Nikon is updating the D6 and D780’s firmware, six years after launch

Nikon has released firmware updates for two of its six-year-old DSLRs: the D6 and the D780, as discovered by Nikon Rumors. While the fixes included in them are relatively minor, it’s impressive to see last-generation models getting some love, and it speaks to how Nikon has become an exemplar of improving its cameras through software.

According to the release notes, firmware version 1.71 for the D6 fixes an issue where photos taken with older D-type lenses would “sometimes be underexposed,” as well as one where using the recall shooting feature to quickly change settings could limit your shutter speed if you were also using Auto FP High-Speed Sync. Firmware version 1.21 for the D780, meanwhile, solves an issue where the camera could underexpose images if you were zooming in while shooting a high-speed continuous burst. Both firmware updates are available to download via the company’s website.

Nikon also released a firmware update for a much newer camera, the Z50II, though its changelog makes the updates to the D6 and D780 look like complete overhauls in comparison; it basically just changes the names of some menu items in Chinese.

While all of these are minor updates, they’re illustrative of Nikon’s commitment to software updates. Ask a camera enthusiast about post-release software support, and you’ll probably hear about Fujifilm and Kaizen, but it’s worth realizing that other companies like Nikon and Panasonic have caught on. In recent years, the company has released software updates that substantially improve the capabilities of its cameras be that the addition of bird detection mode to the Z6III, a new film grain mode and support for its Imaging Cloud service to the Zf or the ability to use shutter angle in video on the Z8.

This isn’t to say that Nikon has done things perfectly. It’s easy to find complaints about how some features take longer to come to some cameras than others, when it seems like the models should be on par with each other. And  the company has, on occasion, broken things with its updates. (Its still-unfixed Content Credentials implementation for the Z6III and issues with updating cameras with third-party lenses – even licensed ones – attached come to mind.) And while these issues may stem from the practical realities of software engineering and how many resources Nikon can put into it, that doesn’t change the fact that those issues don’t make for a great user experience.

Still, it’s commendable that Nikon is continuing to support older cameras and improve its existing models. I’m sure most Nikon users would rather it continue along that path with the occasional misstep, rather than it not bother with updates at all. Now we just need that update it promised for the ZR.

About the Author: Mitchell started taking pictures at 10 and hasn’t stopped since. It’s been a wide-ranging adventure, spanning a wide variety of genres and locales, and occasionally dipping into fascinations with video and filmmaking. They honed their technical knowledge doing documentation, programing and QA, writing for The Verge, and just generally messing around on the computer to see what breaks.

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