Canon Temporarily Pulls Latest R1 and R5 Mark II Firmware Due to a Bug

The new firmware for the Canon EOS R1 and R5 Mark II, which was announced earlier this week and released yesterday, has been made “temporarily unavailable” due to an issue that renders playback impossible on the camera or PC when using a card larger than 2 TB.

A notice was published to both Canon USA and Canon Japan’s websites today stating that the latest firmware version 1.1.0 for the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II has been pulled and advises those who may have already downloaded the update not to install it into their cameras.

“Unfortunately, the latest firmware version 1.1.0 for the EOS R1 is temporarily unavailable as Canon has determined that playback may not be possible on the camera or a PC when users are shooting videos with pre-recording settings using a card larger than 2TB,” Canon USA writes in a notice on its website. “Canon is taking steps to have the firmware available as soon as possible. Please check back soon to see if the firmware is available to download.”

“If you have already downloaded the firmware, please do not update it,” Canon Japan adds.

This, unfortunately, sounds like a rather serious bug that renders videos unplayable regardless of the manner in which a user attempts to access them. That said, it is a very specific instance where it comes into play.

The firmware, which was announced on July 16, added a host of new features to the R1 and R5 Mark II cameras. It brought Servo AF updates designed to assist sports photographers, pre-continuous shooting improvements, exposure simulation for flash shooting, and support for up to 8TB CFexpress memory cards to both cameras. The EOS R1 was also meant to receive a panning assist update already found in the EOS R3 that “optimizes smooth tracking for fast-moving subjects.”

The update also brought a new security password protection update that, while it won’t deter theft, was added in response to European cybersecurity regulations. This feature is meant to protect networks: IP addresses, MAC addresses, and network infrastructure. It is a new requirement in the European Union per its Radio Equipment Directive (RED). The idea is that adding a password will prevent brute force attacks if a password is entered after 10 consecutive failed password attempts during startup.