to drip information regarding the Sony A7 V. Slowly, this is the latest camera in a long line of Sony's mid-level class full-frame mirrorless camera, which, like the R6 lineup, has grown up a lot over the years. Currently, according to SAR, the specifications include; The partially stacked sensor is a […]

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Photonstophotos dropped a new camera into its analysis, and to be honest, the results surprised me a bit. Now, if you weren't aware, the V1 has a slightly larger than Micro Four Thirds sensor. I expected the PowerShot V1 to fare worse than Canon's own APS-C sensors because of the higher pixel density and the […]

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Canon Lens Acronyms and Abbreviations is a long list that spans generations of lens mounts, systems, and eras. These acronyms and abbreviations identify decades of lens evolution, from the manual film era to today's hybrid mirrorless systems. This ended up being a lot longer than I thought, partly because I decided to add in Cinema.. […]

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