Canon announces release date for 1D X and 5D Mark III firmware update

Canon has published a new product advisory, in order to officially announce the release dates for the 5D Mark III and 1D X firmware updates.

Ever since Canon released the EOS 5D Mark III and the EOS 1D X, consumers have reported issues when using the Speedlite AF Assist Beam. Users noticed that their cameras do not focus as fast as they should be when using this accessory.

Canon finally scheduled the 1D X and 5D Mark III firmware updates for late May and late April, respectively.

Acknowledging the slow focus issue when using Speedlite AF Assist Beam was the hard part

After many months of receiving complaints on the company’s official channels, Canon issued a response on its forums. The company said that it acknowledged that the cameras do not perform as intended when using the AF Assist Beam and that it will begin to determine how it can solve the problems.

The company also confirmed that the release dates for both the 5D Mark III and 1D X will be revealed sometime in the near future.

Exactly two weeks later, Canon has published a product advisory regarding the software update for the 1D X and 5D Mark III DSLR cameras, which will fix the Speedlite AF Assist Beam slow focus problems.

Canon 1D X and 5D Mark III firmware update coming this spring

Canon announced that it is currently working on a solution to fix the focus issue. If nothing goes wrong, then it will release the 5D Mark III firmware update in late April, while the software upgrade for the 1D X should be released in late May. However, these dates are subject to changes.

The company acknowledged that, under certain conditions, the two cameras are affected by the slow focus issue when used in combination with the aforementioned AF Assist Beam.

The Japanese camera maker added that the focus speeds are comparable to the ones of the 5D Mark II and EOS 1D Mark IV DSLRs.

Canon did not reveal whether the firmware updates will fix any other bugs or add extra functionality. However, more details about the software upgrades should be announced closer to their launch dates.