(SR4) UPDATE: Sony A77/65 firmware updated 1.04 finally coming next week???
UPDATE: The administrator from Digicam-info contacted me to say that he got a news form a trusted sources to say that Sony originally planed to release the firmware tomorrow (Nov 24) but they postponed the release to next week! It’s form one of his trusted sources and I upgraded the rumor value from SR3 to SR4.
As I told you last week this will be a major upgrade because we expect improvements in JPEG image quality too! Here is the list of new features/improvements:
1) expanded the number of automatic compensation of compliant lenses
2) Improvement of Responses
3) Improvement of IQ
4) Improvement of Usability
And here are the links to check the price and availability of the two cameras:
Sony A77: Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay
Sony A65: Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay
HD
2 years ago |Great! I love it. Just got a Zeiss 24-70mm monster to go with it, better IQ is always appreciated.
Neonsquare
2 years ago |Did you actually hear that only JPEG IQ is improved? Or is it just a guess “because it is still the same sensor”?
Ollder
2 years ago |Just read his lips:”…we expect improvements in JPEG image quality too!”
and: “3) Improvement of IQ” There’s NOT told that especially JPEQ IQ would be improved. But we all hope, of course.
Ben
2 years ago |Sorry, but according to the original Japanese, the firmware release is going to be delayed by one week from Nov. 24 and will not come tomorrow. Please find the proper translation below (I am a Japanese-English translator):
[追記] 別の読者の方から、α77のファームのリリースが遅れそうだという情報をいただきました。
- α77を修理に出しており、今日ソニーの担当者から電話があった。 そこで、新しいファームについて確認してみたところ、「11月24日は古いスケジュールで1週間くらい伸びそうだ」との話だった。
- 通常撮影で2枚連写になってしまうことがある件は新ファームで解決するようだ。
- 設定時のレスポンスの問題もどの程度かわからないが改善するようだ。
[Update] I have now received information from another reader who says it looks like the a77 firmware release is going to be delayed.
- Their a77 was in for repairs and today they got a call from a Sony rep. When they checked about the release of the new firmware, they were told “Nov. 24 was the old schedule and it looks like that will be delayed by a week.”
- It seems that the new firmware resolves the issue where two consecutive photos are taken during normal shooting.
- It also seems that the issue of response time when configuring settings has been improved, but the degree of improvement is not known.
Don'z
2 years ago |really appreciated the translation.
. still a good news. means the firmware will come in 1st of DEC?
Ben
2 years ago |Well that’s what the Digicam-info reader was told, but notice the Sony rep said “looks like,” so it might be more or less. Japanese don’t like to speak in absolutes
Best thing is that it’s further confirmation that 1.04 exists and is on its way.
Dave Cox
2 years ago |Improvement of IQ? From firmware update?
I wonder if it will also include ‘Improvement of Composition’?
Adam
2 years ago |The Firmware 4.0 to the A700 did improve IQ – so yes, it can happen.
Dave Cox
2 years ago |In that case, fingers crossed!!!
Was the A700 improvement at all ISO or towards a particular ISO range?
SonyA77
2 years ago |The A700 v4 update was big news at the time. It brought the high ISO capabilities of the A700 into D300 territory, it was that much of an improvement.
Prior to that the A700 tended to have a water colour effect, smudging high ISO images.
They also made a couple of improvements, such as being able to turn off high ISO NR.
Ollder
2 years ago |Yes. Even RAWs are quite a lot in-camera processed. And JPEGs of course much more.
karl
2 years ago |is there any news about tethering capabilities…..please???
SonyA77
2 years ago |You’ll be waiting a while for tethering. Sony Japan have not confirmed to Sony UK that they are doing tethering at all yet.
Ollder
2 years ago |Well, if this solves main problems, i only need the a77 to install the update in. Waiting… waiting…
Btw, what is tethering in photography? As you see on my posts, I’m not English and I cannot find proper explanation for the word. (Found verb “tether” but it did not cast light on the expression)
Dave Cox
2 years ago |Tethering is controlling the camera directly from a PC. Essential for studio work I think.
Karl
2 years ago |Still can’t understand why Sony has dropped it on this new camera but it was available on the older a700.
Tethering enables ( via USB ) the camera to download images to a computer as you shoot(live) it enables you to view the image larger , make adjustments ( via software,eg lightroom)as you shoot and also your model can view as well as you shoot.I find this way of working much more productive and quicker.
Ben
2 years ago |My guess:
When the a700 was released there was no a900, so they had no choice but to give a700 tethering capabilities to appeal to studio/pro shooters. Now, Sony needs enough differentiation to position the upcoming a99, etc. as a full-fledged pro model, with tethered shooting being one of the draws. They need these little things in order to demand a huge premium for the pro models.
SonyA77
2 years ago |My guess is that they simply ran out of time developing the firmware and dropped it.
The A77 has a sync port and the EVF has been developed to work in a studio (no EVF dark screen as on the A3x\55).
Their priority would be to have a working firmware, not bells and whistles that a minority like me uses.
hanugro
2 years ago |Let’s challenge Sony and ask them to provide much more beyond tethering. Hope they can let us do tethering without cables (wifi-n) , magnify focus via computer to check focus point and also directly send the picture taken wirelessly to computer. It will be nice if the next FF is designed like this.
Wheelus
2 years ago |I agree with your idea. There are a number of small things that were done, or undone on the A65/77. For instance, doing away with the dual memory card slots that are on the A550/580. These little things distinguish the advanced cameras from the pro cameras.
pancanikonpus
2 years ago |your guess is drawing a statement that Sony actually to fools its users from a700 to a77. Sony call its a77 as flagship APS-C “successor” to replaced on a700. It does not make sense that a successor have less capability to its previous generation.
It will be make more sense by call a77 as a flagshit APS-C SLT camera.
lol….
SonyA77
2 years ago |It does more than that, you can control the camera and adjust the camera settings on the computer and then shoot. I use it on my A700.
VERY disappointed not to see it on the A77 and Paul Genge of Sony UK is very aware of our disappointment, I take every opportunity to remind him on Sony’s Facebook page that he monitors.
Ollder
2 years ago |Thank you Dave and others.
Sounds essential for those working in studio. Now i understand the idea and the lead from the original word “tether” too.
Wirralpix
2 years ago |I was watching a pro working this way at a show. He had a studio set up with a background and flashes, with the camera tethered to a PC and printer. He took a shot of the model, the image was immediately cropped and printed at A3 by an assistant with the prints sold within 10 minutes for £30 a time. There were dozens in a queue lasting all day long. That’s why tethering is important and should have been included with the A77.
SonyUser
2 years ago |Why is Sony always so secretive about Firmware? Why can’t they be more forthcoming with some details about what is being fixed/improved, and when. Improved IQ, that’s nice, but what does it really mean? Instead, they let users guess and figure it out themselves. This generally leads to rumors, speculation and disappointment when people raise their hopes too high. Come on Sony, open up a little bit, it will be good for everybody in the long run, including yourselves.
Ben
2 years ago |When you announce firmware that contains fixes instead of new features, the time from firmware announcement to firmware availability should be minimized, because that is the period during which a company has publicly accepted a product to be incomplete (thus requiring a firmware update), and people are more hesitant to buy during that period. In addition, firmware releases are developed on a tight schedule, and a certain feature or fix might be pulled at the last minute. If they announced firmware too early it would be more difficult to pull something and the release date might be moved further back.
Homer Scarborough
2 years ago |The major thing that I wanted for the a77 was the ability to shoot tethered! Sony went backward on that a700 feature. I was hoping that they would duplicate and even improve on it.
WTH
2 years ago |I have already died waiting for this firmware for over 2 weeks…
This is my spirit typing…
Good thing about that double shot being fixed, that was so shitting the hell out of me.
Michael
2 years ago |What is the double shot bug? Is it where you always get two shots in 8fps mode even for a single press on the shutter button?
agorabasta
2 years ago |You really cannot expect too much from .0x firmware change. Look for x.0 kind of firmware for real improvements of any kind. (Well, at least for .x, OK?)
Almazar80
2 years ago |I hope they fix the problem with the A77 and the vertical grip. When the battery is less than 100% (battery 1), with the grip attached, the A77 does not always start up. This necessitates removing the batteries and making sure that the battery in slot 1 is fully charged.
KenChang
2 years ago |Firmware 1.04 already can be downloaded from China Sony website :
http://service.sony.com.cn/DI/Download/45389.htm
It is Chinese version, don’t know whether it can be upgraded for English 1.03 version ?
sonyfan
2 years ago |The 1.04 update package linked above has installation language files included: CS, CT, DE, ES, FR, IT, JP, KR, NL, PT, PTBR, RU, SE and US. NOTE: These are the languages for the INSTALLER, not necessarily the ROM. But as the installer comes in multiple languages I would expect it to work on cameras with those languages.
Cool find!!!!