topic Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause! in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

sbunting — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 16:02:27 GMT

My friends,

I believe I found the issue causing freeze-ups in the Canon R3!!!

Recall the following:

1) I experienced freeze-ups with my Canon R3 the first week I received it.

2) Canon CPS took the camera in for repair, replicated the issue, reinstalled the firmware, reset it to factory settings, tested it, found no more freeze-ups, declared it fixed and returned it to me.

3) I restored my settings manually and the freeze-ups still occurred.

4) Canon replaced my original R3 with a brand new R3

5) I updated my firmware to V1.1.1 and restored my settings from a CSD file this time, and the freeze-ups still occurred.

6) In all cases my freeze-ups were such that the buttons and dials would not respond (including power switch), yet touch functions still functioned including the smart controller. It would also freeze-up, at times, while asleep and could not be awakened. Of course, since the screen was black (asleep), no touch function could work. The only way to restore the camera was to pull the battery and then reboot the camera.

I have since, of course, contacted Canon and am awaiting a response, as Canon's engineering department seems to be in a denial mode, despite a Canon repair technician in Virginia having replicated the freeze-up issue when it first went in for repair.

I advised Canon that while I await their response, I was going to, one by one, change my settings to default and see if any particular setting eliminated the freeze-ups.

My first setting change was to restore the aperture and speed change dial settings to default, as I had them reversed. No change. I still had freeze-ups, so I restored my setting.

Next, I reasoned that, since the freeze-up even occurred while the camera was asleep, the only function I had changed that would involve activity during the sleep mode would be the GPS setting, which I had set to Mode 2. I disabled the GPS altogether. Since I have done so, I have left the camera on 24x7. Not once has it failed to awaken from sleep mode nor has it frozen at all while awake and being used. I have been testing for a solid week now (on 24x7) and I'm optimistic that this is the cause of the freeze-ups, as before I could rarely go a day without a freeze-up.

I'm asking that some of you who are experiencing freeze-ups with the R3 such as I have been experiencing to check this setting and 1) verify it is enabled on your camera and 2) verify that by disabling it that the freeze-ups no longer occur.

Similarly, those of you who have an R3 and have experienced no freeze-ups, can you verify that your GPS is disabled.

Again, I'm optimistic that this is the issue, but I'd like to get feedback from others to verify what I'm experiencing before I approach Canon.

Steve

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

Waddizzle — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 22:08:48 GMT

Why don’t you just report your findings to Canon, anyway?

Is GPS Mode 2 the one that has the GPS online all the time? IF so, are you losing the signals?

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

sbunting — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 23:21:55 GMT

Mode 2

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

ebiggs1 — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 15:53:58 GMT

So, you have GPS off completely? I was wondering and leaning towards a similar situation but I was thinking wi-fi. Perhaps it was losing and searching for a wi-fi signal. I don't know how or couldn't think how (why I didn't offer it) but it just sounded possible. I never use GPS so that never crossed my mind.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

sbunting — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 16:45:57 GMT

Yes, I completely disabled GPS, whereas before I had it in Mode 2, AutoUpdate Time, Position Update 15 secs, and the GPS logger off. I have intentionally left the camera on now for 7 days, so as to have it continually auto off / sleep. I have awakened it dozens of times daily to use it or simply just to cycle through various functions as though I was using it. Before, I encountered freeze-ups almost daily. With GPS totally off, not one freeze-up. Mode 2 does periodically receive GPS signals during auto power off - aka sleep. I can't explain why, but I'm simply looking at results, i.e. cause and effect. GPS off, no freeze-ups. I haven't heard yet where anyone having freeze-ups has eliminated them by turning GPS off. I've now had two R3's and both had this issue, i.e. my settings. Since Canon recent firmware fixed another kind of freeze-up, I'm inclined to think that there are several causes floating around out there. I'm also inclined to think that while they are all R3's, there can well be differences between them below the surface. I've dealt with laptops before all purchased at the same time and the same exact model, but had differences in various chips on board and hence different drivers. So why not within camera models, especially given the shortage of electronics right now. It could well be that they have more than one source for various components. I'm only guessing, but that could explain some of these differences, i.e. some have issues and others don't. I'm going to tell Canon today of my experience and see how they respond, if they respond. They become quite silent on this issue of late.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

ebiggs1 — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 16:21:30 GMT

"They become quite silent on this issue of late."

It just could be they don't have a response yet. I am confident when they do, they will be on top of it. It's more complicated than just somebody's issues. They have to know figure out if ti is model wide or batch wide or just a certain assembly line or perhaps just a simple setting. Just be glad you aren't dealing with ......... !

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

Tronhard — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 01:31:56 GMT

I don't see a mention of what lens or lenses that you experience this issue with. Can you confirm what lens(es) you are using and, if you have other lenses, if the issue occurs with them please.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

sbunting — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 08:10:34 GMT

Lenses were with another post, but here goes. All Canon L glass. RF100-500, EF135, & EF17-35, the latter two with Canon adapters. Complete Canon all the way. CF card not an issue as it has occurred with the CF card removed. Two different SD cards, both high end and so I think you can rule out SD cards. The only thing I’ve done is disable GPS mode 2. Boom, no more freeze up for two weeks running.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

Mark1app — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 17:29:27 GMT

My R3 is also locking up. After turning off the GPS I have had no lock-ups.

I want to know what Canon is doing about this issue?

Mark Saylor

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

LindsayScar — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 20:34:28 GMT

I, too, was having freeze up issues. I have had my GPS off the last few days and so far have not had freeze up issues. Did Canon ever respond with a solution for this?

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

sbunting — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:38:23 GMT

I can't speak for Canon. I have passed along my observations to Canon and just today sent screenshots of the 3/25 and 4/28 posts indicating others found this solved the issue. I guess the answer is when they post an update to the firmware.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

sbunting — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:39:13 GMT

I have passed along my observations to Canon and just today sent screenshots of the 3/25 and 4/28 posts indicating others found this solved the issue. I guess the answer is when they post an update to the firmware.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

fgphoto — Sat, 07 May 2022 12:57:12 GMT

sbunting,

Thank you for your time isolating the issue and taking the time to post here with your solution. I have had the same issue and have been slowly trying different things (the same steps you have taken) but never considered the GPS... which I have set to Mode 2 in both of my cameras (and both have the odd lockup issue).

After turning off GPS I had about a four hour shoot last night and had no lockups at all... both cameras worked perfectly. Normally I would have experienced at least a couple lockups in that time.

Thank you again for your time running this down and sharing it with the rest of the community!

I also made a call to CPS to share your findings and that it did appear to be successful in solving the problem. The person I spoke to was particularly unhelpful and implied there was no way that turning off GPS would be a solution for a problem that was locking up the camera. I encouraged him to take a look at the forums here before making a blanket statement like that but he then doubled down to say it must be a hardware issue with my specific cameras because they have no data to show there is a lockup issue with the R3's... sigh...

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

babygiant — Wed, 25 May 2022 03:51:51 GMT

Thank you so much for going through all the trouble to figure this out. I was also having freeze issues (though for me, powering off / on does work and I don't need to do a battery pull). I have an R5 as a backup (no freezing so far) and when I power cycle the R3 it does work for some time until it experiences a nap / sleep. Then the freeze happens. I will report to Canon.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

dotsson — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 14:17:14 GMT

My R3 has locked up on 3 occasions. Have to remove battery and reinstall to "unfreeze". Once with EF 500 4.0, next two times were the EF 300 2.8, with Canon EF adapter.

GPS has been off since I bought it three weeks ago. No GPS whatsoever.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

fgphoto — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 14:25:13 GMT

So after more than a month and a half of turning off GPS I have not had a single lockup or freeze on either of my R3 bodies. Hopefully Canon is digging in to how this can be fixed. I have made a few more calls to CPS pointing out this issue and the no-GPS solution that makes the lockups go away, but thus far getting at most a lukewarm response from those answering the phone for CPS.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

shadowsports — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 17:55:54 GMT

They won't do anythng unless you guys say something.

Hit +Feedbck at the bootom of the page

Canon U.S.A., Inc. | Support

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

sbunting — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 18:47:03 GMT

I continue to write emails to customer service, at least once a month since December, and I've now left feedback. I know they monitor this forum, because at one point they asked me to make an edit about who in Canon I'd been working with. Continued silence is no way to treat a loyal customer, one who diagnosed their issue and confirmed it through others' like experience.

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

Canonoli — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 15:44:14 GMT

Same issue, my camera had the white box flashing as if it were taking images.
Had to pull the battery, and GPS has been off since day one.
R3 with adapter and EF 600mm attached. 😞

Re: Canon EOS R3 Freeze-up Issue - The likely cause!

fgphoto — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 17:17:50 GMT

Curious to see if the new R3 firmware also nips the GPS Mode 2 lockup bug. I plan on updating when I get back to my office and will turn GPS back on to see what happens. Has anyone else turned it back on with the new firmware?