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Everything You Wanted to Know About Camera Firmware
Ok, so I'll bring you in on a secret there is no such thing as camera firmware. Keep reading to find out why.
Every once in a while Canon or Nikon will issue an announcement calling everybody to upgrade the camera firmware of one of their cameras.
The last camera firmware event to flood the web was Nikon's firmware upgrade to the D3, which was announced with great PR, withdrawn with even greater PR and then finally re-published.
Let see what exactly is camera firmware and why do we care what is the firmware version inside the camera. [image by julian-]
UPDATE: there is such a thing as camera firmware - firmware is a spesific kind of software.
What is Camera Firmware
And now I can say it again: There is no such thing as camera firmware. HU?? That's a shock isn't it?
So what do they mean when they say that a new camera firmware was released? To understand that, we need to understand that the camera (and I am going to make a huge abstraction here) is made out of three parts: an optical part, a sensor and a tiny computer that does image processing; transfers the images to a flash card, shows images after they were taken and more.
The firmware is the software that runs on the computer inside the camera.
Why is it called firmware and not software? The first reason is a convention used in the software/hardware industry that calls every software that is running on a designated chip (like the one in the camera) firmware. The other reason has to do with a legal binding that allows the camera makers to treat this piece of software as part of the hardware.
Now that we understand that camera firmware is just a piece a complex world of software. We can see how this software controls the camera and understand in which ways firmware upgrade can improve our camera and what are the camera hardware limitations.
In the early days of Nikon D series, Nikon constructed the Nikon D70s. A great camera very similar to her your sister the Nikon D70. There were three main differences between the two cameras: LCD Size (2.0' Vs. 1.8'), Remote control options (D70s added MC-DC1) and better menu system in the D70s.
With lots of disappointed D70 buyers, Nikon was quick to release a D70 firmware upgrade that matched the capabilities of the D70 with the capabilities of the newer D70s.
This upgrade improved some of the focusing aspects of the D70; improved the camera to computer communication and of course changed the menu system to a more puking yellow slick design. The firmware upgrade did not change the size of the LCD screen.
What are the things that can be controlled via firmware software?
Menu display and GUI (graphical user interface); Usage of the image processing processor (The DIGIC III is a great piece of CPU, but will do nothing without the software to tell it what to do); Enable or disable various camera features (like maximum flash sync, sync starved strobists read on); some of the tuning parameters for the default RAW to JPG conversion; the functions assigned to each camera button and more
What can not be changed (really never) and is really dependant on the hardware of the camera?
LCD size; Number of Mega pixels; basic processor capabilities (if the noise reduction algorithm sucks, no firmware upgrade will help), the physical location of buttons on the camera and some more.
Updating The Firmware
As I mentioned before, every once in a while camera makers will call for a firmware upgrade. We now know that firmware upgrade is the way to upgrade the software in the camera.
Performing a camera firmware upgrade is usually a three steps process: 1. download the firmware 2. Load the firmware on flash card 3. Upload the card content into your camera.
1. Downloading the firmware
Most big camera makers will release an announcement about a new firmware to the net, and if you are reading camera related forums and blogs you are most likely to see it. You can also have a peek at the firmware page of the big camera makers (Canon, Nikon, Sony SLRs, Sony P&S, Fuji).
2. Loading the firmware on your flash card
This is really simple, just drag and drop the files from the previous step to where the firmware upgrade page tells you. You may also need to format the card, depending on the camera model. (Some models can also be upgraded via a USB cable)
3. Loading the firmware to the camera
In this step you will load the software image (i.e. firmware) into the camera internal memory.
It is extremely crucial that there will be no power outage during the download. This is because during the software download you overwrite the current software and if you get into a power loss you'll have half of the old software and half of the new software, which will surly not work together. Sadly, the mechanism that can save you and download a new software altogether is now just a chunk of corrupted memory in your camera.
Should you upgrade?
The answer is usually yes. You will get all the lovely updates the camera makers advertise in their releases (plus some that probably fixed without anyone knowing about.
Hacking the firmware
As any software camera firmware can also be hacked. And by hacked I mean replaced with a better version. Sounds good? (Hey! Canon users,) it get better, the CHDK does not even requires you to change the firmware on your camera, just place it on your memory card and you can expose allot a lot of useful camera features:
- High-Speed Shutter & Flash-Sync
- Add RAW image format to cameras that don't export this file type
- adding live histogram
- much more
If you've had a good experience with CHDK, please share it with us on the comments section.
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Comments
Actual difference between firmware and software
There is an actual difference between firmware and software. Firmware is "burned" into a device, so it stays around with no power. This is done by "blowing" fuses. (ie, a fuse not blown is a 1, a fuse blown is a 0)
It used to be on either one time programmable parts (OTP) or erasable (with UV parts) (EPROM - Erasable programmable read only memory.) Then EEPROM was invented (Electrically erasable PROM)
It is not that firmware is destined for a particular device, it is that it physically becomes part of the device after the programming.
I hope this helps clear it up.
Little misleading
It's a bit misleading isn't it to say there's no such thing as camera firmware? I mean, by even your own definition what the camera is using is firmware. I can understand wanting to educate users that firmware is just software ran on the hardware level, but I'm pretty sure it would've been better and less confusing to say that. Firmware is software just like any program, just installed on hardware to control hardware. See, wasn't that easy? And so much less misleading than claiming firmware isn't really real.
CHDK
i've used CHDK on my powershot s5 and it's great! at first i had problems with RAW, but i found ways to fix it. i haven't used all the features in it, but so far it's been a painless upgrade.
for those concerned, this won't void your warranty because the original firmware in the camera is untouched. should anything go wrong, all you have to do is turn the camera off or take out the batteries and everything is back to normal
Firmware
I think it's highly misleading to say there is no such thing as firmware, even more misleading to equate it with software. It's true that firmware is a form of software, much in the same vain that a CPU is a piece of hardware. Firmware is very real and has a significant difference between itself and general software.
That difference is that firmware directly controls the hardware. Software interacts with hardware, but it doesn't control it. It's easy to see how firmware blurs the line with things like JPEG compression, and review features. But the core of any firmware is it's ability to control the hardware, which distinguishes it from being just another piece of software.
thanks
I didn't not even know I could "update" my D70! It's like getting a new camera; ok, not really, but thanks, anywho.
h
chdk rocks
If you've had a good experience with CHDK, please share it with us on the comments section.
i've had and have good experience with chdk. it turns my p&s cameras into small dslrs (small as in dslr with still a small sensor, yet more and better software features :D). i suggest reading this excellent guide from here: http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,1260.0.html
it sports screenshots and has wonderful explanations of the wonders that chdk can do.
Highspeed photografy with Canon EOS 400d
So you mean that i can hack/upgrade my firmware on 400d and take highspeed photos?
Some more about firmware
@ Alan, the Anon guy and James - Well, there were a few reasons for the blowout statment in the beginning of the post: The first it of course some correspondence with "there is no spoon" proverb from matrix. The other two reasons are: firmware indeed is not different in any way from any other type of software. It is mostly a lingo used to note that the software is installed into a hardware device. you can think about your PC as holding firmware if you "forget" that it uses a hard drive and not a flash device. in the end it is all "1" "0", if, or and while.
@ PhyrePhoX , kevin - Thanks for letting me know. The next step is to get a cannon P&S and make a test.
@ Heather - Glad to help :)
@ johan - Hmm... I did not see a version for the 400D. But I'll bet there will be one eventually.
HDR
CHDK allowed my $150 Canon I570 IS to do exposure bracketing, giving me the ability to build HDR images.
Noise Reduction in Firmware
basic processor capabilities (if the noise reduction algorithm sucks, no firmware upgrade will help)
This is a little misleading. Processing for noise reduction is carried out by the processor, but the noise reduction algorithm is indeed firmware/software and can be improved by updated firmware. So "if the noise reduction algorithm sucks" a firmware update may help, provided the manufacturer actually updated the algorithm.
For example, when the Nikon D80 first came out it had issues with noise reduction for long exposures. The issues were significantly improved with the v1.0.1 firmware a few months later.
I'm just saying.
Huh?
The definition of firmware is software that is stored in non-volatile memory. By that definition the software that runs your camera is firmware. Its one thing to have a slow news day but this dribble is a bit much.
Come on... are you so desperate for material to write?
And to this, I would say that there is no such thing as Ice Cream... there is only frozen water.
my SD500 is broke
Hey..
My Canon SD500 is broke.. It gives me some error code on startup and then switches off. I dont remember the code now.. but I googled and read somewhere that it is a defect and happens when you try to click too many pics too fast. In hindsight, I do think that I might have abused my camera that way.
Now the question is, what do I do? Is there some way to flash the firmware/software so I get a new start. I promise I will be gentle next time around. Please help. I paid friggin 200 dollars for it. Please.
Sorry to hear that
If I were you, I;d take the camera to the nearest camera store / canon service spot.
I bet they have stumbled a case like this before. Maybe they can do a quick repair for low cost.
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