Last night Sony launched a firmware update for its A7 IV model (see our review from late last year). The update includes several improvements, among which it is possible to save medium and small RAW files (as was recently added to Sony’s A1 model in the latest firmware update). Before you run to Daan it is especially important that you read the following details.
After the firmware update a number of users had problems with the camera and Sony published a message on the matter as well as clarifications. We spoke with Sony during the day and now the update appears on the company’s website and can be downloaded, but it is very important to read the following before you want to implement it.
According to updates – very important!
Beyond the usual warnings (use an empty card formatted in the camera and a full battery and do not remove the card/battery before the update is complete) and try to perform the update when the camera has been at rest in a shaded place for at least a while (there may be problems if the camera has just undergone a significant warming – not something that is difficult to achieve in temperatures current here in Israel).
Please note that unlike other updates, the update is performed using a memory card and not software from the computer.
The different (additional) part of the current update is that you actually have to perform two updates: if the camera is in firmware version Ver.1.01 (you can check this in the setup menu – yellow color, menu number 52), you must first upgrade to firmware number Ver.1.05. And only after that download the new firmware version (Ver. 1.10) and update to it. Updating directly to the new version from the first version may cause problems.
To the update page on the Sony website.
Don’t rush to upgrade
What’s new?
The current update is relatively small and includes the following changes according to Sony:
- Support for Lossless Compressed Raw (cRAW) sizes of 8.2 megapixels and 14.2 megapixels.
- Addition of Touch Shutter (pressing the screen to take a picture).
- Improved eye focus accuracy.
- Improvements in working with Flash and improvement in WIFI connectivity.
- Option to save the serial number of the camera when shooting video (in the metadata file).
- Possibility to adjust the brightness of the viewfinder according to the ambient lighting (and a Power Save mode for the camera with a length of one minute).
- Various bug fixes and general stability improvement of the camera.
Our warning
Especially when it comes to expensive equipment (and even more so in equipment used for daily work) we recommend being very careful when it comes to firmware updates and not being guinea pigs and downloading first despite the temptation. Especially if your camera is working fine, wait a week or even two weeks to see that no problems are reported with the update and only then download it (and the same is true by the way not only for this camera and not only for cameras in general but for many devices and no less for software updates for mobile devices and computers). In short, our recommendation – wait a little before you run to update.
Ido GnotIdo Gnot is the editor and founder of the Megapixel photography website. He has been covering technology news since the late 1990s and has written and edited for a number of leading international magazines. He has been involved in the field of photography since 2009. Ido is also a co-founder of the production company Shooteat.co.il which is engaged in creating visual content for commercial companies.