Leica has just announced a new firmware for its flagship mirrorless camera, the Leica SL (Typ 601). It brings several improvements regarding image quality, the electronic viewfinder, Wifi and video. You can find the complete list below:
- Image quality between 50 and 400 ISO has been improved
- Live View in the electronic viewfinder has been improved
- A magnify function (100% zoom) for manual focus is now available via the AE Lock button when using Leica M and R lenses with the dedicated adapters
- The EXIF data now displays the correct information when using the R-Adapter-L and R-lenses.
- The L-Log gamma profile for video has been improved when recording internally (8 bit).
- Length of Wi-Fi passwords has been extended
The new firmware can be downloaded on the Support page of the Leica Website. Below you can find a quick recap of the process required to update the firmware. Note that the steps below also explain how to save your user profiles so that you don’t lose them during the update process. Remember as usual to take some precautions: use a memory card formatted with the camera itself, do not use a half-charged battery, and do not turn off the camera or remove any other components (battery, SD cards, lens) during the update process. The multi-function vertical grip should not be attached either.
- Insert the battery into the camera
- Download the firmware file (filename is: 601__12_.lfu)
- Copy the firmware file to the root directory on the SD card
- Insert the SD card into the camera and switch it on
- Export your User Profiles for back-up purposes to your SD card
- Go to camera menu: SETUP/Camera Information/Firmware/Start Update
- Restart the camera.
- If an update for your lens is available, the camera will ask to start the lens firmware process.
- Once the updates are done, restart the camera.
- In case your User Profiles are lost, go to Import Profiles to set the camera back to your
preferred settings if you have performed Point 5.
If you don’t feel confident about doing the upgrade yourself, you can bring the camera to any Leica Store or Leica Customer Service for a free update service.
As a final note, Leica also updated the list of all the SD cards compatible with the SL Typ 601. This should be available shortly on the download page (look for Technical Data).
