Why does Canon go cheap sometimes on parts?

[Chris Summers]

I noticed the EVF eyecup on my R7 was torn. I wasn't sure how that might have happened and I've never had it happen with the many Canon bodies I have owned. Looked online for parts to avoid sending it to Canon. Turns out it's quite a problem with lots of R7 owners complaining about how flimsy the silicone rubber is. My tear was relatively minor compared to images of some where the rubber was 50% torn off.

I decided to go with one that seems popular on Amazon made by JCC and under the name Kiwi-Fotos. $16.99 and tax and it came overnight. The eyecup is deeper so blocks more extraneous light but that might mean those who shoot with glasses on will not like it. While my eyesight has grown worse over the years, I don't wear glasses while shooting and just adjust the diopter for my vision.

The kit come with a small Phillips magnetic screwdriver and 4 additional machine screws in case you loose yours. These screws are really tiny and were screwed in quite tight so I was careful to apply pressure so as not to strip out the head of the screw. You only have to remove the 2 screws on the underside, swap out the eyecup and replace the screws.

Back to my question. You would think Canon would know by now the eyecup is crap and have upgraded newer R7 cameras. Another poorly made part is the tripod foot for the RF 100-500mm lens. I read numerous reviews that mentioned how great the lens was overall but that the tripod foot does not stay locked in place when you tighten the thumb screw. And once again, JCC comes to the rescue with a replacement that tightens down better and also has the Arca Swiss groove machined into the base of the tripod foot.

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[Only RF]

I don’t know. Everyone in every industry tries to save money. The original cups could be manufactured by a subcontractor who used a different material.

Mine tore as well and I didn’t like the JCC replacement so ordered the stock part.

 

[ShipleyNW]

I've never personally torn an eyecup on an R body, but I did buy a used R5 where the eyecup was a little chewed up. I replaced it with an aftermarket one that looks just like the original. (I saw those aftermarket ones with the deep cup, but since I wear glasses, I wasn't too interested in that.)

Replacing the eyecup on the R5 was quite a bit more complicated than replacing them on my Canon DSLRs. Instead of the clip-on eyecups on say a 5D4, the one on the R5 gets mounted up with a couple of tiny machine screws. That might be part of the problem.

With the clip-on versions, the whole thing would just break free. I used to buy aftermaket DSLR eyecups by the bag full. They were cheap and I was always losing them. I guess with the new ones that mount up securely, they probably tear now instead of just breaking or falling off. The good news about the new ones is that they don't break off or just come off in use. Other than the one that came torn, I've never torn one myself.