Firmware Friday: New lens support for Pentax K-1, K-1 II; EF-mount lenses from Sigma updated too

 

 

After last week's mondo roundup, things have returned to normalcy on the Firmware Friday desk, and we have news of just nine products -- two cameras and seven lenses -- having received new firmware in the past week. The cameras are both DSLRs from Ricoh's Pentax brand, which has also updated its Digital Camera Utility software. The remainder of the news comes from Japanese optics company Sigma, which has updated five of its Canon EF-mount lenses, one Nikon F-mount lens, plus its Canon EF-Sony E mount converter.

Let's roll up our sleeves and find out what's new!

Pentax K-1 and K-1 II, plus Digital Camera Utility 5

Firmware version 1.51 for the Pentax K-1 (download here) and version 1.03 for the K-1 Mark II (download here) both make the exact same change: Added support for the HD PENTAX-DA*11-18mmF2.8ED DC AW lens which just started shipping. And that's the sole tweak made; the company typically promises "improved stability for general performance", but hasn't done so for these releases.

Alongside the new firmware, Ricoh has also shipped an update for Pentax's Digital Camera Utility 5, version 5.8.2 (download here for Windows or here for MacOS), with a fair few changes as follows:

• Added [Slow Shutter Speed NR] on shooting information display.

• Added new lens name for [HD PENTAX- FA 35mm F2]

• Corrected – When specifying and changing to fine sharpness in Laboratory mode, fine sharpness setting information is not included in the file.

• Corrected – In synchronous display of multiple images, when double-click on one image and displaying it at the same magnification, the display positions of the other images are synchronized.

• Corrected – The image direction initialization check box in the image size changing dialog is always on.

• Corrected to scroll when the text in the specified folder field of the save multiple images dialog is long.

• Corrected – The color sample display and the RGB value display of the image information panel displayed incorrect coordinate information depending on the model in Laboratory mode.

• Corrected – In the image file developed by saving the image shooting with monotone, the color value of the shooting information is recorded as -2.

• Corrected – Fine sharpness setting is not displayed in shooting information display filed when displaying image file shooting with old model (K20D, K-m etc.).

Sigma 17-70mm, 18-35mm, 18-200mm, 24-70mm, 50-100mm, 100-400mm and MC-11 EF-E mount converter

Sigma, meanwhile, has updates for the Canon EF-mount variants of five of its lenses from the Contemporary and Art lines. From the Contemporary line, the 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM, 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM and 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM have each received new firmware. From the Art line, it's the 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM and 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM lenses receiving the new firmware.

Firmware version 2.01 for the 17-70mm and 18-200mm, version 2.02 for the 18-35mm and 50-100mm and version 2.04 for the 100-400mm lens all make the same single change. Compatibility has been added with the 1.6x focal-length crop mode of the Canon EOS R, either set automatically or with Scene Intelligent Auto mode.

And finally for the lenses, the 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Art lens for Nikon F-mount has received firmware version 1.03, which corrects a bug that could cause overexposure when dropping the aperture from F5.6 while shooting with the Nikon Z6 or Z7 cameras and Mount Adapter FTZ. You can get all of these updates using Sigma's optional USB dock accessory and Optimization Pro software.

At the same time, the company has also updated its MC-11 EF-E mount converter. Firmware version 1.22 for the MC-11 EF-E adds compatibility with the previous five lenses once updated to their new firmware versions. Update using Optimization Pro, as with the lenses, but using the bundled USB cable instead of the USB dock.

(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.)