Canon requires an account to transfer images from your camera. Forces you to sign up using Chrome.
Chrome is one of the first things I disable on my Android devices, and I hate the idea of signing up for any accounts just to access local files.
But Canon welcomed me with a big surprise, and a fuck you, too!
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Forward it to Louis Rossman. He'll make an entire video about it and add it to the wiki tracking these scummy companies.
I agree with pretty much all of that guy’s takes, but he REALLY sketches me out for some reason. I don’t know what it is.
That honestly tracks with how I feel he would be
Maybe cause he's on the spectrum and you are picking up on that
I don’t think that’s it… I and almost every single one of my friends are on the spectrum hahaha. It’s something else, like he tastes like a right-leaning secret prepper guy or something. I dunno. Maybe I’m just being stupid and judgy.
He grew up in New York and only recently moved. He's got that New York attitude. Yeah it's off putting.
that makes sense
Is he actually on the spectrum? Or are you speculating?
Well he did do a online test for Aspergers. But I don't know if he has an official diagnosis or made any official claims, but he seems cognizant of this himself,
https://youtu.be/GEEZIuYVmqQ
I agree with him on a lot of the tech stuff, but there's some subtle hints of shit that I can't consciously place that really bother me.
I really started to notice it when he was looking for a new location - the way that he talked to and about some people and things in those videos bothered me. Likewise, the way he moved to a red state because it meant he could pay less in taxes and shit. There's something more but I can't put my finger on it.
He's a new Yorker
Glad I'm not alone on that. I love reading about him, but I can't watch his videos.
The youtuber Adam Something is like that too imo
He admitted he used to be openly right wing and he is still very pro-NATO. That's Ok though, I still like his fuck cars videos.
Is “pro-NATO” the new “both sides”?
pro-NATO is like how people used to say "Lincoln Republicans" to say "Well, I don't agree with what the party is doing currently but I will continue to vote for them."
What?
Implying he isn't right wing anymore, or just not openly?
I agree with most of the stuff he says, he just doesn't seem very nuanced and I find the angry tone slightly off-putting. I like NJB tho, probably because he's just sarcastic at some points for effect.
Same, not sure why. Maybe I heard something about him I didn't like, but have since forgotten.
He acts like a somethingawful/4chan veteran. Every now and then something along those lines slips out and rubs me the wrong way too.
Like he's often the good kind of libertarian, but occasionally also the bad kind.
Ahhh but I was a LUEser, a goon, then a heavy user of /b/ (until about 2009.) I don’t see myself in him at all hahaha
I used none of these sites and I'm telling you he seems like the type from the perspective of an outsider, and occasional victim/target of those kinds of sites :P
I’m sorry for your experience D:
I was a heavy user as a teen, and I definitely got into the stupid edgy humor but it was never directed at individuals for me. Then I grew up.
I cannot stand him. I agree with the broad idea of his message, but Jesus he’s insufferable and constantly feels like he’s talking down to his audience
I'd say the only thing 'sketchy' about Rossman is that he's a normal human being.
It's rare to see someone independent in our homogenized society. It makes sense that someone like you would be afraid of them.
Nah it’s not that. And his “independent” takes are basically whatever is popular opinion on Lemmy (and formerly Reddit when I was on there.)
There is a wiki for tracking these?
https://consumerrights.wiki/Main_Page
This is amazing! Thank you!
I heard he was entertaining the thought of turning his role in Tropic Thunder into a full spinoff movie.
That's Les Grossman.
Isn't that the guy who plays chess on youtube?
Les Nessman from WKRP in Cincinnati?
"Yes, I'd like to return this camera because it's an invasive piece of shit"
I have returned printers for requiring an internet connection out of spite.
Yes indeed, I just wrote a rant about this in the Canon community on here.
The two edges of this sword: All of the functionality worked in the previous edition of the app without the "mandatory" account. The upshot of this is, if you grab an APK of the previous (3.2.40.36) version of the app it still works just fine sans account, because the requirement is completely artificial and your camera's hardware has not changed.
That's what I did for now, but given that I only ever used the damn thing as an overwrought remote shutter button when doing macrophotography (you'll never guess the subject), I just bought $6 aftermarket remote release and moved on with life.
For added fun and excitement, if you don't have internet connectivity the app won't work. So, like, if you're out in the wilds on a hike with your camera. Nobody ever does that, right?
All apps are crap. This one is extra crap, now. I've never used it for geotagging and certainly not for transferring images -- not more than once, anyway, because on my phone it takes a solid 15 seconds per image. It would be faster for me to not only take the card out, but crack it open and inspect it with a tunneling electron microscope and type the ones and zeroes into a terminal by hand. I just put the damn card in a reader instead. Always have done.
Your penis?
Close, but it could arguably be something compensating for the same!
Thank you for confirming! I do this with the GoPro Quik app, and I'd have no problem doing it here.
I have a Sony compact camera with built-in GPS. The newer models require the app for live geotagging. These are the games I refuse to play.
Thanks for the heads up. It's version code 77 when downloading manually from Aurora Store in case anyone else is wondering. Please blacklist Canon Camera Connect after installing it to avoid further updates.
I use it to transfer images to my computer so I don't have to pull out the sd card. But the tip with the apk is good, will do that too
Just the tip?
My German came through, its meant as 'a hint' or 'an idea'
😄 all good, I couldn't resist.
Your use of the word was fine.
Just the tip
Yeah, I'm aware of the idiom, just want sure if tip was used the same in english
Thank you for the version number! I was just lamenting not being able to find it.
Canon is on my personal blacklist for decades. I bought a printer from them, not just a normal A4/legal, but a professional, wide one that uses rolls of paper, etc. I was unhappy with the state of the driver under Linux, so I called and asked for a programming documentation to write my own printer driver. Their opinion on Linux/open source was that "open source is theft of intellectual property".
I wonder how many open source libraries their driver codebase relies on, it had best be zero with that attitude.
They had no Linux driver back then at all, but there were some rudimentary from the community that printed Ok. They just did not support special printing modes, which i wanted to add.
Their opinion is stupid, but I’m also not sure what you expected when you asked some random sales rep for deep technical info.
I contacted both technical support for commercial systems and later their booth on a big technical trade fair (CeBit Hannover), and got basically the same opinion both times. The first was definitely no "Sales Rep", and the people at the booth were a manager and an engineer.
But I agree, their opinion is stupid.
Well, in a commercial space, at least if you're big enough, asking sales reps for deep tech info is the norm. They are supposed to find an engineer and get them to answer.
If you're a big enough customer, you set the norms.
Yup, sucks. What I do is just take out the card a plug it into a little USB dongle thing which I can plug into either my phone or laptop.
Also faster than the app too. The app uses WiFi or Bluetooth. Its also annoyingly finicky to connect tk the camera.
What's wild to me is that anyone would do it any other way. I'm astounded that this is somehow a "tip".
Not even 10 years ago it was simply the way to do it.
Depends on your workflow.
As an example, if I'm in a studio and have a camera set up a certain way, it's highly inconvenient to have to turn it off, pull the card out (which can mean removing it from the tripod if the card slot is on the bottom of the camera), plug it into a phone or laptop, copy the image, load the image for review, eject the card, reinsert the card, set the camera up again...
I mean, holy shit.
Why do that when you can tap the gallery through the app (already connected because you've got live view going), click on the photo, open it for review, keep shooting.
Of course, if you've shot a big day and have to offload 100gb of photos and video, an external card reader is the only way to go.
But for studio, live sessions, or quick shots, app transfer is so much easier. Some cameras have NFC, so you just tap your phone and start the transfer.
None of this has ever been a problem. It's the requirement to have a connected account that makes it a problem.
I think it's a bit hilarious that touching the camera is considered such a hassle now. When I learned photography we had to finish the reel and spend a day in a darkroom before we could see the final product.
Still, I hope someone makes some open source software for you. More convenience is always better.
If you are being paid for your work, or you are under time constraints, there's no way anyone would choose to take dozens of steps over a few.
I still love my older cameras, including one of the first DSLRs (Canon Digital Rebel). No apps. Every feature sold to you is right there in the camera, and those feature still work 20 years later.
It's the enshittification of technology that's the real problem. Most people would love the conveniences offered by advanced features, but not when there's a catch.
And this extends to well beyond "regular cameras". GoPro has completely ruined their hardware by locking basic features (like image stabilization) behind their app and/or subscription!
That's when photography existed as a skilled art, and a more enjoyable hobby. I miss those times.
Yeah but the app also does remote control / viewing. The transfer is a bonus of being able to quickly do the transfer and text it to someone right away.
Of course, none of this matters because I don't have Chrome on my new phone and can't even create the stupid account if I wanted to.
Also, can't find information about which version they rolled that out in and get an older version.
You want version 3.2.40.36, which is the last one before the app requirement. It's available on APKMirror and probably elsewhere as well.
Advantage of using the app: Remote shutter/control.
Very convenient if you take lunar photos.
Cables are better but they have a minimum time to setup and can be inconvenient if you do it while traveling. If you just need a quick transfer then using an app or wireless transfer is better.
Apparently not anymore.
If you've never actually used the Canon app on your phone: I assure you that it would be faster to ride the elevator down from your hotel room, walk to the nearest store, haggle with the store owner for 10 minutes over the price of the cable, get your money changed, buy it, and return to your hotel room than it would be to wait for the app to connect to your camera over wi-fi.
on my camera i can plug it directly into my phone and transfer it with a usbc cable
You’ll end up with better quality images this way compared to transferring them to Canon servers where they’ll likely be compressed or altered.
Not to mention likely cataloged by geotag and used for "targeted marketing" by Canon and "select partners".
That shit is just creepy.
Probably used to train an AI model as well
This is actually the real reason behind the change
it prob does this already on the camera wish someone figured out how to make open source camera os
I remember having a PowerShot SX110IS back in 2010 and there was an open source firmware I loaded on it. I forget what it was called. It's a damn shame that we can't really do stuff like that anymore.
It might have been CDHK, which is also what I run on my old SX130IS.
Magic Lantern probably. Don't know about compact cameras, but this thing was big with DSLRs 10-15 years ago. What's pretty impressive to me is that it didn't require flashing the firmware, it just booted from a memory card.
They’re not being transmitted to canon before downloading. The camera starts a (slow) local WiFi network that the phone can connect to and it directly transfers that way. This means you still get full quality RAW files
Dude. I needed to use this app the other day for the remote shutter function, and I was somewhere with no signal and no internet. Only to discover that the app had updated and now required me to create an account to use it. I was pissed.
Same thing!! It sure steamed my broccoli.
magiclantern.
Jailbreak your shit. You own it don't you?
Magic Lantern is awesome!
Unfortunately, it's for higher-end cameras, not my old point-and-shoot cameras. And it doesn't magically give your device GPS for geotagging images :(
The app was fine. The enshittification of the app is not.
Can you not just find and use an old version and disable updates for it?
Yes, another user already confirmed that the old version still works. I've done the same with the old GoPro app.
EDIT: but old versions have built-in planned obsolescence, because they won't support newer devices (both cameras or smartphones) for very long. My Samsung 360 camera was rendered useless once they discontinued app support.
I have an old Gear VR and a Samsung S3. I don't believe there is any way to use it today. It wants to connect to Facebook to log in, but their auth token has expired.
What a fucking cancer of integration.
You actually can still use it, there's some folks on reddit trying their best to keep it going. App support is very poor though.
My S3 is garbage. I only wanted to try and stream videos to it (without motion tracking) but even that seems too hard.
Says the person who randomly brought up phones when the other person was talking about a camera jailbreak.
And isn't that just exactly what they count on?
Jailbreaking locks you out of banking apps.
Edit: jailbreaking your phone might lock you out of banking apps.
Jailbreaking your camera does NOT.
I don't think people are out here doing their banking on their Canon DSLRs
Don't you gotta jailbreak your phone as well? Otherwise it will require the chrome browser
No, installing magiclantern on a jailbroken camera means you don't need to do the Canon sign in bullshit at all.
Great! I'll update my post! Thanks for clearing it up.
Maybe on Apple (?), bur GrapheneOS supports my banking apps just fine. The only thing missing is Google Pay, which I don't use anyways
How? Having an unlocked bootloader or root breaks Safety Net, which disables many apps. You need an unlocked bootloader to install custom ROMs.
Magisck used to be a workaround, but Google has been sabotaging it at the OS and hardware layers, so it wasn't working the last time I tried a few years ago.
Pixels can have custom AVB keys so the bootloader can be locked after installing gOS.
I've been running across sites that demand I use Chrome on PC too, a non-starter since Google "upgraded" Chrome to prevent adblock use. My solution has been to install User Agent Switcher for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/android/addon/uaswitcher/. Works on both PC and phone.
The Canon app calls on the Chrome app to be there. It's more than just the user agent, unfortunately.
So Chrome is sharing way more than the user agent with Canon? That's just ridiculous. I hope someone with the time will take a good look about what information is being sent.
All I can say is that it would NOT work unless I also turned off my system wide adblocker (AdGuard).
For sure they are doing some shady shit.
A starter for Firefox called "Chrome"?
I worry a day will come that it's all of them.
The problem is, you don't always know they will do this until after you pay your money for them.
Especially if its a few years down the line when you're already a few grand in to their system
Of course, it always is.
But a lot of this type of enshittification can be difficult to learn about without getting your hands on thw product first. Especially if it's a new model.
Are you sure? Thats not acceptable for most professionals so i doubt there is no way around it. Whats the modelname of your camera? How are you trying to access the files?
100% Canon announced this last month, ironically on April Fool's Day!. Funny, that they say it makes the experience "more convenient and enjoyable".
Yeah, it was fine before, when you'd open the app, connect to your camera, and download the images.
We've got several Canon cameras, and you cannot proceed to use the app unless you log in. This isn't to allow for cloud storage or anything like this. This is to do ANYTHING through the app, including location data tagging, live view, etc.
So instead of just mounting the camera as storage, they require a proprietary app using a surveillance-packed web browser? Yeah, I'd be returning that pile of awful.
Yeah that's what I was thinking. Why even need an app? The camera stores the pictures on an SD card anyway (probably). If the app is nice and has some extra features like being able to pick the best shot from a series, fine, but I somehow doubt that it does more than transfer pictures lol
It allows you to grab an image, develop the RAW, do a quick edit on your phone or tablet, upload to socials, share with friends, etc. If that’s your thing.
You can also use it to geotag your photos/files automatically with the gps in your phone. It does firmware updates as well.
Also does remote shooting including allowing you to change exposure settings without touching the camera. Useful for photo and video in that respect.
I just uninstalled it. Going to keep using my usb-c hub with included SD card reader if I need to get at my media before I can get to a computer.
It's for transferring pictures over the wifi network or a local wifi network that the camera is hosting. If you have the SD card plugged in, there's absolutely no reason to use the app instead of your phone's file manager. I don't even think the app will recognize an SD card, but I don't really know. It might recognize a plugged in camera, but it doesn't advertise that and I've never tried.
You can still use the camera as an MTP device via a USB cable without any app. Just not wirelessly; that connection is proprietary (-ish, there are third party apps on some platforms).
Oh OK, so this nightmare existing is only for wifi use. I imagine that would also be slower, especially if these cameras support USB-C.
You can connect the camera direct via USB and mount as storage without the app. Though it's only USB2 speeds lol. The app allows you to transfer over wifi which is dumb because it only lets you do that with jpgs. It won't transfer raw files wirelessly. I just pull the card and use a fast card reader.
I personally only use the app as a bluetooth remote shutter release.
But many people also use the app to auto geotag their photos, as not many canon cameras have built in GPS.
So, ads? You'd figure the account would provide extra features (that we didn't need) but this doesn't even give anything to the user.
It doesn't really make it any better, but at least they let you opt out of data collection after creating the account (you know, when they have already collected your email, first and last name as well as camera serial no.) 🙄
And there is no other way to access the camera from your phone? Cant you just mount it as a storage medium over USB? Or if all else fails just use a USBC card reader dongle...
It's more than just file transfer, unfortunately.
If you want to control your camera through the app, or geotag photos... you now have to use an account that connects to Canon (and probably 1001 "partners").
Well then the title is just misleading i guess. If you need an app for extra features, they will harvest your data anyways even without an account. Unless the app was working without internet access before. The mistake is buying a camera that requires an app that isnt using an open protocol and expecting Canon not to make use of their software lock in thumb screws. In a year they will want a monhtly subscription fee for you to use the app.
It was.
To ge fair, these cameras were purchased before the Golden Age of Enshittification.
As hardware features like built-in GPS were offloaded to apps, choices became slim.
Its somewhat unavoidable with some things, i have to admit.
Is it this app? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.canon.ic.cameraconnect
Im sure this can be reverse engineered relatively easily if it connects over WiFi, because you can just sniff all the traffic quite easily.
I hope you havent installed any firmware updates recently, because they will surely try to prevent people from doing so and actively work to break existing 3rd party apps or older official app versions.
Edit: Nvm i saw you managed to downgrade the app.
In order to access my tax and benefit accounts on the Government of Canada website I can only use Chrome ... making sure to wipe all cookies, etc afterwards.
I freaking hate shite like this.
Is that through the CRA website? I've been able to access it on Firefox (through Linux) without being hassled.
But yeah, websites that force you to use Chrome would get on my nerves. I'd be sandboxing that entire browsing session, too. LOL
I use FF on both Mac and PC for the CRA site. Can't remember the last time I used a browser other than FF for anything.
I've had some sites simply not work right with Firefox, so I'll use an alternative, usually just another flavour of Firefox, like Librewolf or Waterfox, and they tend to work just fine. It's probably something to do with some of the locked down settings that I use on my primary browser, but it's nothing compared to forced Google Chrome or gasp Internet Explorer. 😵
Same here.
Maybe they've got some privacy plug-ins that are preventing the CRA website from functioning properly?
In the past, I have had to add my bank and some government websites to my whitelist
I stopped using FF a while back. But if memory serves I wasn't able to access gov't sites with it either.
I'm pretty sure that duckduckgo browser is based on Chromium. That should work in Chrome's stead.
Nope. I use multiple browsers (DDG, Ghostery, Waterfox, etc) and none of them work.
Have you tried changing the user agent to chrome?
Nope. I will try that and see if it works tho.
Thanks for the head's up.
Update ... it took a while but that does work on Ghostery. Thanks again. :)
Awesome!
Chrome or chormium?
Chrome.
Like Nvidia forces you to create an account to download your DRIVERS. Why??
They dont? I've downloaded Nvidia drivers many times and never had to create an account.
Sorry, I meant with the Nvidia App (formerly the Nvidia Experience app). I'm not sure if the site lets you download them directly, but the app used to do that freely until an update required users to sign up.
They removed login requirement for Nvidia App
Just found out, thanks!
But please don't let that dissuade you from hating Nvidia. That company deserves some hate.
No login with website. And your don't need the Nvidia app either. Just driver's
It didn't used to be that way, sure. Until now when governments want all the info on users with hardware that can process AI.
Edit: It may actually depend on what country you're in, for that exact reason.
I'm in Mexico, so not sure if it's relevant.
This actually made me curious enough to dig just a little deeper down this rabbit hole, so I did a little
GooglingDucking on it. There's quite a few articles regarding this, not sure how much it does or doesn't pertain to AI rules and regulations though 🤷♂️https://duckduckgo.com/?q=why+does+nvidia+require+an+account
PC Gamer
Good to know that it only took them 8 years to reconsider. Although I distinctly remember not being able to download my drivers without an account via the app during the pandemic. I wasn't living here in 2016. 🤷♂️
Though it's been forever since I've used anything Nvidia, I have heard something about that.
Since Nvidia has jumped full force into Artificial Intelligence, governments are requiring information on who owns and uses such hardware, and it most likely also comes with spying on what you're using it for.
We truly live in a fucking dystopia now. ☹️
There is no law forcing Nvidia to require accounts to download drivers. I literally just downloaded Nvidia drivers a few days ago without needing an account.
It may not be a law, but when NVidia has numerous contracts with the federal government, and the feds ask NVidia to do them a favor...Well, NVidia does it. That assumes they didn't secretly order NVidia to do so via some obscure provision in a national security law.
It most likely depends on the country you're in. Some countries are already adopting such laws. Not much different than the age verification thing some countries are doing, total invasion of privacy, to appease the powers in charge.
How are you transferring these files? I understand it's less convenient but could you maybe take the sd card out and plug it into a laptop instead?
WIFI. Way, way more convenient (before this BS) than taking out the SD card.
But this goes beyond just transferring images. If I wanted to use live view, I have to use the app. If I want to geotag photos, I have to use the app.
None of those features require Canon's servers, so it's infuriating that I have to "log in" for this nonsense.
How else are they supposed to gather data to sell to advertisers and train their eventual Ai bullshit?
I’m so over these corporate walled gardens trying suck every last drop of profitability from people.
OMFG, I just checked the app, and under their "Recommended apps and services" is an AI image upscale option. If this can't be done on-device, then I guarantee your photos are being used for their gain.
So pulling out the SD card works?
I would hope/assume so. If they ever decided to encrypt the SD card and force you to use the app to decrypt it, I would throw their products against the wall.
I rolled back the app to an older version before this was required and blocked it from network or updating. The only feature I use is the gps data over bluetooth and remote shutter. Canon can go F*** themselves with this nonsense
Fuji makes some really nice SLRs, and their glass is exceptional. Also, you don't need to install software if you don't want to.
Seconded! All the photos I've posted on Lemmy are shot on Fuji.
Hopefully of the Fuji /j
I don't have much experience with cameras but isn't it usually sd cards that you can pull out and transfer using a sd reader? Does the camera have internal storage that needs an account and app?
For data transfer only, yes, you can eject the SD card and copy your files.
But the app is used for other features, too. So you're inconvenienced no matter what feature you use.
Yeah I guessed that much but your original post was a bit confusing as it doesn't mention the app. Hence the question.
Shit, no more Canon then.
Firefox doesn't support WebUSB, Web Bluetooth and several other integrations, so applications that need to connect to other devices need some kind of Chrome application. Massive dick move by forcing account creation tho.
If those features in the browser were needed, I could be a little less infuriated (they didn't have to break previously working features, though).
However, Chrome was needed only to sign up and log in. Once that was done, I was able to disable chrome, and the app continued to work after restarting it.
Why they couldn't implement a log in directly in the app, or use the device webview api, is beyond me.
I'm just waiting for that WebAntivirus support to land in chrome, for all those websites that tell you to install an antivirus.
Much like every telehealth experience I’ve had in the past 3 years.
also one of the things behind the decline private doctor care in general too.
Oh that’s too bad. Guess I’m not buying that shit.
Well, shit. I was planning on getting a Canon for my first camera because it's hard to beat them for astrophotography, but I'm less sure now.
If you are fine just using the camera as-is (i.e. no app features), then they still make great cameras. I don't appreciate the enshittification of their hardware via this software trap, though.
I have been very happy with my Panasonic Lumix S5 and previously GX80, though I am planning on getting a Sony A7 IV as I want better AF, I'll keep my S5 and the lenses though as I love the colors from it
There's not really anything you need the app for. It can remote control the camera with a live feed, which is cool but not all that useful, at least for me. It can also transfer images and videos, but I'm not sure it does the videos at full resolution, at least in my camera. For all practical purposes it's just a little less useful than carrying a USB C SD card reader around with your camera that you can plug into your phone (because it also takes a good minute to connect usually, but my only datapoint is a camera from 2014 so they might have improved it since then)
You can configure the app to transfer your images and videos in full original quality but the transfer of large files takes forever, even in the best of conditions. I did the math and the app transfers data at something like 480 kbps over Wi-Fi which is beyond awful in this century. I don't know if this is a limitation of the camera hardware itself (I'd doubt it) or the app. But needless to say, transferring large batches of images is an excruciating experience that I've certainly resolved never to do again. It's just barely functional if you want to get a picture off to share or chimp at on your phone's larger screen, but in my opinion can serve no other purpose since it's so damn slow.
Enshittification at its finest
Oof, that is new, the camera connect app used to work without an account before.
Yes, they announced it last month, so the forced implementation happened very quickly. Asshole move by Canon.
Can't you downgrade to the old version?
Yes, another user mentioned that the older versions still work and don't require an internet connection, either 🤩
Fuck forced accounts.
Vendor software is always a pile of shame. Can't you just copypaste images?
Edit: oh, mobile.
Looks like someone needs to write an app that doesn’t have these requirements.
Another user said the older version of the app works without an account... but you need an internet connect, so that could "turn off" at any moment. This level of enshittification should be illegal.
That was me. FYI, the prior version of the app works without an internet connection. I just tried it and had no problem.
It's only the current version that needs internet and for that only so it can force you to sign in.
You will assuredly want to disable automatic updates on the app, however, to keep it from updating again behind your back. And it's still a buggy piece of shit in either incarnation.
Ahhh, sweet! 👍👍👍
Hey fellow canon man - https://lemm.ee/post/60130414
😀😀😀 Looks like I missed the memo on Lemmy 🤭🤭
FYI if you're shooting tethered the live view functionality and performance of Capture One is infinitely better.
bye bye Canon. You were once the light of my photographic life - now you're dead to me for pulling this bullshit.
Had the powder and fuse primed for an Oh Brother Where Art Thou joke. Picture my mild fury when I noticed this is about cameras, not printers.
Calling bullshit (not on you, op, but on Canon).
Not that it's worth the effort of jumping through hoops for a fucking file transfer of all things, but I wonder you can do it by spoofing your user agent?
It's not that it needs a different browser agent, but it looks for the Chrome app, and forces you to have it installed (or enabled, if you've disabled it like I do).
It actually wanted the chrome app to be enabled and only opens the chrome app for the sign up/log in process.
So a user agent switch wouldn't have helped in this case.
Firefox doesn't support WebUSB and Web Bluetooth on any platform.
Trebuchet > Canon
Catapults > Trebuchet
Ballista > Catapult.
(Orbital ion cannon > Ballista.)
BS. Same new „features” on iOS. Just uninstalled the app. If I wasn’t so heavily invested in Canon glass, I’d be looking at switching.
Is there something about Chrome specifically that's no bueno nowadays? I haven't heard anything but to be fair I don't really keep myself in that loop too much now
There's a general negative attitude towards chromium browsers due to some anticompetitive practices pulled by Google in addition to privacy concerns and probably some more issues I'm not aware of. So that includes chrome, but also edge and most other chromium based browsers.
Ah okay, I hadn't heard about any of that, very good to know, thank you
I don't want any of my business being shared with Google, including the fact that I use Canon products. It's just yet another data point for them to weaponize via targeted ads and data brokering.
And simply opening Chrome means that a data siphon to Google was just opened, so telemetry data would have been collected immediately.
Canon has dropped the ball so hard imo. Most of my other video friends and contacts who use dslrs switched to Sony.
Not sure they're much better, they charge to install an intervalometer app. Its extremely basic functionality that should be there as standard.
I also use Sony (and Panasonic) cameras, and both their apps just work without an account. That could change at any time, unfortunately.
One thing that could work is to use an older version of the app without updating it. I do this with GoPro Quik, since the "new" Quik app is basically one big advertisement to get you to pay for a subscription to edit your videos.
I wouldn't be surprised if Sony required an account. But who knows, maybe the camera division is under better management
Interestingly enough, there is an option to sign in to an account in the Sony app, but it is not a requirement to actually use the app, connect to the camera, etc.
About the only thing keeping me off Sony is that they've got a really bad star eater problem in their DSLRs, and even still somewhat in their mirrorless.
There seems to be a common thread amongst all the Japanese camera manufacturers that their software is all "this must be done in exactly this (often convoluted) way".
I'm convinced that they put their hardware engineers in charge of writing the software.
At least it no longer requires Internet Explorer.
They've really gone downhill since the AE-1.
I thought they stopped making Cameras?
Anyways, learn to use a SD Card maybe. I would never install anything of theirs on any device, personally. I owned an old T5 once and it worked with their webcam software but they paywalled the full resolution, the bastards.
Good fucking printers, though. Better than HP. Not as good as an inktank for ink prices, tho.
Completely irrelevant to the reason why I use the app, though.
I geotag photos, and that can only be done through the app.
I use live view, and that can only be done through the app.
Firmware updates. App.
You can do firmware updates with the SD Card, that's the way it's been done for decades.
I'm not going to pretend what geotagging and canon live view™ is but it sounds a lot like image metadata?
Yes, but I'm not checking Canon's website for every camera I own, when the app would just tell you.
That's one thing that I shouldn't have to chase Canon for.
Geotagging puts location data in the photo. This is something I add to every image, because I use location for searching.
Live view is cool. You can set up the camera, and view/control it through the app.
This has many applications, and should never need an account to access, since the app should be communicating directly with the camera.
Well canon seems like a product to avoid. This person shouldn't now know better for their future purchases l.
For a moment there I thought they'd locked down the SD card or something. Don't people transfer to their computers anymore?
For file transfer, I prefer WIFI direct connect, unless it's large video files.
But this app is used for more than file transfer, so you can't even geotag photos (for example) unless you have an account. Crazy shit, since this would strictly be between your phone and camera.
It's not like the geotagging was all that great anyway. The phone app sucked battery like an alcoholic with a fresh bottle.
I figured out how to connect my Nikon to their app (finally) - works somehow, most of the time, but you can only transfer photos compressed to 2MB jpeg. Is there a reason for that? I think it's annoying to have to delete the duplicates later on
I don't own a Nikon camera, but my Sony, Canon, and Panasonic camera apps allow you to set the size of the transferred photo to "original", and they do default to something smaller, so I always change it first.
Do you have that option?
Couldn't find it anywhere, neither on the camera nor in the app :( but thank you anyway!
I’d just return and leave a bad review lol
Not to defend Canon but can you not just use USB or transfer via SD Card? Just asking because I just got an EOS RP.
The app was used for live view and also geotagging, in addition to file transfer. So this requirement affects several features.
Alright well I need Geotagging so guess I'll have to sign up. I completely forgot how shitty Canon were because I got massive tunnel vision while searching for a camera to buy...
Some other users pointed out that you can stay on an older version before the signup requirement and it will continue to work fine even without an internet connection. That's what I'm going to do.
So to get Geotagging I need the camera to be connected to the phone on the latest firmware?
You just need the app. Either the older version (no account needed) or the new app (with an account).
But this also depends on the camera. I believe new ones can geotag live via Bluetooth (with the app). This is how my Panasonic camera does it.
But you can also set the app to keep a log of your location, so as you take photos, you can have the app tag them before transfer.
Check your camera's manual to see how it works.
For what it's worth, you can generally record a GPS tracking in another app or on another device and then use your photo editing software to add the coordinates to the photos after the fact.
I've used this method before, but it's extra work.
I have an old point and shoot Sony that has GPS built-in. Newer models removed this and need the app to do the same thing. It's like they went backwards on purpose.
Yeah, it's extra work, and doesn't change the infuriating aspect of enshitification, but it's an option if you absolutely do not want to sign in to the app
Can you not just transfer via usb drive connection?
The app was used for live view and also geotagging, in addition to file transfer. So this requirement affects several features.
Canon still exists? People still use dedicated cameras? I found Canon hardware to be overrated, scanners to cameras to printers. All shit in one way or another. And their software, my god, the cruft.
Yes dedicated cameras are still around. They aren't going away anytime soon. I really like my Fuji camera.
Canon makes great optics and decent hardware but is pretty bad at everything else.
Fuji is great. I love my X-S20
Having never been a photo nerd or enthusiast, I am in the "good enough" camp. I've given up a long time ago on the "metrics bullying" and gatekeeping, electronics have reached such a level of performance and low price, everything is the same to me. If you see neutrinos, great!
Do you ever actually take pictures of anything remotely interesting or worthwhile, or is it just an object you can talk about endlessly and upgrade continuously?
It's like audio, at some point is it about listening to music or buying new speakers?
Have I mentioned I'm old?
Who's the one bullying and gatekeeping here?
I'm not a camera nerd either, but I recognize that there's people that need professional hardware either for a professional use or an obsessive hobby (either photog or other electronics or optics work). If a cell phone is "good enough" for me, that doesn't mean it's good for a specialist. Just like pretty much everything else in life.
Photos like these aren’t going to be possible on a phone camera. There’s still a lot of physical limitations to phones, namely low light and high aperture glass. Due to space constraints you’re extremely limited with sensor and glass size, which is where professional cameras still blow phones out of the water.
If all you’re doing is taking selfies and pictures of things you see around you then a phone is fine, but once you’re beyond that, it’s much more efficient to go to a dedicated camera.
I do use it, probably one shoot or so a month. out of every 100 pictures I probably have one great one and 10 others that would be good with editing but I never go back and edit them. A phone is probably better for most people most of the time but there are definitely cases where it wont do the job.
I initially bought it when I worked over night shifts and wanted a night time hobby on the weekends, so I wanted to do deep space photography. I finally got on days soon after and am not up as late anymore so mostly take it on hikes, or birding and rarely around the city.
I rarely talk about it unless I show a picture that people ask "how'd you take that?" and I have to explain. I've bought a few lenses in 5 years but think I'm set on those. Maybe in another 5 years I'll upgrade the body. For me it's been a worthwhile investment.
Op here pretending phones have the best picture quality.
I don't need pictures of neutrinos or every individual quark of my cat. We passed the "good enough" stage a long time ago. Point, shoot, digitally hoard pictures for no reason, the end.
I get that, but the post doesn't try to make an argument on using a camera over the phone camera. There are plenty of cases where the picture quality just doesn't do. Personally I own s few cameras I use for special locations, parties, holidays, travel, to have the best pictures possible to have long lasting memories.
Even when I carry my gear around, my wife and In-laws take pics with there phones, and that's ok too.
Good thing that’s not the only thing cameras are used for. Good enough for Jimmy on vacation isn’t good enough for large scale prints, marketing, etc
Did you know you can build your own nationwide internet?
All you need to do is buy billions of dollars worth of gear and put it together yourself! It's so easy!
Reminds me of some car restoration videos.
"With the donation of a brand new, 100% rebuilt motor supplied by our friends at NAMEDROP CUSTOMS, we can get this build done for a cool $2k!"
"and just like that! skips three weeks of footage, we're done!"
A tip: you can build your own car using a Raspberry Pi. There are kits. There are motors and batteries that impress.
Yes, the depth of field and image quality the camera kit sensors and lenses produce sure can match those produced by full frame sensors and lenses. And fuck Canon's industry leading autofocus, OP can write their own autofocus algorithm too!
Well that's certainly a problem, isn't it? You don't know what OP does with their camera, if it's a hobby or for a living. Go try suggesting building a RPi camera kit to sports photographers, see if they give a fuck about it.
DoF has everything to do with sensor SIZE. You are simply never going to get the level of shallow depth of field with tiny sensors compared to even M43 or bigger sensors. You are simply never going to get the ISO performances or dynamic range of a bigger sensor because the photosites are just physically huge compared to those in phone camera sensors. Even a cheap old 12MP DSLR is going to destroy the images quality coming out of the best 64MP rpi camera kit, not even a question. And not to mention all the other functions a modern camera has, like weather sealing, subject detect autofocus, auto white balance, color science, image stabilization, etc.
I count 3 different sensors for each scenario now, and you even know their downsides. What makes you think OP is willing to deal with these? The global shutter sensor is a 1.6MP sensor. Yeah, that absolutely can replace the gear that captured the photo of the bullet whizzing by Trump and won the Pulitzer prize.
And I'm pointing out that those alternatives in practicality are not even close. Suggesting a hobby project out of the blue when OP is not even asking for it (and even claiming that they are comparable) is just dumb.
You just missed my point about the 1.6MP elephant in the room. And that's just ignoring every other camera feature used to take the shot, which you would have to manually dial in with your rpi camera. You are simply not going to do that in the chaos.
Bah just buy clip-on accessory lenses for your phone. Cheap and cheerful. There is/was? even a thread standard for these little monsters. I had a metal case for my S7 that had a threaded opening over the camera and I could screw in a macro lens or a 12x telescope. Got me all the ladies too. No it didn't.