FW2.02 update for A1
- Thread starter LTK
- Start date
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arbitrage
Well-known member
I’m willing to take the risk just on the off chance they fix the battery drain. I don’t own a 200-600.
And bonus we get to finally try out the slick update from memory card. Hallelujah
And bonus we get to finally try out the slick update from memory card. Hallelujah
LTK
Well-known member
Looks to be half size of the usual updates by tethering to computer , good to see they did get this update out pretty quick
I updated mine this morning but did not take it out today. The update via card worked perfectly and very quickly so thank god for that.
LTK
Well-known member
I've not done mine yet although I have downloaded and put on a card , please post findings guys good, bad or no difference
ChrisM
Well-known member
Very nice the update via sd card, saves me looking for the usb cord that I literally never use otherwise. It's faster too.
I updated mine using Sony’s Creator App on my iPhone with no cables and no memory card with software. Took less than 10 minutes total.
Orson
Member
Been shooting birds this evening intensively on the FW 2.02 a1 and 200-600 g lens and absolutely no issues!
Shot a few bird photos on my A1 w/ 200-600 after updating to 2.02 and focus is fast and clear. Very happy with the result.
arbitrage
Well-known member
I haven't got to shoot with it yet but did update this morning before work. My friend reports battery drain is still just as bad as on 2.0 and 2.01.
I can't address the battery drain issue, but the update went very smoothly, what an improvement being able to do the update via a memory card.
I think I may skip it, leaving for a trip on July 4th and even though I'm on 1.32 not sure if I want to risk it unless people report back that it's some kind of huge improvement.
Have you had any trouble with this app? I haven't attempted to use it as it gets an awful reviews on the Apple App Store. I would be interested in your experience.
It works great. I can download full size RAW images directly from the A1 to my iPhone or iPad in about 5 seconds per image without any cables. Uses Bluetooth. I can then use Lightroom and/or Photoshop to edit them. Nice to be able to produce final output for friends without having to get back to my computer. As I mentioned earlier, I was able to download the firmware update from my iPhone with no cables. Worked like a charm in less than 10 minutes.
TonyF
Active member
We could be waiting a long time. Sony deny that there is any battery drain issue when plenty of us know that there is (specifically when using auto power save settings greater than 10 seconds) and shooting extended sessions where the action is random (like BIFs) Maybe they do know but dont know how to fix it yet or they might not even be looking at it. Who knows? After getting test results from a 1.32 body (under auto power save conditions) the battery drains at somwhere near to 10% per hour whereas its around 18% per hour after update to fw2.0.
Sony refuse to do this comparison test and will not release any figures on what battery drain should be under these conditions.
Maybe there's hope however. There was initial denial about the issues people were having with the 200-600 but perhaps they were so severe (lock ups etc) and hence a lot more people raised a service ticket with Sony.
Mommacat
Active member
Any other experience folks would like to share on this? I'm still on 1.32 and honestly felt the AF was better prior to that update so I've hesitated making additional updates (esp birds around water or flying in front of busy backgrounds). Btw, I've always used zone and sensitivity between 3 to 5 so that has stayed consistent with these updates. I'm also concerned about folks mentioning the additional battery drain with 2.x fw. Problem is, I def experience the inoperability occasionally with the A1 and 200-600 so would like to improve that. Thank you for sharing your experience!
arbitrage
Well-known member
I haven't noticed any AF changes (good or bad) on 2.0/2.01/2.02 compared to 1.32.
The battery life is worse...no way around that. It can be annoying but I have a gripped camera so most mornings I don't need a 3rd.
I don't own 200-600 so can't comment if the update is worth it for that lens.
I love the new card formatting speed and have been making use of the registered focus distance/recall feature on custom button. Doing the 2.01 to 2.02 update via memory card was also a big improvement.
I also never had any of the Wifi/BT issues on 2.0, 2.01 or 2.02.
Nothing ground breaking though. If battery is more important to you than any of the little things then stick with 1.32. If you don't want to risk some Wifi/BT issue then best to stay on 1.32.
I’ve had mine out twice and everything seems to work great. It does still seem like battery life has taken a hit but operational wise, all is good.
Orson
Member
Did a battery test overnight on the FW 2.02 Sony a1 and no battery drain whatsoever (lens attached)At the same time tested my a7R5 and battery was at same level !
Overall very satisfied with stability and performance of my a1!
Overall very satisfied with stability and performance of my a1!
arbitrage
Well-known member
Battery drain is an issue when using the camera out of sleep mode....not while sleeping overnight. Even while out shooting if you use the 10s or even the 1min PowerSave you probably won't notice much battery drain difference between 1.32 and 2.02 FW. If you keep it out of PowerSave for longer periods that is when the battery drain is worse.
As noted up thread, his test showed 18% vs 10% in one hour which is about what my "seat of the pants" feel is for the drain of 2.02 vs 1.32.