# EOS R5 Freeze /lock up issues



## Canon-Chas (Oct 10, 2020)

Many R5 and now R6 owners are experiencing freeze/lockup where the only option is to remove battery. Sometimes it will reboot also after about 20 seconds. It's not lens specific, it is occurring when using RF 70 200mm f2.8 lenses and 300 mm f2.8 mkii, 500f4 mkii , 100-400mm mkii plus a few more. This happens on my R5 once almost every day on a full 6 hour 500 image session with wildlife. Main circuit board replacement is what is being offered by Canon repair centres . You are unlikely to experience it taking a few images for a few minutes , give the R5 a good work out for a couple of hours and it will freeze/lock up. My friend in South Africa explains it here


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## AlanF (Oct 10, 2020)

I've watched the whole of his presentation, and don't have his set of problems:
1. My camera comes on immediately - I instinctively touch the shutter button as I raise the camera to my eye and it's fully primed by the time it's there. It also seems instantaneous when I don't do that.
2. Mine doesn't freeze - though I haven't used it for several hours solid.
3. Don't get the message to put the lenscap on.
4. I have had no problems with a Lexar 2000x that gives an error message from him.

He says that BBF is is important and assigns eyeAF and point AF to two. buttons. I am doing what Arbitrage does and using the shutter button to activate eyeAF, without a BBF, and assigning Set AF point to center to the AF-ON button. This saves time when wanting to take a surprise shot - maybe he should be doing this to avoid his problem 1.

To be frank, I don't think he is expert enough to warrant his long YouTube presentation. But, I'd love to have his photo ops.


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## AlanF (Oct 10, 2020)

Canon-Chas said:


> The issue is the freeze/lockup of the R5 not his camera skills, it will catch up with you sooner or later until Canon fix it......


There has been an ongoing Fred Miranda thread for the past 6 weeks about the R5 locking up https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1660951 and his YouTube is nothing new. Some have experienced various degrees of freezing, others have never had problems after extensive use, and I am fortunately in the latter category. Did you get your R5 in the first batch? Mine was in a later one.

Edit: just seen that a Charly_Canon has reported the freezing problem using the Canon community site.


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## VegasCameraGuy (Oct 10, 2020)

I disagree with some of the things he says also.

I haven't seen any evidence of lockup with my R5 and 15-35mm f2.8L, 24-70mm f2.8L, and 100-500 f4.5-7.1L. The only issue I had was getting a 70 error on the first use of my 100-500mm. After removing the lens and wiping the electrical contacts, removing-replacing battery, and restarting, the error has never reappeared. He talks of using the camera below 60% charge and I don't think I've ever done that. I use the BG-R10 battery grip and carry two extra sets of batteries with me. I use both the current high capacity as well as the older version without any noticeable problems. Both Canon and generic batteries work well and why worry about batteries when you can spend $30 for another set to keep in your pocket. Just one more reason to justify wearing cargo pants instead of skinny jeans. 

I created a color profile using the DataColor Color Checker for Lightroom and use that to create a color correction profile for Lightroom. That seems to work well for me. The Color Checker is a grid of colors that you photograph and their software reads each of the colors and creates a profile that "corrects" the colors to what they are supposed to look like. I also use their monitor calibrator to create profiles for my dual monitor setup. Sometimes people think the color they see on the monitor is what will be output and that's not always the case if they haven't been calibrated.

I do agree that there are limits to auto eye focus for both people and animals. It seems to look for a round eye shape and often struggles with people in bright sunlight when they squint. I did a photoshoot at a local car museum parking lot early in the morning. With the sun just above the horizon, the models naturally squinted and at times my R5 struggled to capture the eye. That aside, the R5 is great at grabbing focus in virtually all cases.


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## Bert63 (Oct 10, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I've watched the whole of his presentation, and don't have his set of problems:
> 1. My camera comes on immediately - I instinctively touch the shutter button as I raise the camera to my eye and it's fully primed by the time it's there. It also seems instantaneous when I don't do that.
> 2. Mine doesn't freeze - though I haven't used it for several hours solid.
> 3. Don't get the message to put the lenscap on.
> ...




I have to agree Alan- I watched a few of his videos prior to the R5 arriving here on my doorstep and during his presentation I found myself wondering why he was asking his audience questions when the answers were right in front of him in the manual - that's a pet peeve of my with YouTubers.

I also am a button-tapper to wake the camera kind of guy - it's a carry over from my EOS-R. The R5 is almost instant on for me though - it seems a bit of overkill.

The other day I was out (the only day we've had any sun at all since my camera arrived - welcome to the Pacific Northwest of the US in October) and I shot 997 images over the course of a few hours. It was an error free session as far as the camera was concerned but I managed to make enough errors on my end to keep things exciting..

EDIT - I just screened the video above and realized that I already watched it previously - the fact that at one point he is actually squinting while making his video because of the camera orientation he selected made me wonder what 'credibility' he brought to his channel. That, and as a banner for his channel he has a giant dead giraffe as his header kinda turned me off.


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## SHAMwow (Oct 10, 2020)

Don't have the issue with my R5, but I do believe you as I had to have the same thing done to fix my 5D IV. Same exact issue and fix.


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## ERHP (Oct 11, 2020)

I received my R5 30JUL and as of today have had over 50K shutter cycles(both mech and electronic). The only hiccup I've seen was right after I got it and started using it, which I thought was odd but have been waiting for anything like that to happen again. So far I've only used it with an adapter on the 600 II, 24-70 f/2.8 II, 11-24 f/4, 100mm 2.8L macro and with the native RF 24-105 f/4L and new 100-500. Using Delkin 512GB cards and the grip, with the lowest I've ever gotten the two batteries was down to ~5% before swapping them(who likes seeing a flashing battery icon...). A friend of mine got his the same day and doesn't have half the shutter count but has had a number of lockups.


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## lightingb (Oct 11, 2020)

I'm on my second Canon R5s. The first one had all sorts of issues. Constant error 70s. And even bricked multiple cards loosing everything on the card to the point of ruining the files beyond repair by a dozen or so recover programs. Even paid expensive ones. This was during photos and videos. Camera would freeze screens go black and battery pull required. Got another R5. The first shoot and the camera froze exactly like seen in the video. No loss of files yet.
Most frustrating thing is Canon is known for there rock solid cameras. My 1dxmkii in 4+ years has only had one time I needed to pull a battery. The R5 has had 30 in the first month!


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## Viggo (Oct 11, 2020)

Jeez, I didn’t know about this at all, but I’ll be sure to have an eye out for it... hopefully it will be addressed in firmware..


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## oeleke (Oct 11, 2020)

I had a freeze up yesterday during a family studio session (around 300 pictures in raw) using the EF 24-70 II with the EF-RF adapter, the grip, original full new canon batteries, two 64 GB Sandisk cards (fast cards)
The only way to restart my R5 was removing the batteries from the Grip.
Shocked to see many of us experience this Freeze up!
Hope it's solved in the near future with a software update.
Or must we all invest in RF Glass ;-))


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## lightingb (Oct 11, 2020)

oeleke said:


> I had a freeze up yesterday during a family studio session (around 300 pictures in raw) using the EF 24-70 II with the EF-RF adapter, the grip, original full new canon batteries, two 64 GB Sandisk cards (fast cards)
> The only way to restart my R5 was removing the batteries from the Grip.
> Shocked to see many of us experience this Freeze up!
> Hope it's solved in the near future with a software update.
> Or must we all invest in RF Glass ;-))


I have had it on EF AND RF.
Photo mode,video mode, not shooting, different cards, slow cards, fast cards, old batteries, new battery, https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1660951 mode, non crop. It doesn't seem to have a pattern. Others seem to have all different scenarios.


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## AlanF (Oct 11, 2020)

I feel sorry for those who bought their R5s from dodgy dealers on eBay without a proper Canon warranty.
Digigal reported freezing but attributed it to her using a slow SD card.


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## digigal (Oct 11, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I feel sorry for those who bought their R5s from dodgy dealers on eBay without a proper Canon warranty.
> Digigal reported freezing but attributed it to her using a slow SD card.


Now I have to retract that assumption since it has occurred while I've been using the CF Express card  -- it occurred once while I was in NM "shooting" elk (CF Express card and R5 battery on Hi-mech shutter) and again yesterday with the same setting when out on a trail shooting with the same settings but using the battery from my R. The camera makes a clunk noise when it freezes and almost makes me wonder if the IBIS locks up some way but this may be a secondary effect to the "computer blue screen of death" that requires the battery removal to restart. It does seem to be some computer migraine and seems to be random. Does not correlate with being in the midst of ripping off a long series of shots even.
Don't know what else to say. My camera was one of the ones from the first order.
Catherine


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## VegasCameraGuy (Oct 12, 2020)

My R5 was from the first batch at B&H and the only problem I ever had was a couple of err 70's with the 100-500mm but after the first go around, I haven't seen it again. Did you install the firmware update? Sorry, you're having bad luck.


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## VegasCameraGuy (Oct 12, 2020)

lightingb said:


> I'm on my second Canon R5s. The first one had all sorts of issues. Constant error 70s. And even bricked multiple cards loosing everything on the card to the point of ruining the files beyond repair by a dozen or so recover programs. Even paid expensive ones. This was during photos and videos. Camera would freeze screens go black and battery pull required. Got another R5. The first shoot and the camera froze exactly like seen in the video. No loss of files yet.
> Most frustrating thing is Canon is known for there rock solid cameras. My 1dxmkii in 4+ years has only had one time I needed to pull a battery. The R5 has had 30 in the first month!


Did you format the cards with the camera to make sure they were formatted properly?


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## W507 (Oct 12, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> I have to agree Alan- I watched a few of his videos prior to the R5 arriving here on my doorstep and during his presentation I found myself wondering why he was asking his audience questions when the answers were right in front of him in the manual - that's a pet peeve of my with YouTubers.
> 
> I also am a button-tapper to wake the camera kind of guy - it's a carry over from my EOS-R. The R5 is almost instant on for me though - it seems a bit of overkill.
> 
> ...



Well thanks for watching - just in response to your note on my squint. I'm blind in my left eye and I ask questions to get a discussion going, sorry that dissappoints.


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## Bert63 (Oct 13, 2020)

W507 said:


> Well thanks for watching - just in response to your note on my squint. I'm blind in my left eye and I ask questions to get a discussion going, sorry that dissappoints.




In the video it appears that you're squinting because you're staring into the sun and I can almost swear that you made a comment in that vein in the video but I'm not going to rewatch to get the wording.. Other than that particular scene I didn't notice any 'noteworthy' squinting whatsoever.

I think it would be more advantageous to spark conversation by saying "this is what I do, what do you guys think" or "this is a problem, how do you guys solve it" instead of "the R5 simply can't cut it" because it absolutely can. I'm referring specifically to your EVF spool up comment. A slight tap on the shutter release button will have the camera ready to go before it reaches your eye. Saying "the R5 simply can't cut it" is just not true and I knew this before I ever saw an R5 from dealing with the EOS-R.

It is what it is. I unsubscribed but not because I don't like your videos. I unsubscribed because your header on your channel should have a NSFW label or a "don't view where impressionable children can see it" disclaimer. My wife walked in the room (we view on a 65" OLED) and actually said "what are you looking at - that's disgusting" when she saw your channel. I get that it's all part of nature and that cat is just doing what cats do, but I also think the viewer should have a choice whether or not that's what they want to look at. I guess we do have a choice - subscribe or not - so there's that. Why you would choose such a grisly picture as the 'face' of your page is beyond me - especially given how many absolutely stunning pictures you've taken. I hope one day to be as skilled.

Anyway. You know what they say about opinions.


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## W507 (Oct 13, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> In the video it appears that you're squinting because you're staring into the sun and I can almost swear that you made a comment in that vein in the video but I'm not going to rewatch to get the wording.. Other than that particular scene I didn't notice any 'noteworthy' squinting whatsoever.
> 
> I think it would be more advantageous to spark conversation by saying "this is what I do, what do you guys think" or "this is a problem, how do you guys solve it" instead of "the R5 simply can't cut it" because it absolutely can. I'm referring specifically to your EVF spool up comment. A slight tap on the shutter release button will have the camera ready to go before it reaches your eye. Saying "the R5 simply can't cut it" is just not true and I knew this before I ever saw an R5 from dealing with the EOS-R.
> 
> ...



Alright thanks for the feedback, I appreciate your candour and apologise for the giraffe. It happens to have been one of the best wildlife encounters of my life and is a picture I like very much and worked hard to achieve. For a lone lion to take that giraffe was an incredible feat. It never even occurred to me that a it would be particularly offensive but willingly admit we probably have very different views.

I do mark the channel as 'not for children' - but I'll have to rethink the banner in the light of your response.

I do go on to speak about what I found (in my limited time in mirrorless) to address the spool up problem and how I deal with it. I aslo felt after publishing that 'just can't cut it' smacked too much of hyperbole and wish I could take the statement back - sadly Youtube allows no edits and I have to live and die by what I said at the time - many times over and view by view..

Many responded in the comments about tapping a button on the way up to the eye - and I readily agree that is a good solution and have adopted it.
I do preface the video with a note that it is from the perspective of someone new to mirrorless and have received many helpful replies. The biggest issue with my R5 remains the freezing. It was returned by Canon today and they do not yet know what causes it. They tell me Japan is aware and working on it.

It takes a great deal of time and effort to put content up (and I did not post it here - I was searching for info about freezing), I started the channel as a way to motivate myself after electrocution, home invasion and almost two years trying to recover. This video is about having a chat about experiences and a new camera with people I regard as friends and I hope that still comes across.


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## Bert63 (Oct 14, 2020)

W507 said:


> Alright thanks for the feedback, I appreciate your candour and apologise for the giraffe. It happens to have been one of the best wildlife encounters of my life and is a picture I like very much and worked hard to achieve. For a lone lion to take that giraffe was an incredible feat. It never even occurred to me that a it would be particularly offensive but willingly admit we probably have very different views.
> 
> I do mark the channel as 'not for children' - but I'll have to rethink the banner in the light of your response.
> 
> ...



It comes across wonderfully.

I’ve watched many of your videos and your content is amazing. If you read here you’ll see I’m not generally a fan of YouTubers but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand all the work it takes to run a channel. Some content creators post new content twice a week or more - with shooting and editing and posting and responding that has to be more than a full time job.

I guess I hold content creators to a higher standard because their “opinion” can steer decisions. You telling your audience that “the R5 can’t cut it” might make someone out there about to make a purchase decision avoid the R5 and that would be a shame. YMMV but I believe it to the best wildlife camera I’ve ever owned.

Best to you.


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## Canonite (Oct 17, 2020)

Never had a freeze or lock up yet using my 70-200 f/2.8 II lens or any other lens. Been shooting 500+ images daily with a 600mm IS II lens and other small lens like the 70-200, RF85mm, 24-70II, 16-35 f/4, 14mm II f/2.8 or my macro lens. Just saying....


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## AlanF (Oct 17, 2020)

Canonite said:


> Never had a freeze or lock up yet using my 70-200 f/2.8 II lens or any other lens. Been shooting 500+ images daily with a 600mm IS II lens and other small lens like the 70-200, RF85mm, 24-70II, 16-35 f/4, 14mm II f/2.8 or my macro lens. Just saying....


Some reports are that a batch of Sandisk CFexpress is causing the problems.


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## VegasCameraGuy (Oct 19, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Some reports are that a batch of Sandisk CFexpress is causing the problems.


I've heard the same rumors before but knock on wood haven't experienced it myself. I'm currently using the Sony Tough CFx cards with no issues. I'm also using the Sony SF-G64/T1 hi perf SD cards for my JPGs. I've never tried the Sandisk CFx cards but have had good luck with their SD cards.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 19, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Some reports are that a batch of Sandisk CFexpress is causing the problems.


I've also seen reports of Sony Card users having lockups. I have not used my camera much and that was with my Lexar SD card. I just received a Prograde Cobalt CFexpress card but have less than 100 shots with it.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 19, 2020)

I just checked and one Fred Miranda forum member has lockups with Prograde and Lexar V60 SD cards. Its a replacement camera for the original one that locked up. 

Something is strange. Not a lot of people with frequent lockups but a significant number. There are many Sandisk users with issues, it is one of the recommended cards so there are many users with Sandisk.


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## koenkooi (Oct 19, 2020)

VegasCameraGuy said:


> I've heard the same rumors before but knock on wood haven't experienced it myself. I'm currently using the Sony Tough CFx cards with no issues. I'm also using the Sony SF-G64/T1 hi perf SD cards for my JPGs. I've never tried the Sandisk CFx cards but have had good luck with their SD cards.



Same setup here: 128G Sony CFe + 64G Sony SD, so far no lockups. Amazon had deep discounts for both, otherwise I would've gone for Prograde or Delkin CFe cards.


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## VegasCameraGuy (Oct 19, 2020)

koenkooi said:


> Same setup here: 128G Sony CFe + 64G Sony SD, so far no lockups. Amazon had deep discounts for both, otherwise I would've gone for Prograde or Delkin CFe cards.


Also keep in mind that B&H will discount your order by the state sales tax if you use their PayBoo credit card. Of course if you don't pay it off in the first month you'll pay some high interest rate. If you are a stills photographer, the 128Gb card will hold about 2,800 RAW shots. I was going to get a 64Gb CFx but the write speed is much less.


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## Chris.Chapterten (Oct 20, 2020)

What has me a little concerned is that Canon seems to think it is necessary to replace the main PCB or even the entire camera when these lockups are happening. Is this just a stop gap until a new firmware is available to fix the issue or is something physically defective with these cameras?

I haven't had a lockup with mine yet, but it is a little worrying..


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## koenkooi (Oct 20, 2020)

Chris.Chapterten said:


> What has me a little concerned is that Canon seems to think it is necessary to replace the main PCB or even the entire camera when these lockups are happening. Is this just a stop gap until a new firmware is available to fix the issue or is something physically defective with these cameras?
> 
> I haven't had a lockup with mine yet, but it is a little worrying..


I’ve seen this happen at a previous job, the customer would swap mainboards for their customers, just to be seen doing something, anything. Some of the boards were indeed faulty, but mostly it was user error or software bugs. Replacing them made people happy with the customer service.

For Canon specifically, the shuttershock issue on the new EF600 also went through the ‘we’ll replace the mainboard’ phase till Canon HQ admitted there was a problem and would issue a firmware update.


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## YuengLinger (Oct 20, 2020)

I had a mainboard replaced on a 5DIII. It is a quick, universal fix that often eliminates the labor costs of troubleshooting.


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## JPAZ (Oct 20, 2020)

Using ProGrade 128 CFExpress + Lexar Pro 64 UHS-II. In fairness, not a lot of shots but so far, so good. Over the years, I only used Sandisk, so this is a new "adventure" for me.

If I ever get a "lock up," will share here.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 20, 2020)

YuengLinger said:


> I had a mainboard replaced on a 5DIII. It is a quick, universal fix that often eliminates the labor costs of troubleshooting.


Yes, Canon ships them to a company that tests and refurbishes them, someone else will get your mainboard at some point assuming it was repairable, or a ebay seller will resell it. Canon uses refurbished parts for repairs unless a new part is needed. Appearance items are new.


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## monsieur_elegante (Nov 2, 2020)

I've shot ~4600 shots thus far with my R5 since receiving it in early October, and love it so far. With that said, unfortunately the freezing/lock-up issue absolutely is a thing. In my experience it has only ever happened while combined with the EF 500 MkII + using the electronic shutter + shooting continuously. I have not seen it in the other lens combo I've used it with (EF 100-400 II, RF 24-105 f/4), but I also have not tested those lenses with electronic shutter/fast continuous shooting.
It has happened to me three or four times now, and caused me to miss shots each time (usually in the middle of a burst while tracking birds in flight shots). Each time it hanged for 10-20 seconds or so (turning off the camera does not do anything), and then rebooted by itself.


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## JPAZ (Nov 2, 2020)

JPAZ said:


> Using ProGrade 128 CFExpress + Lexar Pro 64 UHS-II. In fairness, not a lot of shots but so far, so good. Over the years, I only used Sandisk, so this is a new "adventure" for me.
> 
> If I ever get a "lock up," will share here.


once now......reported error reading card 2. Popped battery out and immediately back in and all ok


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Nov 3, 2020)

JPAZ said:


> once now......reported error reading card 2. Popped battery out and immediately back in and all ok


Are you low level formatting your card once its been filled? Writing to a card that has had the cells used and just a ordinary format is much much slower and might cause aa glitch if it can't write fast enough. Do a occasional low level format to keep the card clean. The camera makes use of a function on the card that clears data from all the cells rapidly so its blank like a new card, just check the low level format box. The downside is that you cannot recover any photos from previous uses.


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## JPAZ (Nov 3, 2020)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Are you low level formatting your card once its been filled?


Thanks....Both cards were low level formatted and new.


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## RamsAlUK1962 (Nov 22, 2020)

Hi, thanks for the add. Been reading a few forums on the R5 lock up issue. I recently bought an R5 and up until about 2 weeks ago was more than impressed. Then I too had the lock ups, 2 maybe 3 per day session. Also there is a noticeable delay accessing the menu via the menu button on the rear of the body. Couple that with the 'in screen' settings alterations via the control ring, rear wheel and top wheel by around 15/20 seconds and you can imagine my frustration mounting! Anyhow, having read the comments about the CF cards(using Sandisk extreme pro) I took it out and just left SD card, guess what‍, yep, no delays. Will test the lock up caper tomorrow and report back here and to Canon. Cheers, Al.


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## Chris.Chapterten (Nov 23, 2020)

I just read about the Sandisk CF Express cards being a potential cause of issues. Just thought I’d add my experience. So far I have had the camera since early August and have been using the Sandisk 512gb CF express card exclusively. So far I have had one lockup after about 6 shoots and 6000 shots taken. The lockup happened while I was in single shot mode in Manual. But I was taking shots in quick succession and that seemed to trip it up. Haven’t had a lockup since.

I have heard of people having this issue with other brand memory cards, either SD or CF Express so I’m not sure if Sandisk should be blamed here. It could just be that more people own Sandisk in absolute terms, so obviously there will be more lockup’s reported by Sandisk users?


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## koenkooi (Nov 23, 2020)

Chris.Chapterten said:


> I just read about the Sandisk CF Express cards being a potential cause of issues. Just thought I’d add my experience. So far I have had the camera since early August and have been using the Sandisk 512gb CF express card exclusively. So far I have had one lockup after about 6 shoots and 6000 shots taken. The lockup happened while I was in single shot mode in Manual. But I was taking shots in quick succession and that seemed to trip it up. Haven’t had a lockup since.
> 
> I have heard of people having this issue with other brand memory cards, either SD or CF Express so I’m not sure if Sandisk should be blamed here. It could just be that more people own Sandisk in absolute terms, so obviously there will be more lockup’s reported by Sandisk users?



The Sandisk 512GB is a different speed grade than the smaller ones, so I'm not surprised that it doesn't seem to have lock up issues. Assuming the lockups are CFe related.

But as you say, I suspect Sandisk is the popular brand, it's certainly the only brand I trust. I went with the Sony 128G because it was the cheapest option that supported 8k RAW, not because I trust Sony over Sandisk.


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## bernie_king (Nov 23, 2020)

I shot around 5000 frames last weekend. One Lockup. Required battery pull. I'm using a Lexar CFExpress 128GB


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## Methodical (Nov 24, 2020)

I've not experienced a lock up. For the record, I use the Prograde Cobalt 325 CFExpress card...knock on wood.


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## Larsskv (Nov 27, 2020)

I’ve had Error 70 on a R6, and now with a R5, that I received today (after returning the R6). The issue is similar on both. I connect the camera with Bluetooth, with my iPhone. When I try to shoot remotely, the camera freezes up. Sometimes I can turn it off. Other times I need to pull the battery out. It happens every time.

I’ve tried to reinstall the app on my iPhone, but it didn’t work. I changed my iPhone from I had the R6 to now, so I find it hard to believe it has anything to do with the phone.

The issue is very annoying, of course. Has anyone else had the same issue when shooting remotely with the Bluetooth connection?


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## Jonathan Thill (Nov 30, 2020)

Same SD card you used in both Cameras?


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## mkamelg (Dec 1, 2020)

On our Polish forum of Canon equipment users, in the thread about the R5 some guy wrote these words:



> Hello, unfortunately I am a "live" user, whom first crashed and restarted R5 and then Err 70 appeared a week ago. I drove to the service and the motherboard was replaced. It lasted for three days. I hope, this is the first and last fault, that happened to me as a user of this brand for over 25 years...


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## monsieur_elegante (Dec 6, 2020)

Wanted to give everyone an update on the freezing issue I experienced, and my experience after sending it into Canon for service & repair: After further troubleshooting on my own, I found that the freezing issue seems to never occur if I shoot to just the SD card slot (and leaving the CF Express bay empty). I decided to contact Canon support (US/North America), since I have a big photography trip coming up in the winter. I outlined all the symptoms and troubleshooting steps I have undertaken. I also provided them with the brands and models of the CFExpress/SD cards that I use, and all the lens combinations for which I've seen the freezing issue. Canon support wrote back very quickly, stating that they appreciate that I have already taken most of the troubleshooting steps that they would have first recommended. I told them I'm willing to wait for the new firmware, if they believe that's the issue (this was just before 1.2.0 came out). Instead, they offered to provide me with a free overnight shipping label to have it sent in for factory repair. This, to me, suggested that they didn't believe it was a firmware issue. 

I sent my R5 in right away. I thought that since the shipping label was provided by Canon, that maybe my camera's information is already "in the system" and neglected to print out or write up a repair request form to include with my camera (describing the problem). That assumption was wrong and caused some delays with their intake process. In retrospect, I should've just printed out my email thread with Canon Support -- that would have been enough to give the Canon Tech doing the intake to know what to do with my camera.

I sent my camera on November 16, and got it back December 3. Keep in mind that because I didn't include anything to let them know what I sent the camera in for, that wasted a 3-4 business days, and the intake process didn't end up completing until November 23 (which was then Thanksgiving week). From that point, it took them roughly 7 business days to repair, and 1 business day for quality check and shipping preparations (according to the Canon USA's repair status tracker, on its website). On December 2 it was sent via overnight shipping back to me.

According to the repair form they sent back to me: "Your product has been examined and it was found that the circuit board did not operate properly causing an error to be displayed and to freeze from time to time. The circuit board was replaced. Product functions were confirmed." My camera settings were all set to factory default (annoying, but expected), and I noticed they installed Firmware 1.2.0 for me as well (it came out while my R5 was there).

I have put my R5 through its paces since getting it back -- over the past few days, I've shot roughly 1,500 pictures, and so far the freezing issue has not shown up at all (keep in mind that previously, it showed up numerous times in the 4,600 shots that I had up to that point). I will continue to keep an eye out and will certainly come back here with an update later. For what it's worth, as someone else reported here, the autofocus also seems to work better, but I admit that could just be confirmation bias on my part.

So, here's some of my thoughts, based on my experience, for those who might be experiencing the same thing:
- Try to troubleshoot as much as you can. Take out the CFExpress and shoot only SD card; make a note of which lens combinations you're using when you experience the freezing issue; try shooting with different cards (if you have them); etc. If you've ever seen your camera show an error code, be sure to write down or remember which error number it was displaying. (For me, it usually just freezes. But once, it froze and displayed ERROR 70 on the back LCD screen).
- Don't hesitate to reach out to Canon Support. I found them to be very responsive and helpful. For Canon USA, it seems they take their commitment to get the camera repaired within 7 business days (not including shipping time) very seriously. 
- Yes, it sucks to even need to send a brand new camera, but Canon Support understands that. I *politely* voiced my disappointment, especially given the overwhelming reliability I have experienced from my previous Canon cameras, and they made it clear that they want to make it right.
- Make sure to include a write-up about your troubleshooting steps, symptom, etc. If you already communicated with Canon Support via email, just print that out and include it with your camera when you ship it. I also included a proof of purchase (my invoice from B&H, where I bought my R5).

Sorry for the long post, but I really hope these information will be helpful to anyone else out there experiencing similar issues and on the fence about whether to send it into Canon for service & repair.

/


monsieur_elegante said:


> I've shot ~4600 shots thus far with my R5 since receiving it in early October, and love it so far. With that said, unfortunately the freezing/lock-up issue absolutely is a thing. In my experience it has only ever happened while combined with the EF 500 MkII + using the electronic shutter + shooting continuously. I have not seen it in the other lens combo I've used it with (EF 100-400 II, RF 24-105 f/4), but I also have not tested those lenses with electronic shutter/fast continuous shooting.
> It has happened to me three or four times now, and caused me to miss shots each time (usually in the middle of a burst while tracking birds in flight shots). Each time it hanged for 10-20 seconds or so (turning off the camera does not do anything), and then rebooted by itself.


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## Chris.Chapterten (Dec 7, 2020)

monsieur_elegante said:


> Wanted to give everyone an update on the freezing issue I experienced, and my experience after sending it into Canon for service & repair: After further troubleshooting on my own, I found that the freezing issue seems to never occur if I shoot to just the SD card slot (and leaving the CF Express bay empty). I decided to contact Canon support (US/North America), since I have a big photography trip coming up in the winter. I outlined all the symptoms and troubleshooting steps I have undertaken. I also provided them with the brands and models of the CFExpress/SD cards that I use, and all the lens combinations for which I've seen the freezing issue. Canon support wrote back very quickly, stating that they appreciate that I have already taken most of the troubleshooting steps that they would have first recommended. I told them I'm willing to wait for the new firmware, if they believe that's the issue (this was just before 1.2.0 came out). Instead, they offered to provide me with a free overnight shipping label to have it sent in for factory repair. This, to me, suggested that they didn't believe it was a firmware issue.
> 
> I sent my R5 in right away. I thought that since the shipping label was provided by Canon, that maybe my camera's information is already "in the system" and neglected to print out or write up a repair request form to include with my camera (describing the problem). That assumption was wrong and caused some delays with their intake process. In retrospect, I should've just printed out my email thread with Canon Support -- that would have been enough to give the Canon Tech doing the intake to know what to do with my camera.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing your experience. Great that you haven’t had any lockup’s since the repair. This is quite concerning though, the fact that it is not a firmware related issue but a problem with the circuit board. Makes me wonder how many cameras are affected?

personally I’ve had one lockup after 6 photo shoots and about 6-7000 photos taken... so not quite at the point that I would be wanting to send it in to Canon... but may have to in the future if the problem persists...


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## Kiton (Dec 7, 2020)

A freeze up really sucks, more so for those using the camera for work.

According to the shutter count app, I have 44,000 actuations on the R5 and have never had a lock up.

I use everything from 16-35, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8 ver 3, 100-400 and 300 2.8 and RF 85mm and 24-105. Have not tried the 400 2.8 EF on it yet.


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## Act444 (Dec 7, 2020)

Chris.Chapterten said:


> Thanks for sharing your experience. Great that you haven’t had any lockup’s since the repair. This is quite concerning though, the fact that it is not a firmware related issue but a problem with the circuit board. Makes me wonder how many cameras are affected?
> 
> personally I’ve had one lockup after 6 photo shoots and about 6-7000 photos taken... so not quite at the point that I would be wanting to send it in to Canon... but may have to in the future if the problem persists...



I personally wouldn't raise concern over a single lockup instance (especially if it occurs within the first month of ownership and/or first 1000 shots taken)...however, if it happens again during a different shooting session, or becomes a frequent or even intermittent deal...that's a problem IMO (reliability issue).


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## [email protected] (Dec 13, 2020)

Mr Elegante, this is a hugely helpful post. Thanks for taking the time to list out all the details. That helps all of us debug things. I'm very curious about the fact you seemed to notice only periods without error when you were not shooting with a CFexpress card on board. Of course, that might not be causal, as it's an intermittent problem, but could you indicate what make and model of CFexpress cards you've been using? Some people have some threads running elsewhere where we're trying to narrow things down. I think that might be helpful. 

Thanks! -tig



monsieur_elegante said:


> Wanted to give everyone an update on the freezing issue I experienced, and my experience after sending it into Canon for service & repair: After further troubleshooting on my own, I found that the freezing issue seems to never occur if I shoot to just the SD card slot (and leaving the CF Express bay empty). I decided to contact Canon support (US/North America), since I have a big photography trip coming up in the winter. I outlined all the symptoms and troubleshooting steps I have undertaken. I also provided them with the brands and models of the CFExpress/SD cards that I use, and all the lens combinations for which I've seen the freezing issue. Canon support wrote back very quickly, stating that they appreciate that I have already taken most of the troubleshooting steps that they would have first recommended. I told them I'm willing to wait for the new firmware, if they believe that's the issue (this was just before 1.2.0 came out). Instead, they offered to provide me with a free overnight shipping label to have it sent in for factory repair. This, to me, suggested that they didn't believe it was a firmware issue.
> 
> I sent my R5 in right away. I thought that since the shipping label was provided by Canon, that maybe my camera's information is already "in the system" and neglected to print out or write up a repair request form to include with my camera (describing the problem). That assumption was wrong and caused some delays with their intake process. In retrospect, I should've just printed out my email thread with Canon Support -- that would have been enough to give the Canon Tech doing the intake to know what to do with my camera.
> 
> ...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 13, 2020)

Tiggy, thanks for the excellent writeup. I have not had a freeze up, but I cancelled a big session due to the virus getting out of control here. 

I hope the new board solved it. It was likely the processor main board, so all your camera settings went with the board. I wonder if you got a new one or a refurbished board. Depending on the condition of the failed one, they may scrap it or repair it for reuse in another camera. They will reset everything on the board.

I just sent my phone in for a new battery. I never know if they find some other component damaged from the swelling battery, so I did a total reset to take all my info out of the phone. I don't want the main board and all my information on my phone to pass to a unknown business that does board repairs.


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## Roger.giraldeau (Jan 30, 2021)

I had the R5 for one week now. I have the same problems with mechanical shutter. Can not follow birds. So now I use Electronic shutter only when light is adequate.
My camera froze on me yesterday while shooting birds. Had to take out battery.
BUT I'VE ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER PROBLEM: when I put the cap on my lenses(and don't shut off the camera) the lens is continuously trying to focus ( I shoot in servo mode with back button focus). I tried it on my 200-400; my 70-200 and 50mm. Imagine if you forget to turn off your camera and store your gear for a week. Your ultrasonic motor will be dead. I wrote to canon about this and they asked that I returned to repair. I checked with my vendor and they are replacing the camera for me after we check that its not the adaptor to my EF lenses.


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## Jonathan Thill (Jan 30, 2021)

Roger.giraldeau said:


> I had the R5 for one week now. I have the same problems with mechanical shutter. Can not follow birds. So now I use Electronic shutter only when light is adequate.
> My camera froze on me yesterday while shooting birds. Had to take out battery.
> BUT I'VE ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER PROBLEM: when I put the cap on my lenses(and don't shut off the camera) the lens is continuously trying to focus ( I shoot in servo mode with back button focus). I tried it on my 200-400; my 70-200 and 50mm. Imagine if you forget to turn off your camera and store your gear for a week. Your ultrasonic motor will be dead. I wrote to canon about this and they asked that I returned to repair. I checked with my vendor and they are replacing the camera for me after we check that its not the adaptor to my EF lenses.


Have you turned off Continuous AF on page 1 of the AF menus?


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## Roger.giraldeau (Jan 30, 2021)

Thank you so much. It works. And to think canon suggested I return camera for repair and retailer was prepared to exchange. Now what does continus af do? I will look it up.
My appreciation goes to you for helping


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## Jonathan Thill (Jan 30, 2021)

Roger.giraldeau said:


> Thank you so much. It works. And to think canon suggested I return camera for repair and retailer was prepared to exchange. Now what does continus af do? I will look it up.
> My appreciation goes to you for helping


I honestly have no idea why it is a default setting: 

It drains the battery 
Makes focusing harder if you are moving from distant to close subjects. 
The Camera is always hunting for focus.
I get continuous autofocus for video but was a strange choice for stills on Canons part.


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## RamsAlUK1962 (Jan 30, 2021)

Roger.giraldeau said:


> I had the R5 for one week now. I have the same problems with mechanical shutter. Can not follow birds. So now I use Electronic shutter only when light is adequate.
> My camera froze on me yesterday while shooting birds. Had to take out battery.
> BUT I'VE ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER PROBLEM: when I put the cap on my lenses(and don't shut off the camera) the lens is continuously trying to focus ( I shoot in servo mode with back button focus). I tried it on my 200-400; my 70-200 and 50mm. Imagine if you forget to turn off your camera and store your gear for a week. Your ultrasonic motor will be dead. I wrote to canon about this and they asked that I returned to repair. I checked with my vendor and they are replacing the camera for me after we check that its not the adaptor to my EF lenses.


Hi. Just a thought and I'm sure you have tried everything but, in the AF menu, section 1, make sure the 'Contunous AF' has been disabled or it will continually try to focus even when your not touching any controls.
Cheers. Al.


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## RamsAlUK1962 (Jan 30, 2021)

Update! Since my fist post I have swapped CF express cards and now using Sony Tough 128gb 1700r 1400w card and fingers crossed not had a lock up since. Still have a SD card in slot 2 for back up though.


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## RamsAlUK1962 (Jan 30, 2021)

RamsAlUK1962 said:


> Hi. Just a thought and I'm sure you have tried everything but, in the AF menu, section 1, make sure the 'Contunous AF' has been disabled or it will continually try to focus even when your not touching any controls.
> Cheers. Al.


Hi, sorry, just saw the comment and picture above! Must read the whole thread first, lol. Glad it's sorted anyway.


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## VegasCameraGuy (Feb 1, 2021)

RamsAlUK1962 said:


> Update! Since my fist post I have swapped CF express cards and now using Sony Tough 128gb 1700r 1400w card and fingers crossed not had a lock up since. Still have a SD card in slot 2 for back up though.


Interesting and tends to confirm what a lot of people wondered if the memory card can cause the camera to freeze. I've only used the Sony Tough in my R5 and have never experienced a lockup.


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## CampanellaFoto (Feb 27, 2021)

I experienced a lockup today. At the worse possible moment too. Covering a football (soccer) game when a player just scored and ran right towards me celebrating. Made me miss the shot.

I had to pull the battery to get the camera to start up again. Shooting on the Canon 200-400 tele and using CF Express cards.

Not cool.


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## Chris.Chapterten (Mar 6, 2021)

Act444 said:


> I personally wouldn't raise concern over a single lockup instance (especially if it occurs within the first month of ownership and/or first 1000 shots taken)...however, if it happens again during a different shooting session, or becomes a frequent or even intermittent deal...that's a problem IMO (reliability issue).


Just an update since this post...

So far I have had a further 2 lock ups. So now 3 in total. This is after about 10 photo shoots and roughly 10-11,000 total photos taken. It seems to be happening roughly every second shoot now.

I have been shooting on my Sandisk 512gb CF express card, but might try just a regular SD card to see if this is the problem?

There has been at least one R5 owner who has had their cameras motherboard replaced by Canon and this still hasn’t fixed the issue. I am reluctant to send the camera away and so far the problem isn’t quite bad enough to be a major issue for me. I was planning to wait for the next firmware update to see if this provides a fix... but that has been delayed by a couple of months which is a shame!


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## Act444 (Mar 8, 2021)

Unfortunate, sorry to hear of those still having issues. One thing I’ve truly enjoyed with the latest Canon DSLRs is their reliability (and I understand that not everyone has been so fortunate with them either).

Is it a specific action (or series of actions) that leads to these freezes? Or perhaps in certain use conditions (very cold, very hot, etc.)? Or do the episodes seem fairly randomized? The unfortunate side effect of cameras becoming more computerized is that computers tend to be....yeah. Perhaps things will stabilize after some firmware updates....or maybe a couple of camera generations.


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## cadavidmora (Mar 10, 2021)

Canon-Chas said:


> Many R5 and now R6 owners are experiencing freeze/lockup where the only option is to remove battery. Sometimes it will reboot also after about 20 seconds. It's not lens specific, it is occurring when using RF 70 200mm f2.8 lenses and 300 mm f2.8 mkii, 500f4 mkii , 100-400mm mkii plus a few more. This happens on my R5 once almost every day on a full 6 hour 500 image session with wildlife. Main circuit board replacement is what is being offered by Canon repair centres . You are unlikely to experience it taking a few images for a few minutes , give the R5 a good work out for a couple of hours and it will freeze/lock up. My friend in South Africa explains it here


my camera freezes every day it happened with different batteries different memories. and sd different. the camera started restarting in the middle of my music video work with the musicians in front of me where I only had minutes to do the covers. The worst thing about this is the terrible service from Canon. I bought the camera a month ago and they tell me that they repair it is an injustice. that apart from staying if my work tool touches me to rent and they give me a repaired camera.


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## Canon Rumors Guy (Mar 10, 2021)

cadavidmora said:


> my camera freezes every day it happened with different batteries different memories. and sd different. the camera started restarting in the middle of my music video work with the musicians in front of me where I only had minutes to do the covers. The worst thing about this is the terrible service from Canon. I bought the camera a month ago and they tell me that they repair it is an injustice. that apart from staying if my work tool touches me to rent and they give me a repaired camera.



Things break, send it to Canon.


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## shtarker (Mar 17, 2021)

Kiton said:


> A freeze up really sucks, more so for those using the camera for work.
> 
> According to the shutter count app, I have 44,000 actuations on the R5 and have never had a lock up.
> 
> I use everything from 16-35, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8 ver 3, 100-400 and 300 2.8 and RF 85mm and 24-105. Have not tried the 400 2.8 EF on it yet.



Which shutter count app do you use?


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## Chris.Chapterten (May 7, 2021)

Just an update regarding the lockup issues. I am still on firmware 1.2.0, but have switched from using my CF express card to a 128gb Sandisk SD card (170mb/s). So far I have taken over 4000 frames and not one single lockup! It seems the 512gb Sandisk CF express card wasn’t playing nicely with the camera. I am hoping firmware 1.3.1 resolves this issue once and for all, but am being patient with updating in case any other bugs are discovered... cheers


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## Bdbtoys (May 7, 2021)

Chris.Chapterten said:


> Just an update regarding the lockup issues. I am still on firmware 1.2.0, but have switched from using my CF express card to a 128gb Sandisk SD card (170mb/s). So far I have taken over 4000 frames and not one single lockup! It seems the 512gb Sandisk CF express card wasn’t playing nicely with the camera. I am hoping firmware 1.3.1 resolves this issue once and for all, but am being patient with updating in case any other bugs are discovered... cheers



That's great to hear. Thanks for the update.


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## chrislambert (May 27, 2021)

Any updates on firmware 1.3.1 if it resolves the lockup/freezing issue? I had 2 freezes in a portrait session on my R6 on firmware 1.2.0 and had to pull out the battery. After I upgraded to 1.3.1, the camera froze briefly shortly after being powered on but then rebooted itself after 10-15 seconds of being frozen. I have not had a freeze yet after this that I could reproduce but I didn't use it extensively yet. I'm wondering if I have a bad logic board or it's a software issue.


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## dpockett (May 31, 2021)

Mine froze with old SD cards on 1.3.1. I have a new SD and a new CFExpress card, and it froze again today. It isn't related to cards, from what I can tell.


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## R1-7D (Aug 4, 2021)

I have just started using my 2x Extender with my R5 and 600mm f/4L IS II; I have used this combination now on two separate occasions. I've been very pleased with the overall results from the camera's AF system, but on both occasions using the 2x Extender, my R5 has locked up. I've gone an entire year with only one previous lock up using early firmware. Hope this won't be a long-term problem... 

Each time I'm using ES and shooting bursts. The IS on the lens is on, and set to Mode 2. I'm also using a new ProGrade 325 Combat CFExpress card, and the camera is running the latest firmware. 

The first lock up I had was an Err 70, and the camera said it had trouble writing to the card. The screen went black, then the Err 70 message came on, and I pulled the battery. With the second lock up, the screen froze and just went black; there was no message, etc. I pulled the battery again. After each battery pull the camera went on to take several thousand more frames and didn't have further issues.


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## unfocused (Aug 27, 2021)

Reviving this thread to see if anyone has had any luck diagnosing the lock up issue. Over the last two weeks I've been shooting a lot of studio head shots of student athletes during two separate sessions. Both times I've had the R5 lock up about 3/4 of the way through the shoot. The first time it happened, I turned the camera off and on again and it cleared. The next time, I had to take the battery pack out and reinsert.

I did an internet search and it doesn't appear that anyone has found a solution or that Canon is acknowledging the problem. At this point it is an inconvenience, but not a disaster. However, I'm concerned that the problem could get worse over time. 

What are others experiencing.


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## Jonathan Thill (Aug 27, 2021)

unfocused said:


> Reviving this thread to see if anyone has had any luck diagnosing the lock up issue. Over the last two weeks I've been shooting a lot of studio head shots of student athletes during two separate sessions. Both times I've had the R5 lock up about 3/4 of the way through the shoot. The first time it happened, I turned the camera off and on again and it cleared. The next time, I had to take the battery pack out and reinsert.
> 
> I did an internet search and it doesn't appear that anyone has found a solution or that Canon is acknowledging the problem. At this point it is an inconvenience, but not a disaster. However, I'm concerned that the problem could get worse over time.
> 
> What are others experiencing.


Still have never had a lock up on the R5.

I did have a lock up with my R6 that was only reproducible with a SanDisk 64GB UHS I card that I've had for a few years so I tossed it in "emergency" only bin and now only use my Sony Tough cards.

As I have said in other threads about these lock ups I think they are 100% media related and now that we are getting more reports of lesser known brands not working at all after 1.4.0 I think this adds more weight to that.


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## unfocused (Aug 27, 2021)

Ramage said:


> Still have never had a lock up on the R5.
> 
> I did have a lock up with my R6 that was only reproducible with a SanDisk 64GB UHS I card that I've had for a few years so I tossed it in "emergency" only bin and now only use my Sony Tough cards.
> 
> As I have said in other threads about these lock ups I think they are 100% media related and now that we are getting more reports of lesser known brands not working at all after 1.4.0 I think this adds more weight to that.



I don't think it is media related. I mostly use ProGrade Digital and I used them in both the R5 and the 1Dx III. Never a problem in the 1Dx III. I've read on other forums and sites of people having problems with a variety of different cards. I understand why people don't like to think it is a problem with Canon, but that seems to be the only common denominator among all the different incidents. There are a few cases where people have returned their cameras to Canon and received replacements, but I don't really want to go to that extreme, especially because I suspect it would involve having to send it in multiple times while Canon says they can't find anything wrong and there is no guarantee that a replacement would not have the same problem.


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## dpockett (Aug 27, 2021)

unfocused said:


> I don't think it is media related. I mostly use ProGrade Digital and I used them in both the R5 and the 1Dx III. Never a problem in the 1Dx III. I've read on other forums and sites of people having problems with a variety of different cards. I understand why people don't like to think it is a problem with Canon, but that seems to be the only common denominator among all the different incidents. There are a few cases where people have returned their cameras to Canon and received replacements, but I don't really want to go to that extreme, especially because I suspect it would involve having to send it in multiple times while Canon says they can't find anything wrong and there is no guarantee that a replacement would not have the same problem.


Do you use EF lenses? 

I have sent mine back in to Canon twice. Mine has shut off probably 12-15 times since I bought it 3 months ago. It has mainly happened when shooting football, with a lot of shooting. It has also happened twice on quiet days though, with very light shooting.

Canon seem to think it is media related also, asking me to format cards with level 1 security using diskutility rather than just use the camera's formatting.

It has happened to me on 2 different Sandisk SD cards, and has also happened whilst shooting on a Sandisk CFExpress card. I use multiple batteries, and it has happened on different combinations of batteries.

I'm at a loss, it happened yesterday on a portrait job where I shot ~100 frames.

I am using EF lenses with an EF - RF control ring adapter. After trying many different things, after having Canon replace some motherboard or something inside the camera, I can only think it might be related to the control ring now. The fact it happened on a quiet portrait job yesterday after wiping the card with security level 1 format makes me think it isn't the cards.


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## Jonathan Thill (Aug 28, 2021)

unfocused said:


> I don't think it is media related. I mostly use ProGrade Digital and I used them in both the R5 and the 1Dx III. Never a problem in the 1Dx III. I've read on other forums and sites of people having problems with a variety of different cards. I understand why people don't like to think it is a problem with Canon, but that seems to be the only common denominator among all the different incidents. There are a few cases where people have returned their cameras to Canon and received replacements, but I don't really want to go to that extreme, especially because I suspect it would involve having to send it in multiple times while Canon says they can't find anything wrong and there is no guarantee that a replacement would not have the same problem.


@unfocused I do understand the reluctance to blame the expensive media we have invested in because it is not a cheap prospect to replace. That said it seems obvious to me to look at the most commonly varied exchangeable item used in the camera for fault. As a software developer that ends up testing a ton of hardware I look for the common variables when trying to reproduce issues and in this case the media used in the R5 is a pretty big variable. 

My thoughts on why the same card works in the 1Dx III without fault and might be having issues in the R5 comes down to the data rates that the R5 pushes exceed those of the 1Dx III creating a non like for like equivalent. Again as we have recently seen with the 1.4.0 changes to allow for VPG 400 support making some cards inoperable it is clear that media is playing a big roll in the overall health of the system.

What is not clear to me is who is at fault for the reported lock ups:

Canon?
The many different companies making CFexpress cards we all use?
To me the chance the issues are Canon's are equal to the chances that the issues are the fault of some card manufactures.

I am more then happy to lay the blame squarely at the feet of Canon and how they have implemented the CFexpress 2.0 protocols in the R5 and if that turns out to be the case they should be ashamed it has not been fixed sooner. But as someone that has spent many hours writing automation testing for Read\Write scenarios on our test platforms at work I have hard time thinking Canon does not have the same style of testing and should have extensive hours of torture testing the R5 without seeing faults.

In summary I standby my inference that the issue is Media related and also concede I have no idea who is to blame. All I know is that I have not had any lock up with my R5 that has seen extensive action since picking it up on launch day +1 using my Sony cards.


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## unfocused (Aug 28, 2021)

@Ramage I appreciate your thoughtful response. Since it is only happening intermittently and can be corrected (so far) by either shutting the camera down or removing the batteries, I will keep trying different cards and scenarios. I have ProGrade, SanDisk and Transcend cards so the next time it happens I will make a note of what card I am using and then see if it happens with other cards. However, from what others have tried, I don't believe it is a card issue. 

@dpockett Your question about EF lenses is actually interesting because last week when it happened, I was using the EF 70-200 2.8 with the control ring adapter, but yesterday when it happened, I was using the RF 70-200 2.8 (which happened to arrive earlier this week). So, I think you might want to rule out the adapter. 

It has happened to me infrequently while shooting birds with the 100-400. I shut down the camera and it started up again. Annoying, but fortunately, there has never been any loss of data (card corruption, etc.) The most recent cases occurred while shooting head shots for student athletes. So that was under studio conditions. In both cases it happened about 3/4 of the way through the shoot and after shooting a LOT of headshots, which raises questions about the possibility that heat may be a contributing factor. The first time while shooting headshots I only had to turn the camera off and on again, but yesterday I had to remove the battery pack. 

I always have a second body (the R for now and I hope in another month the R3) so if it quits working completely, I can switch bodies without having to end the shoot. It has never happened using the R. This convinces me that even after I get an R3, I think I will keep the R just in case.

Since the cause seems to be a mystery (based in part on what others have tried as well) I've pretty much concluded that I will just soldier on and see what happens over time. The one thing I am certainly going to do though is always make sure I have a second body with me unless I am just doing some casual personal shooting. Incidentally, I bought an R5 for my wife at the same time as I got one and she has also had it happen a time or two, although not to the extent that I have experienced it. 

@dpockett it kind of freaks me out that Canon replaced the electronics inside and it is still happening.


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## Chris.Chapterten (Aug 29, 2021)

My lockups/freezes have been media related. Over 10,000 frames with my Sandisk 128gb SD (170MB/s) and not one lockup.

With my 512gb Sandisk CFexpress it locked up every 1500 frames or so.

Having said that, I do not believe it is media related for everyone. Some users report the same as me and that SD cards work without lockups, but others report lockups with SD cards. I have also read reports of lockups with nearly every single brand of CFexpress card on the market.. including the Sony Tough cards mentioned in this thread.

Canon has made firmware changes related to to the CFexpress cards a couple of times now… so that does seem to indicate the ‘standards’ related to the media are still developing / not yet perfect


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## SteveC (Aug 29, 2021)

Chris.Chapterten said:


> My lockups/freezes have been media related. Over 10,000 frames with my Sandisk 128gb SD (170MB/s) and not one lockup.
> 
> With my 512gb Sandisk CFexpress it locked up every 1500 frames or so.
> 
> ...


I'm just glad I didn't spend the money on a CFExpress card when I was suffused with GAS right after I got my R5.


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## Jonathan Thill (Aug 29, 2021)

Chris.Chapterten said:


> My lockups/freezes have been media related. Over 10,000 frames with my Sandisk 128gb SD (170MB/s) and not one lockup.
> 
> With my 512gb Sandisk CFexpress it locked up every 1500 frames or so.
> 
> ...


Great post @Chris.Chapterten !! 

Made me look back at my previous comments on this subject and realize I have been inferring a few things with my reference to MY Sony Tough Cards. I have been lucky not to have any issues on my R5. 

To be clear I have also seen reports of issues with Sony and frankly every brand of CFexpress card used in the R5 in lock up reports here and on other sites. Some brands you see more reports of then others but that can be easily attributed to brand loyalty, affordability, or simply quality of the product whether that quality is real or perceived. *The more people that own X brand the more likely one of those owners will have an issue at some point. *

Sandisk is often referred to in both positive and negative posts which can easily be seen as both vindication as well as condemnation of the brand. 

I think the issue is far more complex then *if you use X brand you will not have issues and if you use X brand you will*. 

While we can confirm that some brands of cards are in fact at fault (Exascend for example with the latest firmware). I would say the possibility for compatibility issues from brand to brand is equal to the possibility of issues from user to user and card to card even if those cards are the same brand and the same size. This could be due to varying tolerance levels when manufacturing the cards. In the GPU\CPU world we call this the silicon lottery where one CPU\GPU will overclock better then the exact same model CPU\GPU in the same hardware. 

Another factor is the massive amount of configuration variance we as users have access to. For example we can change all of these hardware items:

Media
Lens
Batteries
Adaptors
Flashes
Mic's
Internal vs External recording
Cables
Then there is all the customization we can do with the Cameras settings. This is a *BIG ONE*

All of this leads to the possibility of any one user having the exact same setup as another being extremally small. 

I mostly think the "blame" falls to Canon and they need to spend the time and money running soak tests using all the various brands and sizes of cards with not just default camera settings to see if they can reproduce the issues being reported. I can tell you as a Test Developer there is nothing more frustrating than in intermittent issue with no clear repo steps. I can also tell you the cost of creating a suite of test that can thoroughly run through all the millions of combinations of user settings, cards, hardware is extremely prohibitive for Canon. There is also a potential for Canon to play the blame game with the card manufactures and say the dreaded "Work for us" 

Anyway I am still 100% convinced that the issues are media related but I should be clear I also do not think the fault is one brand or one size of card and that the fix for these issues is likely extremely complicated and one that could take years to fully understand. 

@Chris.Chapterten I think your last point about the "standards" is an absolute winner as CFexpress media is still evolving and so are the standards\protocols. 

For those in this community that are having these issues I truly hope that you can find some clear repo steps so we can light a fire under Canon's ass to get this fixed like the first shot IBIS issue fixed in firmware 1.4.0. I know it may not seem like it, but if Canon is anything like the company I work for they want to fix these issues just as bad as you want them to fix it. They just need to be able to reliably recreate the issue. 

Cheers


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## unfocused (Aug 30, 2021)

@Ramage and @Chris.Chapterten, thank you both for your thoughtful responses. 

First, let me say it is always with some trepidation that I report an issue. This site can be so consumed by fanboy-ism that anyone who suggest Canon may have a problem is hit by a slew of people saying, without any evidence, that it is user error, simply because they haven't experienced the problem. It's reassuring to know that this is at least a known issue, even if no solution is available.

I shoot with Raw to the CFexpress card and jpg to the SD card, that way if I have a card failure I at least have jpgs to fall back on. I started doing this when my wife had Bridge corrupt a card while she was trying to download the files. We reformatted the card and it was fine after that but she lost some great shots. 

Using both slots in this way, makes it hard for me to diagnose the issue and since it has happened most frequently during long studio portrait shoots, I can't afford to risk not having a backup. 

What I did notice during the portrait shoots is that it happened deep into the sessions, raising questions about heat being a contributing factor. I've also noticed that it isn't just the camera shutting down, sometimes the flash trigger (Flashpoint) quits functioning and I have to shut it down and turn it back on or switch to a different trigger (I'm kind of fanatical about redundancy, so I have two triggers). While that could be unrelated to the R5, I would say that I have never had it happen when using the R. Similarly, I've never had the R lock up either. 

I hope that others will contribute to this thread when they have problems. And, yes, I am totally sympathetic to the challenges Canon might face in tracking this down. I only hope they take it seriously and do attempt to track it down, even if it take months or even years to resolve.

As I said, personally I'm just going to continue and hope that it doesn't get more frequent or, even worse, cause a shutdown that the camera can't recover from. It will be interesting to see if the R3 has any issues and, as I said before, instead of selling my R once the R3 comes out, I will be keeping it indefinitely because with its eye and face detection it is excellent for studio work as well.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Aug 30, 2021)

I've yet to have a lockup, but I am not a heavy user. I use a Pro Grade Cobalt 325 GB CF Express card. I do not believe that the brand of cad matters, people have reported the issue with all the brands.


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## briangus (Aug 30, 2021)

No issues so far on my R5. Using sandisk cf express and prior to that Sony tough sd
i have 2 Ris and the original locks up frequently has happened with RF and adapted EF lenses and various different so cards
no issues with the newer R


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## Bdbtoys (Aug 30, 2021)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I've yet to have a lockup, but I am not a heavy user. I use a Pro Grade Cobalt 325 GB CF Express card. I do not believe that the brand of cad matters, people have reported the issue with all the brands.



I have the same card w/o lockups. I have yet to hear about someone with the PG Cobalt having issues. I believe Model (pure min specs) makes the biggest difference and Brand is secondary. Only exception about brand that might tip the scales are the ones that are prone to getting counterfeited.


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## FabFR (Sep 4, 2021)

Still no lockup with my R5 bought 2 months ago and after about 13000 shots in varied situations. I didn't updated the firmware for the moment because the camera works perfectly and I wait for more users experiences with V1.4 to decide if I will update it or not.
I use a Lexar Pro CFe 128GB, combined with an SD card (raws on the Cfe and JPGs on the SD card).
I have no RF lens at this time, and use only EF lenses with the standard Canon ring.
My lenses : EF 50f/1.4, EF 24-105LII, EF135f/2L, EF 70-200f/2.8LIS II (w/ or w/o EFX2III), EF 16-35f/4LIS, EF 100macro Tamron 150-600G1.


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## LesC (Sep 6, 2021)

I have the Pro Grade Cobalt 325 GB CF Express card & Sandisk 128GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC 300gbps and have had lock ups twice both when using EF100-400MKII +1.4TC III whilst using 12fps mechanical shutter & animal Eye detect, servo AF via back button focusing. The first occassion every thing froze and I had to remove battery, 2nd time camera froze whilst taking a sequence of shots as if buffer had been reached (it hadn't) but then returned to normal almost immediately without me having to do anything. Had my R5 abot 4 months and usually shoot landscapes etc ie more sedate stuff so rarely use high speed continuous shutter. This was on Firmware 1.31.


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## Chris.Chapterten (Sep 13, 2021)

LesC said:


> I have the Pro Grade Cobalt 325 GB CF Express card & Sandisk 128GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC 300gbps and have had lock ups twice both when using EF100-400MKII +1.4TC III whilst using 12fps mechanical shutter & animal Eye detect, servo AF via back button focusing. The first occassion every thing froze and I had to remove battery, 2nd time camera froze whilst taking a sequence of shots as if buffer had been reached (it hadn't) but then returned to normal almost immediately without me having to do anything. Had my R5 abot 4 months and usually shoot landscapes etc ie more sedate stuff so rarely use high speed continuous shutter. This was on Firmware 1.31.


Thanks for sharing your experience. We’re you shooting to both cards at once when the camera froze? Or it happened on each card when individually in the camera?


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## LesC (Sep 13, 2021)

Chris.Chapterten said:


> Thanks for sharing your experience. We’re you shooting to both cards at once when the camera froze? Or it happened on each card when individually in the camera?


I was shooting to both cards at once...


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## TMT (Sep 17, 2021)

Bought my R5 in June and RF 100-500 in July. Shooting manually, using Canon and non-Canon batteries, high-end CF Express and SD cards (Raw and L jpg) at once, etc. I have only experienced freezing when using the RF 100-500 and shooting in rapid-fire mode. While inconvenient, I can probably live with it as a) it doesn't happen regularly; b) it's an easy fix (pop out the battery); c) haven't lost any data and d) I do not want to be without this camera for an extended period as others here have sent their cameras in only to experience the same issues later. If Canon decides to do the right thing and have a recall. then I will consider sending it in.


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## JPAZ (Sep 18, 2021)

Yesterday, while shooting with the RF 100-500, had a "freeze" event after crimping. No response to power switch, to shutter, to the back buttons I've programmed for focus......just stuck at a view of the last image. Immediate response to normal when I popped the battery out for a few seconds, then no issues for the rest of the day. I don't have the shutter count but I've used the camera without issue for a while. Only recent change is the update to the latest firmware but have taken a few hundred photos since.

Other info: 128gb Prograde CFExpress set for RAW and 64GB Lexar SD for jpeg as "backup" and LPE-6nh at "two bars." Camera on manual mode with iso at 1000 and other settings variable with each image. 

Actually, I am not upset but it would be nice to have this figured out once and for all. I could be too forgiving but sometimes I need to reboot my PC when it misbehaves and the R5 is, in many ways, a complex computer.


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## MFUK4 (Sep 25, 2021)

Hi to you all, I'm new to the forum but A Canon shooter for 12+ years now. I've recently moved from a 1DXII to the R5 and thought I'd just share my experience with the EVF Freeze issue. 

Mine is slightly different in as much as I've not had it happen (yet!) while actually shooting. It has however happened on 3 occasions while composing shots using back button AF on a fairly static bird. The background was quite cluttered and dark and the bird was a magpie. I was alternating between subject tracking AF, Eye AF & Single point AF using the three back buttons. The R5 was struggling to get a lock on the bird and the tracking was jumping around the scene quite erratically and then the EVF just froze with the scene displayed. No error code or message was displayed and none of the controls would function until I pointed the camera down to the floor and it suddenly came alive again, I heard the IBIS kick back in. Total freeze was maybe 15 -20 seconds.

It's almost as though it couldn't cope with me making quick alternate presses on the buttons and just got overloaded with the instructions and failed attempts to lock focus. I'm wondering if it's actually the combination of IBIS together with lens IS and multiple AF selection commands that's causing the problem? 

It's done this a few times now all in fairly similar conditions and with the same settings. I didn't actuate the shutter fully so no images were being recorded at the time. I was using the EF 100-400 II with a canon 1.4 III extender. 

I thought I'd share this here as it seems to rule out any issue with memory cards ( in this instance) altogether. I've not given the R5 a really prolonged shooting session yet but so far I've had no issues with it tracking BIF in continuous hi speed burst with cRAW recording to a 'Integral Ultima Pro X' 128GB CF Express card. 

I'm loving the R5 so far but this is a bit of a worry when so many people seem to be having similar issues and as yet there doesn't seem to be a satisfactory solution from Canon.


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## bergstrom (Oct 3, 2021)

lightingb said:


> I'm on my second Canon R5s. The first one had all sorts of issues. Constant error 70s. And even bricked multiple cards loosing everything on the card to the point of ruining the files beyond repair by a dozen or so recover programs. Even paid expensive ones. This was during photos and videos. Camera would freeze screens go black and battery pull required. Got another R5. The first shoot and the camera froze exactly like seen in the video. No loss of files yet.
> Most frustrating thing is Canon is known for there rock solid cameras. My 1dxmkii in 4+ years has only had one time I needed to pull a battery. The R5 has had 30 in the first month!


Canon never seems to mention these errors in advertising.


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## privatebydesign (Oct 3, 2021)

bergstrom said:


> Canon never seems to mention these errors in advertising.


And Sony/Nikon/Apple/Asus et al do?


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## ERHP (Oct 4, 2021)

Small update. Owned since 30JUL20 and passed the 350,000 actuation mark(mostly electronic) last month and have recorded nine freezes. The first couple I did remove the battery tray but on the following ones I just waited ~15 seconds and the camera has reset itself every time. This has happened across all the firmwares including the most recent lockup, yesterday, on 1.4.0. It has been about four months since my last one. I cycle between four pairs of LP-E6NH batteries in a grip, also cycle through four Delkin 512GB CFExpress cards. So far the only constant has been while using the 600 II w/1.4X but since that is my primary use lens for wildlife, lol, no real surprises it would happen there if was to happen with any lens. The only common thing I noted is each freeze seems to happen while tracking a relatively motionless subject(yesterday's was a Killdeer doing start/stop darts for snacks) in ES. Has anyone noted this occurring using the mechanical shutter?


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