Originally posted by mccririck I might be if I had more money! ��
To be honest I think Ricoh are missing a trick, it would be a good way of keeping people with the brand and also attracting people over.
There is a small contingent of MILC fans here on PF that sing the firmware update song fairly frequently here. The usual phrase goes, "X can be done with only a simple firmware fix..." followed a few sentences later by "Panasonic/Fuji are particularly good at providing value added features as firmware updates several times a year" (or something like that). My standard answer is that Pentax cameras are generally feature complete at time of release, unlike some other brands.
That being said, there may be a few other reasons related to the differences between MILC and dSLRs. Most of the functionality of a Pentax dSLR is provided by the choice of main controller chipset and the controllers built into essential components (sensor, shutter, mirror, AF drive, SR, etc.). Most of the high level firmware on our cameras rely on scripted "hooks" directed at specific features exposed by the component vendors and/or deeper levels of flashed code while I suspect that most MILCs operate using something closer to an embedded operating system handling multiple functions directly. This last is similar to a cell phone.
If the Milbeaut controller in my K-3 does not support 4K video or electronic shutter, even the best attempt at a firmware feature upgrade cannot provide such without a change in hardware. No, we can't support an accessory shoe mounted EVF with just a simple firmware update.
Steve