Yi M1 v2.0 firmware released

[OkeZen]

As one of the 12 people on DPR that clicked the "I own it" button for the YI M1 camera (according to this thread ), I thought it might be nice let users (or potential users, or regular mockers of this camera) know that there is a new firmware that was released on April 12, 2017. I own the "International" version of the M1 (purchased directly from DPR's mothership), and will focus on that version of the camera.

Some notable new features include remote shooting with the co-released version of the "YI Mirrorless - AI-Art Edition" mobile application (Android version 2.0.0_20170412 can be grabbed HERE ). They also added a 6 parameter quick menu on the main shooting screen (sort of like a mini Olympus SCP). Still no RAW+JPG option, but the continuous improvements coming from XIAOYI are much appreciated, as are the current release methods (more on that below the CHANGE LOG).

Here are the full change logs for the v2.0-int firmware and previous firmware:

========================================

Version: 2.0-int
Release date: 04/12/2017
The firmware is only for the international version of YI-M1 mirrorless camera.

It is strongly recommended that all users upgrade YI Mirrorless App to 2.0.0 or above to implement shooting on the APP remotely.

Firmware v2.0-int update logs:
[NEW]

1. Supports shooting on the APP remotely
2. Improved the audio quality when recording videos
3. Added a prompt message when switching mode for the prime lens
4. Improved the display result when F/S/EV on the Live view interface is not selectable
5. Improved the speed of adjustment parameters by the control dial
6. Improved SD card compatibility

[FIXED]

Fixed some known bugs, and improved the overall stability of the system.

[CHANGED]

Please copy the firmware file “firmware.bin" to the SD card root directory (not the folder named XIAOYI anymore), if you are running the firmware 1.2-int or above versions.

Version:1.2-int
Release date: 2017-1-24
The firmware is only for the international version of YI-M1 mirrorless camera.

It is strongly recommended that all Android users should upgrade their YI Mirrorless App to v1.1.8 or above to be compatible with the latest firmware v1.2-int.

Firmware v1.2-int update description:
[NEW]

1. Added sleep mode.
2. Added displayed grid.
3. Supports ISO AUTO in M mode.
4. Supports AF when choosing a focal point manually.
5. Improved C-AF speed.
6. Improved 4K video quality.
7. Improved color pattern effect when in vivid color mode.
8. Supports WB settings manually before video shooting.
9. Improved display logic after image editing and enhance Easy-Use.
10. Improved the compatibility with M 4/3 lenses.
11. Supports French, Italian and Spanish languages.

[FIXED]

Fixed some known bugs, and improved the overall stability of the system.

[CHANGED]

1.2-int and above versions firmware will adopt the way to copy file "firmware.bin" to the root directory of SD card.

Version:1.0.20-int
Release date: 2016-11-28
The firmware is only for YI mirrorless camera M1 in which the software is international version.

Firmware v1.0.20-int update description:

[NEW]

1. Adding live view interface for video mode, long-press the REC button for 2 seconds to enter. The original one click recording video function is still retained.
2. Adding ISO upper limit setting function of ISO AUTO option. Valid for P / A / S mode.
3. Adding GUI MF function for 42.5mm F1.8 lens.
4. Adding EIS menu for video mode. EIS off by default when recording 4K video.
5. Adding file storage status indication. When the file is written to the memory card, the original location for remaining number will display the corresponding Icon.
6. C-AF video performance improved. Continuous autofocus performance is further enhanced.
7. 4K Video performance improved.
8. 8: Adding German menu.

[FIXED]
Fixed some known bugs, and improved the overall stability of the system.

[CHANGED]
None

========================================

As you can see, XIAOYI has released firmware about every two months, and they appear to be listening to complaints or at least watching review sites, forums like this, and customer reviews (41 on DPR's parent as of this posting).

Improvements such as AF fixes (ex. refocus after point selection), adding gridlines, the ability to cap Auto ISO, and having Auto ISO in full Manual mode (and all PASM modes now) has been greatly appreciated by this owner (Side note: I'm pretty sure there are quite a few other camera makers that still do not have auto ISO in M mode).

Additionally, YI has cleaned up their deployment process for firmware. For example:

• With v1.0.20-int they added change logs and appeared to standardize on ZIP for the file format (some previous updates came packaged in a RAR file and had to be renamed to "firmware.bin" for install).
• With version v1.2-int they removed the need to update from a special folder (previously, it had to be in subfolder on the SD card called "\XIAOYI")
• With version v2.0-int both the mobile deployment of the firmware and the web posting of the manual firmware update files were simultaneous (previously, the mobile deployment was available first and the manual file would come later. As someone that likes to read the change logs before updating, having releases in sync is helpful).

I'm all for continuous improvement and the appearance of being dedicated to a product, so I view all these developments and improvements as good news. Are there still things to improve with the YI M1? Definitely! For example...

• RAW+JPG, would be a nice addition (or in-camera RAW conversion to JPG) as the mobile app only works with JPG files for transfers, but RAW files produce better results.
• Support Forums. So, there is a community forum on the yitechnology.com page that has a section for the "YI Mirrorless Camera": https://help.yitechnology.com/hc/en-us/community/topics The problem is that it has no content, and can only be reached via the "Product Support" page and then by clicking on "Community" once there. I've tried submitting a post, but it requires moderation and the post has just sat out their pending for a month. Now, if you click on "Forums" from the yitechnology.com page, that takes you out to http://forum.xiaoyi.com/ which has no section for the YI Mirrorless Camera. If they want to grow community posts on their own sites, I would think standardizing on one or the other platform would be beneficial. If you want to use yitechnology's Community site, then link to it from the "Forum" button and allow posts. If you want to standardize on the XIAOYI forums, add a section for the YI Mirrorless Camera. Either way seems straightforward to me.

Some final notes (other updates):

• Lens Firmware. YI 42.5mm f/1.8 Lens Firmware V1.1 was released, which fixed "focus on a dark object".
• Template additions. In addition to remote control, the mobile application received large amount of new shooting overlay templates in the "Master" program, including Brother and BFF modes to name a few.

 

[Mark9473]

Thanks for posting. Auto ISO, does that allow exposure compensation? In which modes?

I would really like to have a description what it's like to use adapted legacy manual lenses on this camera.

Any remaining major quirks that still await improved firmware?

 

[OkeZen]

Thanks for posting. Auto ISO, does that allow exposure compensation? In which modes?

EV, or Exposure Compensation is available in all PASM modes in the lower left corner of the shooting window (tap "EV", and then use dial to set) and it works with both manually set ISO and Auto ISO. It is easy to use.

I would really like to have a description what it's like to use adapted legacy manual lenses on this camera.

Using adapted glass on the YI M1 is surprisingly OK, although it could be better I suppose. There is a MF+Peak focus mode which produces thick red lines on high contrast areas of focus. Tapping the "O" button on the back of the camera engages the zoom levels to check focus. Zoom levels to verify are 2x and 4x. It zooms the entire screen, not just a patch in the center like some makers do. Personally, I can work with either method. Whole screen is easier for me to verify focus, but some users prefer the center patch option to maintain a view of the composition. Additionally, there is no way to change the color of the peaking lines as far as I can tell, so you are stuck with a dark red. The color has not been an issue for me thus far. I use the lines to get close with focus, then tap zoom to verify and fine tune, zoom out to verify composition once focused, and snap the picture.

I use a Neewer (Meike) 28mm f/2.8 manual focus lens with native mFT mount (but no electrical contacts) as my primary lens (makes for a very compact setup). Results are good. Some samples with the Neewer/Meike:

• Hibiscus: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59392885
• Gazebo: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59366221

I've also tried my Industar-69 and a Yashinon adapted from Lynx 14. Here's a detailed post I did on adapted glass and comparing small lenses for the mFT, specifically the Industar 28mm, Neewer/Meike 28mm, and the Panasonic 12-32mm zoom. The pictures of the GM5 in the post were taken with the YI M1 using the three lenses mentioned.

Any remaining major quirks that still await improved firmware?

Lots of quirks. That's what makes it fun. It's like a little enigma machine. While the YI M1 camera has improved with each update, I still view it as a secondary camera, a "glove box" camera (as another owner called it), a cheap camera to have with you everyday, or an experimental camera. It is capable of lovely images, but you do have to work to get them. The sensor is top notch.

The menu layout is a bit random but subjective and no worse then others (Olympus, for example). It would be nice if the user could sort the menu screens, or customize them to put most used options on the top screen. The menu is a swipe to the left (or from left to right rather) then up and down and currently has three screens (and growing as they add features). It's a bit of a mess in my opinion, but you eventually get used to it. With the new 6-option quick menu on the main shooting screen, you can now get at 9 parameters very quickly, so menu diving has now become less of an issue. The 9 quickly accessible options are now Aperture, Shutter, and EV (-5/+5), plus Focus (AF-S, AF-C, MF, MF+PF), ISO (Auto/Manual), WB, Metering (Spot, Eval, Center-weight), File Type (RAW or JPG), and Drive Mode (Single, Multi, 2s, 10s). So not bad. Pretty much everything I typically would use is a tap away now.

AF is much improved with the YI lens, but hit and miss with other glass. I've only tested Panasonic AF lenses at this point (12-32mm, 35-100mm, and 15mm). While they focus, the the Yi 12-40mm seems to focus slightly better. At this point, this is a good-light-only camera as far as AF is concerned. Focus speed seems on par with what was around about a decade ago (I'm thinking PEN P1 or something like the Canon M1), that is to say AF is workable, but you have to have patience. I just use MF for now.

MF with fly-by wire. On the electronic lenses (Yi's own, Panasonic's) I find I really have to spin the focus wheel around quite far to get the lenses to manually focus, several times in some cases. This is not an issue on lenses with mechanical focus wheels (hence the use of the Neewer as my primary lens).

RAW+JPG as previously mentioned could probably be implemented with firmware. Even better for me personally would be in-camera RAW. That way I'm only converting the images I want to share right away and saving some space on the card.

That's about all of the stuff I can think off that could be fixed with additional firmware updates (note: there are things that cannot be fixed via firmware that are beyond this discussion). The YI M1 really is a fun, odd, and quirky little camera. I'm having fun with mine, but then again, I am a fan of quirky digital and film cameras. So, what one man likes, another might hate. Light anything, it is subjective and depends on the how you view and approach the camera.

 

[Mark9473]

Thanks for the detailed feedback. Does the camera only work through its touch screen?

 

[OkeZen]

Thanks for the detailed feedback. Does the camera only work through its touch screen?

No. It's a combination.

It has a physical shutter button, mode dial, one control wheel, movie button, playback button, and the mysterious "O" button. To select the settings to adjust with the control dial, you do have to use the touch screen. Other then the button-based menu system, it's surprisingly almost conventional, but still quite odd in comparison with traditional makers.

 

[Mark9473]

Thanks. Trying to figure out if it would be a good camera for my wife. I'm a bit wary of getting something I don't know myself though.

 

[OkeZen]

Thanks. Trying to figure out if it would be a good camera for my wife. I'm a bit wary of getting something I don't know myself though.

My own opinion here... it depends skill level of the photographer and the intended usage scenarios.

Now, I don't know the skill level being considered here. The YI M1, although targeted beginners, is not a good camera for beginners. However, if this is going to be used by a skilled photographer and you are planning very customized manual shooting to taste with the camera and adapted glass as mentioned, then the YI could work (for example, DPR's skilled results with the M1 on the older 1.0.20-int firmware were quite good)... but there are currently much better bodies out there that take pictures easier and without the quirks of the M1 (GX850, GX85, E-M10 MkII, E-PL8, etc.). The M1 is an inexpensive plaything with an awesome sensor inside, but I don't believe it to be an everyday camera for most users until the AF programming is improved greatly.

If this is ever to be a handed to stranger or family member, for me it would have to work like a point-and-shoot. I would never (well, I shouldn't say never) hand my YI M1 to my wife, as she is not a photographer. She is a point and shoot person. I know several photographers that would like the challenge and simplicity of the YI. I also know many more that would absolutely hate it.

I know these comments probably don't help much. I guess it depends on exactly what your needs are here.

 

[Mark9473]

Thanks, your comments do help a lot.

 

[Astrotripper]

Thanks for sharing that. Glad to see active development on that front. To be honest I thought this camera would quickly fall into totall obscurity as the manufacturer abandons it. Looks like I was wrong. I hope YI will continue to improve it and will use this experience to create a more polished and feature packed model in the future.

 

[djvdb]

I like how shooting from the app is not just a trigger button, but offers a live view, with the ability to select focus points and to adjust virtually every camera setting. Those guys have been busy at Yi. Also the improvement in the dial responsiveness was much needed.

Hopefully the ability to manually expose video will be added soon.

Question: I have the Chinese version of this camera, which used to be fine without knowing any Chinese, but now a few options have appeared that have just "ON" or "OFF" as icons (two on screen 1 and one on screen 3). Can anyone send me a picture of the English menus or list these three options for me?

 

[OkeZen]

I like how shooting from the app is not just a trigger button, but offers a live view, with the ability to select focus points and to adjust virtually every camera setting. Those guys have been busy at Yi.

Agreed. Yi has been busy. To go from an app that just allowed downloading of JPEG files and template management to one with full featured remote control was very welcomed.

Also the improvement in the dial responsiveness was much needed.

I never noticed lag with my M1, but I did immediately update to 1.0.17-int back when I got it, so perhaps that fixed some of the lag people experienced at launch. As it stands right now, the camera is quite responsive. So, again... the updates are very welcomed.

Hopefully the ability to manually expose video will be added soon.

Anything they add is appreciated. A histogram would be nice (unless I'm missing how to turn that on), as would the ability to control JPEG noise reduction (it's way too high by default, so I typically have ISO capped at 1600).

Question: I have the Chinese version of this camera, which used to be fine without knowing any Chinese, but now a few options have appeared that have just "ON" or "OFF" as icons (two on screen 1 and one on screen 3). Can anyone send me a picture of the English menus or list these three options for me?

No problem. Here are the English Menu Screens on firmware v2.0-int in order:


English Menu Screen 1 (Top Screen) - YI M1 Firmware v2.0-int


English Menu Screen 2 (Middle Screen) - YI M1 Firmware v2.0-int


English Menu Screen 3 (Bottom Screen) - YI M1 Firmware v2.0-int

Auto Playback, Display Grid, and Anti Shake Mode all came in via various firmware updates over the past 4 months. So, as the YI M1 gets newly accessible settings, it appears they will just throw them at the end of the menu.

Also, when updating firmware, a lot of settings (if not all settings) get reset to default. So, one currently has to make a note of their setup before updating. Maybe they'll add maintaining settings in the next update file.

Here are the English Shooting/Capture Screens from v2.0-int firmware:


YI M1's Primary Shooting Screen seen in the v2.0-int Firmware. Apeture, Shutter, and Exposure are on the left. New Quick Menu icon is on the right.


YI M1's new Quick Menu available in v2.0-int firmware. Focus, ISO, White Balance, Metering, File Type, and Drive Mode are now quickly selectable. Tab the icon and move the control dial to adjust. Quite the nice addition.

Apologies for the lack of sharpness here. I only had my GM1 close by with no Macro lens available. It does not close focus all that well, so these are crops from about close as I could get with the kit 12-32mm. These should at lease show all the menus as requested.

 

[nullofnull]

I'm looking forward to buy this camera soon but i'll wait for manual mode video before buying one as i want this camera for low budget filmmaking (mainly because of the great sensor and 4k shoting). Does the camera still flickers when zooming with the zoom lens or they fixed that problem? Can you use the camera while charging?

Thanks in advice and sorry for my english

BTW, i ask xiaoyi about manual video, this is their answer:

Hi there,

Sorry for our late reply. We are working on this. It will be implemented through new firmware in future. Please keep an eye out for the update and ensure your firmware is up to date.

 

[OkeZen]

Quick Summary (TL;DR): The video flicker issue might be fixed. Yes, you can use the camera while plugged into the charger.

Does the camera still flickers when zooming with the zoom lens or they fixed that problem?

I'd have to test with a zoom. I'm a stills shooter and rarely use video. I currently use my YI M1 for stills with manual primes (both adapted and native lenses). In a quick test shooting a 4K video with a manual prime on YI M1, there is no flicker and playback on the screen looks very good. Also, focus peaking appears to work in video mode if set to MF+PK ahead of time. Nice little bonus there.

Can you use the camera while charging?

This one I can answer. Yes. It appears so. I just snapped both a still and recorded a video with the camera on and the micro-USB charging cable plugged in. So, yes to this question.

BTW, i ask xiaoyi about manual video, this is their answer:

Hi there,

Sorry for our late reply. We are working on this. It will be implemented through new firmware in future. Please keep an eye out for the update and ensure your firmware is up to date.

YI is certainly "interesting" with the responses they give. I contacted them in December about the availability of the spare battery and charger shown on the Amazon product page for the YI M1. I also asked about a bayonet lens shade for their lenses (their kit lenses have bayonet mount threads for a shade, but do not ship with one).

To their credit, they replied (which is better than a lot of other companies) and within half a day. So, I was impressed with the speed of the reply, but the content was lacking, as follows:

"Hello

We will have these accessories on sell on Amazon soon. I can not speak for any third party products but maybe you could reach out to the manufacturer of the product and see if they can help you.

Best Regards,

YI Technical Support"

After 4 mouths of waiting for the battery to show up on Amazon, I ended up just purchasing the spare battery and charger from a seller in China through eBay. For the hood, I found it humorous that they refer to their own lens as a "third party product", and to "reach out to the manufacturer". Didn't I just do that with my question? Maybe they didn't understand the question. So, given the "help" from YI, I tried tried three 49mm bayonets from other brands (Canon, Pentax, and Sony), and found that the Canon EW-53 snaps on OK to the the XIAOYI 12-40mm and the petals can be aligned properly. The Pentax and Sony use the threads better, but their shade petals are in the wrong place. Of the three, the Pentax hood (meant for the Q wide-angle zoom), physically fits the best, but the petals are the wrong orientation. I could see a 3D printer fix in the future here, but I digress...

I'm rambling... Long story short... The availability of compatible accessories (and knowledge of them by Yi Support) have room for improvement. Still, no complaints about the response time.

 

[Navegador]

Interesting updates, thanks for taking the time to discuss them here.

I'm curious about how this camera performs with Olympus and Panasonic lenses, have you tried any? I might get one to try 20MP on the cheap with my lenses but most offers I see are for the Chinese version. :-(

Also, I worry about Panasonic's Power O.I.S. functioning properly with the Yi, especially on lenses that don't have an O.I.S. switch (12-60mm, 42.5mm). Any thoughts/experience?

 

[OkeZen]

I'm curious about how this camera performs with Olympus and Panasonic lenses, have you tried any? I might get one to try 20MP on the cheap with my lenses but most offers I see are for the Chinese version. :-(

I do not own any Olympus glass at the moment (other that the manual 9mm cap lens), but I have tried the Panasonic, and GM-centric, 12-32mm and 35-100mm. Which will focus and shoot OK in good light. You do have to toggle between single-point and multi-point focus depending on the scene. The Tamron 14-150mm exhibits the same focus behavior. Items you expect to focus on with single-point (single object, simple scene) focus fine with multi-point focus, and the opposite applies too. Sometimes complex scenes focus better with single-point. It's a one-button toggle (the "O" button) on the YI to shift from single to multi, so not a big deal... but still odd at times how the algorithms works. The two XIAOYI lenses focus the best. My Tamron is next, followed by the Panasonics. The most commonly used zoom by other YI users (based on Internet searching) appears to be budget Olympus 40-150mm, which is reported to focus relatively well. If I had more Oly glass with which to test I would happily do so.

Also, I worry about Panasonic's Power O.I.S. functioning properly with the Yi, especially on lenses that don't have an O.I.S. switch (12-60mm, 42.5mm). Any thoughts/experience?

Good thought, and I'll try to check on this soon. I know there is no way to adjust Panasonic-only features. For example, manual focus on the 12-32mm is not possible like is it with the little slider touchscreen scale on a GM-body (at least I don't believe it is. I have not attempted to manual focus the 12-32mm lens on the M1 since FW v2.0 was released). I am going to guess Mega O.I.S is either on by default or off by default with no way to toggle on the M1. I will have to see if there is a way to verify it is active.

 

[r0brwy]

Hello, Thanks for your postings, you've transformed my opinion of this camera for the better.

May I ask, can you switch from display reflecting settings to see the picture you will actually get, to a not reflecting settings for use in poor lighting conditions?

 

[OkeZen]

May I ask, can you switch from display reflecting settings to see the picture you will actually get, to a not reflecting settings for use in poor lighting conditions?

I do not see any options to change the screen from framing mode, where it boosts the screen in various lighting conditions (low-light, bright-light, etc.), to a live-exposure or constant preview mode. I do not see a DoF preview either (like the shutter "Preview" option on Panasonic cameras). Additionally, when I go into any of the manual models A, S, or M, the screen does not change when adjusting the shutter or aperture. So, it looks like the answer is "No", it does not, at this time, have a live preview. It is just a basic framing screen at the moment. Kind of surprising it does not have it M mode.

All this said, YI Support has been very good at listening to requests of users for updates. Firmware version 3.0 will release this summer and is reported to bring (per YI support):

1, Improved JPEG engine. We will improve the JPEG quality for the noise, color, and overall picture tune to a much better level.
2, RAW+JPG will be supported in next firmware version.
3, Auto Focus will be improved further especially in the low light, low contrast and backlight conditions. Also the lens compatibility will be improved.
4, Liveview histogram will be added in next release.
5, Full manual control of the video recording will be supported.

I'm on the beta-test list for version 3.0 and looking forward to improvements 2 and 4 the most (RAW+JPG, yes!!!). But asking for live-exposure preview might be possible for future releases. They do seem pretty responsive.

I've now interacted with all four of the m43 camera makers, and YI has been the most communicative, and most responsive (and ranking the others in order 2. JK Imaging (Kodak), 3. Olympus, and 4. Panasonic). The camera is not perfect (no camera is), but it is definitely capable of good results. As long as you keep your expectations low, the YI M1 can surprise. It surprised me.

While my favorite camera overall right now is my Panasonic GM5, the YI M1 can beat it in overall photo quality... you just have to shoot RAW and work for your shots to get that quality. At it's core the YI M1 is a pretty basic camera with less 100 changeable parameters. For a beginner, the menus will not overwhelm like the 1000 options (at least it seems that way) of an Olympus. So, different tool for different folks.

 

[r0brwy]

Thank you for your very quick and very full reply. I currently use Panny G7 . I have a GX7 also, but find the flip screen on that very irritating as I take mostly pics in portrait shape. Also there is no Auto ISO in Manual mode. I had dismissed the Yi until I read your post today, but I will watch their progress with interest now. Thanks again.

 

[Navegador]

I like that v3.0 feature list. This camera was on special at a couple of Chinese retailers until a few days ago and I almost pulled the trigger.

Lens compatibility improvements look promising. One of my doubts about Yi's firmware is whether they have correction profiles for the lenses I have.

I'd love to try the 100-400mm with a 20MP sensor.

 

[Astrotripper]

One of my doubts about Yi's firmware is whether they have correction profiles for the lenses I have.

They don't have to. Distortion correction information is stored in the lens. So the question would be if the camera makes use of that information. Which I think it has to, since YI is a member of Micro 4/3 consortium and I assume they have to meet the system requrements to be allowed to market their cameras as Micro 4/3 (as opposed to "has an MFT mount").

Not sure about vignetting or CA.