Sony A7 Firmware 1.10 vs. 2.00 startup time comparison
As you know the A7/s/r and A6000 cameras got a firmware update. Here are two new testvideos. The one above shows the very small start-up time improvement on the A7. While the video below shows what could be a slightly autofocusing improvement in low light (too difficult to say if it’s a real improvement or just a wrong feeling).
Sony A6000 UK Firmware 2.00 Low Light Focusing Test using Sony 50mm F1.8 Lens
13 Responses
Maybe not a big improvement over 1.10, but I upgraded from 1.0 and it is a big step up.
I install the 2.0 on a A7R and the 2-3 firsts off/on was speeder that before, but after some off/on cycles, it is worst.
Well with my A7r the startup time is significantly faster than before the update to 2.00. I’m talking about an 800% + improvement from ~ 4sec. to less than ½ sec. To be clear that is from the time you hit the power button to pressing shutter, autofocusing and shutter release! In the video it appears the person waits for the lcd to complete loading all the text etc. before he pushes the shutter…. I have found that you can push the shutter immediately after power on and it will auto focus and capture before the LCD completely loads all info! Tested the FE 16-35, FE 24-70, FE 70-200 and FE 55 all with similar positive results.
Out of my curiosity, did you get ~4 sec result after swapping lens?
After the update I tested it first with the FE 24-70 which was on the camera and it started up immediately with the sub ½ sec time… Note this was after removing and replacing battery as instructed to do after firmware upgrade. Previously to update the ~4 sec time was when starting up, with any lens, for the first time after a lengthy ‘OFF’ duration. When I am out shooting I have the ‘power saver’ mode set for off after 10 sec and the restart time was much quicker than a ‘cold’ start…. ~ 1.5 sec max. I figured this was do the power button being on when the power saver activates, like it was in a more ‘ready’ state than when powered down with the off switch…
Sorry, didn’t read this before making my post. Your experience matches mine exactly, although I don’t think it even matters if you use the power switch, rather than start from power saving.
The issue seems to be related to the duration that the camera is off. As I say, a curiosity that undoubtedly has an explanation, but one I’m not curious enough to try to discover!
As I mentioned previously (to the usual smart alec replies) that it seemed a rather pointless ‘upgrade’, given that the best way to address any delay is simply have the camera ready (rather than carrying it around turned off!) and there is always a small risk when updating firmware.
That said, this is a rather pointless test, given that it’s so incomplete.
It’s quite right to say that it is time to shoot, rather than time to process the LCD info, is paramount, but it also fails to take into account the different start up times that occur in normal use. If you turn the camera on after being idle for a long time (i.e. 12 – 24 hours) it takes a lot longer than if you turn it on just ten seconds after turning it off.
I have no idea why it should be, or ever thought to question or worry over it, but all four of mine behave that way. So the test shown here is not really a test of anything!
The low light AF fix was in Firmware 1.21. Same for start up speed. I did not see any improvement over 1.21
The big one of course is XAVC-S in A6000. That is a feature improvement well worth it. They should have made same for A7 (A7 video is not quite nice though but a new codec would have been nice)
I belive 2.00 brought us new Android with Art virtual machine hence app start up time and overall speed is much improved.
PS. NEX line including the new A cameras runs the apps with Android. Art virtual machine compiles the Java APK files to native code at install time there by speeding up apps start up time and overall performance. the older Dalvik virtual machine would compile the apps to native code at runtime and thus cause some delays
—-Begin Rant—-
This is a 2.0 release and all we get is start-up time? Call it 1.3 or whatever….
I cannot believe that the A7R cannot do XAVC-S. It was an expensive camera when I got it and think that it is outrageous that the A6000 has it and not the A7R.
Even with such an update it would not even pretend to compete with the Mark 2. It might, however, improve the miserable 2nd hand value of this good camera.
2nd hand value could could become a marketing problem for Sony. It makes their products look amateur. Look how Nikon cameras hold their value. People still want a D700. How can they expect to be taken seriously if their hitherto top of the line camera’s value drops like a cheap throwaway toy?
—–End Rant—
A7r was released before A6000. Maybe A7r has a hardware limitation which does not allow the higher bit-rate codec. I wouldn’t emotionally get overwhelmed over something I cannot be sure of. Or, they may come up with it some time later if it’s possible. Considering Sony did it for A6000, I see no reason they wouldn’t do it for A7r if they could.
I hadn’t realised that it was released before.
You may well be right but if there is a hardware limitation it certainly is not throughput. Those 36MP RAWs certainly take up loads of bandwidth.
Sony have form in this area. Back in the days before the iPod, I had a Sony MP3 player that had the most convoluted proprietary system for “checkin songs in.” When Windows 98 was released it no longer worked and no upgrade was ever released. To be fair, it was not entirely a brick. It did play the same 17 songs (the limit). No software was ever released for the Mac.
Sony could have owned the MP3 market; especially with their Walkman brand. Instead Apple (which nearly went under around that time) came to dominate it and the record industry, which Sony were trying protect with that proprietary crap (it re-encoded every song before putting it on to the “MP3” player), collapsed
Despite, as you correctly point out, not being sure, past experience does overwhelm me emotionally 😉
I dont know about you guys, but I’m convinced there is more exiting things to do with a camera than turning it on and off … Did we really need an upgrade for that? O_o
Hey guys,
Please think about what u are writing.
OF COURSE the Power-on speed got improved. But not really the speed after you powered-off the cam 2 sec before. Put your cam out of your bag after 3 days (5h minimum) and the cam starts (in comparison to the time before updating if) that fast and easy it should do!
Please try this. And stop commenting that unusefully video