Canon may introduce a new menu system in upcoming cameras [CR2]

Jun 27, 2013
1,861
1,099
38
Pune
A fully customizable quick menu will make a great improvement in overall usability, some settings there, which I never even touched, on the other hand, I must hunting for the others deeply in the settings all the time.
Custom Quick controls were made available on 5Ds/R and 5D Mark 4(not sure if they are available on 1DX).

 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
As long as they have the option to go back to the old menu and not have missing features compared to the new menu that should keep everyone happy. But I can only see them doing this for one generation, then the next generation they will just have the new menu only. I've read reports of people having AF Front/Back focus issues with Mirrorless, so adding a smart AFMA menu would be good.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

koenkooi

CR Pro
Feb 25, 2015
3,574
4,109
The Netherlands
If I could add more C1-C3 in a soft mode, that would help. Switching shooting setups styles I like quickly to all the different cases I work with, would be cool.
EVen just registering multiple ones off camera in the EOS Utilities, etc
I definitely would like to see this as something that can be put in the r5/6
With the R and R5 top screen being a real screen, I would go a step further and allow naming of custom modes, so no 'C3Tv', but 'birds', no 'C1M', but 'bugs', etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Upvote 0

GoldWing

Canon EOS 1DXMKII
Oct 19, 2013
404
279
Los Angeles, CA
en.wikipedia.org
As someone who has been commited to1DX 1DXII and 1DXIII (fighting and kicking) owning two bodies of each for 24 photographer's kits as pros who can use the cameras in the dark.... please don't change the UI. If you do, have an option to revert to legacy mode. Thank you. "Don't buy Coca-Cola and rename it "Jungle Juice" ;)
 
Upvote 0
Feb 26, 2021
12
18
#1 fix needed now in the R5 is to put back the way the Q menu/Q button works in all the previous DSLRs that had the Q button. How they have broken this important feature and not fixed it yet is a mystery to me.

Now I have to do three button presses to get the Q menu on the rear screen if I am shooting with the viewfinder. Crazy horrible oversight on Canon's part.
 
Upvote 0
As someone who has been commited to1DX 1DXII and 1DXIII (fighting and kicking) owning two bodies of each for 24 photographer's kits as pros who can use the cameras in the dark.... please don't change the UI. If you do, have an option to revert to legacy mode. Thank you. "Don't buy Coca-Cola and rename it "Jungle Juice" ;)
I have 3 R5 bodies. It would be fantastic if I could just copy settings from one body to the others!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Upvote 0

usern4cr

R5
CR Pro
Sep 2, 2018
1,376
2,308
Kentucky, USA
I have 3 R5 bodies. It would be fantastic if I could just copy settings from one body to the others!!!
3 R5 bodies? Wow, I guess you could call it an R15! :LOL:

But seriously, does Canon really expect us with an R5 (or R6) to consider buying a 2nd body with a different menu system on each? And if you have to choose the "old" style menu system to keep them the same then you'd feel that you're missing out on the "upgraded" menu system on the new body. It's much simpler to just offer the optional menu upgrade on (at least) the R5 & R6 since they're the current main bodies being sold, and it increases the value of the R5/6 for those who want to buy it now or in the future.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0

snappy604

CR Pro
Jan 25, 2017
681
640
I cautiously look forward to it.. first iterations often miss the mark, but looks like they're giving options to not use it.
The sheer # of things the camera can do now has evolved over a long period of time and Canon did a good job refining it, but sometimes you just have to rethink and restart from scratch. I often get puzzled where to find things I don't use often, so if there is a better way.. great!
 
Upvote 0
Aug 12, 2010
169
172
It’s funny how different things suit different people, I love ‘My Menu’ and have all the things I regularly change in there. My AF control went way up when I separated the three variables onto a my menu page rather than work with the clunky modes and changes within those.

I am the same. I don't know how anyone could be a regular user of a Canon digital camera and not use My Menu.

My only complaints with My Menu is that not everything can go there and that not all settings are in the menu system. There's also the lack of consistecy across all levels of camera (for no apparent reason.)

I would love to be able to lock various settings so that on cameras where shutter speed, aperture and ISO are easily modified, that accidental knocks or turns didn't modify them.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0
I think the Canon menu system is by far the best menu system of all the major camera systems. I think the Sony is by far the worst. I've owned the RX100 IV, the 6300, and the A7R3 and if they didn't provide the ability to customize, the system would've been a complete disaster. It's like they gave the software programmers no direction on UI or UX. You can hand a Canon camera to a novice and they can figure it out. Heck, they even have help text that appears next to the menu option.

If there's anything that Canon can really do is... some options aren't available when certain settings are enabled. If they could make it so that if you change a setting, that it would change all the accompanying settings too, that would help a lot.
 
Upvote 0

DBounce

Canon Eos R3
May 3, 2016
500
544
Why? its not really necessary.
Agreed, canon have reached the pinnacle of what is possible. Why bother attempting to impose on perfection? But you know what’s funny? Back in 2014, Samsung released a camera called the NX1; and its UI put every camera’s UI to shame. It’s been seven years since that release, and guess what? It still puts every cameras UI to shame. And you know what else? It came with an OLED screen.

Hell yeah, I’ll take a new “modern “ UI. One that is intuitive, easy and customizable. And I’ll take a rear OLED please that is at least 4”-5”. FFS, are we living in the freaking dark ages?

How I wish Samsung would release a NX1 Mk2. If for nothing else just to show the rest of the industry what is possible.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

cayenne

CR Pro
Mar 28, 2012
2,868
796
I am the same. I don't know how anyone could be a regular user of a Canon digital camera and not use My Menu.

My only complaints with My Menu is that not everything can go there and that not all settings are in the menu system. There's also the lack of consistecy across all levels of camera (for no apparent reason.)

I would love to be able to lock various settings so that on cameras where shutter speed, aperture and ISO are easily modified, that accidental knocks or turns didn't modify them.
I guess it depends on if you make a lot of system menu changes.

For the most part, once I have my camera set up, I rarely go into the menu system for anything really.

I might pop in there if I want to set it to do a multi-exposure set of shots from time to time....I go in there to format my cards.

I shoot exclusively in RAW, so I don't have to worry about picture profiles, etc....

I will admit, I've never messed much with the different AF settings and honestly, I think I may try to pick a weekend and figure that out and see what all it can do, but to date, I've pretty much left that to default and haven't had a problem.

I really had never noticed the "My Menu" on the 5D3 I have....

I may to play with that too...always fun to discover new things about your tools/toys.
;)

cayenne
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
6,980
2,602
Alberta, Canada
I wouldn't at all mind seeing better clarity. I may be a little thick-skulled, but I can't get my mind wrapped around that damned AF menu to save my life.

And I would love to see a computer based outline of all possible settings so I could see them spread out in one place and with fewer abbreviations. I could look it'll over and think about options away from the pressure of a shoot, and then load it into the camera whole. Or a second body, even.
I like this idea of seeing a computer version that might be able to add some clarity when a person is familiarizing themselves with a new camera. It could have explanations that can't fit in the camera version and helpful advice on preferred setting, etc.

Jack
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Upvote 0

dcm

Enjoy the gear you have!
CR Pro
Apr 18, 2013
1,088
846
Colorado, USA
Food for thought.

This discussion takes me back many years to my role as an architect in a large software system. My role - go 10 years down the road, come back and tell us what you found. The system already supported many features and could be extended with additional features over time in a multilayer menu structure. I called it the "menu bar from hell". In 1991, I pointed out the menu structure would soon crumble under it's own weight and become unusable. I built a new navigation model and prototype of our system based on customizable hypermedia/text that could incorporate user defined workflows. I'd been using hypermedia for a few years by then and had studied hypermedia research going back to the mid 1970s. It would have been revolutionary in our market and others, but the organization was not ready to move in that direction so I moved on. Ten years later someone told me they were finally doing what I had proposed and started moving their user interface to a web browser. They felt they were a bit late to the party by then.

The technology existed for a long time and continued to improve. But two other things needed to happen. The developers needed to be ready to embrace the new technology rather than hold on to the old, familiar way of doing things. The user community needs to be ready to adopt the new approach as well, since it may be too unfamiliar from their existing ways as well. Timing is everything.

Which brings us to today. User experience technology has continued to evolve. Smart phones have changed the entire user experience. You don't see traditional menus on most mobile applications. Canon has done a great job with the menu system approach compared to others, much like the group I worked with. And there is obviously a loyal following. But they have probably reached a point of diminishing returns as they try to add more features and improve the ease of use for users. It is likely they have been exploring alternatives for a while and may have learned some things from the mobile community.

The time might be now. Canon may see this in their demographics. It's likely that Canon recognizes their future customers grew up with smartphones and don't use menu based systems. They consider them archaic and will not buy a product that doesn't have a modern user experience. Which explains why Canon might choose to support both interfaces for a while.

Quite honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing what they have. So is my 9 yo granddaughter. She lets me do the camera settings for her today - she doesn't get this menu structure stuff. But she is an iPad wizard - she can figure anything out. So is her 4yo sister. It doesn't matter if the images are better if you cannot use the interface.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0