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10-31-2011, 04:36 PM   #1
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Remove your AF lens before updating firmware!

Today I updated the firmware on my newly purchased (manufactured in March) K-5, and it seemed to update just fine --
until I tried to auto focus with the DA40. The camera went completely nuts. The AF motor just thrashed away, everything in the viewfinder was flashing like mad. I had a bad minute there, until presence of mind returned, and ... I simply turned off the camera, removed the lens, put it back on and turned the camera back on. And now everything seems normal. I just hope I didn't shorten the life on my lens with all that chaos.

The instructions for the firmware update (version 1.11 -- by the way, I do hope that's the latest. I'm not actually sure.) say nothing about removing your lens first. (Thanks, Pentax.) But I strongly recommend it.

10-31-2011, 07:29 PM   #2
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Sounds like your camera went haywire- they sometimes do. I think there are some unresolved bugs in the firmware, as intermittent crashes as quite common (overall, not from an individual user's standpoint).

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10-31-2011, 07:52 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
I think there are some unresolved bugs in the firmware, as intermittent crashes as quite common
Hmmm. And here I was thinking it was something simple. I saw a thread on another forum -- from back in March, involving the previous update, I think, where someone had something similar happen after updating, and removing the lens put things straight again. The theory was that the camera was acting as if it would if a lens cap were on, or something. And of course the ubiquitous "clean those contacts" came up. I don't know. I don't know if my problem was related, or if it was lens specific.

Thanks for the info.
11-01-2011, 04:11 AM   #4
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I have only had my K-5 for a week now and I have not yet updated the firmware. I need to better educate myself on what has changed in the firmware before I update mine, because my K-5 is working just fine right now.

I write software for a living and I promise you that there has never been a totally error free piece of software released - so you are always taking some risk when updating IMO.

11-01-2011, 04:37 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by JimDickinson Quote
I write software for a living and I promise you that there has never been a totally error free piece of software released - so you are always taking some risk when updating IMO.
You're absolutely right, and I should have waited till I had more info; I usually do, with these things. But since my camera was manufactured in March, I assumed I ought to do some catching up, since if I did have problems with mine, I imagined "did you update the firmware?" would be one of the first questions asked.

In any event, don't be alarmed by my experience; nothing seems wrong with it now. I still think removing the lens first is a good idea. Anyway, it couldn't hurt.
11-01-2011, 04:48 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by pentup Quote
In any event, don't be alarmed by my experience; nothing seems wrong with it now. I still think removing the lens first is a good idea. Anyway, it couldn't hurt.
Yep - good information to have - I can see no reason not to remove the lens when doing it, and as you said it might be a good idea.
11-01-2011, 02:30 PM   #7
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I did not remove the lens when I went to 1.11, and all is well.

11-01-2011, 02:34 PM   #8
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Well if everything is working fine now, I wouldn't worry about anything else. It's electronics and when it works, it works.
11-01-2011, 02:49 PM   #9
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I've a D300s ..that still has its original firmware.. there's only been one update ..but as my camera works well, i cant see the point in the upgrade, as a potential for it to perform worse is always on my mind..

I guess if it aint broke..dont go looking for a fix
11-01-2011, 03:03 PM   #10
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It may be lens or camera specific. I had updated my 1.01 or 1.03 camera firmware to 1.11 with the kit lens on it, zero ill effects or reaction on the update.
This was a "new" camera back in July, although for some reason with a mfrg date back in Jan 2011..
Just another data point, as I don't think anyone else has reported similar..i wouldn't worry too much about the lens, I'd wager they're very simple low voltage connections, and different contacts can be made simply mounting and unmounting a lens, and we know not everyone remembers to turn off their cameras beforehand..
11-01-2011, 07:31 PM   #11
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Wow that a major update on the D300s, I never saw one like that in Pentax
QuoteQuote:
  • The Highlights playback option has been moved from Display Mode > Basic photo info > Highlights in the playback menu to Display mode > Detailed photo info > Highlights.
  • The size and color of "Demo" displayed in the monitor with playback when No memory card? in the Custom Settings has been set to Enable Release have been modified.
  • The range of settings available for ISO sensitivity settings > ISO sensitivity auto control > Minimum shutter speed in the shooting menu has been increased from 1/250 - 1s to 1/4000 - 1s.
  • When shooting in hand-held live view mode and the frame is magnified prior to autofocusing, operation has been modified so that display returns to the magnified display rather then the full frame display.
  • Images captured with Rotate tall, in the playback menu, set to On, are not automatically rotated for display immediately after capture (image review).
  • A Copyright information has been added to the setup menu. When Copyright information is enabled, "COPYRIGHT: " is shown on the LCD display, Shooting info menu.
  • Recent settings can now be displayed in the place of My Menu.
  • Custom Setting e3 Flash cntrl for built in flash ( e3 Optional flash when an optional Speedlight is mounted on the camera) can now be added to My Menu using the Add items > Custom setting menu > Bracketing/ flash.
  • The degree of the High ISO NR setting can now be confirmed in the shooting info display while the High ISO NR setting item, in the shooting menu, is being applied.
  • Ankara, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Manama have been added to the Time zone options for the World time item in the setup menu.
  • When a GPS device is used and no heading information is available, --.--° is now displayed for the Position / Heading option in the GPS item in the setup menu.
  • When shooting in live view mode using Camera Control Pro 2 (ver. 2.2.0 or later) with a PC-E lens, the aperture setting can now be adjusted from the computer.
  • Focus acquisition performance in dynamic-area AF mode has been improved.
  • Focus acquisition performance with contrast-detect AF has been improved.
  • Auto white balance performance has been improved.
  • The fourth digit in seconds display for GPS latitude and longitude information is now rounded off rather than omitted.
  • The current MB-D10 battery type setting can now be confirmed in the shooting menu display when R6/AA- size batteries are used with the Multi-Power Battery pack MB-D10.
  • An issue that caused an increase in noise when shooting in [M] exposure mode at a shutter speed setting of bulb with the shutter held open for less than 8 seconds and Long exp. NR enabled has been resolved.
  • An issue that prevented shutter release at the specified shutter speed when no operations were performed for 30 seconds in mirror up mode has been resolved.
  • An issue that caused abnormal image display when Image review was set to On and the playback zoom in button was pressed immediately after shooting at the following settings has been resolved.
    • Image quality: NEF (RAW) + JPEG
    • NEF (RAW) recording: Lossless compressed or Compressed
    • Image size: S or M
  • When the Speedlight SB-800 was mounted on the camera with flash mode set to distance-priority manual (GN) mode, and the camera recovered from standby mode triggered by the auto meter off function, the distance information in the SB-800 changed. This issue has been resolved.
11-02-2011, 02:33 AM   #12
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focus acquisition performance with contrast-detect AF improvement would interest me .might look into that after all..thanks for the heads up

EDIT

Hmm..not sure where you got that info..but according to the nikon website..this is what version 1.01 updates for the D300s..nothing in that which would interest me

"The following improvements have been made in A and B firmware Ver. 1.01

- Support for 64 GB memory cards has been added.
- When the Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 was used with AA batteries, the battery indicator showed that MB-D10 batteries were exhausted or power supply switched to the battery inserted in the camera even when sufficient charge remained with the MB-D10 batteries. This issue has been resolved.
- When some memory cards were inserted in the camera, “CHA” was displayed in the top control panel and images could not be captured. This issue has been resolved."

Last edited by Tommot1965; 11-02-2011 at 02:48 AM.
11-02-2011, 03:48 AM   #13
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Sorry
My mistake that was for the D300 not the the D300s
11-02-2011, 04:13 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by rtpguy Quote
This was a "new" camera back in July, although for some reason with a mfrg date back in Jan 2011..
I got my K-5 just this past Sunday, and it was manufactured in late March.

Last edited by pentup; 11-02-2011 at 02:44 PM.
11-02-2011, 09:45 AM   #15
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I updated the frmware 1.11 with an AF lens on and all was fine.
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