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What a complex update procedure !

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PhillipA

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Turn this off, turn this on, take out the battery, insert the battery, RESET THE CAMERA (losing your settings I assume) etc. etc.

Sony really should look at how Canon do it - copy the new firmware to a memory card, insert the card and run "update firmware" from the camera's menu - THAT'S IT!

Why the need for all the faffing around from Sony I don't understand !

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Judge: ' This image may be better in black and white - perhaps even just black! '
 
You don't lose your settings. At least I didn't. I also didn't find the update very hard, but then I use windows.
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IQ is not judged exclusively by high iso noise performance
 
PhillipA said:
Turn this off, turn this on, take out the battery, insert the battery, RESET THE CAMERA (losing your settings I assume) etc. etc.

Sony really should look at how Canon do it - copy the new firmware to a memory card, insert the card and run "update firmware" from the camera's menu - THAT'S IT!

Why the need for all the faffing around from Sony I don't understand !

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Judge: ' This image may be better in black and white - perhaps even just black! '
Click to expand...
Amen!
 
mike_2008 said:
You don't lose your settings. At least I didn't. I also didn't find the update very hard, but then I use windows.
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Click to expand...
Sorry, but if you don’t lose settings, you haven’t followed the procedure. The first step in the instructions is initialization, which means you have to reset to default. Once that is done, personal settings revert to default – they’re gone! In fact that is a bigger PITA than installing the firmware, especially having to reinstall one’s MR settings.

The issue then is: has one properly achieved the FW's effects if one hasn't defaulted all previous settings?
 
PhillipA said:
Turn this off, turn this on, take out the battery, insert the battery, RESET THE CAMERA (losing your settings I assume) etc. etc.

Sony really should look at how Canon do it - copy the new firmware to a memory card, insert the card and run "update firmware" from the camera's menu - THAT'S IT!
Click to expand...
This is the perfect update procedure for people who want more knobs, more menu settings and more options. Turn this off, turn this on, and then you can't remeber all the stettings when you want to take a picture! :-)

Also, complex = serious! :-)

Agree fully with you. Updating firmware should be simple and straightforward! Connecting the camera, clicking: update. Done.
 
Michael W00d said:
mike_2008 said:
You don't lose your settings. At least I didn't. I also didn't find the update very hard, but then I use windows.
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Click to expand...
Sorry, but if you don’t lose settings, you haven’t followed the procedure. The first step in the instructions is initialization, which means you have to reset to default. Once that is done, personal settings revert to default – they’re gone! In fact that is a bigger PITA than installing the firmware, especially having to reinstall one’s MR settings.

The issue then is: has one properly achieved the FW's effects if one hasn't defaulted all previous settings?
Click to expand...
Hmm, I followed the instructions from the chinese leaked fw1.04 a week ago and it works great and all my settings are still there. Weird huh.

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IQ is not judged exclusively by high iso noise performance
 
Really? I didn't find it hard at all. I launched the software, set the mode to mass storage, then just followed the prompts.
 
In addition to everything you mention ...

I tried on my Mac, and it said it doesn't work in 64-bit mode. Really, Sony?

So I tried on my Windows 7 PC, and I couldn't get the safely remove icon in the icon tray. I had to search the Internet for a solution.

I mean, come on! It would be one thing to say that a firmware upgrade won't work easliy via an old computer. But to say that it won't work easily on new-ish computers? Serious PITA!
 
PhillipA said:
Turn this off, turn this on, take out the battery, insert the battery, RESET THE CAMERA (losing your settings I assume) etc. etc.

Sony really should look at how Canon do it - copy the new firmware to a memory card, insert the card and run "update firmware" from the camera's menu - THAT'S IT!

Why the need for all the faffing around from Sony I don't understand !
Click to expand...
I am not a fan of requiring connection to a Windows PC or MAC to update the cameras. I updated my A700 using Linux since all it required was copying the new FW to CF card.

It is OK if they have the PC/MAC method but they should still support the platform neutral way of updating via the memory card.

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Rick
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fjbphotos/
 
I had to boot my MAC into a 32 bit mode and then it worked. To do that hold down 3 and 2 key while booting. Computer will automatically reboot into 62 mode next time you restart it. But I do agree the firmware update process is more difficult that putting the update on a memory card.
 
Really, if you been into computers and cameras for quite some time; the camera will still update the firmware like the previous ones. But for some reason Sony has decided that they were having too many issues with customers fluffing things up(my guess) that they changed the procedure. Mike kept his settings by not resetting to default. This should work for everyone else that doesn't want to lose their settings. Judging from the responses and results from you guys, if I had an A-77 I would still put the info on the card and do it the old way. But that's just me! And I know how this works. Updated my three cameras without any issues. Just making a statement here! Don't anybody hold me to this for messing up their upgrades. Again, I don't have an A-77. I'm still holding out for better improvements. :-)
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Glenn

I'm kinda partial to video, but I'm hangin!
 
realgeek said:
In addition to everything you mention ...

I tried on my Mac, and it said it doesn't work in 64-bit mode. Really, Sony?

So I tried on my Windows 7 PC, and I couldn't get the safely remove icon in the icon tray. I had to search the Internet for a solution.

I mean, come on! It would be one thing to say that a firmware upgrade won't work easliy via an old computer. But to say that it won't work easily on new-ish computers? Serious PITA!
Click to expand...
Says a man using nick 'reakgeek' :P

If you were a real geek you would have programmed your own updater.

Relax, just yanking your chain :)
 
One should always reset to default settings after a firmware update on cameras, phones, computers etc.

Firmware updates are risky business and I'm guessing Sony wanted to make sure that 99% can successfully complete the update, no need to worry about users trying to update with too small memorycard.
 
I just used the USA updater on a MAC running Lion..... did the "3" "2" boot to get it on 32 bit and then followed the easy to understand update procedures (and I am a old retired stuck in my ways coot). I found it simple and easily done.

I guess a single click update would be easier but even for me this update was a snap!
 
If you just follow the instructions in the software updater, you will not lose your settings. If you follow the instructions on the Sony download website, you lose your settings. The instructions between the two are slightly different. After reading that in another thread here, I just followed the instructions on the updater. The prompts were clear enough, and everything seems to work. More complicated than other camera updates though, no doubt. But it worked for me on a four year old Vista laptop (I need a new computer, badly)

As with any update, I believe there is also an element of luck as well.
 
The A700 update was done via a memory card. That looked simpler and safer to me. Why did they change it ???
And where is that damned cable ? I never use it. Card reader is fine.
--
jvb
 
Jan my NEX 5 and a33 did software updates this same way...... I guess it is just another new way of doing things like now at Apple all OS changes will now be done online instead of a disk.

We humans don't tolerate change very well........... just our nature.
 
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