What's with the new password requirement?

[Davoud]

Is this really necessary? Is there a bypass to avoid entering a password? If not, and if you find or steal my R5 or R5 Mk II, try 999999.

[Davoud]

Well, it screwed me over today. Perhaps I didn't understand the complex phrase "Don't Ask Again." I selected that option. I was outside in harsh sunlight, temperature perfect, bees and butterflies everywhere, R5 Mk II at the ready (or so I believed) with the RF 100 macro. Each time I raised the camera to my eye I saw the Enter Password demand. After telling it not to ask again. Difficult to enter even the simple PW in brilliant sunlight. Only after I came in and did an AI search did I learn that the camera has a "Manage Password" item under the yellow menu. That delay cost me some great photos of butterflies in flight. I just hope that the new setting persists. I don't like to hear insects saying "C'mon, idiot, I don't have all day."

[Davoud]

Wireless innovation and increasing device connectivity bring new
regulatory challenges...

I wonder if that should read new regulatory opportunities...

[LeeP]

We're far afield of cameras and camera solutions, and I acknowledge the tangent I helped set in motion, but nevertheless I agree with you.

[ArizonaBill]

The nine most feared words in the English language "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."  . . President Ronald Reagan.

Thank you EU governments for the password requirement!!!

[MadJack70]

I just got one of my EOS R7 bodies back from Canon Factory Service.   When my R7 was returned to me, it had a note stating that the firmware had been updated to Version 1.7.1.  This required me to assign a password to the camera at powerup and there was no way to bypass the password assignment requirement.  I later discovered that I could direct the camera to not ask me for a password to be entered.  Afterwards, I called Canon Level 2 Technical Support and asked the following question:  "What if I had the password use left turned on and forgot the password?"  I was told that the camera would then have to be sent to Canon Factory Service for repair.  The Canon Technician did not know exactly how Canon would reset the camera to allow it to again operate.  It's possible that a motherboard replacement could be required.  So, I guess you could end up spending a quarter to a third of the cost of the camera to ship it to Canon for repairs it if you forget the password.   This is not a very customer-friendly option.

[jrhoffman75]

---

@MadJack70 wrote:

I just got one of my EOS R7 bodies back from Canon Factory Service.   When my R7 was returned to me, it had a note stating that the firmware had been updated to Version 1.7.1.  This required me to assign a password to the camera at powerup and there was no way to bypass the password assignment requirement.  I later discovered that I could direct the camera to not ask me for a password to be entered.  Afterwards, I called Canon Level 2 Technical Support and asked the following question:  "What if I had the password use left turned on and forgot the password?"  I was told that the camera would then have to be sent to Canon Factory Service for repair.  The Canon Technician did not know exactly how Canon would reset the camera to allow it to again operate.  It's possible that a motherboard replacement could be required.  So, I guess you could end up spending a quarter to a third of the cost of the camera to ship it to Canon for repairs it if you forget the password.   This is not a very customer-friendly option.

---

That is a bogus response.

All that would need to be done is reset the camera. You would lose any custom settings; camera would be back to new out-of-the-box condition.

The password is not for theft protection. It is to comply with an EU requirement for protection of wireless passwords.

[MadJack70]

John, if you had left the password option turned on and then later forgot the password, you would have no access to the menus to perform a reset.  Nor could you reinstall a version of firmware.  Perhaps Canon has designed a backdoor for their use in such a case, but the Level 2 Tech Support member had no knowledge of it.       

[Stephen]

Hi.

Please watch the part of this video that I've marked:

[kvbarkley]

Don't you see this when asked to enter the password?

No menu needed, just hit "reset"

[MadJack70]

Stephen, does this mean that the setup menu is accessible on the camera without entering the password at powerup?   I guess I never tried that, before disabling the password use.