Dear Kodak DCS Pro series camera owner,

It has only recently come to my attention that there has been a new Beta release of the firmware software for the Kodak DCS Pro range of digital cameras. As you have already written to me in the recent past asking for a copy of the previous firmware version 5.4.6, I am now inviting you to obtain a copy of this newer version 5.4.9 beta software.

These files originated from Kodak Pro Digital USA, although only the file for the 14n/nx cameras was obtained by me personally. The other two came to me through other owners who had written to Kodak themselves requesting copies.

Those who wish to investigate the software coding contained within these new files, will see that the coding date entered is the 6th September 2006! I am unable to offer any explanation why we have not been made aware of this software sooner, as I have only recently been alerted of its existence myself. In fact, I even received a written assurance by email from Kodak UK on the 12th September 2006 that they "had no present plans for another firmware update beyond version 5.4.6" Most curious!

Although it is believed that this new firmware will now correctly format SD media in excess of 2GB capacity in-camera, very little else is known about the changes incorporated into this latest release. Some have mentioned that this will also enable use of SD media up to 4 GB in capacity, and various other glitches which can occasionally affect the performance of these cameras. But I cannot yet confirm this to be true. Furthermore, as always, Kodak remains tight-lipped about the details and being Beta software, will not entertain technical support questions either.

I am therefore asking you not to contact me or Kodak with questions about this software, but to join in with other contributors at the Kodak SLR forum at DPReview.com who freely and willingly share their experiences with this software and many other matters.

IMPORTANT: For these reasons, I must remind you that use of this software is entirely at your own risk, and neither myself nor Kodak can accept any liability for consequential damage or any other malfunction occurring to your camera(s) as a result of downloading and using this software. If you are in any doubt, then I strongly urge you not to use it, especially if you are using your camera as a principal asset in a revenue earning capacity. However, I can confirm that a seemingly reputable and officially authorised Kodak repair agency located in the USA have themselves installed this same software upgrade in a camera belonging to a fellow contributor of the DPReview forum, without his prior knowledge. We can only conclude that it is therefore entirely safe for others to do so too. In all cases, you are strongly advised to keep a copy of the last firmware used in case you need to revert back in case of difficulties.


Furthermore, these files are NOT interchangeable, and only the version named with your camera model designator will function as intended.

You must not rename the enclosed file ending in .BIN, or your camera will not recognise it when selecting the Update function in the camera's Menu.

As always, ensure that you carry out the camera Firmware Update procedure TWICE IN SUCCESSION, or the camera may revert to the older version of the software at any time in the future and without warning.




Kind regards and best wishes,


Nigel
