Firmware Friday: Enthusiast-friendly Nikon P7100, Sigma SD1 improve with updates

posted Friday, August 16, 2013 at 6:14 PM EDT

Friday is here once more, and it's time for our weekly roundup of what's new on the firmware front. This week, we have updates to report on for enthusiast cameras from Nikon and Sigma.

First up is the Nikon Coolpix P7100, an enthusiast-friendly compact camera announced way back in 2011. Nikon P7100 firmware version 1.1 brings six changes, as follows:

Raw images shot with portrait orientation with auto orientation recording now rotate correctly when played back with Rotate tall set to On.
Raw or JPEG images shot in the same conditions could display incorrectly when playback zoom was applied with Rotate talle set to On. This is now fixed.
If browsing a selection of images and movies on the camera's monitor, the camera could continuously through images after you let go of the multi-selector. It no longer does so.
Autofocus now continues to work after shooting with the self-timer, Auto bracketing set to Tv or Sv, and Self-timer: After release set to Stay in self-timer mode.
Noise levels are now lower for raw files shot with long exposure noise reduction enabled, the camera in Continuous-servo mode, the self-timer active, and a shutter speed of 1/4 of a second or longer.
Noise levels are now lowr for images shot with self-timer, a shutter speed slow enough to active Long exposure NR, and the function enabled automatically.

For more details and to obtain the update, visit the Nikon USA website.

Nikon's new firmware updates the two-year old Coolpix P7100.

Sigma, meanwhile, has updated its SD1 digital SLR (as well as the SD1 Merrill variant) with eight changes. Sigma SD1 version 1.10 has the following updates:

Raw or raw+JPEG images now allow shooting in black and white mode.
The autofocus algorithms have been updated for better results, especially with newer lenses in Sigma's Art, Contemporary and Sports lines.
Flash exposure accuracy has been improved for the built-in strobe, as well as the EM-140 DG SA-STTL, EF-610 DG ST SA-STTL, and EF-610 DG SUPER SA-STTL strobes.
Shutter speed and aperture for manual exposure can now be saved in Custom mode.
Resolves instability when battery level is low.
Corrects a problem with the AF button not working if it is the first button pressed after auto power-off.
Resolves issues with certain new lenses from the Art, Contemporary, and Sports lines not being recognized properly.
Fixes a problem with the AEL button setting failing to update to Continue when changed with USB camera control.