Firmware Friday: 8 Leica cameras get new features; Nikon tweaks Coolpix P1000 and 180-400mm f/4 zoom

 TC

 

 

This week's Firmware Friday roundup is a tale of just two companies. If you're a Nikon or Leica shooter, you'll want to read on. If not, we'd suggest checking out some of our other recent content instead. (How about our Fuji X-T3 First Shots, our first Canon EOS R field test or our Fuji GFX 50R hands-on and gallery.

For those of you who're still with us, let's see what's new!

Leica CL, M10, M10-P, S (Typ 007), SL (Typ 601), T (Typ 701), TL and TL2

Starting off with Leica, since the company has the bulk of the news this time around, with no less than eight of its cameras receiving new firmware. Of these, six get the same handful of changes, including the Leica CL v2.1, Leica M10 v2.6.5.0, Leica M10-P v2.6.5.1, Leica T (Typ 701) v1.9, Leica TL v2.4 and Leica TL2 v1.5. Changes in all of these are as follows:

• NEW: Compatible with the new Leica FOTOS app
  Connect your smartphone to your Leica camera

• NEW: QR Code for all Leica Cameras
  Easy pairing of smartphone and Leica cameras.

• NEW: 1-Click Connection with FN-Button
  WLAN starts without submenus on FN-button.

• NEW: Fixed WLAN name and password
  No submenus for setting name and password.

• NEW: No submenus for mode settings
  No submenus for setting a connection mode.

That just leaves the Leica S (Typ 007) v5.0.0.0 and Leica SL (Typ 601) v3.3. The SL (Typ 601) gets a longer 10-second auto power off timeout, and a new Auto Review option which optionally allows review while the shutter button is pressed. It's the S (Typ 007) which gets the bulk of the changes, as follows:

• New Feature: Improved Video Operation Start/Stop Video recording via Leica Cable Release S (order no. 16029) when Video Live View is active

• New Feature: Additional Photo Mask (3:1) for better composing. Supported by Adobe Lightroom®.

• New Feature: Maximum Exposure Time extended to 2min.

• New Feature: Center Marking for Live View Autofocus field

• New Feature: Customize Controls for Front Wheel Direction

• Bug fix: GPS Tag was sometimes corrupt within a picture sequence

• Bug fix: under some circumstances the mirror got stuck after a series of 200 to 400 exposures

• Bug fix: under some circumstances the camera produced color patterns with the Leica Vario-Elmar-S 3.5-5.6 / 30-90mm ASPH.

You can find and download all of these firmware updates on the company's website here.

Nikon Coolpix P1000, 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4, SB-5000, WT-7, Camera Control Pro 2 and Wireless Transmitter Utility

With Leica complete, that just leaves Nikon for this week. The company has adjusted some compensation values for .NRW raw data in Nikon Coolpix P1000 firmware version 1.1, and fixed a problem with uneven peripheral illumination when shooting wide-angle with vibration reduction using the AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens in firmware version 1.01. The SB-5000 Speedlight gets new support for the Z6 and Z7 mirrorless cameras and the D3500 DSLR in firmware version 14.003, while the WT-7 wireless transmitter also gets Z6 and Z6 support in its v1.3 update. Finally, the company has new releases of two software packages: Camera Control Pro v2.27.0 gets support for the Z7, including the following:

• Target-tracking AF

• AE lock only, Vibration reduction, and Diffraction compensation

• Support for Vignette control, Auto distortion control, and AF-area mode and Focus mode selection during movie recording

• A Record timecodes option

• Support for Output data depth and N-Log setting options when the camera is connected to external video recorders

And Wireless Transmitter Utility v1.8.0 gets support for Wi-Fi pairing and sharing with the Nikon Z7, too.

That's all for this week. Be sure to check back next time for more firmware news!

(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.)