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!
"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.
I was wondering what the OP was talking about since I use the app pretty frequently and haven't had to make an account. Guess that clears it up; I won't be updating it in the future.
when doing macrophotography (you'll never guess the subject),
Close, but it could arguably be something compensating for the same!
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
mmmm steamed broccoli. drools
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.
This is a useless comment.
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'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.
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?
Are you sure?
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.
Whats the modelname of your camera? How are you trying to access the files?
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.
Using your Canon ID to login to Canon’s digital camera software and apps will give you access to quick and easy product registration, tailored notifications about firmware, software updates, equipment notifications, new product announcements, and more to help optimize your experience with your Canon equipment.
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.
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...
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.
the CRA website? I've been able to access it on Firefox (through Linux) without being hassled.
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.
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.
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.
This actually made me curious enough to dig just a little deeper down this rabbit hole, so I did a little Googling Ducking 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
The day has finally come: Nvidia no longer requires a login to access its graphics card software. The new Nvidia App has just been released in beta and effectively replaces the GeForce Experience app, and one of the first things many of you will notice is how you can access ostensibly the entire software suite without logging into an Nvidia account.
"Your identity isn't essential to this experience," an Nvidia spokesperson said of the decision.
Nvidia first introduced a mandatory login for the GeForce Experience app in 2016, and it's been widely criticised as a bad move ever since. There are threads on Reddit and Nvidia's own forums filled with complaints from users, but after nearly eight years it felt like a done deal.
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. ☹️
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 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
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?
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.
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.
Much like every telehealth experience I’ve had in the past 3 years.
Telehealth software is some of the lowest quality slop out there... You would think security and privacy would a factor in this segment... It ain't 🤡
also one of the things behind the decline private doctor care in general too.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Enshittification at its finest
Oh that’s too bad. Guess I’m not buying that shit.
Hey fellow canon man - https://lemm.ee/post/60130414
😀😀😀 Looks like I missed the memo on Lemmy 🤭🤭
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.
Vendor software is always a pile of shame. Can't you just copypaste images?
Edit: oh, mobile.
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.
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).
Calling bullshit (not on you, op, but on Canon).
In terms of the chrome only thing, you can probably use a UA switcher on firefox and it will probs let you in. It's probably just checking your user agent, nothing more.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Trebuchet > Canon
Catapults > Trebuchet
Ballista > Catapult.
(Orbital ion cannon > Ballista.)
Canon has dropped the ball so hard imo. Most of my other video friends and contacts who use dslrs switched to Sony.
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.
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.
They've really gone downhill since the AE-1.
And another one...
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.
Anyways, learn to use a SD Card maybe.
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.
Well canon seems like a product to avoid. This person shouldn't now know better for their future purchases l.
I’d just return and leave a bad review lol
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
but you can only transfer photos compressed to 2MB jpeg.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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...
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?
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.
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.
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.
Maybe cause he's on the spectrum and you are picking up on that
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
The youtuber Adam Something is like that too imo
Glad I'm not alone on that. I love reading about him, but I can't watch his videos.
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.
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.
There is a wiki for tracking these?
https://consumerrights.wiki/Main_Page
I heard he was entertaining the thought of turning his role in Tropic Thunder into a full spinoff movie.
That's Les Grossman.