It's firmware Friday. Once again, Sony and Nikon lead the charge with firmware updates. Nikon even surprised us with an update to a discontinued model. The Coolpix P1000, which has become a meme in photography circles for its insane zooming capabilities, may have been discontinued in March 2024, but that doesn't mean it's been forgotten.
We've rounded up the latest firmware changes for Sony's a7CR, a7S III and a7C II, along with updates for Nikon's Z50 and Zfc cameras. Lenses from Chinese manufacturers TTArtisan and 7Artisans also received improvements. Here's what came out this week.
Sony
a7CR Ver. 2. 00 and a7S III Ver. 4. 00 firmware updates are identical
You can download the software update using the Creators' App, which is available for iOS and Google Play.
Benefits and improvements
Shooting & Playback functions:
Allows you to set Recognition Target to Auto, enabling the camera to automatically select subjects such as humans and animals.
Introduces support for the Framing Stabilizer feature, which automatically adjusts the composition to keep the tracked subject in the same frame position during movie recording mode.
Adds Dynamic Active mode to SteadyShot for movie recording.
Allows you to add OK/NG/KEEP flags to clips during or after movie recording.
Adds a function that automatically creates still images with Shot Marks from movie frames after recordings.
You can add a Shot Mark while shooting or playing a movie and use it as a mark for selecting, transferring, or editing the movie.
Improves image quality when applying user LUTs.
Allows the use of Focus Magnifier and Auto Magnifier in MF while using the Bright Monitoring feature.
Adds a function that allows you to narrow down played-back images using multiple filters (e. g. Rating).
Adds the Golden Ratio Grid option to the Grid Line Type setting menu.
Adds support for the Custom Grid Line feature.
The Custom Grid Line feature is available as a paid license. Availability depends on country and region.
Increases the maximum number of images that can be recorded in one folder to 9,999.
Adds support for importing/switching multiple IPTC Presets.
FTP Transfer & Network functions:
Allows scheduling of FTP transfers while writing data to the camera's storage media.
You can now automatically schedule FTP transfer of protected movies and still images.
Movies/still images transferred via FTP transfer can now be automatically protected.
You can now continue shooting while transferring captured photos and videos to a smartphone or tablet.
Transfer to smartphones and tablets can now be resumed even if interrupted in the middle of a transfer.
You can now transfer only the differences that have not yet been transferred to your smartphone or tablet, or add videos to be transferred during the transfer process.
Adds support for the Network Streaming function.
Allows you to upload camera images directly to the Creators' Cloud.
Displays the Wi-Fi signal strength when the Wi-Fi function is On.
Please note that Ver. 2. 9. 0 or later of the Creators’ App is necessary for some of the above FTP Transfer & Network functions. The Creators’ App may not be available in some countries or regions. For more information, visit the Creators’ Cloud support website.
Others:
Allows notifications to be displayed when the latest software is available for your camera.
WPA and WEP functionalities are no longer supported.
You will no longer be able to select WPA or WEP when connecting to Wi-Fi.
Please use the more secure WPA2 or WPA3 moving forward.
Fixes an issue where the camera operation may become unstable when Pixel Mapping is performed.
Improves the operational stability of the camera.
The a7C II also got a Ver 2. 00 update, with a difference in the benefits and improvements.
Shooting & Playback functions:
Allows you to set Recognition Target to Auto, enabling the camera to automatically select subjects such as humans and animals.
Introduces support for the Framing Stabilizer feature, which automatically adjusts the composition to keep the tracked subject in the same frame position during movie recording mode.
Adds Dynamic Active mode to SteadyShot for movie recording.
Allows you to add OK/NG/KEEP flags to clips during or after movie recording.
Adds a function that automatically creates still images with Shot Marks from movie frames after recordings.
You can add a Shot Mark while shooting or playing a movie and use it as a mark for selecting, transferring, or editing the movie.
Improves image quality when applying user LUTs.
Allows the use of Focus Magnifier and Auto Magnifier in MF while using the Bright Monitoring feature.
Adds a function that allows you to narrow down played-back images using multiple filters (e. g. Rating).
Adds the Golden Ratio Grid option to the Grid Line Type setting menu.
Adds support for the Custom Grid Line feature.
The Custom Grid Line feature is available as a paid license. Availability depends on country and region.
Increases the maximum number of images that can be recorded in one folder to 9,999.
Adds support for importing/switching multiple IPTC Presets.
Nikon
Image: Nikon
Z 50 updates for Version 2. 60 (Mac) and (Windows)
Fixed an issue where browsing other pictures would not function as expected after using a stretch gesture to zoom in on a picture taken in portrait orientation.
Z fc updates for Version 1. 80 (Mac) and (Windows)
Fixed the following issues:
The values on the control panel would remain on even after the camera was turned off and the lens was removed if [On] was selected for [Connect to smart device] > [Upload while off] in the [SETUP MENU] while the camera was connected to SnapBridge via Wi-Fi.
The viewfinder display would sometimes be disrupted if the shutter-release button was pressed halfway right before entering playback mode by pressing the playback button while looking through the viewfinder with the monitor closed.
The viewfinder display would sometimes be disrupted when Picture Control settings were displayed in the i menu.
Coolpix P1000 updates for Version 1. 8 (Mac) and (Windows)
Fixed an issue where the camera would in rare circumstances stop responding after burst shooting.
Lens firmware updates
TTArtisan FUJI-X AF 35mm F1. 8 Mark II V1. 0. 2 update
Image: TTArtisan
Improved corner vignetting performance.
Fixed firmware version display errors and focus reset issues on some cameras.
Improved slow or abnormal autofocus performance on some cameras.
Must be upgraded with Windows system.
Do not update this firmware on the AF 35mm F1. 8 Mark I.
7Artisans AF50mm f1. 8 Z V1. 01 update
Added a feature where switching to full-time AF (AF-F) allows direct transition to manual focus (MF) by rotating the focus ring.
Reduced power consumption and minimized heat generation.
Enhanced system stability.
That's all for this week. Make sure you check in every Friday for the latest news on firmware updates for cameras and lenses. Happy updating!
Read last week's firmware roundup
. dpreview.com2025-4-26 20:13