Canon Adds Password Protection to 10 EOS R Cameras

[Levina de Ruijter]

Canon is adding password protection to the next EOS R cameras via a firmware update:

• EOS R1
• EOS R3
• EOS R5
• EOS R5 Mark II
• EOS R6 Mark II
• EOS R7
• EOS R8
• EOS R10
• EOS R50
• EOS R50V

Apparently adding password protection is done to meet a new requirement in the European Union, known as the Radio Equipment Directive or RED.

However, the protection doesn't seem to be very effective as it's easy to bypass by simply resetting the camera to factory default. Instead it could be a source of irritation to have to enter a PIN code every time a camera starts up or wakes from sleep. Luckily there is an option to disable the PIN question so you never have to enter it again, which also defeats the purpose of the theft protection.

Professional photographers have been asking for theft protection of their gear for years, but this doesn't seem to be the answer.

More about it here:

Canon Adds Password Protection to Ten EOS R Series Cameras

Canon is adding a new password protection option to 10 of its mirrorless EOS R series cameras via a firmware update.

petapixel.com

キヤノンが「EOS R」シリーズ10機種にパスワード設定機能を追加

キヤノンがEOS Rシリーズのカメラ10機種にパスワード設定機能を追加する新ファ...

digicame-info.com

ファームウエアアップデートによるカメラ起動時のパスワード設定について

ファームウエアアップデートによるカメラ起動時のパスワード設定について

personal.canon.jp

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

So is anybody going to use this? Right now it's only available in Japan but it's expected other regions will soon follow.

If it's the only thing that changes in the firmware, I won't install it. If there are some other improvements I will update the firmware and then disable the protection settings immediately.

 

[Capn Jack]

I don't think there's any protection of the data on the storage card?

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

I don't think there's any protection of the data on the storage card?

According to Canon Japan this is for “protecting personal information and security in the camera.”

After installing the firmware and turning on the camera, you are requested to enter a 6 digit password. From then on you are to enter that PIN every time the camera is turned on or wakes from sleep. So the PIN seems to unlock the camera but I assume the storage card could be taken out and read by any device. The card isn’t mentioned at all on the Japanese site.

 

[Jack Dawe]

From then on you are to enter that PIN every time the camera is turned on or wakes from sleep.

Journalists and paparazzi won't want to be doing with that, for sure.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Journalists and paparazzi won't want to be doing with that, for sure.

No indeed. And what’s the point anyway if you can bypass the protection by simply resetting the camera to factory default?

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

I just. noticed the R6 is missing from the list.

 

[Optiq]

If the goal is to protect an individual's personal data then this seems to accomplish that because while it's easily defeated by a reset, that reset erases the personal data so mission accomplished? I'm trying to figure out what "personal data" is on my camera that NEEDS protecting! It's not like you can log into my bank account with it! Seems like some silly law prompted a half-assed "solution."

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

If the goal is to protect an individual's personal data then this seems to accomplish that because while it's easily defeated by a reset, that reset erases the personal data so mission accomplished? I'm trying to figure out what "personal data" is on my camera that NEEDS protecting! It's not like you can log into my bank account with it! Seems like some silly law prompted a half-assed "solution."

Not sure what it will erase. But even if it does erase personal data (your name?), you still will have lost your camera because it's easily unlocked by a reset.

People like Wild Alaska (I forgot his real name) and Manny Ortiz have lost thousands of dollars worth of gear not too long ago. This password protection wouldn't make any difference. And I don't think they would care one bit about whatever personal data is in the camera. Like you say, whatever personal data is stored in the camera, it's not exactly sensitive data.

 

[LtDave]

If the goal is to protect an individual's personal data then this seems to accomplish that because while it's easily defeated by a reset, that reset erases the personal data so mission accomplished? I'm trying to figure out what "personal data" is on my camera that NEEDS protecting! It's not like you can log into my bank account with it! Seems like some silly law prompted a half-assed "solution."

It IS coming out of Europe so there’s that

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

It IS coming out of Europe so there’s that

In itself it's lofty what the EU is trying to do, which is protecting people from cybercrime. But yeah, wondering if this particular password protection is helpful. Like Optiq says: what's in a camera? Your name, maybe your city? You could also simply not fill that in at all. Best protection of all. It seems to me that the only thing anybody could do is steal the darn thing. And that's not cybercrime, but just your good old fashioned crime.

 

[LtDave]

I wonder if Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus will all need to add this since it sounds like an EU requirement, or will they stop selling on the Continent?

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

I wonder if Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus will all need to add this since it sounds like an EU requirement, or will they stop selling on the Continent?

Hmmm, Europe is a rich continent and the EU is I believe the second largest economy in the world, after the USA, so I don't think they will stop selling here...

 

[Capn Jack]

Some of those updates were suspended due to "glitches"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...1&cvid=a29597f4eaf64e0ba4f7ae808cfd47a4&ei=79

This applies to the R1 and R5II
"...some users reported errors when using a card capacity over 2TB and shooting video with a pre-recording setting active."

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Some of those updates were suspended due to "glitches"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...1&cvid=a29597f4eaf64e0ba4f7ae808cfd47a4&ei=79

This applies to the R1 and R5II
"...some users reported errors when using a card capacity over 2TB and shooting video with a pre-recording setting active."

Thanks for the heads up, Jack!

I'm glad I didn't update the firmware on my R5m2 yet!