Canon Retracts Firmware Release for Timer Bugs [Updated]

Canon promised a faster cadence of firmware upgrades with the introduction of its R5 and R6 cameras a year ago, but the past year has shown that the releases are slower than Canon anticipated, and that a significant portion of them have been retracted after release. This morning, CanonWatch.com reported that the just-released 1.3.2 upgrade of the 5D mark IV firmware has been taken down.

[Update: as expected, Canon posted a new firmware revision that corrects the problem causing the earlier version’s late cancellation. That version (1.33) can be found here.]

When asked by CanonWatch why this was the case, a Canon representative non-responded via email that the firmware needs to be “corrected.” There is no way for people who installed the current version to revert the firmware, and they must wait until a new upgrade is released “as soon as possible.”

The problem, according to a Canon Rumors story, deals with the camera’s star-crossed timer system. The bug causes the camera not to trigger the shutter if the 10 second self timer is used along with the electronic sound turned on.

The evolution of camera software development is in great flux at the moment, as a higher percentage of camera innovation is happening in software versus hardware, while at the same time upgrade cadence expectations are growing rapidly. Developer time is likely stretched now, as Canon strives to introduce features such as pixel-shift processing and exploiting the benefits of features such as its more data-intensive mount, accelerometer and double- and quadruple-pixel autofocus.

These new software demands on camera manufacturing were commented on by Sigma’s CEO when announcing the delay and then later the shelving of plans of a foveon sensor camera.