Firmware update advice

AlanDB · 03-08-2014, 01:54 PM

I bought a k-5 towards the end of last year which I'm delighted with. I've just had a notification that new firmware has been released. I looked at the instruction video which says that the memory card has to be cleared and reformatted to download the new firmware. I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain. Am I understanding this correctly?
I'd appreciate aome clarification from more experienced heads.

**jatrax** · 03-08-2014, 02:02 PM

I do not think it matters if there are images on the card. But since firmware updates are always scary it is recommended to eliminate any variables you can. Use another card if you have it or copy everything off do the update and copy everything back.
I reformat everytime I put a card in but that's just me.

fgaudet · 03-08-2014, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by jatrax

I reformat everytime I put a card in but that's just me.

And me

But it doesn't matter if there is stuff on the card already. As Jatrax said, they recommend formatting only to eliminate the risk of problems with the update.

A few things, SD cards are not the safest data storage out there, I never keep anything on them, I had way too many fail on me over the years.

Also, if you're not planning of getting the 1.4x teleconverter and your camera is working fine, there is no need to update your firmware as it doesn't add any feature or fix any major bugs.

sterretje · 03-08-2014, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by AlanDB

I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain.

I don't see why. A simple format wipes them; not a pain at all.

Adam · 03-08-2014, 02:36 PM

The formatting step is optional but recommended. If you have a second card, I'd recommend using it.

JohnX · 03-08-2014, 03:27 PM

Originally posted by AlanDB

I bought a k-5 towards the end of last year which I'm delighted with. I've just had a notification that new firmware has been released. I looked at the instruction video which says that the memory card has to be cleared and reformatted to download the new firmware. I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain. Am I understanding this correctly?
I'd appreciate aome clarification from more experienced heads.

I use a spare 1GB card dedicated to firmware upgrades. Bit of a luxury I know, but SD cards are so cheap and any event you can't fit many shots on such a small card now . The one I use I bought some years ago anyway.

There's an more important point that's worth raising though, and that's the fact that like any memory medium SD cards fail.

I would strongly suggest that you transfer all photographs off your SD card as soon as possible after shooting them, preferably onto two or more other storage devices.

You don't want to lose, or risk losing, important moments or memories, so backing up photo's is essential.

dansamy · 03-08-2014, 03:55 PM

You need a method to back up your photos other than relying on SD cards. An external hard drive, a cloud storage or both.

adwb · 03-09-2014, 02:12 AM

Excuse me asking but Why on earth would you keep images on a sd card? Down load and format (in camera) after every shoot , keeps the card fresh and makes your images secure. Card failure is the number 1 way images are lost , followed by loosing the card, hd failure and so on.

**skid2964** · 03-09-2014, 03:12 AM

I agree, do not store images in-camera. I always move them to my PC where they are backed up in three places. I always format the card after each shoot.

fgaudet · 03-09-2014, 06:46 AM

Originally posted by adwb

Excuse me asking but Why on earth would you keep images on a sd card?

It is very common, many people do that. I never understood why. It reminds me of the story I read not long ago where a woman dropped her pentax camera in lake Tahoe and a guy fished it out a few years after with the camera still working... The lady was bummed out because she had lost a ton of pictures (2000 if I remember right) on the SD Card.

I'm so paranoid at loosing photographs that on a normal day of shooting (let's say at a national park) I will often used 2-4 SD cards per day, trying to swap them so I get a few shots of every location on at least 2 cards. And backing up on my laptop every night.

romster · 03-09-2014, 07:49 AM

Originally posted by AlanDB

I bought a k-5 towards the end of last year which I'm delighted with. I've just had a notification that new firmware has been released. I looked at the instruction video which says that the memory card has to be cleared and reformatted to download the new firmware. I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain. Am I understanding this correctly?
I'd appreciate aome clarification from more experienced heads.

I recently bought a used Kr and wondered if there was anyway to check what firmware version it was using is there anyway to do that?
If not as I'm not going to be using the 1.4 teleconverter should I just install the update as it contains all previous Firmware updates anyway?

fgaudet · 03-09-2014, 09:51 AM - **1 Like**

Turn camera off, hold "menu" while you power on. It'll show the actual firmware version as it starts up

romster · 03-09-2014, 10:02 AM

thank you Fgaudet that really helps me as I can now make an informed decision as to id I should install the new update or not

OrchidJulie · 03-09-2014, 10:11 AM

I keep a small-capacity SD card just for firmware updates. They are certainly cheap enough to have a few extras on hand. And I agree with everyone who recomended storing image files elsewhere (and backing them up, too, which I do to an external hard drive).

AlanDB · 03-09-2014, 01:15 PM

Thanks to everyone who replied. Some very useful points that I'll take on board.

03-08-2014, 01:54 PM	#1
AlanDB New Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Glasgow Posts: 2	Firmware update advice I bought a k-5 towards the end of last year which I'm delighted with. I've just had a notification that new firmware has been released. I looked at the instruction video which says that the memory card has to be cleared and reformatted to download the new firmware. I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain. Am I understanding this correctly? I'd appreciate aome clarification from more experienced heads.

03-08-2014, 02:36 PM	#5
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	The formatting step is optional but recommended. If you have a second card, I'd recommend using it. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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03-08-2014, 02:02 PM	#2
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	I do not think it matters if there are images on the card. But since firmware updates are always scary it is recommended to eliminate any variables you can. Use another card if you have it or copy everything off do the update and copy everything back. I reformat everytime I put a card in but that's just me.

03-08-2014, 02:16 PM	#3
fgaudet Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 726	Originally posted by jatrax I reformat everytime I put a card in but that's just me. And me But it doesn't matter if there is stuff on the card already. As Jatrax said, they recommend formatting only to eliminate the risk of problems with the update. A few things, SD cards are not the safest data storage out there, I never keep anything on them, I had way too many fail on me over the years. Also, if you're not planning of getting the 1.4x teleconverter and your camera is working fine, there is no need to update your firmware as it doesn't add any feature or fix any major bugs.

03-08-2014, 02:18 PM	#4
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Originally posted by AlanDB I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain. I don't see why. A simple format wipes them; not a pain at all.

03-08-2014, 03:27 PM	#6
JohnX Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London Posts: 1,116	Originally posted by AlanDB I bought a k-5 towards the end of last year which I'm delighted with. I've just had a notification that new firmware has been released. I looked at the instruction video which says that the memory card has to be cleared and reformatted to download the new firmware. I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain. Am I understanding this correctly? I'd appreciate aome clarification from more experienced heads. I use a spare 1GB card dedicated to firmware upgrades. Bit of a luxury I know, but SD cards are so cheap and any event you can't fit many shots on such a small card now . The one I use I bought some years ago anyway. There's an more important point that's worth raising though, and that's the fact that like any memory medium SD cards fail. I would strongly suggest that you transfer all photographs off your SD card as soon as possible after shooting them, preferably onto two or more other storage devices. You don't want to lose, or risk losing, important moments or memories, so backing up photo's is essential.

03-08-2014, 03:55 PM	#7
dansamy Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,450	You need a method to back up your photos other than relying on SD cards. An external hard drive, a cloud storage or both.

03-09-2014, 02:12 AM	#8
adwb Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bristol UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,636	Excuse me asking but Why on earth would you keep images on a sd card? Down load and format (in camera) after every shoot , keeps the card fresh and makes your images secure. Card failure is the number 1 way images are lost , followed by loosing the card, hd failure and so on.

03-09-2014, 03:12 AM	#9
skid2964 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2008 Location: USA Posts: 614	I agree, do not store images in-camera. I always move them to my PC where they are backed up in three places. I always format the card after each shoot.

03-09-2014, 06:46 AM	#10
fgaudet Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 726	Originally posted by adwb Excuse me asking but Why on earth would you keep images on a sd card? It is very common, many people do that. I never understood why. It reminds me of the story I read not long ago where a woman dropped her pentax camera in lake Tahoe and a guy fished it out a few years after with the camera still working... The lady was bummed out because she had lost a ton of pictures (2000 if I remember right) on the SD Card. I'm so paranoid at loosing photographs that on a normal day of shooting (let's say at a national park) I will often used 2-4 SD cards per day, trying to swap them so I get a few shots of every location on at least 2 cards. And backing up on my laptop every night.

03-09-2014, 07:49 AM	#11
romster New Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 12	Originally posted by AlanDB I bought a k-5 towards the end of last year which I'm delighted with. I've just had a notification that new firmware has been released. I looked at the instruction video which says that the memory card has to be cleared and reformatted to download the new firmware. I keep quite a lot of shots on the card, so deleting them seems a bit of a pain. Am I understanding this correctly? I'd appreciate aome clarification from more experienced heads. I recently bought a used Kr and wondered if there was anyway to check what firmware version it was using is there anyway to do that? If not as I'm not going to be using the 1.4 teleconverter should I just install the update as it contains all previous Firmware updates anyway?

03-09-2014, 09:51 AM - 1 Like	#12
fgaudet Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 726	Turn camera off, hold "menu" while you power on. It'll show the actual firmware version as it starts up

03-09-2014, 10:02 AM	#13
romster New Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 12	thank you Fgaudet that really helps me as I can now make an informed decision as to id I should install the new update or not

03-09-2014, 10:11 AM	#14
OrchidJulie Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Magic City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,937	I keep a small-capacity SD card just for firmware updates. They are certainly cheap enough to have a few extras on hand. And I agree with everyone who recomended storing image files elsewhere (and backing them up, too, which I do to an external hard drive).

03-09-2014, 01:15 PM	#15
AlanDB New Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Glasgow Posts: 2 Original Poster	Thanks to everyone who replied. Some very useful points that I'll take on board.