New Nikon D600 and D800 firmware updates released for download

Nikon has released a pair of firmware updates for the D600 and D800 DSLR cameras, fixing several issues which have been troubling the users.

DSLR cameras undergo heavy testing before being released on the market. However, some bugs still go unnoticed, though they will not escape the watchful eyes of professional photographers.

Companies have to update their products, in order to make them better and to show that they provide improved consumer report, ensuring that they will get a lot of returning customers.

As a result, Nikon has released firmware updates for two of its full-frame cameras, one of them being troubled by issues ever since it has been introduced on the market.

Nikon D600 C:1.01 firmware update does not fix the camera’s granular dust spots, but it prevents the camera from displaying error messages during continuous shooting mode.

Nikon D600 C:1.01 firmware update release notes

D600 owners can download the C:1.01 firmware update right now. The upgrade will fix several problems, though it will not repair its dust accumulation issues.

The Nikon D600 C:1.01 firmware update changelog says that the camera will support the AF-S Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR lens. Additionally, subject tracking in AF-C mode has been greatly improved.

The Japanese company confirmed that the size of the frame output has been upped to 100% (from 95%), when “Information” is set to “off” during movie live view mode. This only works when an external device is connected via the HDMI port.

A bug which caused the images’ right edge to appear white has been fixed. This issue could have been reproduced when “Active D-Lighting” was “off” and “Image area” was set to DX 24 x 16.

An annoying issue which caused the DSLR to come to a halt and display an “Err” message has been resolved. This bug showed up when pressing the shutter button several times with the “Record to:” option set to “PC+CARD”.

Last but not least fix available in the upgrade, consists of repairing the camera’s color changing problems when white balance was set to a custom color temperature. The changelog confirms that colors will no longer change in an erratic manner under these conditions.

Nikon D800 A:1.01 / B:1.02 firmware update improves tracking performance in AF-C mode and fixes a bug which caused movie recording to stop all of a sudden.

Nikon D800 A:1.01 / B:1.02 firmware update changelog

The  Nikon D800 A:1.01 / B:1.02 firmware update is also available for download as of today. The 36.3-megapixel full frame camera also supports the new AF-S Nikkor 800mm telephoto lens, its performance in tracking subjects has been enhanced, while its color temperature troubles have been fixed.

However, there are other differences in the changelog when compared to the Nikon D600. Nikon D800 owners will notice that exposure preview is no longer on, when using live view in manual exposure mode.

Images shot in Adobe RGB will appear more vivid on the display following the change in gamut. Additionally, movie recording is no longer stopping when using a set of specific storage cards. Previously, some cards caused recording to end, even though cinematographers had a lot of remaining time at their disposal.

D800 users may have noticed that images captured at TIFF quality, with small image size, had a purple line on their right edge. The Japanese manufacturer says that this problem has been fixed, too.

The last change consists of fixing an issue with JPEG files, which could not have been opened using specific image-processing tools.

Download links available for PC and Mac OS X users

According to Nikon, this pair of new upgrades will improve photographers’ lives, who can download the D600 C:1.01 firmware update and the D800 A:1.01 / B:1.02 firmware update right now.

The Nikon D600 is available at Amazon for a price of $1,996.95, while the D800 can be purchased through the same retailer for the price of $2,796.95.