LX5 firmware update is here

[MrClick]

Just completed the firmware update. My LX5 is now set to firmware v2.0.

I had no problems whatsoever... as easy as apple-pie. Here is exactly what I did... 15 simple clearly mentioned steps unlike the original Panasonic web page which can be slightly confusing. Hope this helps some of you!

1) Slide the power switch to the 'OFF' position.

2) Take out the battery and SD Card from your LX5 camera.

3) Charge your battery fully. This is important.

4) Format the SD card in the camera (not in your computer). This is important.

5) Insert the SD card into your computer. Delete all the folders on the card. Copy the extracted LX5_ V20.bin file from your hard disk to the SD card. After doing this all you will see on the SD Card is the copied LX5 V20.bin file... no other file or folders should be present/visible.

6) Take out the SD Card from your computer and put it in a safe place till the battery is fully charged.

7) Make sure your LX5 camera is powered off. Open the battery compartment and insert the fully charged battery and SD Card into the camera. Remove the lens cap now.

8) Slide the power switch to the 'ON' position.

9) Press the 'PLAY' button (Green Arrow icon)

10) Wait for a moment. You will see the prompt question "START VERSION UP?" Select "YES" and press the Menu/Set button to confirm. Put the camera down gently on a table near you.

11.a) Now be careful here. Do not press any of the buttons on the camera. Do not touch any of the slider switches. Let the camera remain powered 'ON'. This is very important.

11.b) After about 20-30 seconds you will see the green indicator light below the AF/AE LOCK button blink. The screen will go blank for a moment. All this is perfectly normal.

12) You will see the words "NO VALID PICTURE TO PLAY" after a moment. Your firmware upgrade is complete.

13) Slide the power switch to the 'OFF' position now. Wait for five seconds.

14) Slide the power switch to the 'ON' position again.

15) Format the SD card in the camera once again (not in your computer). This is important.

Viola! That's all! You can now use your LX5 with its new features.

......
Click

 

[Enir4]

I haven't tried the other features, but they seem useful for many people: super long shutter speeds, AF area memory, enhanced high ISO noise reduction and miniature effect.

So if you select the smallest AF area, you can save that into a Custom setting?

larsbc

The LX5 will remember it next time you switch it on.

Enrique

 

[runbrunfid]

Min mode, how do you use it? Is there a manual on the new features and where to get at them? Thanks

 

[aerorail]

my battery wasn't charged completely and install was quick and painless

 

[ripleysbaby]

Min mode, how do you use it? Is there a manual on the new features and where to get at them? Thanks

Here

https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/support/en/dsc/lx5/DMC-LX5_eng.pdf

 

[aerorail]

the file doesn't go into any folder as instructions state

it goes to root directory

 

[runbrunfid]

I can do min mode in photos but how do you do it in movie mode?

Thanks

 

[USAF6670]

I had a little trouble not sure the causes. It may have been the folders on the formated SD Card. DCIM, MISC, and PRIVATE. Although I tried deleting them after I copied the new file to the SD Card. I also tried Send To to transfer the file to the SD card rather than Copy. Or in could have been as simple as not pushing the Green Arrow. I did follow the instructions one at a time and missed some of the on screen instructions as well as the blinking green light. Anyway I waited a minute or so and everything is upgraded to Version 2.0 now. Thanks for your help.

 

[Mirkuma]

Greetings to everyone in this dpreview LX5 thread/forum! It is a great forum with a lot of great information regarding LX5 settings and photography!

As a fresh LX5 user (having LX5 for about 3 weeks) a have just register after I have made a successful fw 2.0 update.

According to Panasonic manual for firmware 2.0, the new "Active mode" (electronic image stabiliser) accessible from the motion picture menu should work in movie mode.

But also when the camera is set to Aperture, Program, Shutter or Manual photo mode, there is the icon for the Active mode on the LCD screen, at least on my LX5.

Is this normal even during picture mode or should be visible and active only during movie mode?

Has this "Active mode" settings also some effect on the taken pictures (narrower angle of view) or it just affects movies?

Thank you for your replays.

P.S.

Noise reduction settings have been changed only for ISO 1600 and above, so I assume that already discuses "problems" (noise reduction and sharpness artifacts) in JPEG mode are the same as with fw 1.0 and therefore Film mode settings as NR -2 and SH -2 are still preferable if I don't want to do some post processing / shot in RAW mode?

 

[Louis Dallara]

Update went smooth as silk.

I'm trying to see what inprovements they have made.
feels a little faster and noise look a little less, still
testing.
--
Lou Dallara

Web Site http://louisdallara.com/
Blog http://www.louisdallaraphotoblog.com/

 

[MrClick]

Noise reduction settings have been changed only for ISO 1600 and above...

Nope. I'll help to clarify...

The new High ISO NR feature in v2.0 works only for ISO 1600 and ISO 3200. It does not work for ISO levels below 1600 and above 3200.

Remember this... ISO 3200 and below gives you images at full resolution. ISO levels higher than ISO 3200 reduce the resolution i.e. you get smaller images above ISO 3200.

......
Click

 

[BPengMan]

All you have to do is push the red video recording button next to the shutter button when you're in miniature mode. It will record at 1/10 of the speed (10 min recording --> 1 min video) giving you a feature of some "time-lapse" functionality

I can do min mode in photos but how do you do it in movie mode?

Thanks

 

[kamenal]

Hi! I am following your instructions, without success. I have an iMac though. After I press "PLAY" button, it says "no valid picture to play".
Can you or someone with Mac advise, please?
Thanks.

 

[Bill McClung]

Hi. My update worked fine, with one extra step in the procedure.

When I first put the memory card into the camera and pushed the green arrow (review) button, nothing happened. Pushed it several times and still nothing happened ....still did not get the "VERSION UP" "START VERSION UP?" screen, as shown in Figure 3 of the downloading instructions.

I then decided to turn the camera off and then back on to see what would happen. Got the VERSION UP/START VERSION UP? screen, pushed "yes" and the download was completed successfully.

If you have the same problem, just turn your camera off and then back on and that should work. Good luck! NOW ..... to TEST the new firmware!!!

--
Bill McClung (a.k.a. 'NC BILL')
Image galleries at http://www.pbase.com/nc_bill

NEVER BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW.
REMEMBER, AMATEURS BUILT THE ARK.
PROFESSIONALS BUILT THE TITANIC!

 

[Tanngrisnir3]

Wouldn't you know it, I don't have a #$ &#@(#&& SD slot or an external SD card reader.

 

[DezM]

Connect the LX5 directly to the computer via USB. See Page 37 of your LX5 manual.

Your camera should pop up as a drive on your computer and than you can copy or drag that firmware file into the root directory of your SD card.
--
Dez

http://dezsantana.com

 

[Natalino Russo]

Hi. I've just installed and tested the new fw 2.0 in my LX5. Works fine, with nice improvements. Welll. I miss the playback in review mode and a bulb option, but hoping in a next upgrade: maybe a 2.1 edition? Hope...

But with this 2.0 fw I notice a faster battery drain. Anyone else?

--
Natalino Russo
http://www.natalinorusso.it

 

[OliverGlass]

I made the update successfully. Some observations is "miniature mode"

It doesn't retain the WB setting you have in manual mode. The default is warm toned so I suggest we dial that down a bit. It's a very minor problem.

I was surprised when I opened the RAW version of my miniature shot using Adobe Camera Raw. It ignored and took out the creative blur that the LX5 applied in miniature mode. Using other image viewers or shooting in Jpeg solved it though.

Image viewed as raw and saved as jpeg with Fastone Viewer (SOOC miniature mode)

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Here's the same image opened in Adobe Camera RAW. The creative blur of the miniature effect was ignored. I wonder how I can get it back. Lightroom seems to do the same thing.

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[ img]

 

[Hans-Helmut]

The miniature effect is only applied to the jpeg. The raw contains the original data so to speak without any effects.

However in the raw there is a jpeg embedded that is used as thumbnail for viewing programs and that's what you see with some viewers as preview. But that jpeg is a smallish size only, not the original jpeg.

Does this help?

Cheery, Hans-Helmut

 

[JonB1975]

Just an observation:

So, you need to default your camera for the Mac update to work.

I didn't see this before giving up and bootcamping into Windows. The Windows update worked straight away and I still have all my settings on my camera.