Canon’s New $120 Custom Gridline Feature Requires Photographers Send Their Cameras in for Service

Canon joined the growing number of camera manufacturers making custom cropping guides available to high-volume photographers, such as school portrait photographers. Like others, Canon is charging an upgrade fee for using custom gridlines. However, Canon is the first to require a camera to be sent to a service center for the upgrade.

Custom gridlines are helpful for volume photographers because they make it easy to compose images with consistent framing over and over, even when working with different people. For example, there are available markings to always line up the chin, forehead, and ears in the same spots. There are also markings for full-body portraits, like those seen with sports teams. These custom lines can also show standard print sizes, like 4×6, 5×7, and 8×10 (4×5), which can help photographers ensure that every frame will work with any print size they offer.

There’s no doubt that these custom gridlines are hugely beneficial for certain photographers and save them considerable time during shooting and post-processing. After all, cropping different images to make them all match is tedious. However, a consistent question remains each time a camera manufacturer introduces this feature: Why isn’t it free?

This question first arose when Sony launched the “Custom Gridline License” for the Sony a7 IV for $149. Sony then added the feature to additional cameras, still at $149, of course.

Later, Panasonic got in on the fun with its Lumix Volume Photography Software. This key, similar to what Panasonic has done with Log upgrades in the past, comes at a premium. In this case, it’s $199.99. However, this offers more than custom gridlines; barcode scanning is added to keep all photos easily organized and matched to specific people, which solves another issue that volume photographers must deal with. It works alongside various typical volume photography applications and services, including software and print labs.

Canon’s new offering differentiates itself in two ways. Canon’s Cropping Guide is the cheapest yet, available for $120. Beyond this, the Cropping Guide is also the first custom gridline feature that requires photographers to send their cameras in for service to be upgraded. Sony’s and Panasonic’s offerings can be performed at home. It is worth noting that Canon now sells select camera models equipped with the Cropping Guide feature, available directly through Canon’s online store. However, if a photographer already has a camera and wants the upgrade, they must ship their camera to Canon.

Canon is also different in terms of which types of cameras are compatible. Sony’s custom gridline license works with popular full-frame bodies, like the a1, a7S III, a7 IV, and a9 III. For Panasonic, it works with the Lumix S5II(X) full-frame mirrorless cameras. Canon has instead prioritized affordable APS-C bodies. As of now, the Cropping Guide is available for the EOS R50, R10, and R7. While these are all good APS-C cameras, especially the EOS R7, it is strange to not offering the Cropping Guide for any full-frame cameras, like the EOS R5 II and R6 II.

Ultimately, as has been said when discussing custom gridline features like Canon’s new Cropping Guide before, photographers who need something like this will happily fork over $120. Even if it seems like a feature that should be free, it is a massive time-saver, and time is money. As for sending their cameras in for service, busy working photographers might find that pill a little tougher to swallow.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon Cropping Guide firmware update is available now, and photographers can buy cameras with the upgrade installed directly through Canon. Complete purchasing details for Canon’s new Cropping Guide are available on Canon’s website. It is $120 per unit and, again, is compatible with only the R50, R10, and R7 cameras at this time.

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Image credits: Canon