As a Canon photographer it can be easy to have mixed feelings. The Japanese photographic company, founded in 1937, until recently held the top spot as the market leader in photography worldwide.
As with many large companies, bigger and bigger decisions have to be made, profits have to be made, and shareholders have to be kept happy. But has Canon put profits before people lately? Well, in recent years I have sometimes found it difficult to stay loyal to the Canon brand as it has taken some significant anti-consumer measures that have left a rather sour taste in my mouth.
Yet it’s not all bad. To ensure balance, I think it’s important to show both sides of the coin. That’s why I’ve put together my top five pro- and anti-consumer moves from Canon in recent history, and I really hope the company takes note of this article – and not only changes some of its bad behavior, but also makes things true customers love.
Join in and let me know if you agree or disagree, or if I missed anything.
The positives…
1) Firmware updates
Before we get to the negatives, one of the things I like about being a Canon photographer in the modern age is the regular firmware updates. Canon regularly releases new updates that are easy to install and can give your cameras new features and extend their lifespan.
I remember the days of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, where you had to risk breaking your camera by installing third-party software like Magic Lantern to get some of the features you wanted. The cameras were capable of features like RAW video and zebra peaking, but Canon didn’t include these in any official way – so users had to take risks through unofficial channels.
Thanks to regular updates, Canon’s new cameras can now all stay up to date, get the latest features and help users get the most out of their current gear, meaning they won’t have to upgrade to a new camera for a while.
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2) A revolution in the RF mount
Admittedly, it took a minute for Canon to follow Sony’s lead into the world of full-frame mirrorless cameras – although you could say it took time to ensure such a big move was executed absolutely perfectly.
I’d say Canon has succeeded, as the RF mount has revolutionized photography. The larger diameter mount has made it possible to realize incredible optics such as the Canon RF 10-20mm f/4L IS STM and Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8L IS USM Z – lenses that many thought were impossible if you asked for it even a few years ago.
3) Aftercare, warranty, support and Canon Club
Another positive point is the aftercare, support and reliable warranty you get with Canon products. Customers can also access the Canon Club if you’ve purchased a product in the last 12 months, for benefits such as tutorials, brand ambassador workshops and VIP discounts.
You also have the more advanced Canon Professional Services, also known as CPS, which allows working professionals to maintain control over maintenance and service. It’s highly rated by many of the professionals I asked – and is reasonably priced too.
4) Still invested in DSLRs
I’m glad Canon still supports and sells some of its DSLR cameras, although I’m not 100% sure how long this will last. That said, many of Canon’s competitors have now discontinued their line of DSLRs and switched exclusively to mirrorless.
Canon’s most affordable DSLR (the Rebel T7 / EOS 2000D) is still significantly less than its cheapest mirrorless offering (the EOS R100), so it’s great to still offer customers on a budget an additional option.
5) Canon EF-EOS R mount adapters
Finally, on the positives, I’d like to take a moment to talk about Canon’s EF-EOS R mount adapters. Notice how I said “adapters.” plural. It would have been easy for Canon to just release a standard adapter to make EF mount lenses for DSLRs compatible with the new mirrorless RF mount.
However, Canon went a step further and released more mount adapters with additional features, such as a Control Ring or a drop-in filter, so that DSLR users didn’t feel the need to immediately cash in on their old lenses. Personally, I’ve enjoyed using these various adapters with my old EF lenses, as I still find it too expensive to upgrade to RF glass.
The negatives
1) Lens hoods!
Okay, let’s start with a big question that’s been bothering me for years: Canon is one of the few manufacturers that charges extra for its lens hoods. The top-quality premium L-series optics come with a lens hood, but if you buy a non-L-series lens, be prepared to pay the price – or suffer without one.
You might be even further shocked when you see the prices of some of these range hoods too! If you’re lucky it might only cost you $20, like the ES-68 lens hood for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, but it could cost you more than $70 if you need the ET-74B lens hood for the Canon EF 70- 300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM.
With prices for a bit of plastic being so high, it’s no surprise that many Canon photographers have turned to 3D printed options: printing them themselves or buying them cheaply online. Find out, Canon!
2) A distinct lack of third-party RF autofocus lenses
One of the biggest benefits of owning an interchangeable lens system is the ability to swap lenses to meet your specific needs – whether that’s because you need a wide-angle lens for expansive landscapes, or a telephoto lens for zooming in on wild animals in the distance. Each camera brand should have a wide variety of optics to suit your needs for the task at hand.
While Canon launched its revolutionary full-frame RF mount in October 2018, it’s taken until this year for the company to fully open up its mount to third-party manufacturers – and even now it still seems limited to a handful of APS-C lenses from Sigma and Tamron.
It’s true that Canon has done well over the years to expand its range of RF and RF-S lenses to cover popular focal lengths, but merely offering in-house options has undoubtedly hindered the competition. Many of Canon’s L-series lenses cost several thousand dollars and, without any third-party competition, can essentially charge whatever they want as consumers have no third-party alternatives to keep prices in check.
This is in stark contrast to Sony and Nikon, who very quickly opened their full-frame mirrorless mounts to third parties (with autofocus) (although Nikon was a bit on their heels).
With Canon hoarding all the lens sales for itself, is it any surprise that many Canon users have switched to another system? In recent years we’ve seen Canon fall from its number one spot as market leader and Sony rose to the top – could the two be linked?
3) Change the design of the body and lens cap
I switched from Nikon to Canon in 2019, and one of the small but noticeable positive changes was that on Canon DSLRs you could attach the body and rear lens caps in three ways. This may seem trivial, but anyone who has upgraded from a Canon DSLR to a Canon mirrorless model will no doubt understand my frustration with the newly designed caps!
Under the old system it was practically impossible to mess up attaching the body and lens caps, but now they only fit in one specific orientation instead of the original three. Again, this may seem like a small thing, but the extra time it takes to carefully align them when changing lenses has cost me “the shot” more than once. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it Canon!
4) Information about the number of shutters
Knowing your camera’s shutter speed range is useful for a number of reasons. Maybe you want to know how much life your shutter unit has left, or you want to sell your camera and want to give the buyer as much information as possible. After all, you can charge more for a camera with a lower shutter number.
Many camera manufacturers integrate this information into the metadata of JPEG and RAW images. While I wish it were as easy as going into a camera menu to find this information, it’s not that difficult to upload one of your images to a website like Camera Shutter Count to find out.
It used to be possible to use this method with EOS cameras, but at some point something changed. Previously you could even connect your Canon to your computer and use the Canon EOS Utility app to do this. But now you’ll need to send your camera to Canon for service or, more likely, download a third-party app like ShutterCount to obtain this vital information.
Most people will undoubtedly buy an app like ShutterCount as it doesn’t break the bank, although I’m not sure how gatekeeping this information benefits Canon as it doesn’t see any money from its customers purchasing a third-party app. It just seems very anti-consumer, and this information should be readily available.
5) Ink cartridges
Canon follows the frustrating (but fairly standard) practice of putting computer chips and DRM (Digital Rights Management) in its ink cartridges, creating an obstacle for users who want to use cheaper third-party cartridges or refill their own ink from larger, more cost-effective ink bottles .
While Canon would no doubt argue that this ensures the printer works under optimal conditions with the right ink, I ultimately believe that it should be up to the customer to do with it as they please. If they prefer to use lower quality ink, they should have the right to make that decision. It’s more than likely that Canon doesn’t make much money on its printers, so the company expects to make a profit on repeat Canon ink sales with a significant price increase.
If there is a chip in the ink cartridge, the printer may also think it is out of ink, even if it is. This is especially annoying when you consider that first-party printer ink is often more expensive than gold (pound per pound)!
In an ironic twist of events in the 2022 global chip and semiconductor shortage, multiple news sources reported that Canon did not have enough chips for its printer cartridges and was shipping them without them and telling its customers how to bypass the DRM. don’t make it up!
Now take a look at the best Canon cameras in the R system, along with the best Canon RF lenses to pair with them.