Ive never updated my firmware... should I?

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So I've had the Canon R6 and R7 since they were released and have never done anything regarding firmware updates. I've always been afraid to as they both work fine, and why change something thats not broke. Are the benefits worth the risk? Or shoukd it keep things as they are? Thanks in advance
 
Check the firmware notices to see what changes have been made, often these are beneficial.
 
An ex Canon tec told me to always do the firmware updates because it's not what they tell you it will update, it's what in there that they don't tell you about.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
They are very well tested by now. Arguably benefits may be minor, but no disadvantages to speak of at least personally
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I agree, they aren't going to change your life (or photos) but no harm in doing so. Just make sure you have a full battery and stick the firmware on an SD card. In fact my last 2 firmware upgrades for the R5 and R6ii came via camera connect App remotely. I didn't even have to load them onto an SD as in the good old days!
 
Just install the Canon app on your mobile phone (and connect it to your cameras obviously) - it'll "do the right thing" in terms of downloading the right firmware to the right camera.
 
hunnymonster said:
Just install the Canon app on your mobile phone (and connect it to your cameras obviously) - it'll "do the right thing" in terms of downloading the right firmware to the right camera.
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Thanks I didn’t know about doing it that way, I recently did my R5 the old fashioned way with a card
 
davholla said:
..,and I had to pay to have it fixed
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It's always worrying when you're told an update is needed.

I tend to start from the position of "don't fix what ain't broke" and only update if the new version fixes a problem I've experienced, or offers a function that I think will be beneficial.
 
Mixed views here, I updated my R7 to the latest and it improved the AF stickiness and tracking noticeably, at the same time I updated my R3 to the (at the time) latest 1.9 and it stuffed up the AF to the degree I was getting more keepers with the R7.... (even after a reset and redoing my settings) fortunately I managed to roll it back to 1.7, which was a later FW than the original I updated from and normal service was resumed. Am on the fence about updating the R3 to fw 2.
 
turbotoes said:
Mixed views here, I updated my R7 to the latest and it improved the AF stickiness and tracking noticeably, at the same time I updated my R3 to the (at the time) latest 1.9 and it stuffed up the AF to the degree I was getting more keepers with the R7.... (even after a reset and redoing my settings) fortunately I managed to roll it back to 1.7, which was a later FW than the original I updated from and normal service was resumed. Am on the fence about updating the R3 to fw 2.
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from what version to what version?
 
I think you are probably seeing the 1/2 scare stories in 1000s here.... Its only software updates and will be fine
 
A_S said:
I think you are probably seeing the 1/2 scare stories in 1000s here.... Its only software updates and will be fine
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That is a view certainly.

However, over 35 years in software development, I've heard some real clangers dropped. Modern cameras are like any other computer and a minor typing error can cause chaos. I always hope that any software change has been extensively tested but I've met too many "managers" who have pushed for updates to be released, despite warnings that there are some parts that haven't been fully tested. Remember the Post Office computer mess?

It's always better to assume the worst, while still hoping for the best.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
That is a view certainly.

However, over 35 years in software development, I've heard some real clangers dropped. Modern cameras are like any other computer and a minor typing error can cause chaos. I always hope that any software change has been extensively tested but I've met too many "managers" who have pushed for updates to be released, despite warnings that there are some parts that haven't been fully tested. Remember the Post Office computer mess?

It's always better to assume the worst, while still hoping for the best.
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People can lose their jobs over software releases going wrong.
 
davholla said:
People can lose their jobs over software releases going wrong.
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I agree and so they should, if they are the people causing the trouble.

That, however, is their problem. My interest is to avoid potential problems by not fixing (or updating) that which already meets my needs.
 
I once updated the firmware on my XT3, but for some reason subsequent updates wouldn't work. So, I haven't bothered since.
 
I usually keep up to date with firmware, quickly if there is a specific new feature I want to use.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
That is a view certainly.

However, over 35 years in software development, I've heard some real clangers dropped. Modern cameras are like any other computer and a minor typing error can cause chaos. I always hope that any software change has been extensively tested but I've met too many "managers" who have pushed for updates to be released, despite warnings that there are some parts that haven't been fully tested. Remember the Post Office computer mess?

It's always better to assume the worst, while still hoping for the best.
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that maybe so in wider business and industry and you have a point on the post office. I am not sure how comparable a major nationwide new system is to a camera firmware update though, especially one that has been downloaded and used by many many thousands of others without problem.

The only potential risk you have is user error - i.e pressing a button or not having enough charge in the battery when you do it..... and its basically just loading a file onto a card and pressing one button so even that risk is very low.

I totally understand the don't fix it if its not broke, but what I don't agree with is the assertion by some that its a risk when clearly the risk is probably less than 1%
 
A_S said:
I am not sure how comparable a major nationwide new system is to a camera firmware update
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You really think that the basic rules of design, implementation, testing and maintenance are different for any software project?
A_S said:
though, especially one that has been downloaded and used by many many thousands of others without problem.
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Which is exactly the response that too many techies resort to, when some poor user encounters the flaw that wasn't tested for. "It must be something you did wrong" has been the default response since the first user found the first bug.
A_S said:
The only potential risk you have is user error...
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Which, even if true, is what proper design and coding should handle.
A_S said:
and its basically just loading a file onto a card and pressing one button so even that risk is very low.
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Write operations can fail because of a single bit error in a storage medium. It's up to the developers to anticipate and handle such a situation, even if the fall back is a message like "Cannot write to card, please insert a different card".
A_S said:
I totally understand the don't fix it if its not broke, but what I don't agree with is the assertion by some that its a risk when clearly the risk is probably less than 1%
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Even if the risk is 0.1% it's still a problem for the customer who encounters that bug - that is what far too many developers still don't get. :(
 
but we aren't talking about any of that are we? This isn't a discussion about a complex coding problem within a large organisation... you seem to be trying to conflate loosely related experience in big complex software projects with someone sitting at their home computer and putting what is a simple software update on their camera. You can put whatever professional experience hat on that you want. I cant compete with that because i am not a software developer and never have been. Nor have any intention to be so.

I'm just talking logical rational common sense and probability on what is effectively scaremongering people into not upgrading.

I'd probably go as far as saying that if everyone took things to such an Nth degree as the above for what is a software update in a commercially released camera that has sold 10s, maybe hundreds of thousand units then no body would ever get anything done, ever if we focused on a 0.1% error rate...
 
A_S said:
but we aren't talking about any of that are we?
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All software is the same - a list of instructions to be carried out by a processor.
A_S said:
This isn't a discussion about a complex coding problem within a large organisation. you seem to be trying to conflate loosely related experience in big complex software projects with someone sitting at their home computer and putting what is a simple software update on their camera.
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I've worked on machine programming jobs as well as data processing - the only difference is what finally happens when you switch the hardware on.
A_S said:
You can put whatever professional experience hat on that you want. I cant compete with that because i am not a software developer and never have been. Nor have any intention to be so.
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So, you really have no idea what you are talking about - why argue unless you're one of those people who think that "common sense" trumps experience.
A_S said:
I'm just talking logical rational common sense and probability on what is effectively scaremongering people into not upgrading.
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Shouting, as your primary school teacher may have told you, doesn't turn your mistake into the correct answer.
A_S said:
I'd probably go as far as saying that if everyone took things to such an Nth degree as the above for what is a software update in a commercially released camera that has sold 10s, maybe hundreds of thousand units then no body would ever get anything done, ever if we focused on a 0.1% error rate...
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At the end of the day, a software failure in a camera's programming is just as important to the user, who can't get the pictures he wants, as a software failure in a banking system is to the customer, who can't complete a transfer to a dealer, which would pay for the new camera he wants to buy.

If you don't know how something is caused but have an opinion about the outcome, make your reply about the outcome, not the cause.
 
So, you really have no idea what you are talking about - why argue unless you're one of those people who think that "common sense" trumps experience.
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I am not quite sure I understand this logic?

Because you are a software developer and know more about the subject than me I am not allowed an opinion? Whats all this about a cause?

I've not once talked in any detail about understanding the cause, I could really not care less about the cause or your levels of experience in detailed software development. You seem really insistant on going into great detail and experience but it seems to be trying to take me down a blind alley and beat me up with experience on something not really related to the point I was making....

All that is really incidental here and as knowledgeable, experienced and an authority as you are I don't think its right to go around suggesting that people not upgrade their firmware on the miniscule chance that a firmware update may fail - especially when by order of magnitude the chance of a software issue are many many times smaller than that of user error.

Its really that simple. I didn't come here to start arguing on the basis of someones experience in another industry so I am over and out.
 
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A_S said:
I didn't come here to start arguing on the basis of someones experience in another industry...
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That's a good approach to take, so the only question is is "why did you"?
 
I think everyone agrees that software is not perfect. So it's a risk / reward personal choice. For me, it's pretty simple - low risk as it can be rolled back if there's a problem, and high reward if there is a handy new feature. i.e. for me, it's often worth taking the risk of a software error. Horses for courses.
 
TimHughes said:
I think everyone agrees that software is not perfect. So it's a risk / reward personal choice. For me, it's pretty simple - low risk as it can be rolled back if there's a problem, and high reward if there is a handy new feature. i.e. for me, it's often worth taking the risk of a software error. Horses for courses.
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I agree to some extent but it can't always be rolled back as I found to my cost.
 
davholla said:
I agree to some exsint but it can't always be rolled back as I found to my cost.
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Good point - I had one occasion with a Canon camera where rollback was tricky, but eventually could be done with a hack. My worst experience was with Atomos Ninja V. I had skipped a lot of firmware updates and when I a major update came jumping to that version stopped the device working. Thankfully Atomos support solved it quite quickly.
 
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