Canon EOS R3 and Canon EOS R5 to receive new firmware next week

[LSXPhotog]

So I am absolutely enthusiastic and excited for the final details on the Canon R3 firmware...it sounds like they just made it the most capable camera in the world with a firmware update...I eagerly await this firmware and can't wait to use it.

I updated the R5 and haven't noticed anything that I wanted to see. It's nice that the camera no longer overheats...but man...the AF system wasn't brought to the standard of the $900 Canon R10. LOL Still no ability to choose any other fps in stills, no sound of electronic shutter, and we still can't disable IBIS and keep using lens IS in any Canon camera. I don't understand this at all and I seriously HATE it. I want to disable IBIS in the R3 with longer lenses - IT DOESN'T WORK VERY WELL and it makes it challenging to track moving subjects as it "catches up" to your initial movements.
Currently shooting a race in Michigan and have 3 races I'm shooting next month....Canon....give me all the frames per second! LOL

 

[puffo25]

HI, I have just download the 1.6 fw version from the Italian site of Canon. Question: why the file has been placed online already on July 6th according to the Canon post header?
Is it this indeed the final fw for the R5?

 

[penum]

HI, I have just download the 1.6 fw version from the Italian site of Canon. Question: why the file has been placed online already on July 6th according to the Canon post header?
Is it this indeed the final fw for the R5?

It is the compilation date,... then the test it with canon ambassadors, and then they put it online. ;-)

 

[puffo25]

OK, so I guess that it is indeed the final and official firmware version

 

[fr34k]

I updated the R5 and haven't noticed anything that I wanted to see. It's nice that the camera no longer overheats...but man...the AF system wasn't brought to the standard of the $900 Canon R10.

Well, we'll have to see when the next round of software updates comes around (~ November) if the photo side gets some love as well. I sure hope so.
My wish list for the R5 for Canon-Engineers to see:
- R3 AF system, menu layout and screen layout -> harmonising of all current systems
- depth composition (and crop depth composition) for focus bracketing
- AF-linked spot metering
- sound for electronic shutter
- disable IBIS individually
- zebras in photo mode
- slower AF speeds on macro lenses during video recording, especially on close-up shots (EDIT: it feels like something has been addressed there)
- M-fn not being the only button to toggle photo and video and cycle through C1-C3
- customisable Q-menu
- manual fractional shutter speed
- manual fps setting in continuous shooting
- automatic shutter type selection
- removal of any video time limit (120fps 7.30 and normal 29.59)
- dynamic range improvements á la R5C in video mode (should be possible -- same sensor, same processor)
- histogram and waveform, also during recording
- multi-use wheels -> once without button press, once with a certain button pressed
- long button press -> second function
- OVF simulation
- pre burst using automatic electronic shutter & when shutter button pressed EFCS can be selected
- touch and drag AF with AF running
- usability: when pressing a button set to perform action A, which is normally prohibited by B, automatically deactivating B and activating A and notifying user about changes made (alternatively: prompting the user)
-> example: MF: activate peaking, go to AF: zebras won't activate, no error is displayed
- being able to assign buttons in play mode separately -> my RATE button could do double duty...
- side by side view in play mode (my 5D III had it)

 

[fr34k]

For the R3, the German Site tells more about the high temperatue mode

Not for the R5 though...

TLDR;
6K 60p RAW (Normal: 25 min, High: more than 60min)
4k 120p (irregardless of setting: 12min)
4K 60p (6K oversamp.) (Normal: 25 min, High: more than 60 min)
4K 30p (∞)

 

[paul]

Hi Alan, my understanding is that the main difference between the AF systems is:

R5/R6 - eye-AF tracking only operates in full area AF mode. The camera decides where in the frame there is an eye, and tracks it across the whole frame area. If there is more than one face/eye in the frame, and the camera chooses the wrong one, you have to manually move the AF spot over the other eye/face.

R7/R3 - eye-AF tracking also operates in the various zone AF modes. Thus you can restrict the area within which the camera searches for an eye. I'm not sure whether the subject is then only tracked within that zone, or whether it works the same way as in Sony cameras, tracking it across the whole frame.

But have you tried "Initial Servo AF point for Tracking" AF menu 5?

 

[perplex1]

While I am happy I was right about Movie Stabilization being addressed on the R5/R3. What exactly did they improve?

 

[peters]

Okay, so first post, but I'm pretty excited about the new firmware I took the plunge and made the update for my R5 with the file from the Italian site.

I'm especially curious about the new heat power off setting - it could be a game changer. I just set the camera to 8k raw and the timer displayed the usual 15:00 minutes you get in that setting. After changing the heat power off to "High", the timer jumped to 29:59 and for now, it's been running for 25 minutes without even displaying a heat warning.

Edit: 35 Minutes, still no overheating warning And this is 8k raw we're talking about. Awesome.

Edit 2: Had to format my card after 40 Minutes. Afterwards, the timer was right back to 29:59. Ladies and gentlemen, I think overheating on the R5 is a thing of the past. But holy hell, the body gets hot to the touch.

Edit 3: Threw in 5 Minutes of 4k120 (after 45 Minutes of 8k raw!), still no warning, I can still record in all modes. However, they are not joking about the heat. I almost burnt my fingers on the CFexpress card. Not sure if I am really comfortable with this.

This sounds VERY promising. Thank you for the report!

Especialy important to me is the fact, that the warning shows up much later.
Usualy I use 4k25 hq until the warning comes, than I switch to regular 4k25. I dont want to run into an overheat on set. I do have a second camera, but I dont like one camera to fail and stay off for hours to get fully operational again.

 

[Jethro]

Okay, so first post, but I'm pretty excited about the new firmware I took the plunge and made the update for my R5 with the file from the Italian site.

I'm especially curious about the new heat power off setting - it could be a game changer. I just set the camera to 8k raw and the timer displayed the usual 15:00 minutes you get in that setting. After changing the heat power off to "High", the timer jumped to 29:59 and for now, it's been running for 25 minutes without even displaying a heat warning.

Edit: 35 Minutes, still no overheating warning And this is 8k raw we're talking about. Awesome.

Edit 2: Had to format my card after 40 Minutes. Afterwards, the timer was right back to 29:59. Ladies and gentlemen, I think overheating on the R5 is a thing of the past. But holy hell, the body gets hot to the touch.

Edit 3: Threw in 5 Minutes of 4k120 (after 45 Minutes of 8k raw!), still no warning, I can still record in all modes. However, they are not joking about the heat. I almost burnt my fingers on the CFexpress card. Not sure if I am really comfortable with this.

This sounds like a great result for a lot of users shooting 8k. But you're right, the temperature of the body (and, worryingly, the card) sounds significant. I wonder if Canon have just bitten the bullet and given people the option (via the new setting) to effectively just turn off warnings and forced shut-downs? The initial time periods on release may have been the Canon engineers exercising 'an abundance of caution' in not wanting that heat to damage any hardware, but maybe they've had enough data of actual results in the field to be able to extend it?

 

[futzy]

R3 FW file is now availabe for download on Hong Kong site:

Product Support : EOS R3

Made for the best professionals in the field, the highly anticipated EOS R3 comes with a robust ergonomic design for professional handling, plus new and improved ...

hk.canon

 

[LSXPhotog]

I installed the R3 firmware simply because I'm at a track now covering a race for the next 3 days. If the camera doesn't work well after the firmware, I have 2 more with me and our team all have Canon R6s that I could use - little risk to test it immediately.

Out of the gate, the new "Custom High Speed Count" (H+CH) is disabled as a drive mode by default. So I enabled it...I'm not very sure when I will practically use this feature. It seems advantageous to photographers that use light or sound triggers, but not for what I do...basically you press the shutter once and it automatically takes a maximum of 50 images (yes, in RAW/CRAW or JPEG) at a rate of 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, or 195fps. Then your camera can't do anything for the next 10-12 seconds while it writes to the card. That was with the ProGrade 650GB Cobalt card...so your mileage may vary with how long that process takes. This will personally not have too much value for me immediately - if I'm being honest. However, it's another tool that has been added. I will now dream about ways I can make this feature work for me or add to what I offer customers.

The real star of the show is absolutely the addition of 240fps video. This is something that will be tremendously useful in my line of work and I intend to put this to the test over the next few days. Hopefully my IBIS issues are fixed...I've actually had a rather bad time with my R3s IBIS system and CPS has ignorantly misdiagnosed my claim when it was sent in and had the poor communication to inspect and send one of the lenses back then asked for the lenses I experienced the issue with. My R3 can hardly every get a usable image while panning with my 100-500 at 500mm unless I turn off IS on the lens which also turns off IBIS. 400mm? No problem. 500mm? My IBIS seems to act erratically.

Oh well. Glad to have the new features...not what I was expecting when I read the firmware list at all.

***YOU STILL CAN'T CHOOSE THE FPS OF DRIVE MODES LIKE YOU CAN ON THE 1DX!!***

 

[MiJax]

I installed the R3 firmware simply because I'm at a track now covering a race for the next 3 days. If the camera doesn't work well after the firmware, I have 2 more with me and our team all have Canon R6s that I could use - little risk to test it immediately.

Out of the gate, the new "Custom High Speed Count" (H+CH) is disabled as a drive mode by default. So I enabled it...I'm not very sure when I will practically use this feature. It seems advantageous to photographers that use light or sound triggers, but not for what I do...basically you press the shutter once and it automatically takes a maximum of 50 images (yes, in RAW/CRAW or JPEG) at a rate of 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, or 195fps. Then your camera can't do anything for the next 10-12 seconds while it writes to the card. That was with the ProGrade 650GB Cobalt card...so your mileage may vary with how long that process takes. This will personally not have too much value for me immediately - if I'm being honest. However, it's another tool that has been added. I will now dream about ways I can make this feature work for me or add to what I offer customers.

The real star of the show is absolutely the addition of 240fps video. This is something that will be tremendously useful in my line of work and I intend to put this to the test over the next few days. Hopefully my IBIS issues are fixed...I've actually had a rather bad time with my R3s IBIS system and CPS has ignorantly misdiagnosed my claim when it was sent in and had the poor communication to inspect and send one of the lenses back then asked for the lenses I experienced the issue with. My R3 can hardly every get a usable image while panning with my 100-500 at 500mm unless I turn off IS on the lens which also turns off IBIS. 400mm? No problem. 500mm? My IBIS seems to act erratically.

Oh well. Glad to have the new features...not what I was expecting when I read the firmware list at all.

***YOU STILL CAN'T CHOOSE THE FPS OF DRIVE MODES LIKE YOU CAN ON THE 1DX!!***

Does it write the 195 FPS into those weird RAW roll files?

Seems like a bad implementation of a cool feature. I can see a use for it if it weren't so prescribed and if it were easily accessible for on-the-fly changes.

 

[LSXPhotog]

Does it write the 195 FPS into those weird RAW roll files?

Seems like a bad implementation of a cool feature. I can see a use for it if it weren't so prescribed and if it were easily accessible for on-the-fly changes.

Good news, NOPE!! It stores regular complete RAW files that open normally. I think what we’re seeing here is just Canon exploiting the buffer size and allowing it to be completely filled up rapidly while not even attempting to write to the card. Then you sit and wait for it to offload all the information from the buffer to your card. The file folder system unfortunately required DPP to work and it’s done so in a really poor way, IMO. But it also kept everything organized. And, as someone who rates all their images in camera and adds a star to the best shot of each car, I didn’t find it that cumbersome other than having to extract the RAW file in camera in a separate step. I believe it could have been better managed. I don’t know if this is necessarily better? But it does allow me to dump my cards and import without any issues seen on the RAW Burst Mode. It does mean that you are adding 50 images into your card sequence on playback and that seems more annoying than organized folders of each individual sequence that I could open and unpack, so to speak.

Of note, there is NOT a pre-shot buffer to this mode. It doesn’t make very much sense unless it was to make sure the viewfinder remains useful?

 

[Stig Nygaard]

There's also new firmware for R7/R10, however only listed change is apparently support for new Cloud RAW Development service soon to be launched:

キヤノンが「EOS R3 / R5 / R6 / R7 / R10」の新ファームウェアをリリース

キヤノンが「EOS R3 / R5 / R6」の新機能追加＆不具合修正、「EOS...

digicame--info-com.translate.goog

 

[kcimer]

But have you tried "Initial Servo AF point for Tracking" AF menu 5?

It's complicated. Took me a year to get it. You have to setup a button for EyeAF start (icon is AF with eye just next to it) in Custom button setup. Then you can be in any AF mode, but if you did set it up to start from other focus modes it will start from that area.
I have two custom buttons for AF - one is AF start with the setup I have being the spot or area and it is just like any other Canon AF, and AF-eye the search for the eyes but it starts from that point or area - if it is not there than it search the whole AF area and holds it there.

 

[tbgtomcom]

I took the plunge this morning and updated both my R5s with the 1.6 firmware. No issues.

 

[scyrene]

Ladies and gentlemen, I think overheating on the R5 is a thing of the past. But holy hell, the body gets hot to the touch.

Edit 3: Threw in 5 Minutes of 4k120 (after 45 Minutes of 8k raw!), still no warning, I can still record in all modes. However, they are not joking about the heat. I almost burnt my fingers on the CFexpress card. Not sure if I am really comfortable with this.

I mean, the overheating is still there as you describe, it's just they're no longer preventing you disregarding it. Customisation is generally a good thing, but I wonder if it will mean more bodies or memory cards failing (or shortening their lifespan at least), and what that might mean with regard to warranties.

 

[mikefize]

I mean, the overheating is still there as you describe, it's just they're no longer preventing you disregarding it. Customisation is generally a good thing, but I wonder if it will mean more bodies or memory cards failing (or shortening their lifespan at least), and what that might mean with regard to warranties.

You could of course be correct. But I also can't imagine Canon would allow users to enable a potentially harmful option without even giving note that it might be the case. I mean the promt says that the body and card will get hot to the touch, but nothing else. I suspect that it is a way for Canon to circumvent certain regulations for maximum temperatures in a lot of regions. If I remember correctly, there's a threshold for things like cameras to not get too hot in your hands. Sony has been doing this for quite a while now in similar fashion. Of course, I could be wrong.
I also think that they needed more time to validate whether those kind of temperatures might be harmful. Maybe that's why they've only just now released this update.

However, I agree with you. I don't really feel comfortable with it. In my daily work, I very rarely will push the camera to those limits, but I might have to in some occasions. I'll give CPS a call next week and ask them about it.

 

[LesC]

V1.6 now on Canon USA site but still not on UK site.