Firmware Friday: Blackmagic cameras get new ProRes file formats; Nikon expands D810 support
posted Friday, July 18, 2014 at 3:29 PM EST
It's that time again, folks. The weekend is here, and with it, your weekly firmware update roundup. For this week's Firmware Friday, we have updates for four cameras and one camera accessory from Blackmagic and Nikon. The latter also has software updates for two apps which, although not technically firmware, we'll still cover.
We'll start with Blackmagic Design, though. We covered their recent version 1.8 updates for the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Blackmagic Production Camera 4K at the end of June, and now they've followed up with v1.8.2 updates for the same three cameras. An interim v1.8.1 update that we didn't spot last week also brought improvements for the Blackmagic Studio Camera.
While these are obviously niche products aimed at video specialists, at least one is a niche product you can easily afford. As you may have seen in yesterday's Camera Deals of the Day post, the Pocket Cinema Camera is currently selling at a 50% discount, priced under US$500. (Now you see why our Deals posts are worth following -- that's a pretty spectacular discount, and one you'd have kicked yourself for missing!)
So what's new in Blackmagic's v1.8.2 firmware? They've added support for three new Apple ProRes file formats with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Blackmagic Production Camera 4K: ProRes 422, ProRes 422 LT and ProRes 422 Proxy. The previous v1.8.1 update, meanwhile, added Line, Mic Low and Mic High gain settings for the audio level input, along with Remote Camera Control support when the Blackmagic Studio Camera is used with ATEM live production switchers. These changes carry through to today's v1.8.2 update.
Get the updates at the links below:
Nikon, meanwhile, has updated firmware for its UT-1 communications unit, a wired Ethernet accessory for the D7000, D7100, D800, D800E, D810, D4 and D4S DSLRs. The Nikon UT-1 v2.1 update adds support for the Nikon D810 DSLR, and the update can only be applied using the D810, D800, D800E or D7100.
No other changes are made in this update, so there's really no reason to install it anyway, if you're only using one of the other cameras. (Even if you have a D810 on the way, you can apply the update from the new camera when it arrives.) With that said, Nikon service centers can also apply the update for you. If you're doing it yourself, get the update file from Nikon USA here.
And finally, we come to the software updates. Nikon's Camera Control Pro 2.18.0 update drops support for Microsoft's twilighted Windows XP operating system, and adds support for the D810 DSLR and the recently-launched Capture NX-D app. As part of supporting the D810, it adds four new functions available only with that camera: highlight-weighed metering, flat picture control, a clarity option under image processing, and metering options for movies.
The Wireless Transmitter Utility 1.5.1 update, meanwhile, also drops support for Windows XP, and adds compatibility with the Nikon D810 DSLR, as well as Nikon's UT-1 communications unit when running the latest firmware.
(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.)