EOS R5 Freeze /lock up issues

Many R5 and now R6 owners are experiencing freeze/lockup where the only option is to remove battery. Sometimes it will reboot also after about 20 seconds. It's not lens specific, it is occurring when using RF 70 200mm f2.8 lenses and 300 mm f2.8 mkii, 500f4 mkii , 100-400mm mkii plus a few more. This happens on my R5 once almost every day on a full 6 hour 500 image session with wildlife. Main circuit board replacement is what is being offered by Canon repair centres . You are unlikely to experience it taking a few images for a few minutes , give the R5 a good work out for a couple of hours and it will freeze/lock up. My friend in South Africa explains it here
my camera freezes every day it happened with different batteries different memories. and sd different. the camera started restarting in the middle of my music video work with the musicians in front of me where I only had minutes to do the covers. The worst thing about this is the terrible service from Canon. I bought the camera a month ago and they tell me that they repair it is an injustice. that apart from staying if my work tool touches me to rent and they give me a repaired camera.
 

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Canon Rumors Guy

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my camera freezes every day it happened with different batteries different memories. and sd different. the camera started restarting in the middle of my music video work with the musicians in front of me where I only had minutes to do the covers. The worst thing about this is the terrible service from Canon. I bought the camera a month ago and they tell me that they repair it is an injustice. that apart from staying if my work tool touches me to rent and they give me a repaired camera.

Things break, send it to Canon.
 
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A freeze up really sucks, more so for those using the camera for work.

According to the shutter count app, I have 44,000 actuations on the R5 and have never had a lock up.

I use everything from 16-35, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8 ver 3, 100-400 and 300 2.8 and RF 85mm and 24-105. Have not tried the 400 2.8 EF on it yet.

Which shutter count app do you use?
 
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Just an update regarding the lockup issues. I am still on firmware 1.2.0, but have switched from using my CF express card to a 128gb Sandisk SD card (170mb/s). So far I have taken over 4000 frames and not one single lockup! It seems the 512gb Sandisk CF express card wasn’t playing nicely with the camera. I am hoping firmware 1.3.1 resolves this issue once and for all, but am being patient with updating in case any other bugs are discovered... cheers
 
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Bdbtoys

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Just an update regarding the lockup issues. I am still on firmware 1.2.0, but have switched from using my CF express card to a 128gb Sandisk SD card (170mb/s). So far I have taken over 4000 frames and not one single lockup! It seems the 512gb Sandisk CF express card wasn’t playing nicely with the camera. I am hoping firmware 1.3.1 resolves this issue once and for all, but am being patient with updating in case any other bugs are discovered... cheers

That's great to hear. Thanks for the update.
 
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chrislambert

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Any updates on firmware 1.3.1 if it resolves the lockup/freezing issue? I had 2 freezes in a portrait session on my R6 on firmware 1.2.0 and had to pull out the battery. After I upgraded to 1.3.1, the camera froze briefly shortly after being powered on but then rebooted itself after 10-15 seconds of being frozen. I have not had a freeze yet after this that I could reproduce but I didn't use it extensively yet. I'm wondering if I have a bad logic board or it's a software issue.
 
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I have just started using my 2x Extender with my R5 and 600mm f/4L IS II; I have used this combination now on two separate occasions. I've been very pleased with the overall results from the camera's AF system, but on both occasions using the 2x Extender, my R5 has locked up. I've gone an entire year with only one previous lock up using early firmware. Hope this won't be a long-term problem...

Each time I'm using ES and shooting bursts. The IS on the lens is on, and set to Mode 2. I'm also using a new ProGrade 325 Combat CFExpress card, and the camera is running the latest firmware.

The first lock up I had was an Err 70, and the camera said it had trouble writing to the card. The screen went black, then the Err 70 message came on, and I pulled the battery. With the second lock up, the screen froze and just went black; there was no message, etc. I pulled the battery again. After each battery pull the camera went on to take several thousand more frames and didn't have further issues.
 
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unfocused

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Reviving this thread to see if anyone has had any luck diagnosing the lock up issue. Over the last two weeks I've been shooting a lot of studio head shots of student athletes during two separate sessions. Both times I've had the R5 lock up about 3/4 of the way through the shoot. The first time it happened, I turned the camera off and on again and it cleared. The next time, I had to take the battery pack out and reinsert.

I did an internet search and it doesn't appear that anyone has found a solution or that Canon is acknowledging the problem. At this point it is an inconvenience, but not a disaster. However, I'm concerned that the problem could get worse over time.

What are others experiencing.
 
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Reviving this thread to see if anyone has had any luck diagnosing the lock up issue. Over the last two weeks I've been shooting a lot of studio head shots of student athletes during two separate sessions. Both times I've had the R5 lock up about 3/4 of the way through the shoot. The first time it happened, I turned the camera off and on again and it cleared. The next time, I had to take the battery pack out and reinsert.

I did an internet search and it doesn't appear that anyone has found a solution or that Canon is acknowledging the problem. At this point it is an inconvenience, but not a disaster. However, I'm concerned that the problem could get worse over time.

What are others experiencing.
Still have never had a lock up on the R5.

I did have a lock up with my R6 that was only reproducible with a SanDisk 64GB UHS I card that I've had for a few years so I tossed it in "emergency" only bin and now only use my Sony Tough cards.

As I have said in other threads about these lock ups I think they are 100% media related and now that we are getting more reports of lesser known brands not working at all after 1.4.0 I think this adds more weight to that.
 
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unfocused

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Still have never had a lock up on the R5.

I did have a lock up with my R6 that was only reproducible with a SanDisk 64GB UHS I card that I've had for a few years so I tossed it in "emergency" only bin and now only use my Sony Tough cards.

As I have said in other threads about these lock ups I think they are 100% media related and now that we are getting more reports of lesser known brands not working at all after 1.4.0 I think this adds more weight to that.

I don't think it is media related. I mostly use ProGrade Digital and I used them in both the R5 and the 1Dx III. Never a problem in the 1Dx III. I've read on other forums and sites of people having problems with a variety of different cards. I understand why people don't like to think it is a problem with Canon, but that seems to be the only common denominator among all the different incidents. There are a few cases where people have returned their cameras to Canon and received replacements, but I don't really want to go to that extreme, especially because I suspect it would involve having to send it in multiple times while Canon says they can't find anything wrong and there is no guarantee that a replacement would not have the same problem.
 
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I don't think it is media related. I mostly use ProGrade Digital and I used them in both the R5 and the 1Dx III. Never a problem in the 1Dx III. I've read on other forums and sites of people having problems with a variety of different cards. I understand why people don't like to think it is a problem with Canon, but that seems to be the only common denominator among all the different incidents. There are a few cases where people have returned their cameras to Canon and received replacements, but I don't really want to go to that extreme, especially because I suspect it would involve having to send it in multiple times while Canon says they can't find anything wrong and there is no guarantee that a replacement would not have the same problem.
Do you use EF lenses?

I have sent mine back in to Canon twice. Mine has shut off probably 12-15 times since I bought it 3 months ago. It has mainly happened when shooting football, with a lot of shooting. It has also happened twice on quiet days though, with very light shooting.

Canon seem to think it is media related also, asking me to format cards with level 1 security using diskutility rather than just use the camera's formatting.

It has happened to me on 2 different Sandisk SD cards, and has also happened whilst shooting on a Sandisk CFExpress card. I use multiple batteries, and it has happened on different combinations of batteries.

I'm at a loss, it happened yesterday on a portrait job where I shot ~100 frames.

I am using EF lenses with an EF - RF control ring adapter. After trying many different things, after having Canon replace some motherboard or something inside the camera, I can only think it might be related to the control ring now. The fact it happened on a quiet portrait job yesterday after wiping the card with security level 1 format makes me think it isn't the cards.
 
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I don't think it is media related. I mostly use ProGrade Digital and I used them in both the R5 and the 1Dx III. Never a problem in the 1Dx III. I've read on other forums and sites of people having problems with a variety of different cards. I understand why people don't like to think it is a problem with Canon, but that seems to be the only common denominator among all the different incidents. There are a few cases where people have returned their cameras to Canon and received replacements, but I don't really want to go to that extreme, especially because I suspect it would involve having to send it in multiple times while Canon says they can't find anything wrong and there is no guarantee that a replacement would not have the same problem.
@unfocused I do understand the reluctance to blame the expensive media we have invested in because it is not a cheap prospect to replace. That said it seems obvious to me to look at the most commonly varied exchangeable item used in the camera for fault. As a software developer that ends up testing a ton of hardware I look for the common variables when trying to reproduce issues and in this case the media used in the R5 is a pretty big variable.

My thoughts on why the same card works in the 1Dx III without fault and might be having issues in the R5 comes down to the data rates that the R5 pushes exceed those of the 1Dx III creating a non like for like equivalent. Again as we have recently seen with the 1.4.0 changes to allow for VPG 400 support making some cards inoperable it is clear that media is playing a big roll in the overall health of the system.

What is not clear to me is who is at fault for the reported lock ups:
  • Canon?
  • The many different companies making CFexpress cards we all use?
To me the chance the issues are Canon's are equal to the chances that the issues are the fault of some card manufactures.

I am more then happy to lay the blame squarely at the feet of Canon and how they have implemented the CFexpress 2.0 protocols in the R5 and if that turns out to be the case they should be ashamed it has not been fixed sooner. But as someone that has spent many hours writing automation testing for Read\Write scenarios on our test platforms at work I have hard time thinking Canon does not have the same style of testing and should have extensive hours of torture testing the R5 without seeing faults.

In summary I standby my inference that the issue is Media related and also concede I have no idea who is to blame. All I know is that I have not had any lock up with my R5 that has seen extensive action since picking it up on launch day +1 using my Sony cards.
 
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unfocused

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@Ramage I appreciate your thoughtful response. Since it is only happening intermittently and can be corrected (so far) by either shutting the camera down or removing the batteries, I will keep trying different cards and scenarios. I have ProGrade, SanDisk and Transcend cards so the next time it happens I will make a note of what card I am using and then see if it happens with other cards. However, from what others have tried, I don't believe it is a card issue.

@dpockett Your question about EF lenses is actually interesting because last week when it happened, I was using the EF 70-200 2.8 with the control ring adapter, but yesterday when it happened, I was using the RF 70-200 2.8 (which happened to arrive earlier this week). So, I think you might want to rule out the adapter.

It has happened to me infrequently while shooting birds with the 100-400. I shut down the camera and it started up again. Annoying, but fortunately, there has never been any loss of data (card corruption, etc.) The most recent cases occurred while shooting head shots for student athletes. So that was under studio conditions. In both cases it happened about 3/4 of the way through the shoot and after shooting a LOT of headshots, which raises questions about the possibility that heat may be a contributing factor. The first time while shooting headshots I only had to turn the camera off and on again, but yesterday I had to remove the battery pack.

I always have a second body (the R for now and I hope in another month the R3) so if it quits working completely, I can switch bodies without having to end the shoot. It has never happened using the R. This convinces me that even after I get an R3, I think I will keep the R just in case.

Since the cause seems to be a mystery (based in part on what others have tried as well) I've pretty much concluded that I will just soldier on and see what happens over time. The one thing I am certainly going to do though is always make sure I have a second body with me unless I am just doing some casual personal shooting. Incidentally, I bought an R5 for my wife at the same time as I got one and she has also had it happen a time or two, although not to the extent that I have experienced it.

@dpockett it kind of freaks me out that Canon replaced the electronics inside and it is still happening.
 
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My lockups/freezes have been media related. Over 10,000 frames with my Sandisk 128gb SD (170MB/s) and not one lockup.

With my 512gb Sandisk CFexpress it locked up every 1500 frames or so.

Having said that, I do not believe it is media related for everyone. Some users report the same as me and that SD cards work without lockups, but others report lockups with SD cards. I have also read reports of lockups with nearly every single brand of CFexpress card on the market.. including the Sony Tough cards mentioned in this thread.

Canon has made firmware changes related to to the CFexpress cards a couple of times now… so that does seem to indicate the ‘standards’ related to the media are still developing / not yet perfect
 
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SteveC

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My lockups/freezes have been media related. Over 10,000 frames with my Sandisk 128gb SD (170MB/s) and not one lockup.

With my 512gb Sandisk CFexpress it locked up every 1500 frames or so.

Having said that, I do not believe it is media related for everyone. Some users report the same as me and that SD cards work without lockups, but others report lockups with SD cards. I have also read reports of lockups with nearly every single brand of CFexpress card on the market.. including the Sony Tough cards mentioned in this thread.

Canon has made firmware changes related to to the CFexpress cards a couple of times now… so that does seem to indicate the ‘standards’ related to the media are still developing / not yet perfect
I'm just glad I didn't spend the money on a CFExpress card when I was suffused with GAS right after I got my R5.
 
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My lockups/freezes have been media related. Over 10,000 frames with my Sandisk 128gb SD (170MB/s) and not one lockup.

With my 512gb Sandisk CFexpress it locked up every 1500 frames or so.

Having said that, I do not believe it is media related for everyone. Some users report the same as me and that SD cards work without lockups, but others report lockups with SD cards. I have also read reports of lockups with nearly every single brand of CFexpress card on the market.. including the Sony Tough cards mentioned in this thread.

Canon has made firmware changes related to to the CFexpress cards a couple of times now… so that does seem to indicate the ‘standards’ related to the media are still developing / not yet perfect
Great post @Chris.Chapterten !!

Made me look back at my previous comments on this subject and realize I have been inferring a few things with my reference to MY Sony Tough Cards. I have been lucky not to have any issues on my R5.

To be clear I have also seen reports of issues with Sony and frankly every brand of CFexpress card used in the R5 in lock up reports here and on other sites. Some brands you see more reports of then others but that can be easily attributed to brand loyalty, affordability, or simply quality of the product whether that quality is real or perceived. The more people that own X brand the more likely one of those owners will have an issue at some point.

Sandisk is often referred to in both positive and negative posts which can easily be seen as both vindication as well as condemnation of the brand.

I think the issue is far more complex then if you use X brand you will not have issues and if you use X brand you will.

While we can confirm that some brands of cards are in fact at fault (Exascend for example with the latest firmware). I would say the possibility for compatibility issues from brand to brand is equal to the possibility of issues from user to user and card to card even if those cards are the same brand and the same size. This could be due to varying tolerance levels when manufacturing the cards. In the GPU\CPU world we call this the silicon lottery where one CPU\GPU will overclock better then the exact same model CPU\GPU in the same hardware.

Another factor is the massive amount of configuration variance we as users have access to. For example we can change all of these hardware items:
  • Media
  • Lens
  • Batteries
  • Adaptors
  • Flashes
  • Mic's
  • Internal vs External recording
  • Cables
Then there is all the customization we can do with the Cameras settings. This is a BIG ONE

All of this leads to the possibility of any one user having the exact same setup as another being extremally small.

I mostly think the "blame" falls to Canon and they need to spend the time and money running soak tests using all the various brands and sizes of cards with not just default camera settings to see if they can reproduce the issues being reported. I can tell you as a Test Developer there is nothing more frustrating than in intermittent issue with no clear repo steps. I can also tell you the cost of creating a suite of test that can thoroughly run through all the millions of combinations of user settings, cards, hardware is extremely prohibitive for Canon. There is also a potential for Canon to play the blame game with the card manufactures and say the dreaded "Work for us"

Anyway I am still 100% convinced that the issues are media related but I should be clear I also do not think the fault is one brand or one size of card and that the fix for these issues is likely extremely complicated and one that could take years to fully understand.

@Chris.Chapterten I think your last point about the "standards" is an absolute winner as CFexpress media is still evolving and so are the standards\protocols.

For those in this community that are having these issues I truly hope that you can find some clear repo steps so we can light a fire under Canon's ass to get this fixed like the first shot IBIS issue fixed in firmware 1.4.0. I know it may not seem like it, but if Canon is anything like the company I work for they want to fix these issues just as bad as you want them to fix it. They just need to be able to reliably recreate the issue.

Cheers
 
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unfocused

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@Ramage and @Chris.Chapterten, thank you both for your thoughtful responses.

First, let me say it is always with some trepidation that I report an issue. This site can be so consumed by fanboy-ism that anyone who suggest Canon may have a problem is hit by a slew of people saying, without any evidence, that it is user error, simply because they haven't experienced the problem. It's reassuring to know that this is at least a known issue, even if no solution is available.

I shoot with Raw to the CFexpress card and jpg to the SD card, that way if I have a card failure I at least have jpgs to fall back on. I started doing this when my wife had Bridge corrupt a card while she was trying to download the files. We reformatted the card and it was fine after that but she lost some great shots.

Using both slots in this way, makes it hard for me to diagnose the issue and since it has happened most frequently during long studio portrait shoots, I can't afford to risk not having a backup.

What I did notice during the portrait shoots is that it happened deep into the sessions, raising questions about heat being a contributing factor. I've also noticed that it isn't just the camera shutting down, sometimes the flash trigger (Flashpoint) quits functioning and I have to shut it down and turn it back on or switch to a different trigger (I'm kind of fanatical about redundancy, so I have two triggers). While that could be unrelated to the R5, I would say that I have never had it happen when using the R. Similarly, I've never had the R lock up either.

I hope that others will contribute to this thread when they have problems. And, yes, I am totally sympathetic to the challenges Canon might face in tracking this down. I only hope they take it seriously and do attempt to track it down, even if it take months or even years to resolve.

As I said, personally I'm just going to continue and hope that it doesn't get more frequent or, even worse, cause a shutdown that the camera can't recover from. It will be interesting to see if the R3 has any issues and, as I said before, instead of selling my R once the R3 comes out, I will be keeping it indefinitely because with its eye and face detection it is excellent for studio work as well.
 
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