Firmware Friday: Shiny new features for Sony A6300, A6500 and RX0, Panasonic AW-360B10 base unit
posted Friday, February 2, 2018 at 9:54 PM EDT
Our Firmware Friday roundup for this week brings news of new features for no less than three cameras and one related accessory from Panasonic and Sony. It also brings firmware news of a rather different kind, as update security practices have been a hot topic over the last couple of weeks.
We've a fair bit to discuss, so let's get right down to it! We'll start with Sony this week, so we can focus on the more broadly-distributed gear (and that other story) first of all.
Sony A6300, A6500 and RX0
Recently, Sony has been on the receiving end of some well-deserved criticism for the manner in which its firmware updates are installed. Since you have to update using an executable, and can't simply install the firmware by placing the relevant update file on your flash card as with most cameras, users of Sony's cameras are opened up to potential security risks. Recognizing that, Apple now disables part of Sony's updater if you're running MacOS High Sierra. Yet thus far, Sony's sole advice to users has been to ignore the security risks and override Apple's defaults, allowing the firmware updater to work. That being the case, you may want to bear that in mind and use a virtual machine with an older version of MacOS to install Sony's updates if security is a concern for you.
But the good news is that the company does have several updates this week, including firmware version 2.01 for the Sony A6300 and firmware version 1.05 for the A6500, plus firmware version 2.00 for the DSC-RX0. Both of the Alpha-series updates bring new support for the Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS (SEL18135) lens, and are also said to improve overall camera stability. The Sony RX0 update, meanwhile, brings improved wireless multi-view shooting (tested for up to 50 devices) as well as support for wired multi-view shooting with the CCB-WD1 camera control box.
Panasonic AW-360B10
Moving along, we have news of one other update this week. Panasonic has updated the AW-360B10 base unit for its AW-360C10360-degree live camera to add to new features. Firstly, you can now mount the camera unit upside down and then invert the image as it's output, increasing mounting versatility. Secondly, you can now disable picture display when controlling the camera remotely from a PC, Mac or iOS device, should it not be necessary for you. You can download the update here.
And that's all for this week. Be sure to check back next time for more Firmware Friday 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.)