New firmware to PENTAX K-7: 1.03

knoxploration · 02-22-2010, 10:14 PM

Originally posted by GoremanX

But a firmware update CAN add support for exFAT, so all the other benefits of SDXC can in fact be added to our cameras through a firmware update. These benefits include higher capacities, larger maximum file size, and faster file deleting (because that's an exFAT feature, not an SDXC feature).

Let me ask you this... What reason would the SD Association have for stating that a firmware update wouldn't be possible and that a hardware update would be required, if that were not actually the case?

They stand to gain an advantage out of having more products capable of accepting SDXC cards, after all. (If existing SD/SDHC devices could accept SDXC cards, there would be an instant market for the cards, and quicker adoption of the format).

They're also the only ones who are aware of what the 4.0 spec contains, as it hasn't been publicly released yet.

GoremanX · 02-22-2010, 10:54 PM

Originally posted by knoxploration

Let me ask you this... What reason would the SD Association have for stating that a firmware update wouldn't be possible and that a hardware update would be required, if that were not actually the case?

What the SD Card Association's web site states is that specific hardware will be needed to be able to read SDXC cards at 300 mbytes/s. Not that SDXC cards will be unreadable in SDHC readers.

Maybe you should re-read the SD Card Association's web site from a different point of view. This isn't a conspiracy, they're just trying to explain difficult technical concepts to people who have no understanding of such things. Most people don't differentiate between the block device and its file system. To them, it's all the same thing. If you actually look at the technical specifications, you'll find that SDHC and SDXC are actually pretty much identical right now.

Originally posted by knoxploration

They stand to gain an advantage out of having more products capable of accepting SDXC cards, after all. (If existing SD/SDHC devices could accept SDXC cards, there would be an instant market for the cards, and quicker adoption of the format).

Wrong, they gain nothing if SDXC cards don't give consumers an immediate tangible improvement. It's a new technology, so it must be better right away, otherwise consumers will complain. When 300mbit/s cards actually exist, they'll only be that fast on SDXC readers, so the best way to show their new product in a good light is to make sure everyone has SDXC readers to use them with.

The idea right now is to prevent hapless users from turning their precious SDXC cards into SDHC cards by accidentally formatting it. By stating that users should only use SDXC cards in SDXC readers, they ensure that the operating system has an appropriate driver for the reader, and that it properly supports the exFAT filesystem (that's the vital part, OS X doesn't support exFAT yet).

Originally posted by knoxploration

They're also the only ones who are aware of what the 4.0 spec contains, as it hasn't been publicly released yet.

Sure it has, it's been a draft specification for months. They've been telling everyone about all the great new things that have been added to the specification to make it better than Sony's Memory Stick and so on. It's not a trade secret, it's not a mystery, it's been in the public eye for ages. And the big thing they added was that extra pin, which enables 300mbytes/s transfer speed. No-one's going to be surprised when the SD 4.0 spec comes out, it's already been discussed to death. They're only finalizing the details, not changing it.

ogl · 02-22-2010, 11:09 PM

Originally posted by GoremanX

Nope, not at all, I don't agree with that statement in the least. What I said was that SDHC devices would not be able to read SDXC cards at the full 300 mbytes/s, that's all.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925554-post59.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925642-post62.html

You explained the same with more well-grounded arguments

Microsoft has license for exFAT.

Pentaxor · 02-24-2010, 11:51 PM

just updated my firmware to 1.03. it was working perfectly and I feel like that the HI-continuous shooting became much faster and . the buffer empties faster now, atleast 2-3 seconds after 14 shots (it went as far as 23 successive shots twice). my generic subpar Class 6 SDHC card now can record video without any hassles at medium settings.

although I encountered a glitch during the first update. when I used the camera again and tried firing away, it always stopped after 4-5 images. tried using another lens, same result. so I overwrote the firmware again with the same version. then it comes back to shooting 14 images in succession again.

I haven't examined if there is any difference when it comes to focusing, sharpness and ISO noise. but I might take a look at it after some times.

Pentax_XTC · 03-30-2010, 06:47 AM

I noticed something that I was hoping for... The focusing on my DA* lenses is MUCH better now. I'm not sure what they did, but I'm very happy now

thibs · 03-30-2010, 07:04 AM

Originally posted by Pentax_XTC

I noticed something that I was hoping for... The focusing on my DA* lenses is MUCH better now. I'm not sure what they did, but I'm very happy now

Interesting, I'll try with my 50-135...

laissezfaire · 04-25-2010, 07:32 PM

Originally posted by KansasHorizons.com

Sweet, My cheaper than the sandisk by far transcends just went back to amazon today because they couldn't keep up with the video and NOW they fix it.....

Hate to tell you this....I had a 16GB Transcend Class 6 SDHC card in the packaging with a return authorization number ready to go back to Beach Camera... well after the upgrade, I opened the package, tried the video and viola! It fixed the video cut off problem.

Asudef · 06-14-2010, 06:35 PM

I thought you couldn't roll back firmware or install any that isn't a later version of what's been already installed?

So it seems 1.03 is perfectly OK with no negative side effects?

knoxploration · 06-14-2010, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by Asudef

So it seems 1.03 is perfectly OK with no negative side effects?

Working just great here...

Zebooka · 06-14-2010, 11:01 PM

Originally posted by ogl

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925554-post59.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925642-post62.html

You explained the same with more well-grounded arguments

Microsoft has license for exFAT.

Why, oh why.... SDXC uses exFAT?
Why? Why not ext2, or any other cool file system. I hate M$ (I've switched from them to stable, free and easy linux).

:ugh:

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02-22-2010, 10:14 PM	#76
knoxploration Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 846	Originally posted by GoremanX But a firmware update CAN add support for exFAT, so all the other benefits of SDXC can in fact be added to our cameras through a firmware update. These benefits include higher capacities, larger maximum file size, and faster file deleting (because that's an exFAT feature, not an SDXC feature). Let me ask you this... What reason would the SD Association have for stating that a firmware update wouldn't be possible and that a hardware update would be required, if that were not actually the case? They stand to gain an advantage out of having more products capable of accepting SDXC cards, after all. (If existing SD/SDHC devices could accept SDXC cards, there would be an instant market for the cards, and quicker adoption of the format). They're also the only ones who are aware of what the 4.0 spec contains, as it hasn't been publicly released yet.

02-22-2010, 10:54 PM	#77
GoremanX Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Georgia, VT Photos: Albums Posts: 1,657	Originally posted by knoxploration Let me ask you this... What reason would the SD Association have for stating that a firmware update wouldn't be possible and that a hardware update would be required, if that were not actually the case? What the SD Card Association's web site states is that specific hardware will be needed to be able to read SDXC cards at 300 mbytes/s. Not that SDXC cards will be unreadable in SDHC readers. Maybe you should re-read the SD Card Association's web site from a different point of view. This isn't a conspiracy, they're just trying to explain difficult technical concepts to people who have no understanding of such things. Most people don't differentiate between the block device and its file system. To them, it's all the same thing. If you actually look at the technical specifications, you'll find that SDHC and SDXC are actually pretty much identical right now. Originally posted by knoxploration They stand to gain an advantage out of having more products capable of accepting SDXC cards, after all. (If existing SD/SDHC devices could accept SDXC cards, there would be an instant market for the cards, and quicker adoption of the format). Wrong, they gain nothing if SDXC cards don't give consumers an immediate tangible improvement. It's a new technology, so it must be better right away, otherwise consumers will complain. When 300mbit/s cards actually exist, they'll only be that fast on SDXC readers, so the best way to show their new product in a good light is to make sure everyone has SDXC readers to use them with. The idea right now is to prevent hapless users from turning their precious SDXC cards into SDHC cards by accidentally formatting it. By stating that users should only use SDXC cards in SDXC readers, they ensure that the operating system has an appropriate driver for the reader, and that it properly supports the exFAT filesystem (that's the vital part, OS X doesn't support exFAT yet). Originally posted by knoxploration They're also the only ones who are aware of what the 4.0 spec contains, as it hasn't been publicly released yet. Sure it has, it's been a draft specification for months. They've been telling everyone about all the great new things that have been added to the specification to make it better than Sony's Memory Stick and so on. It's not a trade secret, it's not a mystery, it's been in the public eye for ages. And the big thing they added was that extra pin, which enables 300mbytes/s transfer speed. No-one's going to be surprised when the SD 4.0 spec comes out, it's already been discussed to death. They're only finalizing the details, not changing it.

02-22-2010, 11:09 PM	#78
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Originally posted by GoremanX Nope, not at all, I don't agree with that statement in the least. What I said was that SDHC devices would not be able to read SDXC cards at the full 300 mbytes/s, that's all. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925554-post59.html https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925642-post62.html You explained the same with more well-grounded arguments Microsoft has license for exFAT.

02-24-2010, 11:51 PM	#79
Pentaxor Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,513	just updated my firmware to 1.03. it was working perfectly and I feel like that the HI-continuous shooting became much faster and . the buffer empties faster now, atleast 2-3 seconds after 14 shots (it went as far as 23 successive shots twice). my generic subpar Class 6 SDHC card now can record video without any hassles at medium settings. although I encountered a glitch during the first update. when I used the camera again and tried firing away, it always stopped after 4-5 images. tried using another lens, same result. so I overwrote the firmware again with the same version. then it comes back to shooting 14 images in succession again. I haven't examined if there is any difference when it comes to focusing, sharpness and ISO noise. but I might take a look at it after some times.

03-30-2010, 06:47 AM	#80
Pentax_XTC Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Duluth, GA Posts: 365	I noticed something that I was hoping for... The focusing on my DA* lenses is MUCH better now. I'm not sure what they did, but I'm very happy now

03-30-2010, 07:04 AM	#81
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	Originally posted by Pentax_XTC I noticed something that I was hoping for... The focusing on my DA* lenses is MUCH better now. I'm not sure what they did, but I'm very happy now Interesting, I'll try with my 50-135...

04-25-2010, 07:32 PM	#82
laissezfaire Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 188	Originally posted by KansasHorizons.com Sweet, My cheaper than the sandisk by far transcends just went back to amazon today because they couldn't keep up with the video and NOW they fix it..... Hate to tell you this....I had a 16GB Transcend Class 6 SDHC card in the packaging with a return authorization number ready to go back to Beach Camera... well after the upgrade, I opened the package, tried the video and viola! It fixed the video cut off problem.

06-14-2010, 06:35 PM	#83
Asudef Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: San Francisco Posts: 79	I thought you couldn't roll back firmware or install any that isn't a later version of what's been already installed? So it seems 1.03 is perfectly OK with no negative side effects?

06-14-2010, 08:42 PM	#84
knoxploration Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 846	Originally posted by Asudef So it seems 1.03 is perfectly OK with no negative side effects? Working just great here...

06-14-2010, 11:01 PM	#85
Zebooka Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Russia, Siberia, Novosibirsk Posts: 323	Originally posted by ogl https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925554-post59.html https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/925642-post62.html You explained the same with more well-grounded arguments Microsoft has license for exFAT. Why, oh why.... SDXC uses exFAT? Why? Why not ext2, or any other cool file system. I hate M$ (I've switched from them to stable, free and easy linux). :ugh: