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The 'Four Thirds System' logo. Courtesy of Olympus Optical Co. (Europa) GmbH and Eastman Kodak Company. Four Thirds lens updating gets cross-compatibility
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(Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 12:27 EDT)

Four Thirds partners Olympus, Panasonic and Sigma have today launched a new "joint update service" offering the ability to update lens firmware of one brand on a camera body of a different brand.

Previously, it had only been possible for Four Thirds users to update their lenses if they had access to a camera body manufactured by the same company. To update a Panasonic / Leica lens if you had access to only an Olympus body (or vice versa), the lens had to be returned to the manufacturer. The same was true for Sigma lenses, given that the company makes only lenses for the format, and doesn't offer a Four Thirds-compatible camera body. This situation was far from optimal for users and manufacturers alike, and hence today's announcement is a very important one for the Four Thirds format as a whole.

Effective immediately, both Four Thirds body manufacturers are now not only providing firmware for their own lenses, but cross-linking to partner companies' websites to provide access to third party lens firmware as well. Olympus users can update lens firmware regardless of brand through their Olympus Master / Olympus Studio software. Panasonic users can update Four Thirds lenses of any brand from their camera body, after updating the body firmware to at least version 2.0.

The latest versions of lens firmware available for updating from either Olympus or Panasonic camera bodies are currently as follows:

Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 SWD v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 1.1 v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm F2.8 v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 35mm F3.5 Macro v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 v1.2
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 35-100mm F2.0 v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm F4.0-5.6 v1.2
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm F4.0-5.6 v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 90-250mm F2.8 v1.1
Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 40-150mm F3.5-4.5 v1.1
Olympus Extension Tube EX-25 v1.1
Olympus Tele Converter EC-14 v1.1
Olympus Tele Converter EC-20 v1.1
Panasonic / Leica D SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH v2.1

Currently, no firmware updates are available from Sigma for the company's lenses, however once available these will also be able to be updated from either Olympus or Panasonic camera bodies.

Original Source Press Release:

“Joint update service for Four Thirds lenses” launched

Olympus Imaging Corporation (hereinafter "Olympus"), Panasonic Corporation (hereinafter "Panasonic"), and Sigma Corporation (hereinafter "Sigma") have joined forces to launch an online firmware update service that will enable users to easily update the firmware in interchangeable DSLR lenses compliant with the Four Thirds System Standard, even when the camera and lens are not made by the same manufacturer. Scheduled to start on October 15, 2008, this new joint service is the first of its kind in the industry*.

The way it works is simple. After mounting the lens on the camera, the user can go online and update the lens firmware by downloading the latest lens firmware. Previously, lens firmware could only be updated when the lens was mounted on a camera made by the same manufacturer – for example, an Olympus lens on an Olympus camera or a Panasonic lens on a Panasonic camera. If the mounted lens was not made by the same manufacturer as the camera, then the lens firmware could not be updated regardless of whether or not the mounted lens is compliant with the Four Thirds System Standard.

This new service makes it possible to update the firmware of a Panasonic lens on an Olympus camera or vice versa. Similarly, the firmware in a Sigma lens can also be updated on either an Olympus or Panasonic camera. For more details, please click on one of the following links. The information provided also includes details on firmware updating.

Links

* As of October 15, 2008, according to Olympus data.
* The company names, product names and technology names specified in this release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of each company.

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