Q new firmware update 1.13 now available

drougge · 07-05-2013, 05:24 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by monochrome

I'm not arguing to be argumentative here - but - at some point we need to accept that this camera is a consumer's camera, not an enthusiasts camera nor a semi-pro tool. Pentax USA wants to emphasize the capability of the Q and somewhat downplay the fun aspect (from our Q Users' call with James Malcolm) but though I dodn't say it, they're missing the point (again). Q is about fun AND unexpectedly high image quality. It isn't a substitute DSLR, and it takes a LOT of coaxing to get a quality image out every time.

The Quick Dial and the Scene Modes and the Smart Filters don't bother me becasue I don't expect them NOT to be there.

Well, this being the internet and all I'm going to go ahead and argue anyway. I'm not expecting my Q to suddenly have more controls. But the front dial is already there. It costs money to add to every single unit. Having firmware support for letting me use it to, say, toggle focus peaking costs a tiny amount of money once, and nothing per unit. (To be clear, what I want is full user modes on the front dial.)

Being able to change the settings I care about is a lot more fun than changing settings I don't care about. Knowing how easy it would be to fix this for Pentax (or even me, if the firmware source and build tools were available) is quite annoyong. It wouldn't make the camera any less consumer-friendly either, they already have too many settings to argue that.

**barondla** · 07-05-2013, 06:53 PM

I do wish the front dial was more useful. But I can live with it the way it is. I think snostorm is right - the Q isn't meant to be a pro camera at this time. Once they build up the Q base there will likely be a higher speced unit.

drougge are you remotely interested in the Samsung mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that is going to be open source? With your programming skills it would seem difficult to resist "designing" a camera.
thanks
barondla

No matter what Pentax thinks the Q is FUN.

drougge · 07-07-2013, 08:43 AM

Originally posted by barondla

drougge are you remotely interested in the Samsung mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that is going to be open source? With your programming skills it would seem difficult to resist "designing" a camera.

Those cameras don't really appeal to me unfortunately. I'd much rather modify the firmware of a camera that was mostly good already. But some day I will go and try an NX300 and see if maybe it's actually nice.

verdigris · 07-08-2013, 08:48 AM

If you shoot a lot of video on the Q, the front dial is immensely useful. Since you have to commit to a jpeg processing style for vid, it's pretty sweet the have 5 to choose from ready to go. I wish the K01 had something like that.

drougge · 07-09-2013, 08:50 AM

Anyone find any differences yet? I've found one: When inserting an SD-card the shutter fires (there's a noise from the lens at least). (Tested with 01 prime. I still have one of my Qs on 1.12, so I'm sure that version doesn't do this.)

tclausen · 07-09-2013, 04:59 PM

Originally posted by drougge

Anyone find any differences yet? I've found one: When inserting an SD-card the shutter fires (there's a noise from the lens at least). (Tested with 01 prime. I still have one of my Qs on 1.12, so I'm sure that version doesn't do this.)

That's rather odd (have not upgraded my Q to 1.13 yet) - wonder if there is /any/ kind of reason for this, or it's just a bug that slipped through the QA process....

hnikesch · 07-09-2013, 06:11 PM

When you power up the Q it must open the lens shutter to view an image on the LCD, that is the noise the lens makes. If the lens is off the camera or otherwise not powered up the shutter is closed, as is the shutter on the OEM K mount adapter

Hans

Steve.Ledger · 07-09-2013, 08:39 PM

Originally posted by drougge

Anyone find any differences yet? I've found one: When inserting an SD-card the shutter fires (there's a noise from the lens at least). (Tested with 01 prime. I still have one of my Qs on 1.12, so I'm sure that version doesn't do this.)

Yes I noticed this too.
I know on the K-7 and the K-01 the orange write lamp flashes when you re insert the card, I assume this means the card is correctly seated. My guess is they have added an audible 'card seated' confirmation to the Q.

tclausen · 07-10-2013, 01:01 AM

Originally posted by sledger

Yes I noticed this too.
I know on the K-7 and the K-01 the orange write lamp flashes when you re insert the card, I assume this means the card is correctly seated. My guess is they have added an audible 'card seated' confirmation to the Q.

Hm, it's true I've noticed that lamp-flashing-thing with the K-01. I think I remember that the Q already does that also, though, but I am not 100% sure. It'd make sense for Pentax to have identical "user interfaces/clues/indicators" across their cameras, though, and am not sure that an "audible card seated confirmation" (especially an undocumented such) makes much sense?

tclausen · 07-10-2013, 01:02 AM

Originally posted by hnikesch

When you power up the Q it must open the lens shutter to view an image on the LCD, that is the noise the lens makes. If the lens is off the camera or otherwise not powered up the shutter is closed, as is the shutter on the OEM K mount adapter

Hans

Yes, but drougge was referring to a sound on his 1.13 firmware Q, that his 1.12 firmware Q wasn't making. Hmm, any chance, drougge, of perhaps trying with the Q's lens-less?

drougge · 07-10-2013, 08:16 AM

Originally posted by hnikesch

When you power up the Q it must open the lens shutter to view an image on the LCD, that is the noise the lens makes. If the lens is off the camera or otherwise not powered up the shutter is closed, as is the shutter on the OEM K mount adapter

Indeed it's the same sound, no doubt caused by the same movement inside the lens. It just doesn't seem useful to perform it when a card is inserted.

Originally posted by tclausen

Yes, but drougge was referring to a sound on his 1.13 firmware Q, that his 1.12 firmware Q wasn't making. Hmm, any chance, drougge, of perhaps trying with the Q's lens-less?

Naturally it's quiet then.

hnikesch · 07-11-2013, 05:39 AM

Originally posted by drougge

Indeed it's the same sound, no doubt caused by the same movement inside the lens. It just doesn't seem useful to perform it when a card is inserted.

Wow that is interesting. I just tried it with the lens removed from my OEM P2K adapter and when the camera is powered off the shutter in the adapter is mostly closed, when I insert the SD card it opens to almost completely open and stays in that position until I power up the camera, then the shutter opens completely and when I power down the camera it closes almost completely.

I was able to see the same action on my 02 lens. I put the SD card in and the lens shutter opened. I could remove the lens and the shutter remained open. I have never seen the shutter open after I removed the lens before. It seems it doesn't require power to hold the shutter open,

I wonder if there is a down side to having the shutter open for days at a time. I also wonder if this is a requirement for the 07 lens but that doesn't have a shutter. seems like a bug.

drougge · 07-11-2013, 03:26 PM

Originally posted by hnikesch

I was able to see the same action on my 02 lens. I put the SD card in and the lens shutter opened. I could remove the lens and the shutter remained open. I have never seen the shutter open after I removed the lens before. It seems it doesn't require power to hold the shutter open,

It's the same with the 01 (of course). I have seen the shutter open with the lens off before, because I took it off with the camera on. (Wanted to look through the lens.)

tclausen · 07-11-2013, 04:02 PM

Originally posted by hnikesch

Wow that is interesting. I just tried it with the lens removed from my OEM P2K adapter and when the camera is powered off the shutter in the adapter is mostly closed, when I insert the SD card it opens to almost completely open and stays in that position until I power up the camera, then the shutter opens completely and when I power down the camera it closes almost completely.

I was able to see the same action on my 02 lens. I put the SD card in and the lens shutter opened. I could remove the lens and the shutter remained open. I have never seen the shutter open after I removed the lens before. It seems it doesn't require power to hold the shutter open,

I wonder if there is a down side to having the shutter open for days at a time. I also wonder if this is a requirement for the 07 lens but that doesn't have a shutter. seems like a bug.

Hmm, intuitively I'd suspect that keeping the shutter open like that might wear out some springs or something - so I think I'll hold off upgrading from 1.12 until some later time

**monochrome** · 07-11-2013, 05:05 PM

I just updated to FW 1.13 on all three Q's. Before doing it I unmounted and remounted an 01 lens and removed and replaced an SD card, with the power on and with the power off.

Behavior of all three Q's was identical before and after the update:

Power on: Actions opened the shutter
Power off: Actions did nothing.

CONCLUSION: Before unmounting and mounting a lens, and when removing and inserting an SD card, TURN OFF THE POWER as the Instruction Manual recommends.

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07-05-2013, 05:24 PM - 1 Like	#16
drougge Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Malmö Photos: Gallery Posts: 787	Originally posted by monochrome I'm not arguing to be argumentative here - but - at some point we need to accept that this camera is a consumer's camera, not an enthusiasts camera nor a semi-pro tool. Pentax USA wants to emphasize the capability of the Q and somewhat downplay the fun aspect (from our Q Users' call with James Malcolm) but though I dodn't say it, they're missing the point (again). Q is about fun AND unexpectedly high image quality. It isn't a substitute DSLR, and it takes a LOT of coaxing to get a quality image out every time. The Quick Dial and the Scene Modes and the Smart Filters don't bother me becasue I don't expect them NOT to be there. Well, this being the internet and all I'm going to go ahead and argue anyway. I'm not expecting my Q to suddenly have more controls. But the front dial is already there. It costs money to add to every single unit. Having firmware support for letting me use it to, say, toggle focus peaking costs a tiny amount of money once, and nothing per unit. (To be clear, what I want is full user modes on the front dial.) Being able to change the settings I care about is a lot more fun than changing settings I don't care about. Knowing how easy it would be to fix this for Pentax (or even me, if the firmware source and build tools were available) is quite annoyong. It wouldn't make the camera any less consumer-friendly either, they already have too many settings to argue that.

07-05-2013, 06:53 PM	#17
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714	I do wish the front dial was more useful. But I can live with it the way it is. I think snostorm is right - the Q isn't meant to be a pro camera at this time. Once they build up the Q base there will likely be a higher speced unit. drougge are you remotely interested in the Samsung mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that is going to be open source? With your programming skills it would seem difficult to resist "designing" a camera. thanks barondla No matter what Pentax thinks the Q is FUN.

07-07-2013, 08:43 AM	#18
drougge Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Malmö Photos: Gallery Posts: 787	Originally posted by barondla drougge are you remotely interested in the Samsung mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that is going to be open source? With your programming skills it would seem difficult to resist "designing" a camera. Those cameras don't really appeal to me unfortunately. I'd much rather modify the firmware of a camera that was mostly good already. But some day I will go and try an NX300 and see if maybe it's actually nice.

07-08-2013, 08:48 AM	#19
verdigris Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 64	If you shoot a lot of video on the Q, the front dial is immensely useful. Since you have to commit to a jpeg processing style for vid, it's pretty sweet the have 5 to choose from ready to go. I wish the K01 had something like that.

07-09-2013, 08:50 AM	#20
drougge Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Malmö Photos: Gallery Posts: 787	Anyone find any differences yet? I've found one: When inserting an SD-card the shutter fires (there's a noise from the lens at least). (Tested with 01 prime. I still have one of my Qs on 1.12, so I'm sure that version doesn't do this.)

07-09-2013, 04:59 PM	#21
tclausen Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 1,397	Originally posted by drougge Anyone find any differences yet? I've found one: When inserting an SD-card the shutter fires (there's a noise from the lens at least). (Tested with 01 prime. I still have one of my Qs on 1.12, so I'm sure that version doesn't do this.) That's rather odd (have not upgraded my Q to 1.13 yet) - wonder if there is /any/ kind of reason for this, or it's just a bug that slipped through the QA process....

07-09-2013, 06:11 PM	#22
hnikesch Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,316	When you power up the Q it must open the lens shutter to view an image on the LCD, that is the noise the lens makes. If the lens is off the camera or otherwise not powered up the shutter is closed, as is the shutter on the OEM K mount adapter Hans

07-09-2013, 08:39 PM	#23
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301	Originally posted by drougge Anyone find any differences yet? I've found one: When inserting an SD-card the shutter fires (there's a noise from the lens at least). (Tested with 01 prime. I still have one of my Qs on 1.12, so I'm sure that version doesn't do this.) Yes I noticed this too. I know on the K-7 and the K-01 the orange write lamp flashes when you re insert the card, I assume this means the card is correctly seated. My guess is they have added an audible 'card seated' confirmation to the Q.

07-10-2013, 01:01 AM	#24
tclausen Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 1,397	Originally posted by sledger Yes I noticed this too. I know on the K-7 and the K-01 the orange write lamp flashes when you re insert the card, I assume this means the card is correctly seated. My guess is they have added an audible 'card seated' confirmation to the Q. Hm, it's true I've noticed that lamp-flashing-thing with the K-01. I think I remember that the Q already does that also, though, but I am not 100% sure. It'd make sense for Pentax to have identical "user interfaces/clues/indicators" across their cameras, though, and am not sure that an "audible card seated confirmation" (especially an undocumented such) makes much sense?

07-10-2013, 01:02 AM	#25
tclausen Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 1,397	Originally posted by hnikesch When you power up the Q it must open the lens shutter to view an image on the LCD, that is the noise the lens makes. If the lens is off the camera or otherwise not powered up the shutter is closed, as is the shutter on the OEM K mount adapter Hans Yes, but drougge was referring to a sound on his 1.13 firmware Q, that his 1.12 firmware Q wasn't making. Hmm, any chance, drougge, of perhaps trying with the Q's lens-less?

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07-10-2013, 08:16 AM	#26
drougge Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Malmö Photos: Gallery Posts: 787	Originally posted by hnikesch When you power up the Q it must open the lens shutter to view an image on the LCD, that is the noise the lens makes. If the lens is off the camera or otherwise not powered up the shutter is closed, as is the shutter on the OEM K mount adapter Indeed it's the same sound, no doubt caused by the same movement inside the lens. It just doesn't seem useful to perform it when a card is inserted. Originally posted by tclausen Yes, but drougge was referring to a sound on his 1.13 firmware Q, that his 1.12 firmware Q wasn't making. Hmm, any chance, drougge, of perhaps trying with the Q's lens-less? Naturally it's quiet then.

07-11-2013, 05:39 AM	#27
hnikesch Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,316	Originally posted by drougge Indeed it's the same sound, no doubt caused by the same movement inside the lens. It just doesn't seem useful to perform it when a card is inserted. Wow that is interesting. I just tried it with the lens removed from my OEM P2K adapter and when the camera is powered off the shutter in the adapter is mostly closed, when I insert the SD card it opens to almost completely open and stays in that position until I power up the camera, then the shutter opens completely and when I power down the camera it closes almost completely. I was able to see the same action on my 02 lens. I put the SD card in and the lens shutter opened. I could remove the lens and the shutter remained open. I have never seen the shutter open after I removed the lens before. It seems it doesn't require power to hold the shutter open, I wonder if there is a down side to having the shutter open for days at a time. I also wonder if this is a requirement for the 07 lens but that doesn't have a shutter. seems like a bug.

07-11-2013, 03:26 PM	#28
drougge Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Malmö Photos: Gallery Posts: 787	Originally posted by hnikesch I was able to see the same action on my 02 lens. I put the SD card in and the lens shutter opened. I could remove the lens and the shutter remained open. I have never seen the shutter open after I removed the lens before. It seems it doesn't require power to hold the shutter open, It's the same with the 01 (of course). I have seen the shutter open with the lens off before, because I took it off with the camera on. (Wanted to look through the lens.)

07-11-2013, 04:02 PM	#29
tclausen Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 1,397	Originally posted by hnikesch Wow that is interesting. I just tried it with the lens removed from my OEM P2K adapter and when the camera is powered off the shutter in the adapter is mostly closed, when I insert the SD card it opens to almost completely open and stays in that position until I power up the camera, then the shutter opens completely and when I power down the camera it closes almost completely. I was able to see the same action on my 02 lens. I put the SD card in and the lens shutter opened. I could remove the lens and the shutter remained open. I have never seen the shutter open after I removed the lens before. It seems it doesn't require power to hold the shutter open, I wonder if there is a down side to having the shutter open for days at a time. I also wonder if this is a requirement for the 07 lens but that doesn't have a shutter. seems like a bug. Hmm, intuitively I'd suspect that keeping the shutter open like that might wear out some springs or something - so I think I'll hold off upgrading from 1.12 until some later time

07-11-2013, 05:05 PM	#30
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	I just updated to FW 1.13 on all three Q's. Before doing it I unmounted and remounted an 01 lens and removed and replaced an SD card, with the power on and with the power off. Behavior of all three Q's was identical before and after the update: Power on: Actions opened the shutter Power off: Actions did nothing. CONCLUSION: Before unmounting and mounting a lens, and when removing and inserting an SD card, TURN OFF THE POWER as the Instruction Manual recommends.