Pentax K-1 and K-1 II Firmware v2.30 Released

New Gold Custom Image for the new FA 50mm F1.4 lenses

By cjfeola in Firmware Updates on Jun 23, 2023

Ricoh has just released a firmware update for the Pentax K-1 that adds a new Gold Custom Image profile, optimizations for the HD Pentax-FA 50mm F1.4 and SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F1.4 Classic, and stability improvements.

The K-1 firmware update is here and the K-1 Mark II firmware update is here

“This firmware adds the new Gold Custom Image mode to your camera. With scenes accentuated by light, this mode is designed to create gold-tinted images by applying yellow-toned finishes to brighter areas while expressing darker, shadow areas with bluish tones. Yellow tones become more intense in highlighted areas,” according to Ricoh.

Ricoh also released a new version (5.10.1) of Pentax Digital Camera Utility 5 that introduces support for Special Edition Custom Image Modes HARUBENI, KYUSHU, KATEN and FUYUNO; image processing for the new image finish Gold Custom Image Mode; and lens data for the HD PENTAX-FA 50mm F1.4.

Ricoh posted sample images showing off the new Gold Custom Image Special Edition.

Gold 

smc PENTAX-FA 50mmF1.4 Classic (with an ND filter provided as a standard accessory）

Bright

smc PENTAX-FA 50mmF1.4 Classic (with an ND filter provided as a standard accessory

Gold

HD PENTAX-FA 31mmF1.8 Limited

Bright

HD PENTAX-FA 31mmF1.8 Limited

Full-sized versions of these photos are available on the Ricoh web site.

To discuss this update, please visit this forum thread.

See our in-depth K-1 review and in-depth K-1 II review for more information about either camera.

Pentax firmware update instructions:

1. Download the firmware ZIP file from the appropriate link above
2. Extract the file to a folder of your choosing
3. Locate the extracted .BIN file and copy it to the root (top level i.e. outside of any folder) of a formatted SD card
4. Insert the card into your camera (slot 1) and ensure the battery is fully charged
5. Turn the camera power on while pressing the MENU button
6. Select "Start" at the firmware prompt
7. Once the screen displays "Complete", turn off the camera
8. Power the camera back on and resume normal use
9. In order to verify that the firmware update was successful, go to the firmware option under the setup (wrench icon) menu tab, and confirm that the indicated firmware version matches that of the update.

Note that all updates are cumulative, so the latest firmware version includes the contents of all previous versions.  You only need to install the latest version.  Need help?  See our firmware update guide.