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Firmware update for D300s

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valonqe

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Hello there D300s friends!

Sorry if I'm misleading anyone thinking that the new firmware for D300s has come out.

Any way, I'm sure that each one of us is eager to wait for Nikon to come out
with a new firmware for all these new DSLR's that shoot video to be able to manually operate the camera as CANON has with it's cameras.

Has any one heard any new regarding this new firmware? Is Nikon reading these news groups where Nikon users post their concerns about their cameras.
When Canon designed their 7D they researched the web for new ideas on how to improve their new camera and they came up with 7D which has all this manual settings when you record video.

I am sure that Nikon can do t he same thing as well and come up with a new camera which has all the possible settings and firm ware to do the exact same thing as canon.

I my self just bought the D300s 2 months ago and since then I'm searching the web for answers in to when Nikon is going to release a firmware for manual control when shooting video.

I am sure that it can be done just with a new firmware. Remember Canon 5D mark 2 did it.

Best regards
Valon

Posted 3 years ago #
NikoDoby

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Hello valonqe and welcome to the forum!

It is my understanding that the D3S has manual control for video. It has been suggested that a firmware update to the D300S is possible and Nikon is rumored to be working on it but no time frame has been given. So at this point it's just speculation. A similar rumor was said about the D90 but it never happened. The D3S is the only Nikon with manual control for now.

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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Hi Niko !

Thank you for taking the time the write back.
It is nice to be part of this forum where I too can discuss my ideas.
I also read about D3S that has manual control over video but I was hopping that somebody has heard any news from Nikon that they are working on the matter.

I just wished that Nikon was as prompt as Canon when they released 5dM2 few months later they released the manual firmware.

It's a shame why Nikon is taking so long with this firmware because a lot of people are switching to Canon purely for the manual control over video.

Regards
Valon

Posted 3 years ago #
monty11

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Hi Valon, welcome to the forum.
A small snippet of advice: when you yourself see that the topic of the thread is misleading, then instead of apologising about it in the thread, why not come up with a heading that isn't misleading :)

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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HI Monty !

You are right on say that. I do apologize again but to be honest with you I thought for a bit but I couldn't come with any other heading that could describe about the firmware.

I hope you understand. Thank you.

I just feel so sorry and a bit let down by Nikon why is taking so long to come up with a solution about this firmware.

Best regards
Valon

Posted 3 years ago #
NikoDoby

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I'm sure it's not as easy as some would lead you to believe. It takes time to get things done right. Besides the D300S just came out!

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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I believe that to Niko, but still since it isn't a hardware think it can me done via software. Camera does that already on the photo mode. All they have to do is implement the same principal to the video as well. I know shutter is a bit tricky but the ISO should be simple.

People are tricking the camera to choose a low ISO and Shutter by flashing a powerful light into the lens but that is tricky and you never can get it right every time. It's just pain on the bum to do that every time where it can be just dial the setting and way you go.

Regards

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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Has anybody heard anything about those new firmwares for D300S that we were told are coming out before Christmas?

Posted 3 years ago #
100ill

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Hallo,

any ideas if there's gonna be any firmware update for manual control of the video of D300s???

It's really sad, but I'm on my way to switch to canon, which I don't really want!!!

Nikon are doing nothing to keep their true costumers! At least they could give some info of what comes next - firmware new model???... the D330s video is so rediculous compared to the 7d and they're at the same prize &d was even cheeper when I bought the D300s and now is the oposit!!!... I cant believe it.. I could go with the jelly, but no manuals - COME ON!!!

If anyone has any info.... please share! I have 1 more month to decide.. and I really don't want to switch but they leave me no choice!!!

Regards

Posted 3 years ago #
jonnyapple

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Welcome to the forum, 100ill, though it sounds like you might not stick around for long. ;-)
I think Valon gave up waiting and bought a 7D or two, but still has his D300s. And if anyone here knew about an update, it would be Valon. I hope whatever you decide works out for you. What manual controls are you looking for? Do you want to be able to adjust aperture and ss while video is rolling?

Posted 3 years ago #
NikoDoby

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The firmware for the D300S was just recently announced so I doubt they'd announce another anytime soon. I think we will see a different model number camera with better specs instead.

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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100ill welcome to the forum !

At the moment all heads are turned towards the rumors that Nikon is bringing
out new DSLR so nothing is mention for any firmware updates so far.

My advice would be to wait till the end of the month and see what Nikon is bringing out
and then make the decision. You don't want to buy the 7D and then Nikon will bring out a camera which is going to be better then Nikon and then you going to regret it.

I am also waiting for a firmware update for my D300s so maybe after the release of the new DSLR we are going to get the new firmware.

Regards

Posted 3 years ago #
bmxdad

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Talking about Video, I went to a Sony (boring by the way, maybe except for spending some time with a fisheye lens on a A900) meeting and they had nothing new really, I can not believe that Sony don't have any video at all and they have the experience making camcorders

Pete

Posted 3 years ago #
NikoDoby

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Because they don't want their DSLRs to hurt sales of their camcorders. They should be announcing their first V-DSLR this year though.

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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good pint bmxdad !

although Sony is planing to bring out the replacement of A700 which will have full HD video.

Posted 3 years ago #
shivaswrath

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if they haven't updated the D90 yet, I highly doubt the D300s will get a re-fresher. . .

it made sense for other bodies, but with a D300s/D90/D700 replacement around the corner, cheaper and easier to entice a purchase with a newer body and cripple the older ones with crappier firmware. . .(I think). . .

Posted 3 years ago #
100ill

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Hallo to everyone,

thank you so much for your fast and accurate response! :)

jonnyaple:

Yep, I definetely need manual controls when video is rolling!!! I know how to adjust the aparture and trick the camera to make somehow the other adjustments, but this is not how the things should be.... it's risky and doesn't work every time... and most of all its a waist of time tricking your camera every time!!!
The main thing is, I never made it to shoot with low shutter speed (even with NDs) which really important for fast moving objects! I think it always makes the ISO higher and keeps the shutter above 100 (which is too much)!

SO... is it the D400 that is coming? When is it supposed to show up?

I could wait a month or two! I hope I'll not be forced to change to Canon, especially all my lenses.... please Nikon do your best! :)

Regards

Posted 3 years ago #
jonnyapple

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Wow, I had never realized you can't get down to 1/25s in video, 100ill. When you said that I had to go and test it (don't be offended—I'm a skeptic by nature).

It looks like you should be able to get to 1/30s [this is revised from 1/50s after I realized I had done something wrong—the devil is in the details!]. Here are two pictures of an oscilloscope trace (the green dot just goes across the screen with some constant speed), with the first one taken with my D90 at 1/25s shutter speed, and the second one being a frame capture from a video with 1/25s as the shutter speed. Those major divisions are 20ms, so if it were 1/100 second, the bright green line should be half of one of those.

^normal still image taken at 1/25s^

^frame capture from a video taken at 1/25s^

It looks like it must take about 1/150 of a second to read the data off of the sensor (1/150 + 1/30 is about 1/24, which is how much time per frame there is). I'd bet that this is a hardware issue and can't be fixed in a firmware update. But then, what do I know? If you were telling me that it couldn't be fixed I would probably doubt you. ;-)

The most annoying thing to me about the Nikon video is the automatic changing of ISO. Since I figured out how to stop getting those annoying brightness changes mid-video, I've been pretty happy. You probably know, but you set the AE-L button's behavior to AE-Lock (hold) in the menus then make sure you press the AE-L button before starting recording.

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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We all done it jonny but is not the same as setting the ISO and shutter speed your'e self. 7D has done it perfectly in that matter. whilse in LV you can set the ISO and shutter speed to you're liking and then hit record. You get to see the light changing as you change the setting.

Have you tried to shoot under florescent lighting with D90 and D300s, you get the roling shutter runing down the screen. At low light you get grainy fottage because when you hit LV in D90 and D300s sets the ISO acording the lighting condition so you end up with grainy fottage.

I have tried to point a flash light into the lens to trick the camera to choose the low ISO which in most cases it worked but controllin the SS is pain because you never get it right. You are always guessing the ISO. Locking the exposure only locks the camera to that light reading but doesn't allow you to operate the camera manually.

It is a pleasure to shoot wiht NIkon outside, colors and quality of Nikon is as close as shooting in 35mm motion film cameras, It's just beautifull.

It surprises me how come it is so dificult for Nikon to sort out this problem which to my understanding is very simple. All they have to do is find a link between the camera in still mode and LV, menaning that when camera is in LV mode to use the same settigns from the camera in still mode.

Because at the moment when you hit LV camera goes to auto mode and you can only change the WB and Fstop nothing else. ISO and SS is set by the camera.

I don't know but I wasn't happy when Nikon didn't fix that problem when they brought out the firmware in january becaue I hade few projects lined up which I wanted to shoot wiht Nikon. As I ran a renting company most of my clints started asking for the 7D so i bought it and till now it did pay it self.

I know a lot of you are thiniking using a DSLR shooting video professionaly it is a bit strange but believe it or not here in my country every body is shooting with 7D or 5Dm2 and their clients are happy about it beacue they think is cool how technology has moved forward.

So at the end of the day Nikon has lot a lot for not developing the firmware for those people that have bought D90's and D300s's because we feel let down by Nikon for not hearing our voices.

Nikon should inforce the company that hired to write the firmwares for cameras to see if they can fix that problem even with old cameras like d90 because at the end of the day it makes us the costumers.

So till then I am enjoying my D300s for pictures and 7D for videos.

Posted 3 years ago #
jonnyapple

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I wasn't claiming that video is perfect for me now, Valon. You have some good points about what should be able to be improved via firmware, specifically that wandering ISO setting. Thom Hogan says he thinks the D90 might not even have space on their programmable ROM chip to do a firmware update. It would be nice if he's wrong and they do add some fixes to the video for the D90.

You can't adjust the aperture on the D90 after hitting LV. Can you do that on the D300s? I mean, the screen says you're changing it but nothing happens to the aperture when you look through the lens on a D90.

Posted 3 years ago #
jonnyapple

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Valon, thanks for mentioning that the shutter speed can get changed automatically. That must have been what happened, because I redid the experiment that I had posted and I got that the slowest shutter speed is actually 1/30s, which changes my answer to 1/150s for the readout. I'm going to edit it now with the new info.

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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Jonny I use Nikon manual lenses with manual aperture so I change fstops manualy. I only have lenses wiht manual fstop on the lens but as far as I can remeber form my freinds D90 you have to set the fstop out of LV because it doesn't work whilse you are video recroding.

As far as not being able to a firmware aupdate because the ROM chip memory Nikon can always use the SD or CF card to extend the memory for the firmware update.

There is a Majic Lantern firmare for canon 5dm2 which you install it on to the camera but it's not ther permanently once the camera is off the firmware is eresead.

Posted 3 years ago #
valonqe

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What about new firmwares? does any one know if Nikon has got any plans do bring out
new firmwares for preset DSLR's ?

cheers !

Posted 3 years ago #
NikoDoby

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"preset DSLR's" ???

Posted 3 years ago #
mb

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present? current?

Posted 3 years ago #