Photographers using one of three Canon cameras have access to a new feature – but the latest firmware update from the company isn’t a free software download.
This week Canon announced a new cropping guide that’s available via firmware to the Canon EOS R50, R10 and R7. The tool is designed for keeping headshots consistently framed in high volume headshot photography, but it will cost owners of those cameras $120 for the upgrade.
The cropping guide adds marks to the viewfinder designed specifically for headshots. Four marks help photographers keep heads in the same spot, while crop lines on the edges note where a 5x7 and an 8x10 would crop, to keep essential details from being lost.
The guide mode will also have three other view options, including one for children or smaller faces and one for keeping a ball or another prop consistently located within the frame.
The tool is designed to streamline editing for photographers taking school portraits by aiding in consistently-composed shots for yearbook layouts. Canon notes that the feature could also be helpful for sports and events photography. While many camera models already have a built-in feature to turn on a rule of thirds overlay, Canon’s new feature is designed specifically for high-volume headshots.
But unlike most firmware updates, the new feature comes at a cost: $120 (currently, the upgrade is only available in the US). The reason behind the cost likely stems from the fact that photographers will need to send their camera into a Canon Service Center – it isn’t a DIY download. Canon says the cameras will be shipped back with the feature added.
Interestingly, the paid update comes to some of Canon's more affordable APS-C models, including entry-level cameras as well as the RF-S flagship EOS R7.
The update is intriguing, however, because Canon rarely launches firmware that’s not a free software download. The cropping guide isn’t entirely unique, though, because Canon has previously launched stop-motion features available only with a paid update . Canon also has a paid Stop Motion Animation firmware update available for a number of R-series mirrorless cameras that enables features like a Stop Motion mode and live view manual focus peaking.
Canon isn't the only manufacturer to offer grid lines at an increased cost. Sony also added a similar feature to the A7 IV for $150, almost exactly a year ago, though the firmware was a download that didn't require shipping the camera to a service center.
Canon USA says that photographers can have their cameras serviced to add the feature as of this week. Photographers buying one of the three compatible camera models will also have the option to add the feature before receiving the camera, rather than sending it back out again, by buying directly from Canon or a select retailer. The $120 cost for the added feature applies to new cameras as well.
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For more, visit our guide to the best Canon cameras, or browse the best lenses for portraits.
