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If only this "problem" was this cool.[/caption]
If you haven't noticed much discussion on our blog lately about the Canon 5D Mark III "Light Leak Problem" its because I have refused to write about it... Until now. Why would I do such a thing? After all the 5D3 was one of the most highly anticipated digital cameras of all time, and in most cases I would certainly want to comment on a problem that was significant enough for Canon to officially address. However, there is a point when the "enough is enough" clause has to be put into effect. The plain truth about the 5D Mark III is that there never was a Light Leak issue for photographers. If you want to group flaccid mathematicians in with photographers and artists, then by all means I suppose there was some kind of issue here. Normally I try to stay positive and give everything a fair shake, but this was just too much. Reading about this "issue" made me do a double take on some of the content I have been posting here on the Unique Photo Blog. Ultimately, it has made me want to change the philosophy and direction of our own content to be more educational and less techie/rumor based. There are already a ton of great gear-porn resources out there and honestly I don't think I have much to add to that already boring and saturated conversation. Lamenting the release of cameras over the past two years has gotten old quickly. So stay tuned over the next several weeks as I steer the ship in a slightly different direction. Anyway, here is a satirical analysis on the Canon 5D Mark III "Light Leak" problem that I think many of you will enjoy.
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Canonrumors.com Forums. The Anxious, The Angry, and The Patient[/caption]
If you've ever been on a photography web forum/message board before, you already know that they can be some of the most realistic psych-ward simulators out there on the internet. For those that are upset, the phrases "anxiously awaiting..." "angrily awaiting a response..." or "patiently waiting..." seem to appear more frequently than any other coherent thoughts. Anxious over a camera? I'm sorry I just can't... Those who aren't anxious, angry, or "patient" seem to be rather pleasant, but you'll quickly realize something is wrong with them as well. I think they have made it out of the psych-ward and are in recovery with self-motivational exercises. The phrase "I am a happy _______ owner" is a sickeningly common find with total reaffirmation in forum signatures which list purchased camera gear as some kind of keyboard-cred. Those who take the time in BB/HTML code to make the "L" portion of their lens listings red are like the guys in prison who get tears tattooed on their face, only a lot scarier. At least the thug prisoner isn't going to tell you how happy he is about his recently calibrated Sigma 50 f/1.4 after he makes you drop the soap in the shower.
Soon after the release of the 5D Mark III, many were already starting to shed tears about "soft" images. Since then many of these people have disappeared. Perhaps they have all switched to Nikon and are on some abysmally long D800 back-order list. More likely, they stopped getting attention on forums and have found other things in their lives that are soft and need remedying. Some are still losing sleep over the supposedly flawed RAW converters from Canon and Adobe. I don't know, but both the latest versions of DPP and Adobe Lightroom (4.1 RC) seem to be working just fine for me. I don't want to say that there isn't an issue, but maybe I just haven't tried to make a crappy looking HDR with a single file that was underexposed by 4+ stops in the first place. I'm sure as time goes on, whatever minor kinks there are will be worked out with firmware updates and new RAW converters. After all, Nikon has explosive D800/D7000 batteries being recalled. Unless you're new to this whole annoying and constantly evolving field of technology, it should be no surprise that there are minor problems with most new gadgets. Remember the iPhone 4 antenna fiasco? I'd say Apple is still doing quite well... Remember the Space Shuttle, Challenger? Yeah. That happened.
Disclaimer: As a general rule, Canonrumors.com is an excellent site run by a serious photographer. Many of the articles/reviews there are real hands on reviews from a working photographer's perspective. I feel bad for the CR guy as he must get an unholy amount of trolling emails and just flat out annoying questions.
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OMG TEH DYNAMIK RANG3 OF DIS FOTO IS UNACCEPTABLE (25,600 ISO f/11 1/8000s PUSHED +4 STOPS IN LITER00m)[/caption]
April 7, 2012
Canon Rumors makes a blog post titled "Canon 5D Mark III Light Leak?" Oh shit! It is indeed the end of the world, but months earlier than the Mayans predicted. As if the seemingly prepubescent online community of dpreviewers, FredMirandaites, etc... needed more cannon (bad pun intended) fodder to write novels on.
To be honest, as someone who recently just switched to a Canon setup, I was less than thrilled to see this headline. However, after spending less than two minutes reading the content, I was more relieved than a dog on a fire hydrant. Let's take a quick peek.
A light leak? Really? A light leak issue in the 5D Mark III has been reported over the last couple of days. It seems the top side LCD may be to blame. I can confirm this is happening on at least one of the 5D Mark III’s I own (the rest are out for rent), I will look into the issue with more bodies in the coming days. Simple Test ProcedureOther light sources cause the issue? Yes, shining a flashlight on the top LCD causes the exposure to change, as does sunlight and bright overhead lights. All of which happen with the body cap on. [CR]
- Put your body cap on the camera body.
- Put the viewfinder cover that came with the camera over the viewfinder.
- Set the camera ISO to 800 and put the camera in “P” mode.
- Turn on the backlight for the LCD panel and watch the exposure change
Wait a second. What the f**k? "Put your body cap on the camera body."
What? No. I don't take photographs with my body cap on, so I am going to PASS on that. A DIY pinhole "lens" is the only legitimate reason for photographing with a body cap on. Maybe I was in a bad mood that day, but this floored me as being so ridiculously stupid that I thought it would just go away after a few days, but of course that would just make too much sense. Perhaps most of the people concerned about this issue do shoot with their body caps on more than they do with lenses.
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The highly anticipated L series body cap, the right tool for the job when you need to shoot with your body cap on.[/caption]
April 8, 2012
The saga continues as Canonrumors.com posts "The 'Light Leak' Update" The poor guy running CR has seemingly been driven to the point of insanity. I know he is just doing his job by writing about what his viewers want to see, but I hope he had a stiff drink or two on hand... or eight. The picture he posted along with the post certainly makes it seem that way. A mess of camera bodies, lens hoods, flashlights, a pair of sunglasses, and a set of keys are shown strewn across a desk. (Dude don't drink and drive) I think CR Guy may have just wanted to show off how many 24 1.4L II lenses he has in his rental department.
I tested with both the lens mounted with a cap on and with just the body cap on. These tests were done in direct bright sunlight.[CR]
Yeah don't you hate it when you are shooting in direct sunlight with your body cap on? Especially when it is so bright out, you need to check your exposure settings on the nearly impossible to see LCD, instead of looking through the viewfinder. I hate it when that happens. CR Guy did something ridiculous by taking the lens caps off of the cameras and replacing them with lenses. So let's see what incredible conclusions were made from this leap of faith.
The final test I did with the 5D Mark III was take the lens cap off and meter off a relatively neutral wall. I turned on the backlight and nothing changed. I then pressed a 130 lumen flashlight up against the top LCD and the exposure didn’t change. I also ran the flashlight around the camera body and absolutely nothing changed. [CR]
Shocking. So this whole fiasco is over right? Give me your angry, your anxious... Your "patient" huddled masses yearning to bitch and moan about the 5D Mark III. At the end of the post CR Guy stated pretty flatly that this isn't an issue, but added that he will be sorry and stand corrected if Canon does address the issue. Please God let it be over, right?
April 13, 20012
Canon officially sinks to the level of the Equipment Measurbator and Online Expert by issuing a "Product Advisory" for the 5D Mark III. According to Canon if the 6th digit in your 5D3's serial number is either 1 or 2, your meter may get thrown off if you try illuminating the top LCD with the body/lens cap on. Canon doesn't phrase it this way, they only mention "In extremely dark conditions," but this wouldn't have happened in the first place without the infantile rage of the online "photography" community. I guess the dimly lit wedding reception I shot last Saturday with a 5D3 and pair of 600EX RTs (one off camera) wasn't dark enough. I forgot to put my lens cap on or better yet, the body cap. Then I would have the right to go online and SCREAM at Canon while "patiently/anxiously/angrily awaiting" a response. I am getting sick writing this, but you deserve it. So let's see how Canon resolves this totally faux and fabricated non-issue.
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Be careful what you wish for... (Original photo from fensterbme on flickr)[/caption]
April 23, 2012
The saga seemingly comes to an end as Canon announces a "Light Leak" Resolution over this unneeded mess. Now you can send your 5D3 back to Canon to be inspected and "fixed". You know the one you probably just got less than a month ago, the one that has absolutely nothing wrong with it. God forbid you should try to figure out the semi-reconfigured button layout or brand spankin new AF system. No forget about all of that, you should see if your camera meters inconsistently with the body cap on. Then send it to Canon for who knows how long for them to inspect. I bet the guys at the Canon service center are just taking the cameras out for extended joy rides for a couple weeks. Err... At least that's what I would do. So let's see what exactly Canon has done to remedy the biggest unicorn problem I can recall in recent years.
May 2, 2012
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"TADA!" (LensRentals.com)[/caption]
Almost a month from the initial report of a leaky 5D Mark III, we have a report of how Canon has fixed this oh so mysterious problem. LensRentals.com just received their first shipment of repaired 5D Mark III camera bodies. Oh the suspense! I can hardly wait. Of course Roger from LensRentals.com was almost as curious as Curious George. So he took the damn thing apart just to see what the Einsteins at Canon had done to patch up the camera. it looks like all the n00bs who were complaining got reverse pranked by Canon. All Canon did was put a piece of black electrical tape over a portion of the top housing. I really hope it was worth it. Let's hope the complaints about tape being used are minimal. If you own a car or have ever taken a voyage on an airplane, you've transported yourself in a vehicle that certainly has electronics held into place or together by pieces of tape. Well I really am glad this is all over. Those award winning body cap on images will now be that much easier to take because metering will be consistent. Due to general lack of interest and disgust, I haven't checked the CR forum lately, but I am sure the usual crew are "patiently and anxiously" awaiting the return of their 5D3s to see if AUTO ISO will work with the body cap on, in live view of course. Alas, the saga has finally come to an end, I hope.
-MZ