Do you update the firmware of your camera?

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Do you update the firmware of your camera?
Is it really important? Is it advantageous?
Cheers,
Antonio.

[MrB]

Yes. Pentax release few camera-firmware updates but when they do, whatever else they contain, they include the statement, "Improved stability for general performance." So it seems reasonable to me to assume that it is always worth having.

Philip

[Shadowman]

I do, manufacturer's usually tell you the reason for the update.

[DanK]

Yes


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Manfred M]

There are two reasons that a manufacturer updates the firmware:

1. Fix "bugs" and

2. Add functionality.

In general, I would agree with what everyone else has written but with a caveat. Sometimes a "bug fix" can degrade camera performance.

I had this happen to one of my cameras, but can't recall exactly what the issue was. Let me make up an example to illustrate a scenario:

A small number of users report an issue with flash synchronization speed with their cameras; some users report that a black bar appears in some of their flash pictures. The camera company does some research and finds that the manufacturing specs on the shutter are not tight enough and due to manufacturing variability a small percentage of shutters have this problem. The fix is to do a firmware update that sets a slightly lower synchronization speed and this will be implemented on all cameras that have the firmware updated. As a photographer with a "good" shutter mechanism, installing this patch would degrade my camera performance. Should I install the firmware update or not as I am not having any issues?

[Geoff F]

Tried an update once and got in a terrible state of confusion without anything actually being updated. I have read about some people having considerable problems after attempting to do an update.

However, when I occasionally send a camera away for a professional clean and check it comes back with updated firmware. So I will stick with that method in future.

[pschlute]

Have a look what the manufacturer says the firmware update actually is. With my camera firmware updates have added Electronic first curtain shutter; square crop mode options; and timer options in Bulb mode. Lens corrections for newly released lenses are also usually included.

If the update is for a lens I don't own or not of any practical use I will wait for the next update.

I have never had a problem updating. Just make sure you use a formatted clean card and a full battery......AND read the instructions !!

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Yes. Pentax release few camera-firmware updates but when they do, whatever else they contain, they include the statement, "Improved stability for general performance." So it seems reasonable to me to assume that it is always worth having.

Philip

Philip,
Thank you for your opinion.
Cheers,
Antonio.

[Panama Hat & Camera]

I do, manufacturer's usually tell you the reason for the update.

John,
The firmware of my Nikon D5300 is the 1.0. Here is what I found in Nikon site.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.00 to 1.01
• AF-P DX NIKKOR 18–55​mm f/3.5–5.6G VR and AF-P DX NIKKOR 18–55​mm f/3.5–5.6G lenses are now supported. Vibration reduction can be enabled or disabled using the new Optical VR option in the photo SHOOTING MENU, which is displayed when an AF-P DX NIKKOR 18–55​mm f/3.5–5.6G VR lens is attached.
• Fixed the following issues:
- Choosing negative values for Exposure compensation in the RETOUCH MENU > NEF (RAW) processing display did not have the desired effect.
- Continued scrolling of the menus for some languages would cause the camera to freeze.
Note
Once this firmware is installed, the Windows edition of Camera Control Pro 2 versions 2.22.0 and earlier will no longer be able to detect the camera. Upgrade to version 2.23.0 or later.

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.02 to 1.03:
• The SETUP MENU > Time zone and date > Time zone display now shows only the names of major cities in the currently selected zone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for the tip!
Cheers,
Antonio.

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Yes


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Dan,
Thank you for answering my question.
All the best,
Antonio.

[Panama Hat & Camera]

There are two reasons that a manufacturer updates the firmware:

1. Fix "bugs" and

2. Add functionality.

In general, I would agree with what everyone else has written but with a caveat. Sometimes a "bug fix" can degrade camera performance.

I had this happen to one of my cameras, but can't recall exactly what the issue was. Let me make up an example to illustrate a scenario:

A small number of users report an issue with flash synchronization speed with their cameras; some users report that a black bar appears in some of their flash pictures. The camera company does some research and finds that the manufacturing specs on the shutter are not tight enough and due to manufacturing variability a small percentage of shutters have this problem. The fix is to do a firmware update that sets a slightly lower synchronization speed and this will be implemented on all cameras that have the firmware updated. As a photographer with a "good" shutter mechanism, installing this patch would degrade my camera performance. Should I install the firmware update or not as I am not having any issues?

Manfred,
Thank you for your explanation.
Regards,
Antonio.

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Tried an update once and got in a terrible state of confusion without anything actually being updated. I have read about some people having considerable problems after attempting to do an update.

However, when I occasionally send a camera away for a professional clean and check it comes back with updated firmware. So I will stick with that method in future.

Geoff,
Thank you for sharing your experience. My camera is performing so well and...I'm affraid of some kind of confusion.
Cheers,
Antonio.

[Antonio Correia]

Can't you make a back-up to the CD card for example, before updating ?

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Have a look what the manufacturer says the firmware update actually is. With my camera firmware updates have added Electronic first curtain shutter; square crop mode options; and timer options in Bulb mode. Lens corrections for newly released lenses are also usually included.

If the update is for a lens I don't own or not of any practical use I will wait for the next update.

I have never had a problem updating. Just make sure you use a formatted clean card and a full battery......AND read the instructions !!

Peter,
Thank you for sharing your experience.
I think I won't update the firmware of my camera because:
- I don't have a AF-P DX NIKKOR 18–55​mm f/3.5–5.6G lens;
- I don't use the retouch menu;
- The other changes are not important for me.
Then, I will wait for the next update.
Regards,
Antonio.

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Can't you make a back-up to the CD card for example, before updating ?

António,
Yes, I can make a backup for a SD card, but now I'm preferring to wait for the next update.
Thanks for your advice.
Cheers,
Antonio.

[rpcrowe]

Updating firmware is a straight forward evolution and can often gain usability for your camera. As an example Antonio Correia's Sony A7iii will gain some tremendous auto focus improvements by installing the latest firmware. I am waiting anxiously for the expected firmware update for my Sony A6400 which will add Animal Eye-AF the the already superb AF of that camera.

There are usually straight forward instructions on how to update firmware on the Internet and quite often you can find a YouTube video on how to update firmware for specific cameras.