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07-23-2016, 07:36 PM   #1
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I have a weird question(s) re: K3 firmare V. 1.21 on someone else's camera !

OK, this might seem weird but I will ask anyway.

My daughter just arrived with her K3 with firmware V. 1.11 on it.
She has also acquired one beautiful lens: the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm !! ((lucky her)).
I told her that she should update the firmware on order to be able to use this lens at its full potential.

Problem: her camera is at the cottage quite a way out of town here and I cannot format the SD card in her camera before installing the firmware update.

Can I download the file to my desktop comp here, copy it to a SD card and then install it in HER camera ?
I mean: does the SD card have to be formatted in HER camera, no matter what?

I would appreciate any comment(s) on that as I am going back to the cottage tomorrow and hope to be able to install this file on her camera.
((BTW, I do have a K3 too .. not a good idea to format that SD card in mine, right? - or does it matter??))

Thank you in advance for any reply (ies).

JP

07-23-2016, 07:43 PM   #2
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It will work fine.

---------- Post added 07-23-16 at 10:47 PM ----------

To add color to this. Formatting in camera is preferred by a lot of people but I honestly put zero stock in it. I agree that formatting a card is worth doing in camera if you can but it's a very low risk activity since that format must by definition be portable and work over many systems - it's simply FAT 32 these days and commonly used. Format it - copy the file and you should not have a bit of problem. After the update is complete you might have her reformat in camera to be sure she can use it for pictures but even that is a bit of overkill.

The main issue with not formatted in "my camera" cards are that some cameras and computers add some minor files and things that can cause some confusion on a few systems. I routinely move cards between my computer and my K-3 and my GX7 Panasonic and my LX7 Panasonic. Never any issues.

I don't tend to delete mid-use - I tend to format eventually after clearing the card so I am perhaps shielded from some problems that might otherwise crop up with repeated file delete and reuse.
07-23-2016, 07:58 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by jpzk Quote
I mean: does the SD card have to be formatted in HER camera, no matter what?
It does not have to be formatted, that's more of a best practice. Truth be told, I rarely format.

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07-23-2016, 08:01 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
It will work fine.

---------- Post added 07-23-16 at 10:47 PM ----------

To add color to this. Formatting in camera is preferred by a lot of people but I honestly put zero stock in it. I agree that formatting a card is worth doing in camera if you can but it's a very low risk activity since that format must by definition be portable and work over many systems - it's simply FAT 32 these days and commonly used. Format it - copy the file and you should not have a bit of problem. After the update is complete you might have her reformat in camera to be sure she can use it for pictures but even that is a bit of overkill.

The main issue with not formatted in "my camera" cards are that some cameras and computers add some minor files and things that can cause some confusion on a few systems. I routinely move cards between my computer and my K-3 and my GX7 Panasonic and my LX7 Panasonic. Never any issues.

I don't tend to delete mid-use - I tend to format eventually after clearing the card so I am perhaps shielded from some problems that might otherwise crop up with repeated file delete and reuse.
Thanks so much for the quick reply ... ,much appreciated !

So, I would format that card in MY camera (K3) and copy the firmware file to that, right?
She will not be using this card after the install because it is mine ... !

Cheers!

07-23-2016, 08:05 PM   #5
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I swap cards between K-01, K-3 and K-7. The most important is that the SD card is formatted in-camera. Does not matter which one.But it must be reformatted in camera (not in computer).

I believe that I once formatted a card in my K-01, placed the new firmware of my K-7 and install the firmware in my K-7 I have not tried with the K-3, but my experience suggests tht you should be fine. (If you could, and because of Murphy's law, I would re-format 2 SD cards, install the new firmware on both and using one as a backup.)
07-23-2016, 08:09 PM   #6
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You can also format the SD card (file format depends on the size of SD card) in a PC and then copy the firmware BIN file into the main directory. Then insert the SD card into the camera to do the firmware upgrade.
07-23-2016, 08:32 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by hcc Quote
I swap cards between K-01, K-3 and K-7. The most important is that the SD card is formatted in-camera. Does not matter which one.But it must be reformatted in camera (not in computer).

I believe that I once formatted a card in my K-01, placed the new firmware of my K-7 and install the firmware in my K-7 I have not tried with the K-3, but my experience suggests tht you should be fine. (If you could, and because of Murphy's law, I would re-format 2 SD cards, install the new firmware on both and using one as a backup.)
I'm afraid as a computer guy and a user of the K-3 (and K-50, and K100D, and K100D Super, and other cameras) I have never found a problem with formatting in computer vs. camera. I think it is just overcautious concern that makes this view common wisdom.

---------- Post added 07-23-16 at 11:32 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by jpzk Quote
Thanks so much for the quick reply ... ,much appreciated !

So, I would format that card in MY camera (K3) and copy the firmware file to that, right?
She will not be using this card after the install because it is mine ... !

Cheers!
Sure - your K-3 will work perfectly.

07-23-2016, 08:36 PM   #8
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Thanks to all for such quick responses!
Much appreciated , folks !

Cheers!

JP
07-23-2016, 10:22 PM   #9
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JP: I hate to be the nay-sayer here, as everyone thus far seems to have confidence that youʻll be fine, so you can probably do it without a hitch. But I have never tried that and as I see and work with about 240 students per year, all with Canon, Nikon, and Pentax cameras, I have seen with other makes things go south (on Nikons and Canons of the same make and model).

I am perhaps overly conservative and fearful of a corrupted update that would render my camera useless until serviced by Pentax or Precision. Again, the previous posters I assume have done this, and it worked. I havenʻt, mainly out of fear and that I havenʻt seen this published anywhere. PLEASE confirm after you do this that it worked and that Iʻm the chicken little (sky is falling).
07-23-2016, 11:19 PM   #10
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I have absolutely done this. The specific firmware in question was applied to my k-3 using a card not formatted in that camera, not in fact formatted in a camera, not blank, but it was placed in the root as specified. Camera works great to this day.
07-24-2016, 01:12 AM   #11
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I think we should de-mystify the formatting process: What actually happens, is that the formatting device (whether camera or computer) blanks out the card by writing a completely new set of administrative data, in technical terms called "file system". In the good old times this used to be Microsofts "FAT16", later it became "FAT32" and nowadays it is usually "exFAT".

In any case, the exact details of how the filesystem has to look like are standardized, thus is does not make any difference, whether the card gets formatted by the camera or a PC. The only difference when formatting in the camera is, that the camera would format and automatically create the directory to store the pictures in (plus more directories in some cameras). However, these directories are not required during the firmware upgrade and all cameras that I know will create these directories automatically when inserting the card.

I have barely any experience with Canon, little experience with Nikon and no knowledge of Sony, but all I wrote certainly applies to all Pentax cameras younger than K10D.
07-24-2016, 05:18 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by jpzk Quote
OK, this might seem weird but I will ask anyway.

My daughter just arrived with her K3 with firmware V. 1.11 on it.
She has also acquired one beautiful lens: the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm !! ((lucky her)).
I told her that she should update the firmware on order to be able to use this lens at its full potential.

Problem: her camera is at the cottage quite a way out of town here and I cannot format the SD card in her camera before installing the firmware update.

Can I download the file to my desktop comp here, copy it to a SD card and then install it in HER camera ?
I mean: does the SD card have to be formatted in HER camera, no matter what?

I would appreciate any comment(s) on that as I am going back to the cottage tomorrow and hope to be able to install this file on her camera.
((BTW, I do have a K3 too .. not a good idea to format that SD card in mine, right? - or does it matter??))

Thank you in advance for any reply (ies).

JP
Formatting and using the card from one current model Pentax to another would be fine. However have a look here : https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/ or here https://www.sdcard.org/consumers/index.html If you want to be particularly careful use the SD Association format software and format to bulk erase. But you don't really need to -> just if you are into reducing risk to the lowest possible fraction.
When I have completed downloading my pictures I always reformat. I use my reformatted cards interchangeably between my K5 and K3.
07-24-2016, 06:30 AM   #13
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Quick response needed .... I am leaving for the cottage in 20 minutes!!


There is a DCIM (file) present when I formatted the card, including of course the firmware 1.21
Do I get rid of this DCIM ... I can't remember if that matters or not.

Thanks !!
07-24-2016, 07:25 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by jpzk Quote
Quick response needed .... I am leaving for the cottage in 20 minutes!!


There is a DCIM (file) present when I formatted the card, including of course the firmware 1.21
Do I get rid of this DCIM ... I can't remember if that matters or not.

Thanks !!
Doesn't matter.
07-24-2016, 08:25 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by jpzk Quote
Quick response needed .... I am leaving for the cottage in 20 minutes!!


There is a DCIM (file) present when I formatted the card, including of course the firmware 1.21
Do I get rid of this DCIM ... I can't remember if that matters or not.

Thanks !!

Just insure that your firmware bin file is in the root directory not the DCIM folder and you will be OK. The DCIMfolder is created by the camera to store the digital images the camera creates.


Larry
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