Firmware Friday: A staggering 53 updates, all but one for Canon, Fuji, Leica, Olympus or Panasonic ILCs!
posted Friday, December 1, 2017 at 10:43 PM EDT
Our Firmware Friday roundup this week has gone absolutely stratospheric, with news of a mind-blowing 52 interchangeable-lens camera and camcorder updates, plus one for a hybrid instant camera. Admittedly, we probably can't count this as a Firmware Friday record; part of the reason for the deluge is that in our turkey-stuffed post-Thanksgiving stupor, we didn't quite get to last week's roundup. (It's the first roundup we've missed since July, when we went a week without spotting any firmware news, and so we've included last week's news in this week's fortnight-long roundup instead.)
Without any further ado, let's find out what's new!
Canon 1D X, 1D X II, 5D III, 5DS R and 6D
Canon has updates for five of its DSLR models as listed above, with all five updates having been released a little over a week ago. All five updates fix an issue with irregular exposures when shooting in silent live-view mode with the TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro or TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lenses mounted. For the 5D III and 6D, that's also the only change made, but the other models all bring some more tweaks in their new updates.
The Canon 1DX II and 5DS R updates also add support for chromatic aberration correction, peripheral illumination correction, distortion correction, and Digital Lens Optimizer functions when processing raw files shot with the TS-E 17mm f/4L, TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II, TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro, or TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lenses using Canon's Digital Photo Professional app. They also now comply with the version 2.31 flavor of the EXIF file format standard, which was released back in July 2016 and adds tags for recording UTC time zone offsets, temperature, humidity, pressure, water depth, acceleration, and pitch angle. (Not that Canon will necessarily be using all of these, mind you; they're just what's available in the standard.)
You can download Canon's new firmware at the links below:
Fujifilm GFX 50S, X-A1, X-A2, X-A3, X-A10, X-E1, X-E2, X-E2S, X-M1, X-Pro1, X-Pro2, X-T1, X-T2, X-T10, X-T20, X100F, SQ10 and X Acquire / X Raw Studio software
Fuji has an impressively long list of camera updates in the last fortnight, with no less than 14 ILCs and one Instax instant camera model being showered with love, and updates for two more models on the way. In most cases -- that is, for the X-A1, X-A2, X-A3, X-A10, X-E1, X-E2, X-E2S, X-M1, X-Pro1, X-T1 and X-T10, there is just a single change made. All of these cameras should now offer better autofocus accuracy with the XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro lens mounted. The GFX 50S, X-T2 and X-T20 also get some extra goodies, though.
All three of these cameras share new support for the recently-launched Fuji Instax Share SP-3, an instant photo printer capable of producing low-res square prints that are 2.4 inches on each side. (The paper itself is 2.8 x 3.4 inches in size.) For the X-T20, the only other change is support for using the touch-panel as a touch-pad while shooting through the viewfinder. (You can select whether you'd prefer to use the whole screen area, only the left or right sides, or disable the entire touchpad function.)
The Fuji GFX 50S and X-T2 not only add support for the Instax Share SP-3 as previously mentioned, but also compatibility with Fujifilm X Acquire version 1.7 for Windows or Mac platforms, as well as for Fujifilm X Raw Studio version 1.0 on Macintosh. (The Windows version of the app hasn't yet been released.) And both cameras also share a new AF tracking algorithm which is said to double AF-C performance and allow tracking subjects half the size. And the pair also now feature support for high-speed sync and TTL mode on compatible third-party strobes (the latter via their radio controllers).
Each does have a few updates specific to itself, though. For the GFX 50S, there's a new Eye Sensor + LCD Image Display view mode which allows image preview through the viewfinder, but defaults to the LCD monitor for image review. You can also optionally disable the command dial's 1/3 EV increments to reduce the likelihood of unintended exposure adjustments. You can also prevent the camera from allowing the shutter to be tripped without a flash card inserted, and there are two new, even less-bright settings for the viewfinder brightness to help preserve your night vision on low-light shoots.
And for the X-T2, you can now view an RGB histogram and a blinking highlight clipping warning if you press the function button to which you've designated the histogram function. Fuji has also fixed a problem which prevented the live view feed (whether in the viewfinder or on the LCD) from accurately reflecting the final image exposure if using auto sensitivity and you've changed the exposure compensation with the command dial.
As if that wasn't already plenty, Fuji has also released version 1.0 of Fujifilm X Raw Studio on the Macintosh platform, as well as version 1.7 of its Fujifilm X Acquire app for Windows and Mac OS. X-Raw Studio is currently compatible only with the GFX 50S and X-T2 running current firmware, but updates for the X-Pro2 and X100F are said to be coming this December 2017. Fuji X Acquire v1.7, meanwhile, adds support for settings backup and restoration for the GFX 50S, X-T1 or X-T2, so long as your camera is updated to the current firmware release first.
And finally for Fuji's news is the instax Square SQ10, a hybrid instant film camera which is now on version 2.0 firmware. Autofocus performance is said to have been improved by 30%, and you can now print images even after they've been edited by external applications like Photoshop. There's also a new "part color" function, the camera will now return to shooting mode automatically after a few seconds of image playback, you can delete your print history, and the camera now displays auto printing information when first powered on.
Download Fuji's firmware at the links below!
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Fuji X Raw Studio v1.0 for Mac OS (Windows not yet available)
Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246), M (Typ 240), M-P (Typ 240), M (Typ 262), M-D (Typ 262), M-E (Typ 220), M9, M9-P, M10 and TL2
Eight of Leica's cameras have received updates this week, and two more look likely to receive them in short order, as they're mentioned in other cameras' firmware release notes, but haven't yet received new firmware themselves. The Leica M-P (Typ 240) and M-E (Typ 220) are the models for which we think firmware updates are incoming, while that for the remainder of the list above has already landed on the company's website.
All but the Leica TL2 have received support for the new Noctilux-M 75 f/1.25 Asph. and Thambar-M 90 f/2.2 lenses. For the Leica M-E (Typ 220), M9, M9-P and M10, that's the only change made. For the M Monochrom (Typ 246), M (Typ 240), M-P (Typ 240), M (Typ 262) and M-D (Typ 262), there's also a fix for a bug which caused occasional underexposures in flash photography.
And lastly, the Leica TL2's new firmware adds support for the Elmarit-TL 18 f/2.8 Asph. lens. Download Leica's firmware at the links below!
Olympus A01, E-M1, E-M1 II, E-M5, E-M5 II, E-M10, E-M10 II, E-M10 III, E-P1, E-P2, E-P3, E-P5, E-PL1, E-PL1s, E-PL2, E-PL3, E-PL5, E-PL6, E-PL7, E-PL8, E-PM1, E-PM2 and PEN-F
Almost half of the update news in this week's roundup -- at least, in terms of the number of models covered -- is that from Olympus. The company has discovered an issue that can prevent autofocus working properly on all of the above cameras when shooting with Panasonic's Leica DG ELMARIT 200mm / F2.8 / Power O.I.S. (H-ES200) lens mounted. A fix for the problem is to be released for all of these models, with a staggered release in three waves.
First to receive the updates will be the E-M1 Mark II, E-M5 Mark II and PEN-F, with availability of a fix slated for February 2018. Fixes for the E-M1, E-M10 Mark II, E-M10 Mark III, E-PL7and E-PL8 are expected to follow in Spring 2018, and the remainder of the cameras in the list above should receive their firmware by the end of 2018.
Panasonic AU-EVA1
And lastly for this week, we come to firmware version 1.06 for the Panasonic AU-EVA1 video camera. Interestingly, here there are said to be no changes in terms of operation, functionality or performance. So why the new firmware? Rather cryptically, Panasonic states that the firmware "is only for the improvement of [the] production process". The v1.06 update does, of course, roll in the changes made in the previous v1.05 update, namely a fix for frame sequence issues when shooting in variable frame rate mode on earlier firmware. We wouldn't recommend updating if you already have v1.05 installed, but if you're still on an earlier release, download the update here!
And that about wraps it up (phew!) for this week. Be sure to check back next time for more camera 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.)