Firmware Updates

[Mike Farley]

Imaging Resource has a useful regular feature where it highlights recent firmware updates. They occur more often than you might think. Something which surprised me in the most recent list was the inclusion of several from Canon for the original 7D and a number of other superseded models. I have not looked at all of them, but it appears to be a minor change to fix problems with a couple of lenses. It will probably will not be of interest to many users, but invaluable for those who are affected. Time was when manufacturers took the view that out of production equals out of support. Anyone needing a resolution for a speciic problem had only two options. Buy the latest model or look elsewhere.

Fuji is the main manufacturer which went against that approach. It is still issuing updates for the X-Pro1, for example. Admittedly the hardware on that camera has been more or less exploited to its full potential so I am not expecting anything dramatic in the future. At the outset, Fuji was a niche supplier with newly introduced products which, in some regards, did not work as well as those from its competitors. Regular firmware updates is exactly what Fuji needed to do to become competitive and promote consumer confidence. Nevertheless it is good to see Canon following suit. Neither Canon nor Fuji are being altruistic, but adopting a strategy that benefits both parties. Without this fix from Canon, users of older cameras are less likely to buy the lenses in question, as well as possibly be discouraged from other purchases.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/20 ... c-pentax-s