Be careful with firmare updates if you use third party batteries, or grips.

OldCarlos

OldCarlos

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I never jump in & update straight away, but tend to wait to see if an update is actually needed (eg for the new 800mm lens) but also to make sure there aren't any issues caused because of the updates.

I read on Nikon rumors that some are reporting issues with their third party/non Nikon EN-EL14 batteries, which no longer work since a firmware update.
It also seems to have another knock on effect, which makes it impossible to use genuine Nikon batteries in third party grips on some camera models.

Looks like this could possibly be `rolled out` with any/all models eventually, so might worth checking any updates offered in the future, if you use any third party gear.

link; http://nikonrumors.com/2013/12/08/t...illed-third-party-battery-compatibility.aspx/
 
Have to say I've never updated Firmware on any of my cameras. Bit of a technophobe and wouldn't know how to. Does it have great advantages?
 
Noticed this earlier on Nikon rumors. Really thing this is a silly move by Nikon which is not going to do them any favours amongst Nikon enthusiasts.
 
BRASH said:
Have to say I've never updated Firmware on any of my cameras. Bit of a technophobe and wouldn't know how to. Does it have great advantages?
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Some firmware updates, are virtually essential, fixing bugs, etc.
 
johnnypanic said:
Some firmware updates, are virtually essential, fixing bugs, etc.
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Never really had any major problems with the cameras I have. The 5D Mk II sometimes plays silly buggers when I'm using a wireless shutter remote but that apart never had issues.
 
You can't blame manufacturers for trying to protect their sales & if Nikon can do it, I guess others will too.
It will probably be in-built in any new models in the future, I suppose.
 
Panasonic have been doing this for years with batteries, update the firmware and suddenly your 3rd party batteries are useless
 
OldCarlos said:
You can't blame manufacturers for trying to protect their sales & if Nikon can do it, I guess others will too.
It will probably be in-built in any new models in the future, I suppose.
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As if the camera maker's don't make enough money, now they want you to pay for there over priced battery's and let's be honest here, they rip people right off with camera gear, what next, third party flash guns not working?
 
Ivan S said:
As if the camera maker's don't make enough money, now they want you to pay for there over priced battery's and let's be honest here, they rip people right off with camera gear, what next, third party flash guns not working?
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Sigma had a lot of fun in the 90's when all of their lenses became incompatible. Actually the owners of the lenses had a lot of fun.

Canon did something in 5D3 to stop some 3rd party batteries. It happens all the time. They also do that with ink in the printers, don't they?
 
OldCarlos said:
You can't blame manufacturers for trying to protect their sales & if Nikon can do it, I guess others will too.
It will probably be in-built in any new models in the future, I suppose.
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What if you took your car for a service and it only now only works an official OEM battery? Or OEM tyres/exhaust?

I'd be pretty annoyed.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Talk Photography Forums mobile app
 
gadgeteer said:
What if you took your car for a service and it only now only works an official OEM battery? Or OEM tyres/exhaust?

I'd be pretty annoyed.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Talk Photography Forums mobile app
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They have more or less bullied most of us into buying OEM brakes, engine oils, etc. I am more likely to use 3rd party camera accessory than face the joy of knockoff car parts (from bitter experience and wasted money)
 
It affected some of my 3rd party batteries when I upgraded the firmware of my 5D3. I had 10 batteries and 8 were 3rd party and only 1 wouldn't work completely, 3 or 4 of the others worked allright but didn't report correctly and the rest were fine. I did buy some originals when I decided I was going to get a 70D as well as there was rumours that the 70D would need genuine batteries but there are some 3rd party batteries that work perfectly with the 5D3 and 70D still about.
 
Fuji have done some great firmware on their camera range :)

But it does look like Nikon are going back to their old ways,they have done this before :thumbsdown:
 
It's a disgrace. I wonder if anybody has thought about raising this with the monopolies commission? It's the same with computers and ancillaries. It's almost as though they have monopolies on some bit's of kit, and who can sell them. It was about time this was stopped. No other form of manufactured goods is aflicted with this problem.
 
magicaxeman said:
Panasonic have been doing this for years with batteries, update the firmware and suddenly your 3rd party batteries are useless
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Not just firmware updates, they come from the factory like that in most cases.

Fuji did it on the S5 - despite taking batteries identical to the d200, it would not accept d200 units. It would however take the battery grip, even if that had nikon batteries! I believe the d200 will work on Fuji batteries though.
 
Yes, Nikon have form at this sort of thing, unfortunately. I appreciate things can get left behind when gear is updated but Nikon have a habit of "protecting their sales" far more aggressively than seems reasonable IMHO. It's las if they go out of their way to p*** off their customers sometimes. s*** that's some swear filter
 
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johnnypanic said:
Noticed this earlier on Nikon rumors. Really thing this is a silly move by Nikon which is not going to do them any favours amongst Nikon enthusiasts.
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It was made by man, so man is capable of reverse engineering the whole process. Nikon have done it, so the other battery manufacturers will be able to reverse engineer again.
 
Joeturner11 said:
Sometimes it does, With my Nikon D300 upgrading the firmware had improvements to the focus issues, It was a great fix!
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have to agree with joe on this, latest firmware in my opinion is a must. i was the same "problem with sharp focusing" and the firmware update sorted it instantly i'm a bit of a technophobe to but if you can copy and paste a file to and from a memory card thats all there is to it.usually 2 files named A and B load A to your card put it in your camera it performs update A load B put it in your camera and it tells you your firmware has been updated easy peasy. hth mike
 
cant really blame a company for trying to protect its copyright. Although i just brought a brand new nikon battery, boxed with charger etc off the bay for £20 so i dont really see the problem. You can source them cheap anyway.
 
Sounds like a major foot-shooting operation by Nikon, for no obvious reason IMHO.

Worst of all, it seems Nikon did this without telling anybody and with no option to go back to older firmware. Imagine going out on an important shoot and half way through finding your spare battery doesn't work, or fitting a battery grip and finding that's totally useless. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it all, Nikon will get the blame.
 
essexash said:
cant really blame a company for trying to protect its copyright. Although i just brought a brand new nikon battery, boxed with charger etc off the bay for £20 so i dont really see the problem. You can source them cheap anyway.
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Can you be sure its not a copy,coming from e.bay :rolleyes::D
 
If manufacturers didn't take the pee with battery prices customers wouldn't buy third party ones in the first place. Customers don't take kindly to being held hostage with over inflated accessory prices. Some of the third party accessories are shoddy rubbish and it isn't always easy to tell which are the quality items and which are just trash. If copies were licensed properly then people would have some choice as to whether to pay the full high cost of the official branded product or an authorised reasonable copy and not end up either being ripped off or with a completely useless replacement.
 
srichards said:
If manufacturers didn't take the pee with battery prices customers wouldn't buy third party ones in the first place. Customers don't take kindly to being held hostage with over inflated accessory prices. Some of the third party accessories are shoddy rubbish and it isn't always easy to tell which are the quality items and which are just trash. If copies were licensed properly then people would have some choice as to whether to pay the full high cost of the official branded product or an authorised reasonable copy and not end up either being ripped off or with a completely useless replacement.
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Spot on Suz :thumbs: Good article by Thom Hogan on it here http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/the-ecosystem-narrows.html

Speaking of the ridiculous cost of some basic-but-essential accessories - Canon lens hoods! Canon doesn't supply hoods as standard with anything other than L-series and DO lenses, while Nikon/Sigma/Tamron etc all do. While Canon hoods are very high quality flock-lined etc, £50* extra is a real pee-take.

*Hood for Canon 35/2 IS, a £500 lens http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-canon-ew-72-lens-hood/p1533880
 
So how long before all those Sigma/Tamron users have expensive paperweights which don't work on their Nikons ?
They wouldn't though, would they?
 
BRASH said:
Have to say I've never updated Firmware on any of my cameras. Bit of a technophobe and wouldn't know how to. Does it have great advantages?
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Depends entirely on what they're updating. Take something like a Fuji X-E1, it's literally like owning a different camera now compared to when it was released, they've pretty much updated everything they possibly can. Fuji generally are unbelievably good at firmware updates.

DSLRs have more mechanical parts and seem to have many things 'baked in', so rarely receive significant performance updates, where as CSCs in theory can have pretty much have anything updated electronically.
 
Can somebody please explain to me then how to update Firmware, as I said I've never done it. 7D and 5D MK II is my kit.
 
BRASH said:
Have to say I've never updated Firmware on any of my cameras. Bit of a technophobe and wouldn't know how to. Does it have great advantages?
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Surprisingly, when camera manufacturers come out with some new cameras, they could have just put the majority of the new features in a new version of firmware, but obviously firmware is free ;).

As to how to install, normally on my D300 you just download the firmware file, pop it onto your CF card, then go to your camera menu, "Firmware Version" --> "Update"
 
jryans10 said:
Surprisingly, when camera manufacturers come out with some new cameras, they could have just put the majority of the new features in a new version of firmware, but obviously firmware is free ;).

As to how to install, normally on my D300 you just download the firmware file, pop it onto your CF card, then go to your camera menu, "Firmware Version" --> "Update"
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Cheers John. Sounds simple enough. Ta!!:thumbs:
 
BRASH said:
Cheers John. Sounds simple enough. Ta!!:thumbs:
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Not a problem :) it is simple however just double check the instructions for your model because may be different :) - but if I remember correctly all my cameras (Canon & Nikon) had to be updated this way.
 
BRASH said:
Can somebody please explain to me then how to update Firmware, as I said I've never done it. 7D and 5D MK II is my kit.
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You download the firmware file, and copy it to your memory card in accordance with the instructions that come with the firmware. (From memory, you unzip and copy the firmware file to the memory card, not in any folders).
To update the firmware you should us a full charged known good battery (and not grip ideally). Power the camera up and navigate to the menu item for firmware update (This will also be detailed in the instructions).
Couple of minutes later you are done, and in most cases all settings are retained.
 
Thanks for the heads-up. I'm a big fan of Nikon but if true, then that's pretty poor from them and can't really be defended. You can't just close shop like that and cut out 3rd party manufacturers. Also, if it does happen, then I guess others will follow suit.
 
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I would like to see a list of which batteries are not supported... the reports/rumours says "some"? or is it all?
 
Well I won't be updating my Canon 600D anytime soon then, I use 3rd party grip, batteries & wireless flash kit. I do have one genuine canon battery that came with it but I find the dual-battery grip useful - especially for all-day shooting.
 
Fortunately all of my batteries/grips are genuine Nikon, but this puts me off buying a 3rd party one in the future.
 
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