Some time ago, I updated my sony a7iv camera, but I'm facing an issue where every time I turn on the camera, I have to set the time, date, and region settings again. I haven't updated it since then.
The 'monitor & control' app support in firmware 4.0 for the Sony a7 IV is completely useless. What's the point of supporting it if there's no way to enable LUTs for Slog preview? I'm amazed at the stupidity of Sony engineers. Sony a7s lll is also doesn’t support Slog preview in this app, no gamma display assist, nothing 🤬
I too am THRILLED with this update finally!! Why it wasn't a feature to begun with when Nikon and Canon offered it even on the z5 was beyond me. I'd given up hope and wqs windering if the upcoming A7V would finally include it. Maybe I can stick with my a7iv a few more years now :)
I am still rockin the a74 with the firmware that shipped with it. I been wanting to update but stories like this has me thinking I shouldn’t. It’s working great for my needs, don’t want to risk it
Woah! So, you read the directions? I am asking the same question. Where does it say on the Sony website that you have to update version one through four? A: It doesn't.
@@foxtowercommunicationsSony states “Updates should be installed in chronological order.” But kinda conflicting as it also states “When updating from Ver. 1.01 or earlier, you need to update to Ver. 1.05 first, and then to Ver. 4.00” so in this video he was just being safe and going in order. Either way I did it from v2 straight to v4 and have no issues but to each their own.
Coming from Fuji land, I'm used to the updates. And maybe it's because I'm a tech dude, but I'm not so skittish about updates. My Sony cameras are running the latest and greatest. On one hand, you have the people complaining that Sony needs to offer more updates, and on the other you have people comparing it to installing a virus. I update my phone and the apps on my phone all the time... same sort of thing. I personally like new features and appreciate them.
i literally returned a monitor when i heard they were gonna release this in october. excited !! you can run multicam and set em to record at once with this! 👌👌
Personally I'm still keeping my monitor as it's brighter and larger (2000nit 6 inch 16*9) but I think the new monitor app looks so robust that I think I'll skip on getting a wireless transmitter for a bit and if I need to give a director or client a monitor, maybe an ipad mini or something. Honestly crazy with the multicam. It's like they saw the apple keynote and decided to do it too. I thought that would be like a unique easy workflow feature of the iphone / ipad kit but I'm very happy to have it on sony.
Sony's firmware update process feels like updating a pirated game. There should be minimal room for user error, asking users to follow too many steps is a recipe for disaster.
I'm updating mine later today. Never had any issues updating. Just be patient and let the camera do its thing. My A7 IV did freeze sometimes on the firmware it was on from release, the only solution was to eject the battery and insert it again, then everything went back to normal. Haven't run into that after firmware 3 and later 👍
Just updated, and everything’s working great for now! If anything new comes up, I’ll definitely make a video about it. I’m super excited for the upcoming ZV-E1 update, which will let me use my phone as a monitor through the app. A great bonus is that when you connect your phone to the camera via USB (I’m using the iPhone 15 Pro Max with its USB-C cable), there’s zero latency. Plus, using the USB connection allows you to enable airplane mode on the camera, which helps save a ton of battery life!
There is complexity in the processes of validating firmware and software. There are a lot of aspects in regards to the code build validation process and integration of that version in the hardware. Thus also hardware test benches and test equipment that are build to capture data for each aspect/feature. For example, FW and SW can compile and build successfully and integrate into a test bench representative of the camera hardware and STILL validate. And regardless show discrepancies after release on the targeted HW(camera). This does not mean they did a poor job, but reveals there are new steps that need to be added in order to cover for blind spots as they keep updating cameras. Most of the times this issues are born with new added features, rather than a miss in the internal engineering process. Regardless is the responsibility of the supplier(sony) to understand the users feedback and quickly find a mitigation to resolve ongoing issues. And in conclusion, this is all part of the engineering design lifecycle.
After the Sony A7RV fiasco... I'll wait to see who gets bricked. The problem is pervasive in society - we are all about speed, not quality, and so there is less comprehensive testing and reviewing of the code and its implications.
Monitor and control app on my iPad is very helpful when recording my video podcast! I’m using an FX6, a7s3 and FX30. Very helpful to trigger record all 3 cameras!
You can upgrade directly from ver. 2 to 4. No issues. First batches of the a7iv that ran older bootloaders (ver 1.00) required to upgrade to the newer bootloader (ver 1.05) im order to be able to upgrade to newer firmware versions that come out. That's it.
I updated my A7iv to v4.0 without issues. I jumped on this because it includes the focus bracketing, something I do frequently. But yes, firmware updates can brick your camera if the manufacture does not do a good job of thorough testing. It sounds like Sony has a change management manager that is being pressured to push out updates before they are ready. Probably an incentive is being given to the manager to speed things up that is counter productive.
My dear friend before you update , sony suggest to update the next firmware number after your and increase until the last one. I also have sony a7iv and will read first what sony has to say and then i will update to the last firmware. Greeting from Greece
When updating from Ver. 1.01 or earlier, you need to update to Ver. 1.05 first, and then to Ver. 4.00. Only upgrade to Ver. 4.00 after updating to Ver. 1.05. If you try to install Ver. 4.00 without updating to Ver. 1.05, an error will occur and you will not be able to update your camera. (this is from sony website)
@@WEDDINGSBYDARRENDDMP That's true my friend. I should read sony's article first , but anyone who will update the firmware should read this. During the procedure it's says that if you are on 1.05 you can do the update otherwise make the 1.05 update and then the 4.00. I do update my Sony a7iv to 4.00 and everything is ok.
As others have pointed out, you can go from 1.05 to 4.00 " Updates should be installed in chronological order. For example: When updating from Ver. 1.01 or earlier, you need to update to Ver. 1.05 first, and then to Ver. 4.00. Only upgrade to Ver. 4.00 after updating to Ver. 1.05. If you try to install Ver. 4.00 without updating to Ver. 1.05, an error will occur and you will not be able to update your camera."
Is Monitor & Control better than Monitor plus? But im really impressed, that Sony is still releasing updates for the camera with function updates! That’s really a good thing. Back in the day their cameras were really fast forgotten
Hi Jason! I have a few notes for Sony that could be incredibly helpful for current and future models. I also have an A7IV. Sony can you please update past, current and future Sony camera bodies with these notes below #1: In-Camera Anamorphic DeSqueeze. This includes (1.33/1.5/1.6/1.8/2) as well as the ability to Desqueeze for unordinary squeeze variations such as 1.66x or 1.85x. This feature would be greatly appreciated for both photography and video. #2: Anamorphic IBIS +electronic image stabilization. For those video shooters who like to shoot anamorphic handheld. #3: Aspect Marker support for most camera models. This includes (2:35.1)(2:39.1)(65:24) as well as the ability to create custom Aspect Markers as well. This feature would be amazing to have in both Photo and Video. The A7Cii offers this feature for (2:35.1) aspect ratio with the ability to totally black out the top and bottom. This is an amazing feature that would be incredibly helpful for composing shots with camera models of the past as well. From both Full Frame and APS-C camera bodies from the past, to future models. #4: All future camera bodies using Sony's A7RV new multi-flip screen design. Being able to tilt the screen up, but also be able to flip the screen out if vlogging for example is incredibly useful. This multi-flip design is incredible for all forms of shooting both Photo and Video. Thank you for your time. :)
Zero issues updating all my Sony cameras when doing it as directed (FX3, FX30, a7IV). My only qualm is the lack of parity between the cameras and obvious features missing. I want to be able to use and see LUTs on all my cameras using Multi-Camera mode in the Monitor & Control app. I also want the Monitor & Control app to support USB-C connectivity for multi-camera mode, since that effectively can replace ethernet connections. The Monitor & Control app also has very primitive exposure and focus tools... it does have false color, zebras, peaking, and waveforms, but they're very low resolution. There's also no EL Zone mode, which makes me move over to the Monitor+ app for exposure.
The reason I don't update immediately when there's an update is for sure the first update has a tons of bugs I waited at least a month or two when all bugs and issue is fix on the update. I also look for a reliable source as well if it's worth the update or not.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned testing, or lack of. Sony firmware update procedure is something out of the 90's when you needed a floppy disk and to reboot your computer, enter the bios. It's insanely stupid, and the software team for Sony cameras need to be replaced. I have so many other products from other companies such as DJI, Wahoo, SRAM, Apple, whose firmware update is seamless and stress free. I just go through the app or device, hit firmware update, and it does it all over wifi.
@@_sk_videos It literally takes 5 minutes tops to update the a7iv through the Creators’ App. You still have the option to update it by using the SD card (which I’ve seen some people claim they prefer) but it’s way simpler and faster through the app.
@@dcphotesq I think the update that added creators app had issues so I never updated to it. Unless there is some major feature addition, I'm not going to risk bricking my cameras. This is the problem with Sony, all this risk and not even any reward.
Not going through the correct sequence of updates might not cause issues now, but it could lead to issues on a later update. Going through the correct sequence might set up certain things in your camera that you skip when skipping versions. Maybe the current update doesn't need those changes, but later ones might require that a certain update was applied at a certain moment. The easiest would be to handle all updates via the app where it can load the correct updates in sequence. Or use cumulative updates that apply all relevant updates in sequence.
I had no issue updating my A7iv from 1.10 to 4. I skipped previous updates because I didn't want to lose the battery percentage indicator on third party batteries, but this time I thought it was worth it with the introduction of focus bracketing and the monitor and control app. And sure enough, my small rig batteries no longer display the battery percentage after about 10 seconds of turning the camera on, although I can still see the percentage in the monitor and control app! It's a bit too early to tell, but the small rig batteries did seem to drain faster today, although that might be just because I was playing about with the app. But my initial excitement about the app disappeared when I realised that there is no way to even add a display lut to the log image, so basically makes the app pretty useless for monitoring. Why Sony couldn't have just added in camera LUTs as well considering the A6700 and A7Cii both have this feature. But at the bare minimum at least add a REC709 display lut in the app. What are the Sony developers thinking?! The other disappointing features of the app is that there is no focus peaking or pinch to zoom. And even though you can do focus tracking, you can't actually do touch to focus when on spot focus area. So personally i think the Monitor+ app is still much better than the Sony app for A7iv users at the moment. At least the focus bracketing works as expected, so there was a benefit in updating the firmware.
Let's put it this way... Sony camera firmware v1.0 are done by engineers, all other firmware updates are made by interns in the Firmware Update department located in the corner of a basement carpark next to the broiler room 😛
In the firmware internet page there are option to skip certain updates, I think it takes you to a combined update each user read the options but if there is doubt it seems safe to install them one by one I just think is annoying, again play safe if you feel in doubt.
Computers are the same way when you're updating the motherboard BIOS. You have the download and update the new BIOS in order of release. You can't jump ahead to a later BIOS because you can potentially brick your system.
2:06 Not each update, but the ones stated in the manual. like in the screen shot. I'm on V2.11 so I should be good, this went in few seconds, But I got super fast sd cards, did not try the v3, but now v4 came. I usually wait several months. great to see Focus bracketing finally came, I saw rumors about it coming, but was rumoured for V3, but now finally here in V4. But if you have early firmware, you sohuld update, as it makes the camera quicker boot. But now with V4 you definitely should update if you need focus bracket. But do it when you think it's safe.
I own both the S5 and A7iv. The A7iv was my first step into Sony and it has been a rather disappointing experience. Final nail in the coffin is Sony charging for their stabilisation software in order to render in 10bit. So Sony can't make proper ibis and then the consumer has to pick up the bill? The ibis in the A7iv is so bad that I initially thought the camera was a lemon only to realise that no it's just terrible in comparison to the S5. Waiting to see what LUMIX has planned for the future but highly doubt I will stick with Sony
@@seasideshutterworx I completely disagree. I use samyang 24-70 with a7iv and its been fantastic. IBIS has been good for me. 3rd party lens support and also 422 10 bit with fantastic raw data in photos is the best. i dont even use gimbal, always shoot handheld. the video quality is pretty good so far. i am planning on getting a gimbal though. and on the software part, that software is not good at all lol, it takes a lifetime to process and stabilise videos and not worth the time for me atleast, i just use new davinci's ai stabilisation or warp stabilizer in ae.
I thought getting frequent updates was a good thing! Just look at this from this perspective that they are offering new features, not just refining or resolving the issues. I will very much appreciate the frequent updates. But agree with the part that they should make the process easier.
I want reduced rolling shutter. If they fix that it would be golden. I would not need to but another camera for five years. The a7 iv rigged out is exceptional
Just update the frimwear from the Creators App. The app will know what frimwear version your camera is on. There is no need to up firmware update on your Sd card through your Mac or Pc.
I have heard about the bad updates. My a7iv is working just fine and I might sale it in the next few months. Unless it gives crazy updates I won’t do it
Hey Jason, many thanks for your critical video on the tiresome subject of firmware updates from Sony! I updated my A7 IV from version 1.10 to 4.00 today. It works great! Now I just have to find all the new features in the camera. Focus bracketing is very exciting, although the settings are not entirely self-explanatory. I would appreciate a comprehensive manual from Sony. I haven't found the new focus magnifier for manual focus yet. Do you know which menu is used to access it? All the other new features are more for video fans. I rarely need them.
Why are you saying you have to upgrade to version 2, then 3, and then to 4? Sony's instructions simply say if you are running lower than 1.05, you have to update to 1.05 first, then upgrade from 1.05 to the latest version. I recently purchased a used A7 IV with firmware 1.01 on it. There isn't even the option to download version 2 and 3 from Sony's web site, so I couldn't upgrade through every version even if I wanted to. At this point, I'm just trying to decide if I want to upgrade or not.
@@werder8570 Do you use 3rd party batteries? I know the battery % number will go away, but does it show "bars" on the battery icon so you have some idea of life left?
I've been looking for this camera or a7s3 for some time and you know... I don't want to spend 2-3 thousand dollars and break my camera. I earn my money working hard and don't want this poor update procedure destroy my camera.. changed my mind about sony. Thanks for vid!
Well… I had a hard time updating my A7IV twice already. Now I find myself holding on on updating both my A7IV and FX30. What Jason said is true and concerning. Nobody wants their cameras bricked.
The website says you don't need to go through each update. If your camera is 1.01 you must update to 1.05 first and then you can go straight to version four. If you have anything after 1.05 you can just go straight to version four.
I updated my fx6 yesterday, same day as a shoot😅. All went great for the first segment of shooting. Then Black! The camera would not function after turning it on. I couldn’t turn it off either, so I had to pull the battery. Still nothing. Decided to pull the XLR from the handle and the camera “woke up.” Finished the shoot without further issues.
I have also bought my A1 in 2021 and my A9III in February 2024. All are on the latest FW without any issues. Just wait a view weeks if you are not shure about it.
yeah it's just fearmongering here. Updates normally bring new features and get rid of old bugs. If something is wrong with an update you are likely to hear about it in the first two weeks or so after the release. If nothing is wrong it's happy updating time :)
Updated without an issue on my a7iv.... HOWEVER my fx3 is not so lucky. Sony refuses to own up responsibility and expects me to pay for the repair out of pocket when updating through the creators app (first release of 6.00) failed on me and they acknowledged it causes cameras to not turn on on their website hence they pulled it and refused responsability!! its absolutely ridiculous the lack of support sony gives solely because you are out of warranty when it is fully on them for having such an unstable update.
Sony says on their update site that everyone on firmware 1.05 and higher can go straight to 4.0. I will try that now. I don't like the "virus" analogy. A virus is third party and meant to harm. A firmware update from the manufacturer is meant to improve the product. It's just hard to do with the amount of features, the amount of cameras out there, different memory cards, different batteries, and the biggest challenge: people updating by themselves.
@@marcelkrownmotorworks9842 Yes it is. Updated from 2.0 to 4.0 without issues.
Месяц назад+1
@@dennisdoerr You may know this already but the Monitor+ app does support LUT's as well as other features the Sony app doesn't seem to (including EL zones).
I updated the firmware on my SONY A7 VI camera from version 3 to version 4, after which the autofocus became much worse on the Samyang 45mm 1.8 lens. However, it works well with the Tamron 70-180 lens. What could be the problem? Please help me.
After the latest firmware given for the Sony A7s3 my camera sometimes goes into pause and I have to remove the battery to restart the camera. So wait and watch the reviews for any of the Sony firmware. it is not like Canon or Nikon.....
Just be careful, the A7IV used with the Monitor & Control app will overheat in reasonable time, about 45 minutes in my experience. You can extend this of course by using a cooling fan. But I use M&C app with my FX30 for 3 hours+ non stop and it never overheats.
Just got my shipping label to send my new A7IV in for warranty repair - boot looping. Had run the previous update before this"4th" discussed here but was already having weird freezes before that. Thought it was getting better but I guess not. Unclear if firmware update related, or not. Either way, doesn't feel good. Maybe it will be all updated when it comes back from warranty service. 🤞
I had the boot loop error with my Sony A6700 and it kept looping until it ran my battery down, while I slept. Jason is correct this is terrifying. Sony does have a cure for this on one of their RUclips channels under boot loop error. I didn’t reformat my card before putting the firmware on the sd card. I turned my camera on, checked the firmware when I woke up and found out that it didn’t update, when I put my new battery inside, but the camera did come on and work. I found Sony’s RUclips page under the subject, reformatted the card, made sure there was no numbers in the body.dat file, like body1.dat or the like from previous updates. That’s right when you download your updates to the download file on windows, it will automatically just give body.dat a 1,2, 3 or etc naming system (irregardless of if it is another camera like Sony A1 or Sony A7IV, and this is an absolute no, no, it must remain body.dat only. The best way is to make individual files on your computer for each update if you save them or each camera if you have multiple cameras. Well I did the update for my A6700 and it went through, it took about 3 mins and I got the body update complete. I have since had no problems at all with my A6700 since , but the boot loop RUclips page helped a lot.
Sony needs to catch up. Great cameras, but with the emergence of so many affordable anamorphic lens options, they really need to update the FX3 and A7Slll to include OPEN GATE functions. Or, at the very least....include it in future iterations of those cameras. I am a current Sony shooter, but I just ordered the Black Magic Pyxis specifically because of its anamorphic support (namely, Open Gate). I have the SIRUI Venus 1.6X set including the 1.25X adapter (E mount), but never had the ability to utilize its full potential (the 1.6X or 2X squeeze). And I pre-ordered the new Blazar Cato set, and couldn't see myself wasting so much resolution trying to slap those lenses on my FX3 and A7Slll. So my only 2 viable options at that price point were either Lumix or Black Magic. Such a wasted opportunity by Sony.
Thanks. I'd prefer no background music in your (or any) tutorial videos. It's distracting. You've done a great job of making the volume very low, but in my opinion, it makes it worse, because now it's just random, unintelligible noises coming from my speakers.
@@BryanLopezProductionsbecause they’re all batteries from the same factory most likely, it’s no different to people using vmount batteries on their setups, vmounts are also third party
I think part of the firmware situation being scary is how complex these devices are to begin with: I use a smallrig tophandle with a record button and I thought my mini-USB port was broken once because the record button stopped functioning but the real problem was that while you can trigger sequential recording to card slot 2 when slot 1's card is full with the shutter button, that functionality is absent through the USB trigger. So mashing the button did nothing once my first card was full. This isn't something I could figure out in the field when responsible for a two day music festival. What's a bug and what's working as intended these days?
Always the same issue, issues with firmware updates, i always just wait some weeks. Also, stupid shit like not having features in top tier cameras, that are in older version ones. I dont remember specifically, but i recall there was some video stuff i wanted like Anamorphic De-Squeeze in the a9iii and is just in the FX ones, even the fx30. Also more framerate+video options, like having full 6k not oversampled in the a9iii so you can resize in post and then export in 4k. I still feel like sony doesnt care about updates, even though i love everything else :s
Sonys firmware game is weak. From basically unsupported cameras to getting firmware’s that don’t work. The A7SIII firmware was lackluster and then it basically crippled Bluetooth until the 3rd rehash that makes it kind of work
Jason, many users, including myself are experiencing major issues with Samyang/Rokinon lenses after updating to 4.0. AFC won't work at all. Hunting all over the place, when it has worked flawlessly before the 4.0. Any input to this, or maybe test it yourself if you have one?
Let me know your thoughts. I have had no issues with my updates thus far.
Good one man
Thanks fo rthe heads up, i updated from 1.10 to 4.0 ( just toi see what happends ) no issues so far, let;s hope it stays that way.
Some time ago, I updated my sony a7iv camera, but I'm facing an issue where every time I turn on the camera, I have to set the time, date, and region settings again. I haven't updated it since then.
Two words.....OPEN GATE!
The 'monitor & control' app support in firmware 4.0 for the Sony a7 IV is completely useless. What's the point of supporting it if there's no way to enable LUTs for Slog preview? I'm amazed at the stupidity of Sony engineers. Sony a7s lll is also doesn’t support Slog preview in this app, no gamma display assist, nothing 🤬
FOCUS BRACKETING!! YESSSSSS
Cant believe it's happening.
I'm screaming 🎉 I can't believe
now everything will be in focussssssssssssssss!
I too am THRILLED with this update finally!! Why it wasn't a feature to begun with when Nikon and Canon offered it even on the z5 was beyond me. I'd given up hope and wqs windering if the upcoming A7V would finally include it. Maybe I can stick with my a7iv a few more years now :)
What is focus bracketing?
I am still rockin the a74 with the firmware that shipped with it. I been wanting to update but stories like this has me thinking I shouldn’t. It’s working great for my needs, don’t want to risk it
Well... If something could go wrong, better if it does when it's still under warranty. Don't wait too long for no reason.
from notes on website: update to Ver. 1.05 first, and then to Ver. 4.00. Only upgrade to Ver. 4.00 after updating to Ver. 1.05
Woah! So, you read the directions? I am asking the same question. Where does it say on the Sony website that you have to update version one through four? A: It doesn't.
@@foxtowercommunicationsSony states “Updates should be installed in chronological order.” But kinda conflicting as it also states “When updating from Ver. 1.01 or earlier, you need to update to Ver. 1.05 first, and then to Ver. 4.00” so in this video he was just being safe and going in order. Either way I did it from v2 straight to v4 and have no issues but to each their own.
Coming from Fuji land, I'm used to the updates. And maybe it's because I'm a tech dude, but I'm not so skittish about updates. My Sony cameras are running the latest and greatest. On one hand, you have the people complaining that Sony needs to offer more updates, and on the other you have people comparing it to installing a virus. I update my phone and the apps on my phone all the time... same sort of thing. I personally like new features and appreciate them.
I just went through the firmware update from 1.10 to 4.0 without any issues.
All is good.
Same here
i literally returned a monitor when i heard they were gonna release this in october. excited !! you can run multicam and set em to record at once with this! 👌👌
Personally I'm still keeping my monitor as it's brighter and larger (2000nit 6 inch 16*9) but I think the new monitor app looks so robust that I think I'll skip on getting a wireless transmitter for a bit and if I need to give a director or client a monitor, maybe an ipad mini or something.
Honestly crazy with the multicam. It's like they saw the apple keynote and decided to do it too. I thought that would be like a unique easy workflow feature of the iphone / ipad kit but I'm very happy to have it on sony.
Sony's firmware update process feels like updating a pirated game. There should be minimal room for user error, asking users to follow too many steps is a recipe for disaster.
The only step was to copy the firmware to a memory card and put it in slot 1. And one warning, have a full battery and don't pull it while updating.
@@dennisdoerrto complicate for some people
@@ChrisM-yq2pqbreathing is too complicated for some people
@@tonygerassi1502 im too complicated for some people.
That is why shampoo has instructions.
I’m waiting for the morning when I wake up and get the notification saying: Sony has released the A7V :) 💪🏼😎. I’ll watch your video first :)
Через годик
Is it possible to go back to version 3 from version 4?
Focus magnifier while using Bright monitoring is a game changer for those who shoot astro.
I'm updating mine later today. Never had any issues updating. Just be patient and let the camera do its thing. My A7 IV did freeze sometimes on the firmware it was on from release, the only solution was to eject the battery and insert it again, then everything went back to normal. Haven't run into that after firmware 3 and later 👍
Just updated, and everything’s working great for now! If anything new comes up, I’ll definitely make a video about it. I’m super excited for the upcoming ZV-E1 update, which will let me use my phone as a monitor through the app. A great bonus is that when you connect your phone to the camera via USB (I’m using the iPhone 15 Pro Max with its USB-C cable), there’s zero latency. Plus, using the USB connection allows you to enable airplane mode on the camera, which helps save a ton of battery life!
Let’s talk about the Rembrandt lighting here ! Spectacular Jason !
There is complexity in the processes of validating firmware and software. There are a lot of aspects in regards to the code build validation process and integration of that version in the hardware. Thus also hardware test benches and test equipment that are build to capture data for each aspect/feature. For example, FW and SW can compile and build successfully and integrate into a test bench representative of the camera hardware and STILL validate. And regardless show discrepancies after release on the targeted HW(camera). This does not mean they did a poor job, but reveals there are new steps that need to be added in order to cover for blind spots as they keep updating cameras. Most of the times this issues are born with new added features, rather than a miss in the internal engineering process.
Regardless is the responsibility of the supplier(sony) to understand the users feedback and quickly find a mitigation to resolve ongoing issues. And in conclusion, this is all part of the engineering design lifecycle.
When all else fails, follow the directions. I appreciate the heads up on that! Great reminder!
Such a simple process over phone app to camera,no problem
It's the reason why I haven't upgraded my as73 and a74s, they're working!
After the Sony A7RV fiasco... I'll wait to see who gets bricked. The problem is pervasive in society - we are all about speed, not quality, and so there is less comprehensive testing and reviewing of the code and its implications.
Hopefully no one will be affected. Sony need to learn and hopefully they have
I have no intention of updating my A7IV any time soon. It works just fine, never had any issues & if it gets wrecked my business is screwed
Monitor and control app on my iPad is very helpful when recording my video podcast! I’m using an FX6, a7s3 and FX30. Very helpful to trigger record all 3 cameras!
You can upgrade directly from ver. 2 to 4. No issues. First batches of the a7iv that ran older bootloaders (ver 1.00) required to upgrade to the newer bootloader (ver 1.05) im order to be able to upgrade to newer firmware versions that come out. That's it.
I updated my A7iv to v4.0 without issues. I jumped on this because it includes the focus bracketing, something I do frequently. But yes, firmware updates can brick your camera if the manufacture does not do a good job of thorough testing. It sounds like Sony has a change management manager that is being pressured to push out updates before they are ready. Probably an incentive is being given to the manager to speed things up that is counter productive.
Sony need to make their former firmware updates more readily available. I’m happy to download and update each in sequence if they can be found.
Is it possible to go back to version 3 from version 4?
I’m still running 1.01 on my A74, I haven’t had a need to update until now. 😮
My dear friend before you update , sony suggest to update the next firmware number after your and increase until the last one.
I also have sony a7iv and will read first what sony has to say and then i will update to the last firmware.
Greeting from Greece
@@Meletis_Papaefstathiou yes, thank you, I intend to do that. 👍🤗
When updating from Ver. 1.01 or earlier, you need to update to Ver. 1.05 first, and then to Ver. 4.00. Only upgrade to Ver. 4.00 after updating to Ver. 1.05. If you try to install Ver. 4.00 without updating to Ver. 1.05, an error will occur and you will not be able to update your camera. (this is from sony website)
@@WEDDINGSBYDARRENDDMP That's true my friend. I should read sony's article first , but anyone who will update the firmware should read this. During the procedure it's says that if you are on 1.05 you can do the update otherwise make the 1.05 update and then the 4.00.
I do update my Sony a7iv to 4.00 and everything is ok.
I'm still loving my A7R3a, must admit would love the focus stacking on it but I won't be upgrading anytime soon.
Definitely waiting ...
As others have pointed out, you can go from 1.05 to 4.00
" Updates should be installed in chronological order.
For example: When updating from Ver. 1.01 or earlier, you need to update to Ver. 1.05 first, and then to Ver. 4.00. Only upgrade to Ver. 4.00 after updating to Ver. 1.05. If you try to install Ver. 4.00 without updating to Ver. 1.05, an error will occur and you will not be able to update your camera."
Is Monitor & Control better than Monitor plus?
But im really impressed, that Sony is still releasing updates for the camera with function updates! That’s really a good thing.
Back in the day their cameras were really fast forgotten
For me Monitor+ wins. Monitor+ has LUT support, EL Zone False Color and wired connection.
Going from ver 2 to 4 works just fine.
Hi Jason! I have a few notes for Sony that could be incredibly helpful for current and future models. I also have an A7IV.
Sony can you please update past, current and future Sony camera bodies with these notes below
#1: In-Camera Anamorphic DeSqueeze. This includes (1.33/1.5/1.6/1.8/2) as well as the ability to Desqueeze for unordinary squeeze variations such as 1.66x or 1.85x. This feature would be greatly appreciated for both photography and video.
#2: Anamorphic IBIS +electronic image stabilization. For those video shooters who like to shoot anamorphic handheld.
#3: Aspect Marker support for most camera models. This includes (2:35.1)(2:39.1)(65:24) as well as the ability to create custom Aspect Markers as well. This feature would be amazing to have in both Photo and Video. The A7Cii offers this feature for (2:35.1) aspect ratio with the ability to totally black out the top and bottom. This is an amazing feature that would be incredibly helpful for composing shots with camera models of the past as well. From both Full Frame and APS-C camera bodies from the past, to future models.
#4: All future camera bodies using Sony's A7RV new multi-flip screen design. Being able to tilt the screen up, but also be able to flip the screen out if vlogging for example is incredibly useful. This multi-flip design is incredible for all forms of shooting both Photo and Video.
Thank you for your time. :)
They should have a safety interlock. You can't use current firmware if you haven't downloaded the previous update. Remove the possibility for error.
Zero issues updating all my Sony cameras when doing it as directed (FX3, FX30, a7IV). My only qualm is the lack of parity between the cameras and obvious features missing. I want to be able to use and see LUTs on all my cameras using Multi-Camera mode in the Monitor & Control app. I also want the Monitor & Control app to support USB-C connectivity for multi-camera mode, since that effectively can replace ethernet connections. The Monitor & Control app also has very primitive exposure and focus tools... it does have false color, zebras, peaking, and waveforms, but they're very low resolution. There's also no EL Zone mode, which makes me move over to the Monitor+ app for exposure.
thank you for the information
Lovely sound when you say FX30
The reason I don't update immediately when there's an update is for sure the first update has a tons of bugs I waited at least a month or two when all bugs and issue is fix on the update. I also look for a reliable source as well if it's worth the update or not.
Skip to 5:50 seconds to see what the update is, before that is just fluff about him feeling stress about updating firmware.
Which is important because these updates can brick your camera.
Is it possible to go back to version 3 from version 4?
You saved me 3min fluff time after 2min fluff 😅
I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned testing, or lack of. Sony firmware update procedure is something out of the 90's when you needed a floppy disk and to reboot your computer, enter the bios. It's insanely stupid, and the software team for Sony cameras need to be replaced. I have so many other products from other companies such as DJI, Wahoo, SRAM, Apple, whose firmware update is seamless and stress free. I just go through the app or device, hit firmware update, and it does it all over wifi.
I do it with Sony to through the app. No problem and super easy aswell
@@tptobias On what camera? I have the A74 and A7S3 and you still have to load up the SD card
@@_sk_videos A74 through the creators app
@@_sk_videos It literally takes 5 minutes tops to update the a7iv through the Creators’ App. You still have the option to update it by using the SD card (which I’ve seen some people claim they prefer) but it’s way simpler and faster through the app.
@@dcphotesq I think the update that added creators app had issues so I never updated to it. Unless there is some major feature addition, I'm not going to risk bricking my cameras. This is the problem with Sony, all this risk and not even any reward.
Not going through the correct sequence of updates might not cause issues now, but it could lead to issues on a later update. Going through the correct sequence might set up certain things in your camera that you skip when skipping versions. Maybe the current update doesn't need those changes, but later ones might require that a certain update was applied at a certain moment.
The easiest would be to handle all updates via the app where it can load the correct updates in sequence. Or use cumulative updates that apply all relevant updates in sequence.
I had no issue updating my A7iv from 1.10 to 4. I skipped previous updates because I didn't want to lose the battery percentage indicator on third party batteries, but this time I thought it was worth it with the introduction of focus bracketing and the monitor and control app. And sure enough, my small rig batteries no longer display the battery percentage after about 10 seconds of turning the camera on, although I can still see the percentage in the monitor and control app! It's a bit too early to tell, but the small rig batteries did seem to drain faster today, although that might be just because I was playing about with the app.
But my initial excitement about the app disappeared when I realised that there is no way to even add a display lut to the log image, so basically makes the app pretty useless for monitoring. Why Sony couldn't have just added in camera LUTs as well considering the A6700 and A7Cii both have this feature. But at the bare minimum at least add a REC709 display lut in the app. What are the Sony developers thinking?! The other disappointing features of the app is that there is no focus peaking or pinch to zoom. And even though you can do focus tracking, you can't actually do touch to focus when on spot focus area. So personally i think the Monitor+ app is still much better than the Sony app for A7iv users at the moment.
At least the focus bracketing works as expected, so there was a benefit in updating the firmware.
I did it! So far so good...
Let's put it this way... Sony camera firmware v1.0 are done by engineers, all other firmware updates are made by interns in the Firmware Update department located in the corner of a basement carpark next to the broiler room 😛
Welcome to the tech world with update anxiety. We can take example on Crowdstrike though thats a more earth scale.
In the firmware internet page there are option to skip certain updates, I think it takes you to a combined update each user read the options but if there is doubt it seems safe to install them one by one I just think is annoying, again play safe if you feel in doubt.
Sony should add ability to use In-Camera LUTS
Computers are the same way when you're updating the motherboard BIOS. You have the download and update the new BIOS in order of release. You can't jump ahead to a later BIOS because you can potentially brick your system.
2:06 Not each update, but the ones stated in the manual. like in the screen shot. I'm on V2.11 so I should be good, this went in few seconds, But I got super fast sd cards, did not try the v3, but now v4 came. I usually wait several months. great to see Focus bracketing finally came, I saw rumors about it coming, but was rumoured for V3, but now finally here in V4.
But if you have early firmware, you sohuld update, as it makes the camera quicker boot. But now with V4 you definitely should update if you need focus bracket. But do it when you think it's safe.
If you switch to Lumix then you never have to worry about updates because they are rare lol
I own both the S5 and A7iv. The A7iv was my first step into Sony and it has been a rather disappointing experience. Final nail in the coffin is Sony charging for their stabilisation software in order to render in 10bit. So Sony can't make proper ibis and then the consumer has to pick up the bill? The ibis in the A7iv is so bad that I initially thought the camera was a lemon only to realise that no it's just terrible in comparison to the S5. Waiting to see what LUMIX has planned for the future but highly doubt I will stick with Sony
@@seasideshutterworx I completely disagree. I use samyang 24-70 with a7iv and its been fantastic. IBIS has been good for me. 3rd party lens support and also 422 10 bit with fantastic raw data in photos is the best. i dont even use gimbal, always shoot handheld. the video quality is pretty good so far. i am planning on getting a gimbal though. and on the software part, that software is not good at all lol, it takes a lifetime to process and stabilise videos and not worth the time for me atleast, i just use new davinci's ai stabilisation or warp stabilizer in ae.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, what app do you use?
I thought getting frequent updates was a good thing! Just look at this from this perspective that they are offering new features, not just refining or resolving the issues. I will very much appreciate the frequent updates. But agree with the part that they should make the process easier.
I want reduced rolling shutter. If they fix that it would be golden. I would not need to but another camera for five years. The a7 iv rigged out is exceptional
I was about to buy another external monitor, not now with the compatibility of the Monitor & Crtl app! 🎉
Just update the frimwear from the Creators App. The app will know what frimwear version your camera is on. There is no need to up firmware update on your Sd card through your Mac or Pc.
I updated from 2.00 to 4.00 so far so good lol
I have heard about the bad updates. My a7iv is working just fine and I might sale it in the next few months. Unless it gives crazy updates I won’t do it
Sounds like Sony has been DEI hiring. Thanks for letting us know to be aware Jason!
Hey Jason, many thanks for your critical video on the tiresome subject of firmware updates from Sony! I updated my A7 IV from version 1.10 to 4.00 today. It works great!
Now I just have to find all the new features in the camera. Focus bracketing is very exciting, although the settings are not entirely self-explanatory. I would appreciate a comprehensive manual from Sony. I haven't found the new focus magnifier for manual focus yet. Do you know which menu is used to access it? All the other new features are more for video fans. I rarely need them.
Why are you saying you have to upgrade to version 2, then 3, and then to 4? Sony's instructions simply say if you are running lower than 1.05, you have to update to 1.05 first, then upgrade from 1.05 to the latest version. I recently purchased a used A7 IV with firmware 1.01 on it. There isn't even the option to download version 2 and 3 from Sony's web site, so I couldn't upgrade through every version even if I wanted to. At this point, I'm just trying to decide if I want to upgrade or not.
I haven't read that anywhere either. Did the update from 2.0 to 4.0 yesterday and everything works just fine
@@werder8570 Do you use 3rd party batteries? I know the battery % number will go away, but does it show "bars" on the battery icon so you have some idea of life left?
I've been looking for this camera or a7s3 for some time and you know... I don't want to spend 2-3 thousand dollars and break my camera. I earn my money working hard and don't want this poor update procedure destroy my camera.. changed my mind about sony. Thanks for vid!
90 процентов видео о боязни прошиваться... никакого описания содержимого прошивки)
Only reason I don’t use M&C is that you can’t have gamma assist or LUTs for the a7siii
I just bought Monitor+ for 25 dollars a week or two ago. I guess I'll just stick with that.
Same Im still on version 2 on the A7s3, for fear of the same issues you here from other creators.
Well… I had a hard time updating my A7IV twice already.
Now I find myself holding on on updating both my A7IV and FX30.
What Jason said is true and concerning. Nobody wants their cameras bricked.
The website says you don't need to go through each update. If your camera is 1.01 you must update to 1.05 first and then you can go straight to version four. If you have anything after 1.05 you can just go straight to version four.
I updated my fx6 yesterday, same day as a shoot😅.
All went great for the first segment of shooting.
Then Black!
The camera would not function after turning it on. I couldn’t turn it off either, so I had to pull the battery.
Still nothing.
Decided to pull the XLR from the handle and the camera “woke up.”
Finished the shoot without further issues.
I’ll do more testing today.
I bought my Sony A1 in 2021 and I haven't updated firmware because I don't want to risk it
I have also bought my A1 in 2021 and my A9III in February 2024. All are on the latest FW without any issues. Just wait a view weeks if you are not shure about it.
Just wait for a few weeks, the updates do often give a few useful features.
yeah it's just fearmongering here. Updates normally bring new features and get rid of old bugs. If something is wrong with an update you are likely to hear about it in the first two weeks or so after the release. If nothing is wrong it's happy updating time :)
A great new Sony update but no imported luts or new menu screen great job Sony will still switch from brand 🔥
Updated without an issue on my a7iv.... HOWEVER my fx3 is not so lucky.
Sony refuses to own up responsibility and expects me to pay for the repair out of pocket when updating through the creators app (first release of 6.00) failed on me and they acknowledged it causes cameras to not turn on on their website hence they pulled it and refused responsability!!
its absolutely ridiculous the lack of support sony gives solely because you are out of warranty when it is fully on them for having such an unstable update.
Sony says on their update site that everyone on firmware 1.05 and higher can go straight to 4.0. I will try that now. I don't like the "virus" analogy. A virus is third party and meant to harm. A firmware update from the manufacturer is meant to improve the product. It's just hard to do with the amount of features, the amount of cameras out there, different memory cards, different batteries, and the biggest challenge: people updating by themselves.
@@dennisdoerr Ist your cam still alive 🤣?
@@marcelkrownmotorworks9842 Yes, no issues. I had 2.0 on my A7IV and installed 4.0 this morning. Testing Sony Monitor & Control App right now.
I am disappointed that when I connect the Sony Monitor & Control app there is no LUT option. That makes it useless to me.
@@marcelkrownmotorworks9842 Yes it is. Updated from 2.0 to 4.0 without issues.
@@dennisdoerr You may know this already but the Monitor+ app does support LUT's as well as other features the Sony app doesn't seem to (including EL zones).
I updated the firmware on my SONY A7 VI camera from version 3 to version 4, after which the autofocus became much worse on the Samyang 45mm 1.8 lens. However, it works well with the Tamron 70-180 lens. What could be the problem? Please help me.
Tell Samyang they need to release a firmware update for your lens. This can happen with any 3rd party lens after a FW update on the camera.
Haven't updated since the first firmware update 🙌
well i just went from version 2 to verdion 4 , it went fine
After the latest firmware given for the Sony A7s3 my camera sometimes goes into pause and I have to remove the battery to restart the camera. So wait and watch the reviews for any of the Sony firmware. it is not like Canon or Nikon.....
You can't even find previous versions online anymore, I'm going to have to try to go from v1.10 to 4.0
Just be careful, the A7IV used with the Monitor & Control app will overheat in reasonable time, about 45 minutes in my experience. You can extend this of course by using a cooling fan. But I use M&C app with my FX30 for 3 hours+ non stop and it never overheats.
Just got my shipping label to send my new A7IV in for warranty repair - boot looping. Had run the previous update before this"4th" discussed here but was already having weird freezes before that. Thought it was getting better but I guess not. Unclear if firmware update related, or not. Either way, doesn't feel good.
Maybe it will be all updated when it comes back from warranty service. 🤞
I had the boot loop error with my Sony A6700 and it kept looping until it ran my battery down, while I slept. Jason is correct this is terrifying. Sony does have a cure for this on one of their RUclips channels under boot loop error.
I didn’t reformat my card before putting the firmware on the sd card. I turned my camera on, checked the firmware when I woke up and found out that it didn’t update, when I put my new battery inside, but the camera did come on and work.
I found Sony’s RUclips page under the subject, reformatted the card, made sure there was no numbers in the body.dat file, like body1.dat or the like from previous updates. That’s right when you download your updates to the download file on windows, it will automatically just give body.dat a 1,2, 3 or etc naming system (irregardless of if it is another camera like Sony A1 or Sony A7IV, and this is an absolute no, no, it must remain body.dat only.
The best way is to make individual files on your computer for each update if you save them or each camera if you have multiple cameras. Well I did the update for my A6700 and it went through, it took about 3 mins and I got the body update complete. I have since had no problems at all with my A6700 since , but the boot loop RUclips page helped a lot.
Sony needs to catch up. Great cameras, but with the emergence of so many affordable anamorphic lens options, they really need to update the FX3 and A7Slll to include OPEN GATE functions. Or, at the very least....include it in future iterations of those cameras. I am a current Sony shooter, but I just ordered the Black Magic Pyxis specifically because of its anamorphic support (namely, Open Gate). I have the SIRUI Venus 1.6X set including the 1.25X adapter (E mount), but never had the ability to utilize its full potential (the 1.6X or 2X squeeze). And I pre-ordered the new Blazar Cato set, and couldn't see myself wasting so much resolution trying to slap those lenses on my FX3 and A7Slll. So my only 2 viable options at that price point were either Lumix or Black Magic. Such a wasted opportunity by Sony.
SONY PLEASE GIVE US 4:3 (OPEN GATE) FULL SENSOR READOUT FOR VIDEO ------> like so that Sony can see our interest!!!!
Thanks. I'd prefer no background music in your (or any) tutorial videos. It's distracting. You've done a great job of making the volume very low, but in my opinion, it makes it worse, because now it's just random, unintelligible noises coming from my speakers.
Hopefully it fixes the battery drain issue. After I upgraded to version 3.0, my batteries drain way faster than before.
We need support for 3rd party batteries!
buy a $2,500 camera. Why buy cheap batteries?
@@BryanLopezProductionsbecause they’re all batteries from the same factory most likely, it’s no different to people using vmount batteries on their setups, vmounts are also third party
It’s never recommended to use third party battery options with almost every manufacturer
@@BryanLopezProductions cause they work/ last longer at less than half the price
@@ccudjoe89 I'm doing proffessional work no way am I taking chance on third party batteries. That are definitely not from the same factory.
Oh Sony watching?
Dear Sony,
Bring shutter angle and custom luts to A7SIII you SCUM!
The other day someone was complaining that Sony are not giving their cameras firmware updates, but they are already on version 4.0, hmm ...
That what I'm afraid of. My Sony A7IV is still on Version 2.0😊
A lot of people just don't read anymore. They just update without reading the instructions. That's more concerning...
I think part of the firmware situation being scary is how complex these devices are to begin with: I use a smallrig tophandle with a record button and I thought my mini-USB port was broken once because the record button stopped functioning but the real problem was that while you can trigger sequential recording to card slot 2 when slot 1's card is full with the shutter button, that functionality is absent through the USB trigger. So mashing the button did nothing once my first card was full. This isn't something I could figure out in the field when responsible for a two day music festival. What's a bug and what's working as intended these days?
Always the same issue, issues with firmware updates, i always just wait some weeks. Also, stupid shit like not having features in top tier cameras, that are in older version ones. I dont remember specifically, but i recall there was some video stuff i wanted like Anamorphic De-Squeeze in the a9iii and is just in the FX ones, even the fx30. Also more framerate+video options, like having full 6k not oversampled in the a9iii so you can resize in post and then export in 4k. I still feel like sony doesnt care about updates, even though i love everything else :s
Sonys firmware game is weak. From basically unsupported cameras to getting firmware’s that don’t work. The A7SIII firmware was lackluster and then it basically crippled Bluetooth until the 3rd rehash that makes it kind of work
Any effects on 3rd party battery which worked well without error on earlier fw?
how did you get the v3.0 update? im on V2.0 and cant find the v3.0
What happens with camera settings after the upgrade?
Are they there? Or are they wiped?
You can save all your settings to sd card and bring them back
@@Evgeniy_Shaman So they are wiped, and not every camera has option to save setiings ot the card. Eg A6XXX don't
FX30 user here
we need custom luts for the sony a7iv
Jason, many users, including myself are experiencing major issues with Samyang/Rokinon lenses after updating to 4.0. AFC won't work at all. Hunting all over the place, when it has worked flawlessly before the 4.0. Any input to this, or maybe test it yourself if you have one?
I never had overheating issues with my ZV-E1 until I updated it. Now it overheats so quickly
Never had Firmware issues with DJI or Panasonic, it’s just a Sony thing
With all of the complications with firmware I am going to pass on updates until Sony fixes all of the bugs
Do you think that Sony will ever add LUT previews in a future update?
Will this latest firmware have issue with 3rd party batteries?
Hello, my camera is Sony 7 Mark IV, can I update directly from version 1.05 to version 4??