Firmware is not the brain or software as such although in effect it is software. Its a dataset that describes the hardware, its functionality features and use, and is much more basic than simple software and much more important so ill describe it.
The camera when you switch it on, for an instant is the dumbest creature from dumb town. It knows nothing and can do nothing.
It doesn't even know what it is.
The very first instruction that executes in the camera is to jump into the firmware rom and load whatever it finds there beginning at address 0.
It finds of course some data, this is the firmware, and it begins by saying something like, I am a camera model k1, I have input ports I have output ports, I have a memory card slot, and I can read memory cards of type 2 type 3 type 4 etc.
As it progresses loading the firmware instructions, it becomes progressively more knowledegeable about all the various controls and functionality that the camera is capable of, until finally on completion, it knows everything programmed into that version of the firmware, complete with bug fixes and upgrades.
So you can see two things,
1 The camera firmware is central to the function of the camera and nothing can operate until its successfully loaded.
2 If the firmware becomes corrupted or lost, the camera can never become a camera and is just so much junk, and can never function again.
This is why a failure in upgrading the firmware is so catastrophic that it is called bricking the camera., or in other words turning the camera into something with the functionality of a brick.
Current prices for repairing a bricked camera (corrupted or lost firmware) vary by model and by cost, from 300 dollars to 750 dollars.
Adam gave excellent advice, unless your having problems leave it alone.
Last edited by Imageman; 07-14-2014 at 09:17 PM.
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