Panasonic Again Demonstrate What a Firmware Update Can Be

[James Stirling]

Nikon has put out some impressive firmware upgrades with the Z models particularly the Z9 and Z8 . I did smile when I saw DPreview's usual effusive praise of Sony recent firmware declaring them major firmware upgrades which looking at them is a bit generous . Though as Sony typically gives you firmware inside a shiny new camera I guess it is a bonus.

If I had not been so deep in the Nikon fold , Panasonic L mount would have been very tempting. I like their ergonomics etc and thanks especially to Sigma being part of L mount there is a very good selection of lenses

OT but when I decided to get back into FF once some systems had developed that were tempting (Sony never was), I looked really hard at Panasonic. Even though I started in m4/3 with Olympus cameras (E-M10 original and E-M1 original) and loved all the options, once I got a Panasonic body (G9 original) I was all about Panasonic lol.

However, one of my hard requirements was a really good set of 35/50/85 primes,

The recent Sigma i series of lenses look lovely excellent build quality and getting very good reviews . I still have an FE-Z adapter and I could see them as a style match for a ZF user . Not that us serious photgraphers give a hoot about such things

and Panasonic just did not have those at the time (I don't like Sigma lenses). Also, no PDAF. So I went with Nikon, which was perfect for my wants and needs. I love my Nikon system, but if the Panasonic gear that exists today existed back when I bought into FF mirrorless, I most likely would have gone with Panasonic rather than Nikon. No regrets, though, other than Nikon rebranding old Tamron lenses and charging the same price as Tamron sells the never versions for, and for more than Tamron sells the older version for.

Yes I am not sure that small updates made to the TamNiko lenses justify the price difference Though compared to the price jump in the OMSigma 150-600mm the TamNiko's are bargains tamron has a couple of their own brand and priced lenses in Z mount now the 150-500mm, 35-150mm, 70-300mm and they have just announced the 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 { god they love those letters after the lens } in Z mount.

 

[ahaslett]

I couldn’t understand why Dustin Abbott started his i-35/2 review by raving about build quality until I unwrapped mine. So much metal does make it a bit heavy.

The Tamron 28-75/2.8 G2 is a good value lens with some interesting optimisations, unless bokeh matters to you.

A

 

[jjbinx]

Yesterday Panasonic announced firmware updates for their S5II & S5IIX. This release will add some really good new features for both stills and video for both cameras, including AF improvements adding detection modes.

This reminds me of when they released version 2.0 for my original G9 which made it feel like a new camera.

It's great to see at least one camera company is prepared to provide updates and improvements for customers without them having to pay for a Mk2 version of the camera!!!

I have an S5. Not an S5II.

It's gotten ZERO updates for almost two years now, and could use them.... So, for that camera, total update support was only for a year and a half.

Not what I was hoping for, to be honest with you. They dropped it like a hot potato when the S5II's came out....

I don't think you can say "they dropped it like a hot potato" just yet. There may well be more firmware updates for it.

Although to be fair, once a Mark II version of a model has shipped, I'd expect firmware updates would be limited to fixes and support for new lenses/accessories rather than new AF features.

The S5II price is very keen. I traded in my S5 last year on the S5II and it was worth every penny.

I agree.
as disappointed as we may be I think it’s too much to expect feature and performance updates once a model has been superceded.

When I got my E-M1 Mark III a few years ago I searched (in vain) hoping to find some update from Olympus, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying it as it is - so good that the OM-1 models would give me very little extra

jj

 

[Carol T]

The recent Sigma i series of lenses look lovely excellent build quality and getting very good reviews . I still have an FE-Z adapter and I could see them as a style match for a ZF user . Not that us serious photgraphers give a hoot about such things

I am not familiar with those. Given your reference to the Zf I am guessing they are small and look old-school and have aperture rings? Such lens make the Zf make more sense to me, though I have been there and done that with Fuji long ago and it appeals to me not in the least. I guess at least not the Frankencamera that the Dr was. OTOH, lots of people love the Df, hopefully Nikon is making lots of money from them. I will be interested to see if the Zf is a halfway step to the Z6 III like a lot people think.

One thing though, if you have to add an adapter, doesn’t that ruin the whole retro look and feel? I agree with fans of the Zf that if Nikon is going to bother to the Zf they should make some small primes with aperture rings to go with it. Oh and do a zebra model and have leather half cases I guess lol.

Yes I am not sure that small updates made to the TamNiko lenses justify the price difference Though compared to the price jump in the OMSigma 150-600mm the TamNiko's are bargains tamron has a couple of their own brand and priced lenses in Z mount now the 150-500mm, 35-150mm, 70-300mm and they have just announced the 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 { god they love those letters after the lens } in Z mount.

I guess the main selling point of the rebranded Tamrons is that they are guaranteed to work as well as actual Nikon lenses?

Yeah, I read some gnashing of teeth about that lens lol. Great that it is from OM as it carries on the tradition of how Olympus killed 4/3 lol.

I have seen those other Tamron lenses. I have the Tamkon 17-28/2.8, and debated on the Tamron 28-75/2.8. That would cover a lot of what I shoot, but I would still have to change the lens out for my 85 prime, which I use quite a lot (most of my shots are at 50, most of the rest at 85, though ( would love the new 135 lol). Also, the 28-75 seems pretty mediocre. I definitely do not want the Nikon 24-70/2.8, and probably the 28-75 is more than good enough for me, but it would be the choice of convenience over quality for me compared with my primes.

 

[James Stirling]

The recent Sigma i series of lenses look lovely excellent build quality and getting very good reviews . I still have an FE-Z adapter and I could see them as a style match for a ZF user . Not that us serious photgraphers give a hoot about such things

I am not familiar with those. Given your reference to the Zf I am guessing they are small and look old-school and have aperture rings?

Yep they have that look metal build good optics etc



Example review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfRQN7mYOUg

Such lens make the Zf make more sense to me, though I have been there and done that with Fuji long ago and it appeals to me not in the least. I guess at least not the Frankencamera that the Dr was. OTOH, lots of people love the Df, hopefully Nikon is making lots of money from them. I will be interested to see if the Zf is a halfway step to the Z6 III like a lot people think.

One thing though, if you have to add an adapter, doesn’t that ruin the whole retro look and feel? I agree with fans of the Zf that if Nikon is going to bother to the Zf they should make some small primes with aperture rings to go with it. Oh and do a zebra model and have leather half cases I guess lol.

Carol the FE to Z mount adapters { there are few brands now } are so tiny you hardly notice it. As I say for my uses mostly S-AF it works very well I assume that with rapid action shooting it may not be so clever.



How it looks in situ

Yes I am not sure that small updates made to the TamNiko lenses justify the price difference Though compared to the price jump in the OMSigma 150-600mm the TamNiko's are bargains tamron has a couple of their own brand and priced lenses in Z mount now the 150-500mm, 35-150mm, 70-300mm and they have just announced the 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 { god they love those letters after the lens } in Z mount.

I guess the main selling point of the rebranded Tamrons is that they are guaranteed to work as well as actual Nikon lenses?

There are a few small improvements , allegedly

Yeah, I read some gnashing of teeth about that lens lol. Great that it is from OM as it carries on the tradition of how Olympus killed 4/3 lol.

I have seen those other Tamron lenses. I have the Tamkon 17-28/2.8, and debated on the Tamron 28-75/2.8. That would cover a lot of what I shoot, but I would still have to change the lens out for my 85 prime, which I use quite a lot (most of my shots are at 50, most of the rest at 85, though ( would love the new 135 lol). Also, the 28-75 seems pretty mediocre. I definitely do not want the Nikon 24-70/2.8, and probably the 28-75 is more than good enough for me, but it would be the choice of convenience over quality for me compared with my primes.

I am swapping { for a weekend } my Z9 with 180-600mm for someone from my camera clubs A7rIV and the mighty Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8. Thankfully I do not do any weddings or events anymore but the Tamron would have been a fantastic option for that kind of work

--
Jim Stirling:
“It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth.” Locke
Feel free to tinker with any photos I post

 

[challenger12]

Companies need to look into new commercial models for both firmware and hardware.

Because of the maturity of the technology, it’s becoming ever more difficult for manufacturers to justify “new” models. At best, they give marginal updates with mariginal benefits. Consequently, sales decline as owners see little value in upgrading.

With a plateau reached in the hardware and sufficient on-board processing power, the upgrades can be software-driven.

Therefore, maybe they should be looking at much longer life cycles for each model, supported by significant paid-for firmware updates?

 

[Crispy61]

Companies need to look into new commercial models for both firmware and hardware.

Because of the maturity of the technology, it’s becoming ever more difficult for manufacturers to justify “new” models. At best, they give marginal updates with mariginal benefits. Consequently, sales decline as owners see little value in upgrading.

With a plateau reached in the hardware and sufficient on-board processing power, the upgrades can be software-driven.

Therefore, maybe they should be looking at much longer life cycles for each model, supported by significant paid-for firmware updates?

I am not against this idea, but it may need to be in conjunction with extended warranties, as things do wear out.

 

[challenger12]

Companies need to look into new commercial models for both firmware and hardware.

Because of the maturity of the technology, it’s becoming ever more difficult for manufacturers to justify “new” models. At best, they give marginal updates with mariginal benefits. Consequently, sales decline as owners see little value in upgrading.

With a plateau reached in the hardware and sufficient on-board processing power, the upgrades can be software-driven.

Therefore, maybe they should be looking at much longer life cycles for each model, supported by significant paid-for firmware updates?

I am not against this idea, but it may need to be in conjunction with extended warranties, as things do wear out.

Sure. But think of the kudos of offering reduced obsolescence, reduced wastage and landfill? Chasing an ever diminishing new camera market is akin to insisting we all need to get a new computer every time software is upgraded.

 

[Carol T]

Yep they have that look metal build good optics etc



Example review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfRQN7mYOUg

Interesting lens. I guess these would go well with the Zf! Do you know if the aperture gets recorded? Also I forgot to look, but I assume these are autofocus?

Here is a comparison with the corresponding S lenses (info from B&H):

Sigma 35/2: $639, 70x68mm, 325g

Nikon 35/1.8: $847, 73x86mm, 370g



Sigma 50/2: $639, 70x70mm, 345g

Nikon 50/1.8: $626, 76x87mm, 415g



Sigma 90/2.8: $639, 64x60mm, 295g

Nikon 85/1.8: $797, 75x99mm, 470g



The S lens tend to be larger and heavier and more expensive, though the comparison for the 90 vs the 85 is skewed by the Sigma lens being a stop slower.

I would think if Nikon let Sigma make these for Z mount they might sell even more Zf bodies. Neither the Zf or these lenses interest me, but I am all for Nikon doing well!!

Carol the FE to Z mount adapters { there are few brands now } are so tiny you hardly notice it. As I say for my uses mostly S-AF it works very well I assume that with rapid action shooting it may not be so clever.



How it looks in situ

Ah, yes, FE to Z!! I was thinking EF to Z, for which the adapter would have to be far deeper. My bad.

There are a few small improvements , allegedly

OK I must have missed those. I have not heard that.

I am swapping { for a weekend } my Z9 with 180-600mm for someone from my camera clubs A7rIV and the mighty Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8. Thankfully I do not do any weddings or events anymore but the Tamron would have been a fantastic option for that kind of work

That Tamron sounds really intriguing!! Honestly that lens and the Tamkon 17-28/2.8 would cover all my needs. I do worry about image quality those with the 35-150 being such a wide zoom, and it being Tamron (I like Tamron and have owned some of their lenses, but they are not up there with the first party lenses IMO...). Right now my longest lens is my 85/1.8, but I would love something longer. Sadly the new 135 is way out of my price range. IIRC there is a third party lens for Sony that is cheaper and is a great lens, but unlikely that it will come to Nikon.

Thx for the info! Hope you and your family are doing well!!

 

[zotynimon]

Does this fix the G9 II sensor problem? It was extensively discussed and demonstrated in the recent thread below.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/67641654

If it has been fixed in new firmware then I would happily revive my plan to buy it and several lenses!

Yes, if you install the S5IIx firmware will make the camera FF as well.

Okay, I see what you mean. The S5IIx is not a Micro 4/3 camera though, is it? This is the Micro Four Thirds Talk forum. I guess you are indirectly telling me this thread is in the wrong forum so should be moved. I do not have the power to do that though.

 

[GHguy]

I feel that GH6 deserves some of the new features too. Real time LUT, pre burst, better e-stab, animal eye etc. Or maybe GH6 processor/memory is so full that there is no room for improvements?

I paid 2400 euros (about 2600 dollars) of my GH6 body. It is already very good but lets not forget it.

 

[Saabster]

Yesterday Panasonic announced firmware updates for their S5II & S5IIX. This release will add some really good new features for both stills and video for both cameras, including AF improvements adding detection modes.

This reminds me of when they released version 2.0 for my original G9 which made it feel like a new camera.

It's great to see at least one camera company is prepared to provide updates and improvements for customers without them having to pay for a Mk2 version of the camera!!!

Links for details of the updates if anyone is interseted:

Recently, Pentax has been releasing new firmware versions for the K-1 (released in 2016) and the K-1 mkii (released in 2018) Hell, when they released the K-1 mk ii, they did something I'd never seen any camera compnay do. They offered an update on the hardware for the Pentax K-1 for a fee. So you would send in your original Pentax K-1 and they would update the electronics to the same as the K-1 mk ii. They used the same sensor, but there were improvements in autofocus and other stuff. I'd never seen a camera company make an offer like that.

 

[Crispy61]

Yesterday Panasonic announced firmware updates for their S5II & S5IIX. This release will add some really good new features for both stills and video for both cameras, including AF improvements adding detection modes.

This reminds me of when they released version 2.0 for my original G9 which made it feel like a new camera.

It's great to see at least one camera company is prepared to provide updates and improvements for customers without them having to pay for a Mk2 version of the camera!!!

Links for details of the updates if anyone is interseted:

Recently, Pentax has been releasing new firmware versions for the K-1 (released in 2016) and the K-1 mkii (released in 2018) Hell, when they released the K-1 mk ii, they did something I'd never seen any camera compnay do. They offered an update on the hardware for the Pentax K-1 for a fee. So you would send in your original Pentax K-1 and they would update the electronics to the same as the K-1 mk ii. They used the same sensor, but there were improvements in autofocus and other stuff. I'd never seen a camera company make an offer like that.

An interesting concept for sure! Pentax are slightly unique in their approach to design, obviously sticking with DSLR's, and I do wonder if this approach would be feasible on a larger scale with one of the higher volume manufacturers. As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I would also be concerned about other items wearing out, so I wonder what are the warranty terms on these modifications?

 

[Martin Ocando]

Yesterday Panasonic announced firmware updates for their S5II & S5IIX. This release will add some really good new features for both stills and video for both cameras, including AF improvements adding detection modes.

This reminds me of when they released version 2.0 for my original G9 which made it feel like a new camera.

It's great to see at least one camera company is prepared to provide updates and improvements for customers without them having to pay for a Mk2 version of the camera!!!

Links for details of the updates if anyone is interseted:

Recently, Pentax has been releasing new firmware versions for the K-1 (released in 2016) and the K-1 mkii (released in 2018) Hell, when they released the K-1 mk ii, they did something I'd never seen any camera compnay do. They offered an update on the hardware for the Pentax K-1 for a fee. So you would send in your original Pentax K-1 and they would update the electronics to the same as the K-1 mk ii. They used the same sensor, but there were improvements in autofocus and other stuff. I'd never seen a camera company make an offer like that.

The thing with Pentax, and I hope my friend Carlos, long time Pentax user forgives me for saying this, is that their market share is so small that they need to keep the user base supper happy or they will jump ship to other manufacturers.

Like my friend, most Pentax users are very loyal and they love the features they get, that sometimes are not on any other camera system, and the way Pentax managed to keep lenses compatible even passing over to the AF era. And I think is one of the reasons why their only incursion in mirrorless was the failed K-01 trying to serve both worlds with mirrorless design, but DSLR size, defeating the purpose completely.

If the do decide to move up the mirrorless ladder, inevitably the K mount will need to be redesigned, and people will have to use adapters for all their lenses, and that is not really a viable solution. Maybe for a while, but eventually you want to take advantage of the size and weight advantages of mirrorless lens designs. Same thing that happened with every other DSLR manufacturer when moved to mirrorless.

I do hope other manufacturers (Olympus and Panasonic included) offered regular improvements to their firmware the same way Pentax does.

 

[Saabster]

Yesterday Panasonic announced firmware updates for their S5II & S5IIX. This release will add some really good new features for both stills and video for both cameras, including AF improvements adding detection modes.

This reminds me of when they released version 2.0 for my original G9 which made it feel like a new camera.

It's great to see at least one camera company is prepared to provide updates and improvements for customers without them having to pay for a Mk2 version of the camera!!!

Links for details of the updates if anyone is interseted:

Recently, Pentax has been releasing new firmware versions for the K-1 (released in 2016) and the K-1 mkii (released in 2018) Hell, when they released the K-1 mk ii, they did something I'd never seen any camera compnay do. They offered an update on the hardware for the Pentax K-1 for a fee. So you would send in your original Pentax K-1 and they would update the electronics to the same as the K-1 mk ii. They used the same sensor, but there were improvements in autofocus and other stuff. I'd never seen a camera company make an offer like that.

The thing with Pentax, and I hope my friend Carlos, long time Pentax user forgives me for saying this, is that their market share is so small that they need to keep the user base supper happy or they will jump ship to other manufacturers.

Like my friend, most Pentax users are very loyal and they love the features they get, that sometimes are not on any other camera system, and the way Pentax managed to keep lenses compatible even passing over to the AF era. And I think is one of the reasons why their only incursion in mirrorless was the failed K-01 trying to serve both worlds with mirrorless design, but DSLR size, defeating the purpose completely.

If the do decide to move up the mirrorless ladder, inevitably the K mount will need to be redesigned, and people will have to use adapters for all their lenses, and that is not really a viable solution. Maybe for a while, but eventually you want to take advantage of the size and weight advantages of mirrorless lens designs. Same thing that happened with every other DSLR manufacturer when moved to mirrorless.

I do hope other manufacturers (Olympus and Panasonic included) offered regular improvements to their firmware the same way Pentax does.

They also had the Q series of mirrorless cameras and while it has its issues it is a fun mirrorless to fool around with. I have the Q7 and a couple of lenses. I use it for concert photography and it does pretty well at that, and being super tiny helps a lot.

 

[Martin Ocando]

Yesterday Panasonic announced firmware updates for their S5II & S5IIX. This release will add some really good new features for both stills and video for both cameras, including AF improvements adding detection modes.

This reminds me of when they released version 2.0 for my original G9 which made it feel like a new camera.

It's great to see at least one camera company is prepared to provide updates and improvements for customers without them having to pay for a Mk2 version of the camera!!!

Links for details of the updates if anyone is interseted:

Recently, Pentax has been releasing new firmware versions for the K-1 (released in 2016) and the K-1 mkii (released in 2018) Hell, when they released the K-1 mk ii, they did something I'd never seen any camera compnay do. They offered an update on the hardware for the Pentax K-1 for a fee. So you would send in your original Pentax K-1 and they would update the electronics to the same as the K-1 mk ii. They used the same sensor, but there were improvements in autofocus and other stuff. I'd never seen a camera company make an offer like that.

The thing with Pentax, and I hope my friend Carlos, long time Pentax user forgives me for saying this, is that their market share is so small that they need to keep the user base supper happy or they will jump ship to other manufacturers.

Like my friend, most Pentax users are very loyal and they love the features they get, that sometimes are not on any other camera system, and the way Pentax managed to keep lenses compatible even passing over to the AF era. And I think is one of the reasons why their only incursion in mirrorless was the failed K-01 trying to serve both worlds with mirrorless design, but DSLR size, defeating the purpose completely.

If the do decide to move up the mirrorless ladder, inevitably the K mount will need to be redesigned, and people will have to use adapters for all their lenses, and that is not really a viable solution. Maybe for a while, but eventually you want to take advantage of the size and weight advantages of mirrorless lens designs. Same thing that happened with every other DSLR manufacturer when moved to mirrorless.

I do hope other manufacturers (Olympus and Panasonic included) offered regular improvements to their firmware the same way Pentax does.

They also had the Q series of mirrorless cameras and while it has its issues it is a fun mirrorless to fool around with. I have the Q7 and a couple of lenses. I use it for concert photography and it does pretty well at that, and being super tiny helps a lot.

I don’t count those as viable competitors, in the same way I think the Auto 110 system was just a toy compared with a 35mm film frame. BTW, I did own the Auto 110 back in the 80s, with 3 lenses and a flash. And loved it while it lasted.

I also hoped, and was very vocal in the Pentax DSLR forum back in the day in hopes that someone from Pentax hears me, that instead of coming up with a new Mirrorless format, and mount, they should have joined m43. Imagine shooting your favorite m43 cameras with those amazing pancake lenses.

Instead they abandoned all incursions into Mirrorless, and kept their trusty K mount. And I don’t blame them. But I feel they lacked some vision about the future.