Firmware Friday: Updates for cameras, lenses from Canon, Fuji, Leica, Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma and Sony

 

 

Our Firmware Friday roundup this week is a rather lengthy one, with quite a few updates (or news of upcoming updates) for six cameras, two lenses, one printer and one video camera. Among the mix are the Canon 7D II, 5DS and 5DS R; the Leica T (Typ 701); the Nikon D5000 and S9700; Sigma's Nikon-mount 120-300mm lenses; Sony's 50mm f/1.8 lens; the Fuji Instax Share SP-2 printer; and the Panasonic Varicam LT.

With so much to cover, we're going to dive in and keep things fairly brief. We'll start off with Canon...

Canon EOS 7D Mark II, 5DS and 5DS R

With Canon's WE-1 Wi-Fi adapter just having gone on sale, the company has been working on firmware updates extending compatibility with the new device for its existing cameras. The Canon 7D II firmware version 1.1.0 release does just this, but the new WE-1 adapter support isn't the only change. There's also a new setting which can optionally retract gear-driven STM lenses if they're attached to the camera with the power switch in the Off position. You can get the Canon 7D Mark II firmware version 1.1.0 update here.

Owners of the Canon EOS 5DS and 5DS R, meanwhile, will have to wait just a little longer to be able to use the WE-1 Wi-Fi adapter. The folks over at The Digital Picture did a little digging, and discovered a Japanese-language service notice on Canon's site which pledges that new firmware for these cameras will arrive in November 2016.

Leica T (Typ 701)

The latest firmware version 1.55 update for the Leica T (Typ 701), meanwhile, makes just one change. With the new firmware installed, you'll get full compatibility with the company's APO-MACRO-ELMARIT-TL 60mm/F2.8 ASPH. lens. No other changes are noted in this release, which you can download here.

Nikon D5000 and S9700

Nikon's new firmware for the D5000 DSLR and Coolpix S9700 Compact focuses on bug fixes. For the Nikon D5000 firmware version A:1.01 / B:1.00 update, the bug which has been fixed which required a rather complex combination of actions before it would rear its head. It could potentially cause a camera lockup when shooting in live view mode with image review enabled while using the ML-L3 remote control, but only after red-eye reduction was selected as the flash mode. Not a situation that we'd imagine cropped up too often, but if you update to firmware version A:1.01 / B:1.00 update (which you can get here), your Nikon D5000 should no longer suffer from this issue.

For the Nikon Coolpix S9700, meanwhile, firmware version 1.2 makes one change. In the previous version 1.1 release, if you elected to have the camera display points of interest and then captured several hundred images, one of the first handful of these shots could be corrupted. That's no longer the case when you install Nikon Coolpix S9700 firmware version 1.2, which you can download here.

Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM lens for Nikon F-mount

A few weeks back, we told you about new firmware for several Sigma lenses which was intended to resolve underexposure issues with the Nikon D500. It turns out that as well as the 17-70mm F2.8-4, 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 and 35mm F1.4 lenses we mentioned, one more optic was affected and updated at the time. Firmware version 1.03 for the Nikon F-mount variant of the 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM S013 corrects the underexposure issue when shooting with the TC-1401 or TC-2001 teleconverters. However, it's important to note that upgrading to this firmware will make the lens incompatible with the APO Tele Converter 1.4x EX DG and APO Tele Converter 2x EX DG. If you're OK with that, install and run SIGMA Optimization Pro version 1.3.1 with Sigma's USB Dock accessory to update your firmware.

Sony FE 50mm F1.8

The remaining lens update this week comes from Sony, and as of press time appears not to be available yet from the company's US division. Courtesy of Sony Japan, though, we know that firmware version 02 for the FE 50mm F1.8 makes one change. According to the company, autofocus performance in still image shooting has been improved. You can download the update here if you speak Japanese, but if not we'd recommend waiting until the update is released in your region before proceeding.

Fuji Instax Share SP-2

Moving along, we come to the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2 printer. Here, firmware version 01.19 adds support for on-the-spot printing with the X-Pro2, X-T2, X-T1, X-T10, X-E2S, X-E2, X-M1, X-A3, X-A2, X-A1, X100T, XQ2, XQ1, X70, X30 or FinePix F1000EXR cameras, as well as the company's unusual Wonder Photo Box storage device. To update your printer, you'll want to use Fuji's Instax Share app version 3.1.1 or later. You can download the current app version for Android devices here, or for iOS devices here.

Panasonic Varicam LT

And finally for this week, we come to the Panasonic Varicam LT, a professional video camera which is now running firmware version 21.02-00-0.00. The new release makes but one change: raw output has been added to the device's roster of capabilities. The update can be downloaded here.

(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.)