Disappointment over multiple exposures in new Canon cameras

Sunday 6 July 2025, 13:13 by Nando Harmsen | 4,340 views | 12 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

I make grateful use of the multiple exposure option in my Canon camera. The result is a raw file. But Canon, in all its wisdom, has decided this is no longer possible. Will my current camera be the last new camera I buy?

I really enjoy taking multiple exposures. I started doing this with the Canon EOS 5D mark IV. When I switched to the Canon EOS R5, I only started doing it more. Unfortunately, this seems to be the last camera that offers this.

Nando Canon multiple exposure restriction

It says so in the manual. What a disappointment.
I photograph in raw image format. With multiple exposures, the result is also saved as a raw file. If I want, I can also choose an existing raw file from the card for the first image. This offers a wealth of creative possibilities.

Unfortunately, I noticed that the Canon EOS R6 mark II does not save the result of multiple exposures in raw file format. It is a jpeg. As a photographer, you lose all ability to edit this as a normal raw file.

To make matters worse, I cannot choose an existing raw file as the first image either. It has to be a jpeg. If you always photograph in raw, you lose that option altogether. You are required to save both raw and jpeg files if you want to use this option.

I was already having doubts about upgrading. But without raw for multiple exposures, I certainly will not buy this Canon EOS R5 mark II.
This gave me a very bad feeling. And indeed, the Canon EOS R5 mark II also turns out to no longer save multiple exposures as a raw file. This is a major disappointment, and a reason not to switch to this new camera.

Multiple exposures are an important part of my photography. Canon, in all its wisdom, has decided to remove the functionality from new cameras. And it is not just Canon, Nikon is suffering from this problem too.

The fact that Canon saved multiple exposures as a raw file was precisely a good reason to remain loyal to this brand.

Canon has made several strange decisions over the past year that are not very motivating. The aperture ring on new lenses that only works with the latest cameras is a well-known example.

Canon's decision to remove raw from multiple exposures is the next disappointment. Unless Canon reverses this decision, the EOS R5 will be the very last new camera I buy. When it needs replacing, I will simply buy a second-hand model.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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12 comments

Hennie Terheijden wrote on Sunday 6 July 2025 at 13:50 | reply
Seems like a bit of an emotional reaction to me. As if the choice of a camera is mainly determined by 1 specific feature. But cheer up, to spare the camera you only use it when you want to use this option; it'll have a long life yet. For the rest of your photos you must surely have another camera ??
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 09:15 | reply
Imagine: how would you react if you could no longer shoot raw with newer cameras when you switch to continuous shooting? That’s not what you want, is it?

Removing a specific function that is used a lot certainly does provoke an emotional reaction.
The suggestion to keep an extra camera around for a specific function is not realistic. And certainly not workable.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 14:23 | reply
Nando, I agree with you. I do wonder if the raw images of the individual images are also kept? Just like with, for example, the focus stack of the R7
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 14:33 | reply
That is indeed possible. You can have the raw images saved separately. But then they are no longer in-camera multiple exposures. That difference is extremely important to me.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 14:48 | reply
Nando,I share your opinion, but if it can't be done the way it should, then it has to be done the way it can.
Translated from Dutch.

Raphaël De Vos wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 21:36 | reply
As far as I understand: if you photograph in both Raw and JPG at the same time, the possibility remains to use both each recorded Raw copy and JPG copy as such. In that case I would indeed switch to always taking Raw and JPG together, which is what I always do now anyway. That does require somewhat more file size, but nowadays you also have cards from 128GB to 256GB and even more. So you shouldn't focus on that.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 9 July 2025 at 09:27 | reply
You can indeed shoot raw+jpeg if you think you're going to use an image for double exposures.
The problem is that this was never necessary, because you could select raw for that image.
But the bigger problem is that the result of double exposures is now in jpeg instead of raw from now on.
This is not an upgrade but a downgrade.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 23:00 | reply
Raphaël, I don't think you understood it correctly. This is about in-camera multiple exposures. The camera automatically merges them into a result in jpg. Even if you photographed in raw. The same thing happens with the in-camera focus stack on Canon's R7. The camera performs the stack itself and selects a number of raw files for it. Once the camera is finished, you have a final result that is a jpg file. If you want to edit the raw files yourself, you have to import them into, for example, Lightroom.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Wednesday 9 July 2025 at 11:18 | reply
Nando, let that be clear: I think your criticism of Canon (and Nikon) is completely justified. If you shoot a multiple exposure in Raw, then the end result should ALSO be a Raw image. The way it is currently arranged, that amounts to putting the cart before the horse.
I think it could help if as many photographers as possible start voicing criticism directly to Canon and of course Nikon as well. For the developers, it should be a piece of cake to adjust the software (because that is ultimately what it is).
The annoying thing about the current method (jpg end product) is that it may also be linked to one of the camera profiles that can be set. If, for example, it is set to landscape and your multiple exposure was a portrait, then the colors will be wrong and you have to start correcting that as well. Whereas a raw image does not take the camera profiles into account.
Translated from Dutch.

Wilfried wrote on Wednesday 9 July 2025 at 12:14 | reply
Which brands still have that option?
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Nando wrote on Wednesday 9 July 2025 at 12:32 | reply
Nikon has the option, with the result in jpeg
Canon has the option, but no longer with the result in raw and only jpeg
Sony does not have the option at all
Olympus can only do it with an existing photo as the first image.
Fujifilm does not have the option as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong)
I don't know about Panasonic.
I don't know about Pentax
Translated from Dutch.

Ilse wrote on Wednesday 9 July 2025 at 19:10 | reply
I think the Sony RX10 4 also has in-camera multiple exposure.
Translated from Dutch.

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