Firmware Friday: Another big week for updates as Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic squash bugs
posted Friday, May 23, 2014 at 3:24 PM EST
Last week's Firmware Friday roundup was uncharacteristically large, as Canon, Nikon, Ricoh and Olympus together updated no less than 16 cameras. Although this week isn't huge to quite the same degree, it's still decidedly above average, with another nine cameras receiving updates. Nikon and Olympus are again in the mix, and this week they're joined by Panasonic.
Starting off with Nikon, the company's US division has released updates for both the Coolpix P330 and P520 digital cameras. In both cases, an intermittent bug preventing startup after shooting a geotagged image has been resolved, as has a problem with camera lockups after shooting an image with subject tracking. The P330 also gets a fix for incorrect color when processing raw files in-camera using a fluorescent white balance preset.
Nikon has also updated the Coolpix S5300, S6600 and S6800, but these updates aren't yet available from Nikon USA. With all three cameras, it was possible that the camera wouldn't be able to start back up after a lens error, even if power-cycled. That problem has now been resolved, and the updated firmware is available from Nikon UK.
Get Nikon's updates at the links below:
Last week, Olympus updated its PEN E-P5 and Stylus 1 cameras, and this week the former gets another update. Last week's v1.4 firmware for the E-P5 inadvertently introduced a new bug, which has been quickly squashed. With the update installed, exposure variable display for ISO sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture didn't update, but the new Olympus E-P5 firmware v1.5 fixes this issue.
Two further Olympus cameras also receive updates this week. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 firmware version 1.4 update improves autofocus when shooting with Four Thirds lenses, and also makes stabilization better when shooting with continuous autofocus. E-M1 users will also receive improved Wi-Fi remote control as the Stylus 1 did last week, adding support for zoom control with power-zoom lenses, the digital tele-converter function, release mode, custom self timer, and Art Filter mode. The Olympus E-M10 firmware v1.1, meanwhile, gifts that camera with the zero-second Anti Shock mode setting (which uses an electronic first-curtain shutter to reduce vibration at 1/320 second shutter speeds or below), as previously introduced on the E-M1 and E-P5, and also gets improved stabilization when shooting videos.
All of Olympus' updates are available through the company's Olympus Digital Camera Updater software.
And finally, we come to Panasonic. The company has just released firmware version 1.3 for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, which makes two changes. Just like last month's update for the GM1, the Panasonic GX7 firmware version 1.3 update corrects a problem with connection to Apple iOS devices via Wi-Fi wireless networking. It also improves startup stability when shooting with a UHS-I compliant Secure Digital memory card. Get the GX7 v1.3 update here.
And that brings us to the end of another week's firmware updates. Watch this space for more in the next Firmware Friday roundup!
(Camera parts image courtesy of Kelly Hofer / Flickr; used under a Creative Commons CC-BY-2.0 license. Image has been modified from the original.)