Canon: 5D Mark III light leak response, new firmware

Canon USA has now published its findings after an investigation into the reported light leak problems with the EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR. While it has confirmed the change of exposure value shown by the camera when the top panel LCD's backlight is activated, it says that its in-house testing has confirmed that this does not cause a noticeable impact on final images.

The problem is said to be limited to cameras whose sixth serial number digit is 1 or 2. Canon goes on to state that the issue should have no impact in "almost all shooting conditions (including dark environments)", however nonetheless it is arranging a free-of-charge inspection program for customers concerned by the problem, starting from mid-May.

Simultaneously, Canon has released new firmware for the 5D Mark III. Changes made in firmware version 1.1.2 are as follows, according to the official change log:

1. Supports a new accessory, GPS receiver GP-E2.

2. Fixes a phenomenon where a pink cast may develop over the image when the shutter is completely pressed with the camera’s power turned off (by the auto power off setting).

3. Fixes a phenomenon where the camera operation stops after one shot when shooting in High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode.

4. Fixes a phenomenon where the Shooting Date/Time in the EXIF data of the image shows a later time than the actual shooting time.

5. Fixes the time zone for the Samoa Islands.

6. Corrects errors in the Finnish menu screen.