D7000 Firmware update out today

[ollie]

I do not shoot one, but just saw nikon's press release on twitter. Thought the D7000 owners might find it of interest

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17108

[farmer_rob]

I'll probably wait a few weeks before installing - I don't have a strong need for the fix, and I want to see how it beds down with others.

[Obes]

Well it fixed my 2 hot pixels in live view and movie mode. (not that I use either oO)


Aparently (so the internet furphey goes).
Put your camera into live mode for a couple of minutes before doing the update.

Some people also reported needing to run it twice.

Which has led people to believe that the firmware update is actually doing a pixel remap (thus the sensor needs to be warm), which in theory means that as your camera ages and it develops hot pixel you could rerun your latest firmware update to map them out.

Personally I prefer to believe Nikon is just using good old black magic.

[farmer_rob]

Hmmm.... I'll still wait. (I've yet to see anyone say "My picture had a hot pixel when I took it using live view" - it always seems to be "I see hot pixels in live view". Maybe I just don't read widely.)

[chamellieon]

I do not own a D7000, but I issue a word of caution>
I updated my D700's firmware around Jan 2010.
everything was fine from Pc to camera, it appeared to install no problems at all, the camera was functional after that.
A few days later when at a gig, I picked up my camera to find that all wasn't as it seemed.

It went horribly wrong.
Just by updating the firmware, I managed to blow the second circuit on the camera. This was a $500 repair.
Since then, I only take my camera to the repairhouse to get the firmware updated. If they screw it up, its on them.
Just a word of caution.

[Reggy]

I bought one today so thanks for the perfect timing!

[I @ M]

Just by updating the firmware, I managed to blow the second circuit on the camera. This was a $500 repair.


That is a very weird one, I would really really like to see the repair bill for that camera that states that installing a Nikon firmware update caused $500.00 ( chargeable to you ) worth of damage.

[ricktas]

Installing firmware is no different to installing software onto a computer. Most of the time it runs fine, but it can have problems, Usually a re-install fixes it. I am with Andrew here, I find a firmware upgrade causing a hardware failure very unusual. Certainly hardware can fail, but it is not generally caused by software, so maybe just a co-incidence.

[Kym]

Kym's IT tech hat on:

Facts
- A firmware upgrade in and of itself cannot damage a physical circuit.
- A firmware upgrade can leave a camera inoperable if the camera is powered off before the update is complete, which is why a full charged battery is mandatory.
- The number one cause of firmware upgrade failures is impatience - i.e. turning off the camera before it completes the job.
- One fix to corrupt firmware upgrades is to replace the flash memory chip OR the circuit board upon which the flash is mounted with a chip with good firmware loaded.
This can be expensive due to how the supplier feels about it, i.e. board replacement.
- Another fix is to clear the flash chip and copy a new firmware onto it, but this usually required special gear and most repair centres don't do this.

The least effort, most customer cost option is the board replacement... I guess that's why they take the easy option.

[arthurking83]

....
I updated my D700's firmware around Jan 2010.
everything was fine from Pc to camera, it appeared to install no problems at all, the camera was functional after that.
A few days later when at a gig, I picked up my camera to find that all wasn't as it seemed.

It went horribly wrong.
Just by updating the firmware, I managed to blow the second circuit on the camera. .....

these comments seem at odds chamellieon.

If after the firmware update the camera was functional, then the firmware update is considered to be a success.

if a few day later the camera's circuit board blew up, it'd not be due to the firmware, as the firmware is only a software code..... and I think from memory you have a lot of understanding of how firmware/coding works, being in some IT field.

I doubt very much that the firmware would have contained any code to alter any voltage levels within the camera to a degree that would cause a circuit malfunction, as if it did, there would be at least a few other reports of the same event happening to other D700's.

Circuits can simply blow up of their own accord, and I've had my fair share of electronic devices fail due to blown circuit components, and none of my experiences has been due to software updates. Simple failed components(capacitors seem to be the most common tho).

The main concern with firmware updates is failed uploads (due to power failure, etc) or corrupted data being transferred from source to device, rendering the device inoperable immediately.. not days later.

If the firmware was in fact the cause of the failure and you can prove this, then Nikon would(should) be responsible for the repair.

[Kym]

The simplest explanation is the repair centre over simplified their explanation (i.e. lied).

[tcdev]

- A firmware upgrade in and of itself cannot damage a physical circuit.
Sorry Kym, but you are unable to unequivocally state this is fact.

I will however grant you that it is extremely unlikely. And it would require a rather poor hardware design to facilitate it. Not to mention that if there was even a hint that the firmware upgrade was responsible, it would be removed from the vendor site immediately.

I do however agree with all your other points and your assessment of the situation.

Reminds me of a story from the 80's. There was a letter in a computer magazine from a disgruntled user complaining that, having typed in a BASIC program from the magazine, his machine promptly produced a puff of smoke and died when he ran it. He asked that the magazine print warnings with all their listings that they could damage your computer. Of course the editor patiently explained that it was simply impossible and merely a coincidence. :)

[K10D]

Lets look at firmware. It is an instruction set.

An example of firmware causing physical damage would easily be understood in the following context;

A model speed controller on an RC aircraft has a firmware upgrade to improve power output by driving the mosfet output stage harder.
The new firmware revision omitted the lines of code to monitor the mosfet temperatures and allowed them to heat until destruction rather than lower the drive signal to allow operation within the safe operating zone.

The safety caveat here would be to have the thermal shut down side of the controller operating by direct intervention rather than by instruction or code.

Firmware can cause damage due to forcing limits of operational parameters.

A real world example is that machine safety systems operate independently of the controlling PLC or PC. They act as a permissive to the controlling mechanism.

Best regards

[ricktas]

Lets look at firmware. It is an instruction set.

An example of firmware causing physical damage would easily be understood in the following context;

A model speed controller on an RC aircraft has a firmware upgrade to improve power output by driving the mosfet output stage harder.
The new firmware revision omitted the lines of code to monitor the mosfet temperatures and allowed them to heat until destruction rather than lower the drive signal to allow operation within the safe operating zone.

The safety caveat here would be to have the thermal shut down side of the controller operating by direct intervention rather than by instruction or code.

Firmware can cause damage due to forcing limits of operational parameters.

A real world example is that machine safety systems operate independently of the controlling PLC or PC. They act as a permissive to the controlling mechanism.

Best regards

Agreed, but then we would have seen a run of D700's with this issue, and there are certainly no reports of this being widespread, thus it is unlikely the firmware was the cause, or every D700 user who upgraded the firmware would have been at risk, and it would be reported all over the net.

[K10D]

I'm not saying that the above issue is a firmware caused fault. As you say, there would have been a lot more "chatter" if it were.

We also trust that the manufacturer is competent in such area's.

Best regards