Ricoh GRD 3: Firmware Updates

It occurred to me that there might be firmware updates available for our beloved GRD 3. So I hit the ricoh au site, which sent me to the global site to get said updates. The firmware on my unit was 1.18... the downloadable is 2.30. The thing is, the camera is actually quite "old" and had been sitting on a shelf for a long time... So, for those of you who have not yet checked your firmware version:

Go here for the downloadable and the instructions
GR DIGITAL III firmware / Software Downloads / Digital Camera | Ricoh Global

For those who are unsure, here's quotes from the site about the changes from 1.21 onward. the good news is that you only need the latest to get all the changes, they seem to be cumulative.

Version 1.21 (30th Sept, 2009)
Modified the following phenomena.

1 With the combination of the following conditions, it will not properly appear the image in the position display window that is shown when you playback with enlarged.
• [Auto Rotate] ON
• Rotate the camera to the lengthwise direction
• Playback the picture that was captured in the lengthwise direction and with [3:2] or [1:1] in the image size
2 Set the focus to [MF] (Manual focus) and turn the power off, and then turn the power on again, the focus distance will become infinity.
3 In Manual focus, if you enlarge the center part of the image in the screen, the enlarged part may become black-out rarely.
4 With attaching the GW-2 (wide conversion lens), there may be rare occasions that information on the focus distance in Exif will not be recorded correctly (Correctly, which should be recorded as 21mm; 35 mm filmcameras equivalent).
5 In taking pictures by switching between macro mode and normal mode, the resolution in surrounding parts (four corners) may change.

Version 2.00 (1st December, 2009)
1 [The GF-1 Flash unit compatibility]
The camera now supports the optional flash, GF-1. This update allows TTL-auto flash control with the GF-1.
* During interval shooting, any external flash unit will not fire.
2 [Date List] in playback
With 81 frames view in the playback mode, clicking the thumbnail button thumbnail button changes a list grouping pictures by date.
3 [Page List] in playback
In thumbnail view (20 frames, 81 frames, or Date List), you can switch the view between the image selection screen and the paging screen.
4 [Menu Page Advance]
You can switch pages by using the zoom button zoom button in the Shooting menu, in the Setup menu, or in the "Edit My setting" menu with selected an item.
5 [Snap Focus Distance]
The [1.5m] option has been added in the Snap Focus Distance in the shooting menu.
6 [ADJ. Direct ISO control]
The ADJ. Direct ISO control has been added in the shooting menu. With this option [On], you can use the ADJ. lever to change the ISO sensitivity value when the camera is in a shooting mode.


Modified the following phenomenon.

• If you have registered the following settings to a My setting, and then if you switch between My1 and My2 with an Fn button for instance, the AF mode will not be reflected correctly.
Setting registration example:
MY1 : AF(Spot)/MF in an Fn button
MY2 : AF(Mult)/MF in an Fn button


Changed the following feature.

•During interval shooting, the external flash unit will not fire. Use the built-in flash.

Version 2.10 (19th May, 2010)
1[New Noise Reduction Option : MAX]
The MAX option has been added to the [Noise Reduction] in the Shooting menu.
2[New Bracketing Options : AE-BKT 1/3 EV and AE-BKT 1/2 EV]
Auto exposure bracketing up to 2.0 EV becomes available. The order of exposure variations can also be configured.
3[New feature : Trim]
Trimming a captured image in the camera becomes available. The trimmed image is recorded as another file. The [1:1] aspect ratio can be selectable while trimming.
4[New White Balance Options : Incandescent 1 and 2]
Originally there was one option for incandescent light in White Balance, but [Incandescent 1] and [Incandescent 2] become available. [Incandescent 2] will result with slightly warmer than [Incandescent 1]. The original [Incandescent] is replaced by [Incandescent 2].
5[New feature : Shutter speed Auto Shift]
When the [Shutter Speed Auto Shift] is set to [On] in the S mode, the camera will automatically adjust shutter speed for optimal exposure in the case that the selected shutter speed by the user will result for over exposure or under exposure.


Modified the following phenomenon.

1 In the M mode, when [One Press M Mode] > [Aprtr Priority] is selected, a shutter speed may vary when aperture is changed. Modified them not to vary shutter speeds.
2 Reviewed flash emitter conditions at flash Auto in the S mode.

Version 2.20 (18th October 2010)
1 [New scene modes : High-Contrast B&W, Cross Process]
The High-Contrast B&W, and the Cross Process options have been added to the SCENE mode.
2 [New option : Restore Defaults for Key Custom Settings]
The [Restore defaults] option has been added to the Setup menu (Key Custom Settings tab). This option restores the key custom options to default.
3 [New option : Delete My Settings]
The [Delete My Settings] has been added to the Setup menu (Key Custom Settings tab). This option restores the settings for [MY1], [MY2], [MY3] on the mode dial to default, or reset the My Setting Box to default.
4 [New feature : Magnification Ratio (MF)]
The [Magnification Ratio (MF)] option has been added to the Shooting menu. The magnification ratio can be selected from 2x or 4x (fixed 2x with the previous version). This option works when holding the [MENU/OK] button in manual focusing.


Modified the following items.

1 Reviewed the ISO sensitivity range conditions when shooting with the combination below; S mode, Shutter speed Auto Shift On, and ISO Auto/Auto-Hi.
2 Corrected the phenomenon when an Eye-Fi card is inserted in the camera and it turns on the power on, that it will take time to start up, or the camera will not start.

Version 2.30 (28th March, 2011)
1 [New focus option : Subject Tracking AF]
The Subject Tracking AF has been added into the focus options.
2 [New option : AF/Subj. Track] in Set Fn button
[AF/Subj.Track] option can be assigned to the Fn1 button / Fn2 button.
3 [ADJ. Lever setting changes] for the SCENE modes
Items set for ADJ. Lever Setting 1 ~ 4 can be accessed in the SCENE modes.
4 [New option : Area Measured for Manual WB]
With this option, the area measured for manual white balance can be selected from [Spot] or [Entire frame].
5 [Electronic Level indicator]
The electronic level displays during self-timer working.


Modified the following items.

1 The 'Exif_JPEG_PICTURE' had been automatically input in the title field for exif tag in images, the value is no longer input in the title field.
 
Thanks for that. I couldn't find anywhere on that update page or in my camera's menu's how to check the current firmware version. How did you do that?

Nevermind - I found it. With the camera off, you just hold down the macro button (bottom of 4-way) and then press the "playback" button for a few seconds and it'll come up. I'm already up to date, so no need to change anything.

-Ray
 
Thanks for that. I couldn't find anywhere on that update page or in my camera's menu's how to check the current firmware version. How did you do that?

Nevermind - I found it. With the camera off, you just hold down the macro button (bottom of 4-way) and then press the "playback" button for a few seconds and it'll come up. I'm already up to date, so no need to change anything.

-Ray

Sorry, I should have said. Its only inside the install instructions which are linked on that page.
 
Hey Sue, I thank you for this. I've sent many friends to this post for the update.
Thanks...

My pleasure! I posted because I figured I wasn't Robinson Crusoe, looked through the GRD section and found no references to updates... I guess some people's units are more recently made than mine, which had been sitting on the shelf in the camera shop it had a goodly coating of dust, and the firmware was a 2007 version... How do I know? There were photographs still in memory which were taken back then, in the store. And stores don't update firmware on their display cameras, in this town.
 
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