Olympus today announced that the latest version of its Olympus Viewer or Olympus Studio (1.1) can automatically check for new firmwrare updates for E System digital cameras over the Internet (starts 28th Jan). "Once they have the latest version of the software, updating the firmware is incredibly easy. After connecting the camera to a Mac or Windows computer* and logging onto the internet, the user just needs to start the ‘Firmware Update’ function in the ‘Help’ menu in Olympus Viewer or Olympus Studio. This initiates a check of the firmware in the camera body and any connected lens and flash. If necessary, the latest version can be automatically downloaded and installed."

Phil: This new version of Viewer or Studio can be downloaded by selecting "Software Update" from either programs Help menu. I supposed we should also take this press release to mean that Olympus are preparing a firmware update for the E-1.

More firmware update information on the Olympus Japan website

Press Release:

So easy, so fast!

Online firmware update service for the Olympus E-System

Hamburg, 20 January 2004 – It’s not just the Olympus E-System itself that stands out from the crowd. The online firmware update service for this digital SLR system is also a cut above the rest. Unlike others’ systems, the Olympus solution is highly-automated. It checks the firmware used and downloads as well as installs a new version if necessary. The whole process is therefore very easy and just takes a few minutes. This means the busy professional photographer can get back to work immediately with an enhanced system. All that’s needed is the new version of the Olympus Viewer or Olympus Studio software and an internet connection.

“With the Olympus E-System, we broke away from restricting conventions to produce a truly ground-breaking digital SLR system. Our new firmware update service is also an example of our constant quest for the best solution,” says Ulrich Götze (European Marketing Manager Digital SLR Systems) at Olympus Europa GmbH. Owners of the Olympus E-System who want to use this innovative service just need to update the Olympus Viewer or Olympus Studio software to Version 1.1 or later by entering the software update menu in the current version of their program.

Once they have the latest version of the software, updating the firmware is incredibly easy. After connecting the camera to a Mac or Windows computer* and logging onto the internet, the user just needs to start the ‘Firmware Update’ function in the ‘Help’ menu in Olympus Viewer or Olympus Studio. This initiates a check of the firmware in the camera body and any connected lens and flash. If necessary, the latest version can be automatically downloaded and installed.

The firmware update service goes into action on 28 January 2004. Users who do not have an internet connection can contact authorised distributors or the European Customer Support Centre for information on updating their equipment.

Olympus Viewer and Olympus Studio
Olympus Viewer software is supplied with the Olympus E-1 digital SLR camera. It allows the user to download, view, rate, organise and print images. The optionally available Olympus Studio features a number of additional highlights, such as direct control of the camera from a computer, batch processing and rapid processing of RAW files.

* Compatible with Windows OS: 98SE, 2000, XP and Mac OS: 9.1-9.2.2, 10.1.3-10.3.
Supported interfaces: USB1.1/USB2.0/IEEE1394.