How safe are firmware updates? In light of recent events where Sony have released firmware updates for the FX3 and FX30 and then withdrawn them only days later I decided to write this piece in attempt to help people understand what might be happening and what the risks are.

Firmware updates can never be entirely risk free. Afterall, for most cameras a firmware update means replacing the software that alters the way many of the processors function with new software. And this replacement process can sometimes in rare instances go wrong. Generally, if you precisely follow the instructions provided with the update, including checking that the file you have downloaded is valid and  corruption free (usually done by comparing an MD5 checksum value against the file size) the update will go smoothly and all will be good. 

Real world update failures due to a hardware or software error are very rare. If you look around the online camera user groups, while you will likely find examples of failed updates, some of these may be user error. Not following the instructions etc. But a few will be real failures. But it’s worth considering that user groups will by their very nature attract more users looking for help with issues than users that don’t have issues. So, the numbers will be skewed and may give the impression of a bigger issue than it really is. Also look at the size of the group, if you have a group like some of the FX30 groups with +35,000 users and there are 10 individuals with issues that’s 1 in 3500 or less than 0.03% of the groups membership. A very small number.

On top of this we also need to consider that the firmware that everyone downloads is the same for everyone. And, as everyone is putting this on the same camera you would expect any issue with the firmware to effect every camera in the same way. So, if there was a bug, it should affect every camera and everyone should experience the same issue, not just a very small fraction of the user base. 

But, we have seen this before. There have been instances where a firmware update has led to problems when the camera is set up in a very specific and perhaps unusual way and then when a very specific change is made the camera doesn’t behave as expected. Somehow this particular combination of settings has slipped through the extensive testing that’s done leading to a bug in the firmware to go undetected. When this happens the manufacturer will typically quickly release a follow on update to fix the bug.

Following the recent release of firmware version 6.0 for the FX3 and version 5.0 for the FX30, despite the fact that the vast majority of people that did perform the update have had no issues there were a number of reports of issues with the cameras WiFi or Bluetooth networking functions. In some cases the cameras would crash or become unresponsive when the networking was turned on. Based on the number of issues reported in the user groups I don’t think the number of people affected was huge, but clearly it was enough for Sony to withdraw the firmware updates from their website to investigate. 

So, what could be going on here? Why might only some people be affected while the majority are perfectly OK, afterall a true firmware bug should affect everyone? 

Version 5/6 brings some big changes to the WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity with many adjustments made to help improve the stability of the connections and improve compatibility with the latest Monitor and Control app. I suspect that this new firmware is using functions within the WiFi and Bluetooth chips that were previously unused, so this firmware might be turning on parts of the chips not previously used.

It might be that some people have cameras that have faulty WiFi chips but because the part of the chip with the fault wasn’t used by the previous firmware versions they would have been completely unaware that their camera was hiding a hidden issue until the time the new firmware turned on the faulty part of the chip. 

This is just a speculative theory, bit it fits what appears to be happening. Did these camera develop this fault after they were purchased or did it exist at the time of purchase? That will be difficult to prove either way unless a batch of faulty chips gets identified. I have a great deal of sympathy for those affected, it could happen to any of us.

And I guess this is one of the issues with firmware updates that add or turn on new features. There is now way to know if the fault pre-exists in the camera with earlier firmware versions as there is no way to test a feature that the firmware has yet to be written for.

It’s a tough one for any manufacturer. End users now expect, demand even, that new features are continuously added to their cameras. That necessitates a steady stream of firmware updates and the switching on of parts of the camera not previously used and this will always carry a tiny level of risk, even if it’s extremely small. One solution would be for manufacturers to refuse to provide these feature upgrades, if you want new features buy a new camera with the latest firmware.

Of course this wouldn’t go down well and I don’t see that happening. Another solution would be to avoid buying a camera until the final version of the firmware is released. But that would mean only buying a camera towards the end of its release cycle.

I suspect the reality is that if we are to continue to expect to get extra features or other improvements added to our cameras via firmware updates that very occasionally things might go wrong, that perhaps a very small percentage of users will have a problem and that’s something we need to come to terms with if we want these updates. Or you just leave the camera with the firmware it was supplied with in which case you have nothing to worry about.