January 2010 Nikon Firmware Updates
Nikon has released several
firmware updates for current camera bodies. All add support for 64GB CompactFlash cards; other changes are outlined below.
Updated cameras include the D3x, D3, D700, and D300s.
D3x Firmware B:1.01
Support for 64 GB memory cards has been added.
When some memory cards were inserted in the camera, “CHA” was displayed in the top control panel and images could not be captured. This issue has been resolved.
D3 Firmware A/B:2.02
Auto white balance performance has been improved.
Support for 64 GB memory cards has been added.
When ISO sensitivity settings>ISO sensitivity auto control in the shooting menu is set to On, the Maximum sensitivity option can now be specified in steps of 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV or 1 EV, according to the Custom Setting b1 ISO sensitivity step value setting.
The length of time the camera waits before adjusting focus in response to sudden changes in the distance to the subject can now be selected from 5 (Long), 4, 3 (Normal), 2, and 1 (Short) from Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on. With the increase in the number of options for Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on, this item will be set to 3 (Normal) after firmware upgrade. Adjust this setting as needed.
A Dynamic AF area option has been added to the FUNC. button + dials (Preview + command dials, AE-L/AF-L + command dials) item for Custom Setting f4 Assign FUNC. Button (f5 Assign preview button, f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L button).
When AF-ON is selected for Custom Setting a9 AF-ON button or a10 Vertical AF-ON button, the monitor now turns off when the AF-ON button is pressed, even when shooting information is displayed.
When AF-ON is selected for Custom Setting f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L button>AE-L/AF-L button press, the monitor now turns off when the AE/AF lock button is pressed, even when shooting information is displayed.
A Use GPS to set camera clock item has been added to the GPS item in the setup menu. When Yes is selected, date and time information acquired via connection to a GPS device is used to set the camera’s internal clock. After selecting Yes for the first time, turn the camera off and then on again to reacquire GPS data.
When Enable is selected for GPS>Auto meter off in the setup menu, the time until meters turn off is now extended by up to 1 minute to enable camera acquisition of GPS data immediately after the camera is turned on, and immediately after meters turn on. (only with GPS Unit GP-1)
When On is selected for Long exp. NR with shooting at shutter speeds slower than 1 s but faster than or equal to 8 s, it did not function properly. This issue has been resolved.
The focus point was sometimes not displayed even when focus was acquired with playback of images captured with continuous shooting. This issue has been resolved.
When some memory cards were inserted in the camera, “CHA” was displayed in the top control panel and images could not be captured. This issue has been resolved.
D700 A/B:1.0.2
Auto white balance performance has been improved.
Support for 64 GB memory cards has been added.
When ISO sensitivity settings>ISO sensitivity auto control in the shooting menu is set to On, the Maximum sensitivity option can now be specified in steps of 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV or 1 EV, according to the Custom Setting b1 ISO sensitivity step value setting.
The length of time the camera waits before adjusting focus in response to sudden changes in the distance to the subject can now be selected from 5 (Long) , 4, 3 (Normal), 2, and 1 (Short) from Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on. With the increase in the number of options for Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on, this item will be set to 3 (Normal) after firmware upgrade. Adjust this setting as needed.
When the camera’s AF-ON button is pressed, the monitor turns off and a focus point can now be selected using the multi selector.
When the MB-D10 AF-ON button is pressed (with AF-ON selected for Custom Setting a10 AF-ON for MB-D10), the monitor now turns off and a focus point can be selected using the multi selector.
A Use GPS to set camera clock item has been added to the GPS item in the setup menu. When Yes is selected, date and time information acquired via connection to a GPS device is used to set the camera’s internal clock. After selecting Yes for the first time, turn the camera off and then on again to reacquire GPS data.
When Enable is selected for GPS>Auto meter off in the setup menu, the time until meters turn off is now extended by up to 1 minute to enable camera acquisition of GPS data immediately after the camera is turned on, and immediately after meters turn on. (only with GPS Unit GP-1)
When On is selected for Long exp. NR with shooting at shutter speeds slower than 1 s but faster than or equal to 8 s, it did not function properly. This issue has been resolved.
The focus point was sometimes not displayed even when focus was acquired with playback of images captured with continuous shooting. This issue has been resolved.
When the virtual horizon was displayed with shooting in live view tripod mode and live view was then cancelled, the focus point displayed in the monitor could not be moved. This issue has been resolved.
When some memory cards were inserted in the camera, “CHA” was displayed in the top control panel and images could not be captured. This issue has been resolved.
When [M] exposure mode was used in live view shooting via Camera Control Pro 2, the electronic analog exposure display did not function. This issue has been resolved.
D300s Firmware A/B:1.0.1
Support for 64 GB memory cards has been added.
When the Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 was used with AA batteries, the battery indicator showed that MB-D10 batteries were exhausted or power supply switched to the battery inserted in the camera even when sufficient charge remained with the MB-D10 batteries. This issue has been resolved.
When some memory cards were inserted in the camera, “CHA” was displayed in the top control panel and images could not be captured. This issue has been resolved.
I had recently encountered the error mentioned above with the MB-D10 battery pack on my D300s, so I’ll definitely be upgrading the firmware at the earliest opportunity. Note that the latest Nikon firmware links can easily be found by looking in the right column of this site under “Manufacturers.”
Tags: Cameras
2 responses so far ↓
1 Orest // Jan 17, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Hello…..I’ve had fun jumping around your site. Your tips on flash and the D300 will sure help me out. I’m still learning. By the way I have a Sandisk Extreme IV UDMA 8GB card and this past summer while shooting Macro shots of Tiger Lillie’s in my backyard I noticed an error message on my D300′s LCD while reviewing shots that read ” File does not contain Data”. I had just reviewed the focus on a shot and after my shooting session ended I went back to review the same shots and I got the same message several times which scared the heck out of me. Do you have any ideas about what happened. The LCD displayed a file number but when I selected it for playback I got the error message. Have you run into this yourself. I’m not sure now if it’s the D300 or the card. I formatted the card hoping that would solve the issue. The sad thing is that I lost a bunch of Macro shots I took. Hope to hear from you.
Orest Witiw
2 The Sports Photo Guy // Jan 17, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Thanks, Orest. I’m going to reply to this over on the “Ask the SportsPhotoGuy” page. It’s a good question.
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