Are you having problems with your camera freezing, and needing to be reset?
Maybe you're having an intermittent focus issue or getting random error messages.
This can be deeply frustrating, and can even mean missing a shot.
But there might just simply be a firmware problem, and I'm going
to tell you how to fix that today.
In this video, I'm going to explain to you exactly what firmware is.
Why it is so important, and then take you through a step-by-step process to
update your camera to the latest version.
By the end of this video, you'll have everything you need, to never
have a firmware issue, again.
My name is Charl Stols, and I'm a professional wildlife photographer with
Pangolin Photo Safaris, here in Botswana.
My job is to help my clients get the best shots while they're on Safari with me,
and sometimes that means helping out with technical issues, like firmware updates.
Firmware is the embedded software, that the device,
such as a digital camera, uses to control certain hardware functions.
And like any software, it can be modified.
It's the brain of your camera.
Controlling everything, including auto focus and image processing.
And because technology constantly develops, our camera needs those
pdates, and changes, to keep pace.
Keeping your cameras firmware up to date, can immediately improve your shooting
experience, in three very obvious ways.
1. Add functionality and features, such as auto focus eye detection capabilities,
frame rate adjustments, as well as support for raw video output.
2. It will optimize the performance of your camera by the manufacturers - making small
tweaks to the system - that can improve response times, load times, or read times
to a memory card, or even battery life.
3. And most importantly, a firmware update will fix bugs - that you may or may
not be aware of - but that ultimately affects your camera's performance.
So, to have the best experience with your camera, make sure to always
have the latest update installed.
Especially before you travel, as internet access in places like Africa, make
doing large downloads, problematic.
Having said that, updates can also have glitches.
I usually wait a couple of days, once a new update is released, to make sure
that there are no complaints...before I go ahead and install it.
Before we start on the steps to update your camera's firmware...and
you are finding this video useful.
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join our growing community of wildlife photography enthusiasts,
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Updating your firmware might vary slightly from brand to brand, but I find it
nearly always follows these simple steps.
Go to your camera manufacturer's website.
Select your camera, and check to see what the latest available firmware version is.
Check what version of firmware is installed on your camera.
Usually in the yellow menu on a Canon camera.
Compare the version number against the current release on the
manufacturer's website, if a more recent firmware version is listed.
Check the release notes, to see if it includes updates that
are essential, or that you are interested in adding to your camera.
Be absolutely sure that the firmware update is applicable
to your camera's make and model.
Attempting to install an incompatible update can seriously damage your camera.
Download the firmware from the Canon website.
If you are a PC user, this download will appear as a zip file,
which you will need to extract.
If you are a Mac user,
the downloaded folder is automatically extracted, and
a firmware folder is created.
If the download folder cannot be automatically extracted,
double click the folder.
Next, take a memory card - depending on what camera model you use - that
you don't mind formatting.
Make sure you haven't left any images on there.
Place it inside of your camera, and click format to erase it completely.
A small tip, compare the file sizes with that on the Canon website, to ensure that
the components have downloaded correctly.
Select the extracted file, and drag and drop it to the memory card.
And of course, remember to eject the card.
Remove the card, from the computer and insert it into your camera.
Turn the camera on.
Please make sure your camera's battery is fully charted, as a
power failure in the middle of an update, can damage your camera.
Go back to the menu, and find a firmware version section again.
Select it, and you'll be able to see the current firmware version, as well as the
firmware version you want to update too.
Hit okay...and the installation starts.
The camera will now show you the progress.
Make sure not to click any buttons, or fiddle with the camera, during this time.
The update process can take a few minutes.
Once the firmware update is complete, you will see a message confirming
that the update is completed.
Some models might even prompt you to turn the camera off.
To double check, turn the camera on again, and enter the menu to see that
the firmware version has updated.
That's it.
It should be that simple.
Just follow the steps I have explained, and make sure that you
do so before you head out to photograph, or leave for a photo safari.
On that note, if you are keen to come to Africa, and do a photo safari with
me, then I will leave some options for you to see in the description below.
Thank you for watching.
Until next time.