Is your firmware up-to-date?

Updating firmware is a straightforward process in most cases. This illustration shows four stages in the process.

Firmware updates are the manufacturer’s ways to improve the performance of cameras and lenses by adding new features, fixing minor bugs and/or enhancing inter-compatibility between the devices it makes. In addition, because they’re available free of charge, they have no impact on your budget or cost of living.

Firmware updates provide needed adjustments to active electronics in the relevant device; things like microprocessors recordable memory chips and flash memory. While common in modern cameras and lenses, older lenses often lack these facilities and simply provide electrical contacts that convey the status of controls like the f/stop or lens identification data.

Why you should update
Here are some of the benefits camera and lens firmware updates can provide:

1. Improved autofocusing – primarily with respect to accuracy and speed of autofocus, although features like subject recognition and tracking may also be improved and/or extended.

2. Enhanced image quality through adjustments to image processing algorithms for better colour rendition, dynamic range expansion or noise reduction.

3. New shooting modes and/or improved or expanded functionalities are often made available through firmware updates.

4. Bug fixes can resolve issues like camera malfunctions or menu glitches.

You’re not compelled to update your equipment’s firmware each time a new update is released – but it’s smart to keep track of the latest updates so you know whether they are relevant to you. Where the added functionality doesn’t apply to equipment you use, such as a specific lens model, it’s normally safe to ignore it. Similarly, it’s safe to ignore functions you never use, such as enhancements to recording capabilities that have no relationship to your type of photography.

In most cases it can be unwise to skip firmware generations, particularly when some cameras and lenses require you to install the previous version before the new version can be installed. It generally pays to check out the policies of the manufacturers of the products you own so you know where you stand – as well as checking upgrade policies when considering switching to a new equipment manufacturer.

Where do you find them?
All the information you’ll need concerning firmware updates for both cameras and lenses should be found in the Support section of the manufacturer’s website. In most cases it’s listed separately for each specific camera or lens model. Some manufacturers also publish the date for each update so you can check quickly to see whether you’ve missed any of them before uploading the latest version of the firmware.

This page from Panasonic’s website shows the firmware updates available for its G-series cameras, with the most recent releases highlighted in red.

When you click on the link beside each entry, you’re taken to a page that provides full details of the name and size of the file, a link to the download and updating procedure plus full details of the improvements the update provides.

While it’s more likely to see firmware updates within the first six months after a camera or lens is released, they can be offered at any time in a product’s life cycle. As long as the manufacturer feels there are good reasons for the update and sufficient users of the product in the marketplace to justify the effort, a firmware update will be provided.

How to install them
While some manufacturers provide downloadable file for you to transfer to your camera and/or lens via your computer, an increasing number are making it directly available for installing via a USB cable. Third-party lens manufacturers like Tamron and Sigma make USB docks that connect their lenses to your computer, enabling direct downloading and installation of new firmware.

Some manufacturers won’t let you update lens firmware unless the lens is attached to a camera. 

If you follow the manufacturer’s instructions, you should have no problems installing the new firmware. Where you’re required to download the update to a memory card, make sure the following pre-conditions have been met:
1. The battery in your camera is fully-charged. This is important because the updating process MUST NOT be interrupted.
2. The card has been formatted in the camera before the update is saved to it.

It’s also worth carrying out checks to make sure the firmware update is compatible with your specific camera and lens model. If you’ve customized your camera settings or uploaded additional files such as profiles or filters it’s also worth backing up these camera settings before you start updating firmware.

What happens when things don’t go as planned?
Sometimes a firmware update can fail – although this is a relatively rare occurrence. It can happen when you don’t follow the manufacturer’s instructions correctly or if the updating process gets interrupted.

There may also be some problems inherent in the camera or lens, which have developed over years of use. An even less common situation is if the manufacturer has released flawed software.

In each case the camera and/or lens will need to be returned to the manufacturer’s service centre for repairs. While it may remain usable, you won’t be able to install any further updates until it has been fixed.

Click here to see our list of recent firmware updates for cameras and lenses.