[cfraz]

The Unstable one.

I heard that a quick-thinking photographer observed said bug while shooting flower macros, captured it and sent it back to Ricoh, where it seems to be responding well to regression therapy.

[teiki arii]

A new version of the K-1, with hardware improvements that can't be replicated in a firmware upgrade is one thing, such as with the K-3/K-3ii, but an entirely new model that sits above the K-1 is quite another. I would expect the latter will precede the revamped K-1, so both a new body and continued firmware feature development for the present one are likely, not to mention desirable, both from a user and a sales perspective.

I am not sure there is a new model above K-1 in perspective since Sony seems not to deliver their sensors to a third brand according to Nikon D850 release...

[peterh337]

It is fairly normal for a minor fix to follow a major update, because most updates introduce new bugs.

No mfg wants to openly discuss bugs. Hence the word "stability"...

[Reed]

I am not sure there is a new model above K-1 in perspective since Sony seems not to deliver their sensors to a third brand according to Nikon D850 release...

Not realy, D850 sensor seems to be made on request by Nikon by TowerJazz Semiconductors Inc(joint venture of Tower SemiCon and Panasonic). There is no evidence that Sony is not supporting other brands, and that would be bad move, because their profit rely in big part on selling image sensors tech to other manufacturers.

[teiki arii]

Not realy, D850 sensor seems to be made on request by Nikon by TowerJazz Semiconductors Inc(joint venture of Tower SemiCon and Panasonic). There is no evidence that Sony is not supporting other brands, and that would be bad move, because their profit rely in big part on selling image sensors tech to other manufacturers.

I hope you're right because Sony makes the best sensors as of today (take a look at Phase one IQ3-100MP and Hasselblad H6D-100) and more of it, it would ensure a continuity in rendering and skills, if so...
Cross fingers.

[Mistral75]

Concerning the relations between Sony Semiconductor Solutions and Sony Imaging Products and Solutions, I would suggest your reading the following article:

Sony: 'Our company has a vision which is more important than profit alone': Digital Photography Review

[RobA_Oz]

I am not sure there is a new model above K-1 in perspective since Sony seems not to deliver their sensors to a third brand according to Nikon D850 release...

That makes two of us, but only because we don't know what Ricoh is planning. However, given the price-for-feature value package that the K-1 represents, it just strikes me that there's a lot of room for another body priced significantly above it. The K-1 sensor is based on a fairly old product line, so even if a next-tier model didn't include a sensor with a higher pixel count, it could still use a newer design with better low-light and high-ISO performance etc. Whether that might be the same sensor as in the D850 or not is impossible to say.

[mecrox]

How do olympus/fuji/panasonic do it then? Why making existing clients happy (which would boost loyalty), or stepping up from the normal (old) dslr tactics (new bodies with new features) is a bad thing?

There are limits to firmware upgrades, but I think magic lantern and milc producing companies showed that it is possible to further develop a product and extend its life span and general interest towards said product.

I'd guess it is far better to maintain a "conversation" with your customers via firmware updates than it is to lose them to other brands in between model releases. They may even purchase a new lens or two in the meantime. As software increases in importance in the photography world so too will this kind of rolling update model. Being so conservatitve, the Japanese camera companies have probably found it hard to get their heads around this notion. Very different from the old days when the purchase of the camera pretty well marked the end of the maker's involvement, but perhaps this isn't a realistic model now.

[Bob 256]

There are probably a certain number of "bugs" in any new product and the manufacture leaves it to the consumer to find many of these. Once the manufacture feels that most if not all are covered, they quit issuing firmware "upgrades" which are really just patches and requests for features the manufacture felt worthy of issuing after the fact. If you take a look at products that are over 2 or 3 years old, you find no additional firmware issues forthcoming (e.g., the Pentax K-01), even though the manufacture may say "oh, we'll consider that feature", or "we'll put that in our firmware upgrade que". It doesn't pay to commit software engineering time to those so they are dropped altogether after some point. Not that this is the case with the K-1 which is a new product, but you can expect K-1 "upgrades" to slow and then halt at some not-so-distant future time (particularly if a successor to the K-1 is released). Firmware issues are a free service with no direct monetary value to a company (in fact - a cost), whereas a new product pays the bills.

[mee]

No complex software is bug free. I think Ricoh (and every other camera manufacturer) develop and test the code until it works error free for them with the small test pool they have. They then introduce it as a version 1.0 to the world. More people using your product mean more probability for finding bugs, at which point they squish them!


And this cycle of releasing a firmware, users reporting bugs, patching the bugs, releasing a firmware with bug fixes... continues for the life of the camera (usually until they discontinue for a newer model).

[Gerard_Dirks]

I would like that Ricoh will spend also older Camera with Firmware Updates, not only for bugfixes but also for adding some features. e.g. Tethering for older Models or support of Image Transfer 2.0 to the K-5

I own all Camera (K-1, K-3, K-5iis & K-5), but I use my K-5 (not K-5iis) in combination with my Metz 76 MZ-5 HighEnd Flash, Support of this flash was stopped with the K-5ii)

Normal Ricoh stops with bringing new Firmware after 1 year afters it release. I expect from a HighEnd Product a longer period for new releases (it is the same with Smart Phones; Apple brings more 3-4 years new releases of the iOS, Android stops supoorting after 1 - 1 1/2 year.

[DeadJohn]

...Being so conservatitve, the Japanese camera companies have probably found it hard to get their heads around this notion...

Ricoh and Sony are both Japanese companies. They follow very different approaches. Ricoh is conservative, methodical, slow.

Sony is more aggressive. Some of their cameras have apps to extend firmware capabilities. That part is good, but their aggressiveness also created a confusing lens mount selection:

There are 4 lens mounts for the Sony alpha series. A-mount is by default full frame, add "DT' to the lens name and it's only APS-C. E-mount is by default APS-C, add "FE" to lens name for full frame. At least that's how I think it works ... it's confusing.

[Gimbal]

I noticed a new behavior, I believe.

I just tried pixel shift and as I recall it the four pictures where displayed on the LCD as they where shot one by one, now the LCD is black until it's done. Not that I think it effects anything but at least something has changed... or maybe there is a setting for this?

[Zygonyx]

No, no setting.
Interesting finding.

[todd]

maybe there is a setting

Interesting finding.

I'd say an unfortunate finding. I like(d) being able to see the progress.