marknorton Posted March 2, 2013 Share #1 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) It does make you wonder whether the M was ready when, just a couple of days after first customer ship, there's a new firmware update. Admittedly, it seems only to relate to vignetting correction on wide-angles but keeping in mind that the cameras which have been delivered were likely still in Leica's hands until a few days ago, I think getting some of them out before the end of February was some kind of imperative just to be able to say the camera was released on time. Â During the entire life of my Nikon D3, I think there were two firmware updates. Leica have surpassed themselves by getting the first firmware update out in, what, two days? Â For the select group who are on the original firmware, it would be interesting to see before and after vignetting results. Maybe there was a major problem which had to be emergency fixed, maybe no one told the software guys the camera was shipping no matter what. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 2, 2013 Posted March 2, 2013 Hi marknorton, Take a look here Was the M Ready?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
diogenis Posted March 2, 2013 Share #2 Â Posted March 2, 2013 I don't mind firmware updates as soon as the product works ofcourse. Thats why firmware update is there and is software, to fix small bugs that do exist and make the experience a little better than what it is. Japanese manufacturers usually change the whole camera with a new model once a year and that annoys me a bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted March 2, 2013 Share #3 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Mark, I took about 70 pictures right after I walked out of my dealer's shop. These were taken with FW 1.1.0.0. I played briefly with all the functions and the camera performed flawlessly. I have not processed the files yet, but they look good so far. However, the only lens I had with me was the Summilux 50 ASPH, which shouldn't be affected by the new FW. I have now upgraded to FW 1.1.0.2. My guess is that Leica shipped the initial batch of cameras with their latest "stable" FW release at the time of boxing them. We'll probably see a few updates in the first months as users' feedback drives further improvements (I'm pretty sure this crowd will find several niggles that can be fixed by the FW). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rscheffler Posted March 2, 2013 Share #4 Â Posted March 2, 2013 It's probably easier to let the owner do the update than have to unbox, update and repack a significant number of cameras. And as I've found with many firmware updates from various brands, often times they aren't critical updates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 2, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted March 2, 2013 I would anticipate regular updates over the coming months. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 2, 2013 Share #6 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Save your "old" firmware file folks, just in case... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 2, 2013 Share #7 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) How are you going to save the firmware that is on the camera out of the box ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted March 2, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Save your "old" firmware file folks, just in case... Â How does one do that? Insert SD Card, Format, now what? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 2, 2013 Share #9 Â Posted March 2, 2013 ...During the entire life of my Nikon D3, I think there were two firmware updates. Leica have surpassed themselves by getting the first firmware update out in, what, two days?... Same with each of my Nikon and Canon bodies more or less. I dream of a camera with Leica IQ, CaNikon quality and Lomo price.... plus a rangefinder please Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 2, 2013 Share #10 Â Posted March 2, 2013 How does one do that? Insert SD Card, Format, now what? Ah yes good question Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted March 2, 2013 Share #11 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Hi Mark I'm pretty certain this was just a tweak of the vignetting correction, probably it was easier to do it this way than to unpack loads of cameras. With respect to vignetting control, it's much much less of an issue with the new sensor. To the extent that mistakenly coding a pre-Asph 21 elmarit as a 135 resulted in no noticeable colour shift in the very first version of the firmware. I think Andy is right in that there will be another update, but unless something has been missed by us all, I don't believe it will be anything to do with IQ. In fact, I think it's only likely to be with enhancer functionality rather wrong functionality. IMHO this is a very finished camera. Â I can't wait for mine! Â All the best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
viramati Posted March 2, 2013 Share #12 Â Posted March 2, 2013 can'y wait for mine as well and have no problem with getting new firmware updates as long as they come quickly. I would be surprised with any brand if there weren't some bugs on a new release, just look at the history of fuji with the X100!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wok64 Posted March 2, 2013 Share #13  Posted March 2, 2013 I´m wondering about Leica´s naming scheme for firmware releases. Usual standard in IT is first digit: major release with a significant set of new functionality and/or existing functionality reengineered. second digit: minor release with some new functionality added third digit: patch, i.e same functionality but some deficits addressed (e.g. bugfixes) forth digit: minor changes, e.g. typo in a menu fixed  I would classify 1.1.0.2 as a patch, i.e. in my projects this would go as version 1.1.1, quite unusual to release a forth digit change to the customer.  Some may consider this purely academic and won't care but for me it´s misleading because the position in the numbering scheme tells something about the relevance of the change Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest malland Posted March 2, 2013 Share #14  Posted March 2, 2013 ...Japanese manufacturers usually change the whole camera with a new model once a year and that annoys me a bit.Really? What cameras are you referring to? The Nikon D300, which came out some 5(?) years ago hasn't been replaced yet. —Mitch/Potomac, MD Paris au rythme de Basquiat and Other Poems [download link for book project] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannybuoy Posted March 2, 2013 Share #15 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Yes the M was ready in hardware terms but nothing is ever perfect in terms of software. Software can be refined continuously as engineers work out new solutions to code refinements. No problems here. I have to update my iPhone and apps regularly. I've no problem with updating my kit if it'll make using it better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjh Posted March 2, 2013 Share #16  Posted March 2, 2013 The Nikon D300 was replaced by the D300s that is ‘just’ 3.5 years old. A product cycle of 3 years seems to be the norm, entry-level DSLRs being an exception.  And btw, firmware updates at the heels of the camera they are intended for are actually not that unusual. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
george + Posted March 2, 2013 Share #17 Â Posted March 2, 2013 I would not be concerned about code updates. It is routine. Having to unpack hundreds/thousands of ready for shipment boxes could really slow down deliveries. Â Now, where is my camera, eh . . .? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuckley Posted March 2, 2013 Share #18 Â Posted March 2, 2013 I noticed this was in the FAQs on the Leica M section of the Leica website, which suggests they had planned for a March update to the firmware: Â Can we expect further firmware updates for the new camera in the future? Yes. There will be a new firmware update available in March 2013 that will further optimize the calibration of M-Lenses. We recommend users to visit the Leica Web site regularly in the first few months after the launch of a new camera to check for new firmware updates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted March 2, 2013 Share #19 Â Posted March 2, 2013 ....I think getting some of them out before the end of February was some kind of imperative just to be able to say the camera was released on time.... Â I think it was not so much to maintain a "promise" to the market (after all, I seem that they didn't declare a precise date) ... 4 or 5 days later wouldn't have made difference for customers... but to keep a certain timing on corporate revenue : even if they aren't anymore a publicy listed Company, they do have financial entities as shareolders, and such entities are very sensible towards achieving certain goals at certain times : they have been able to book revenues in February and not in March, and this can make a difference for someone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesphoto99 Posted March 2, 2013 Share #20 Â Posted March 2, 2013 Â During the entire life of my Nikon D3, I think there were two firmware updates. Leica have surpassed themselves by getting the first firmware update out in, what, two days? Â . Â I do think Nikon are quite miserly when it comes to firmware updates, and they rarely include new features. So Leica should be applauded for doing otherwise. That said the Nikon D3 was/is one of the most solid cameras ever built and really needed nothing more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.