Canon announces 5D Mark III firmware update to fix slow focus issue

Canon has officially confirmed that two of its cameras will receive a firmware update soon, in order to boost the Speedlight Assist Lamp’s focus speed.

One of the most popular threads on the Canon USA forums consists of numerous people complaining about the slow focus speed of the 5D Mark III and the 1D X when using the Speedlight Assist Beam.

Users reported that the cameras are not focusing as fast as they should be, when they are using the AF Speedlight Assist Beam. Although it seemed like the thread was completely ignored by Canon, it appears that the company was actually listening to the users’ complaints and announced a software update for both its cameras.

Firmware update for 5D Mark III and 1D X coming soon to fix slower focus speed when using the Speedlight AF Assist Beam system.

Canon has the edge over Nikon when it comes to customer relationship management

Nikon is currently receiving heavy criticism from its users, following the oil / dust accumulation issues found in the D600. The company refuses to officially acknowledge the problems, which persist even after the cameras go through service repairs.

Fortunately, it was demonstrated that the oil residues tend to go away after a while and most photographers make this compromise because of the D600’s great quality-price ratio.

Take the time to listen to your customers and they will be happy

Immediately after a moderator announced the imminent 1D X and 5D Mark III firmware update, the users rushed to praise the company, while their happiness reached unthinkable levels.

Even if a specific release date was not given, Canon forums moderator, Stephen, confirmed that the company will release an official statement about the software updates over the next few days.

The forum post says that Canon “confirmed” the bug which causes both the EOS 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X to focus for a longer period than expected. The problem can only be reproduced under certain conditions and some photographers may not even experience a focus lag when using the Speedlite AF Assist Beam.