Firmware Friday: Catching up on news from Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Ricoh and Sony
posted Friday, May 18, 2018 at 9:31 PM EST
Firmware Friday has been on a brief hiatus the last couple of weeks, but it returns in style this week with news from almost all of the main players in the camera market. Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Ricoh and Sony are all represented in this roundup, which covers everything released in the last three weeks. (And so, brings you right back up to date if you're a regular follower of the column.)
There's a lot to talk about, so let's get right down to it!
Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x Lens
First up for this week's roundup, we have the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens, which apparently has been exhibiting occasional autofocus issues when shooting subjects from a distance of three meters using a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, 1D X, 1D C, 5Ds, 5Ds R, 5D Mark III or 5D Mark IV camera body. Firmware version 1.1.0 resolves the issue, and can be downloaded here.
Fuji GFX 50S, X-H1, X-Pro2 and X-T2
Firmware version 4.00 for the Fuji X-T2 was released on May 8th, but withdrawn nine days later and replaced with firmware version 4.01, which is functionally identical to the earlier version 3.00 release. If you're already running version 3.00, there's hence no reason to update right now, as you'll gain no advantage in so doing. If you're on version 4.00 already, you'll want to roll back to the earlier feature set using v4.01 firmware to avoid problems with camera lockups, live-view flickering and incorrect in-camera raw conversion.
So what did firmware version 4.00 bring? It was a significant update, improving low-light autofocus performance by 1.5 stops, and adding new features including focus bracketing, 120 fps Full HD slow-motion and F-Log video capture. It also added support for the Fujinon MKX18-55mm T2.9 and MKX50-135mm T2.9 cinema lenses, made the LCD and viewfinder indications customizable, added flicker reduction and in-camera folder management, and added support for settings backup and restoration using Fujifilm X Acquire. We're sure that all of these great new features will be returning in another v4.x update in the not too distant future.
At the same time as announcing the X-T2 issues and the interim v4.01 update, Fuji has also informed customers that it has had to delay its schedule for planned updates for the GFX 50S, X-H1 and X-Pro2 cameras. These were previously announced with planned availability from May 2018, but has now been postponed for further development and testing.
Oh, and X-T2 owners with v4.00 installed, download the v4.01 update here.
Nikon Coolpix S9900
The Nikon Coolpix S9900 has just received firmware version 1.2, which corrects two main issues. The first is a problem with location data being unreliable, and the second caused the shutter speed display not to flash even when the subject was too bright for optimal exposure. Both of these issues have been correct in firmware version 1.2, which you can download here.
Olympus E-M10 II, E-M10 III, PL7 and PL8
Firmware version 1.1 for the Olympus E-M10 II, E-M10 III and PL8, as well as firmware version 1.4 for the Olympus PL7, are all aimed at correcting autofocus issues with Panasonic's Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm f/2.8-4 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. and DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S. lenses. For the E-M10 Mark III, firmware version 1.1 also adds RC mode to the feature list. Updates can be downloaded and installed using the Olympus Digital Camera Updater.
Panasonic 12-60mm, 25mm, 30mm, 35-100mm and 42.5mm lenses; misc. accessories
Panasonic, meanwhile, has new firmware for its Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S., Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH., Lumix G Macro 30mm f/2.8 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S., Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f/4-5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. and Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lenses. In all cases, the sole change is improved focusing stability when the Lens Position Resume function is used.
Panasonic's lens firmware can be downloaded at the links below:
That's not quite all for Panasonic this time, however. The company has also released new firmware for its HC-X1 4K camcorder, AK-UCU600 camera control unit and BT-LH1770P LCD monitor. The HC-X1 firmware version 1.11 update fixes several minor, unspecified bugs, while the LCD monitor firmware version 1.28 adds network and closed caption functions, and fixes a problem with failure to power on after extended periods of disuse. Finally, the camera control unit firmware update resolves problems with E0 error messages displayed when turned on or GL is input. Download the XC-H1 firmware here, the LCD monitor firmware here, and the Camera Control Unit firmware here.
Ricoh Theta V
Like Fujifilm, Ricoh has also issued and then withdrawn firmware recently. Specifically, the company's firmware version 2.20.1 release for the Ricoh Theta V has been withdrawn because it caused issues when shooting HDR footage using the related smartphone apps. We'd expect the features it included -- bug fixes, improved live view frame rates and rotational shake correction for videos played with the remote playback plugin. Watch this space for more on a future update; in the meantime, the official release has been rolled back to version 2.11.1, as released in mid-March.
Sony A7R III
And finally for this week, we come to firmware version 1.10 for the Sony A7R III. Here, there are a half-dozen or so changes, as follows:
-
Adds the menu option to select Pixel Shift Multi Shooting (On: Shooting Interval 0.5sec)
Note: When using an A-mount lens via an adaptor (LA-EA1/ LA-EA2/ LA-EA3/ LA-EA4), the interval might be slightly longer. When the camera is connected to PC, please use the latest version of the Imaging Edge software. -
Adds support for bracketing during silent shooting with uncompressed RAW
-
Adds support for tuning of the peaking display level for S-Log shooting
-
Makes improvements for a condition where the Eye AF does not work with certain camera settings
-
Makes improvements for a condition where Viewfinder Brightness is not reflected correctly in the Manual setting
-
Improves overall stability of camera
You can download Sony's A7R III firmware version 1.10 update here.
And that's all for this week. Be sure to check back next time for more firmware news, hopefully back on our regular, weekly schedule!
(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.)