UPDATE Canon EOS 5D Mark III – Product Advisory

April 13, 2012

EOS 5D Mark III, REPORTS, Special Info, Tech Info

UPDATE – April 14, 2012: Added additional comments about some options/solutions that Canon could give, check at bottom.

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If you have been following our previous report “*UPDATE* REPORT: EOS 5D Mark III – Light Leak Issue?” then you already know what this is all about.

Thanks to Canon USA for posting their official word quickly. That’s fair and a good sign for all current and potential customers.

Canon has published a product advisory:

Product Advisories

To Users of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera

Thank you for using Canon products.

The phenomenon described below has been confirmed when using the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera.
Canon is now examining the countermeasures and once the countermeasures are decided, we will post the information on our Web site.

Phenomenon
In extremely dark environments, if the LCD panel illuminates, the displayed exposure value may change as a result of the AE sensor’s detection of light from the LCD panel.

Affected Product
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera

Support
Once the preparations are complete, we will be making an announcement on our Web site.

This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.

Please register the EOS 5D Mark III. By registering, we will be able to notify you via email when service updates are available. If you already registered, please ensure you are opted-in to receive the notification.

Thank you,
Customer Support Operations
Canon U.S.A., Inc

Contact Information for Inquiries

Canon Customer Support Center

Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON

1-800-652-2666

TDD: 1-866-251-3752

Email: carecenter (at) cits (dot) canon (dot) com

For additional support options: www.usa.canon.com/support

Official Product Advisory [HERE]

Additional Comments

Canon has at least two alternatives:

1- Offer free repair for those who would like this issue fixed on his/her 5D Mark III.

2- Firmware Update and clarifications in the User Manual.

The firmware update could implement something like this:

When the user press the top LCD backlight button, the AE locks. This would mean you could check the exposure for few seconds without changing it in dim light (neither bright light).

But this also carries a problem: when shooting, especially when using the viewfinder, the user may press the light button by mistake and the AE would then lock. So Canon would need to find a solution to avoid this potential operational inconvenience.

One solution could be, for instance: the LCD light would only turn on if you press and hold it for 1.5-2 second. That would help to minimize any unwanted press and AE lock.

The firmware update will not be able to fix the issue if you shoot in dim light and illuminate the LCD with a flashlight. But that can be clarified in the User guide as well.

It’s not really an easy decision for Canon, since this is a very expensive camera and the issue even being very small, is not completely fixable via firmware update, and then had to be informed to the users/customers.

Canon could also gently add some features to compensate and make this camera even more competitive vs. D800

Just to mention few, so much expected by so many users: 1080p50/60, Peaking, Crop Video mode, Clean HDMI output, etc…

Additional fixes & improvements via firmware update

Canon has also to fix some issues (related to some lenses with IS) and a possible inconvenience with CF cards)

They should also improve ALL-I mode performance (CBR if possible!) and sharpening algorithm (when sharpness is set higher than zero, since it produces halos making it almost useless) in next Firmware Update.

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