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!
Trebuchet > Canon
Catapults > Trebuchet
Ballista > Catapult.
(Orbital ion cannon > Ballista.)
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.
I’m just waiting for that WebAntivirus support to land in chrome, for all those websites that tell you to install an antivirus.
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 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.
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.
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.
I think it’s a bit hilarious that touching the camera is considered such a hassle now.
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!
When I learned photography we had to finish the reel and spend a day in a darkroom before we could see the final product.
That’s when photography existed as a skilled art, and a more enjoyable hobby. I miss those times.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
Vendor software is always a pile of shame. Can’t you just copypaste images?
Edit: oh, mobile.
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. 😵
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?
Shit, no more Canon then.
FYI if you’re shooting tethered the live view functionality and performance of Capture One is infinitely better.
They’ve really gone downhill since the AE-1.
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
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.
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
Not to mention likely cataloged by geotag and used for “targeted marketing” by Canon and “select partners”.
That shit is just creepy.
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.
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.
It might have been CDHK, which is also what I run on my old SX130IS.
Probably used to train an AI model as well
This is actually the real reason behind the change
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.
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
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.
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?
