Nothing is woven so finely…

It all comes down to the light of day, doesn’t it? Over the last ten years or so, we’ve heard time and again from officials and influencers that this or that feature simply couldn’t be crammed into the old camera – no, you absolutely had to have the new one. Urgently. And the fanboys – and, for quite a while, I too – believed it and defended their purchase tooth and nail.

And now along come a few hobbyists, who’ve had AI analyse the firmware in their own basements and – surprise, surprise – everything’s different. According to their analyses, the newer cameras are only operating at a fraction of the power these machines actually have under the bonnet. Large sections of the firmware consist of zeros. The E-M1II / E-M1II have also already been analysed – and lo and behold, they already feature the PEN-F’s routines. And the E-M1II also already has the Handheld High-Res mode on board.

The people who are analysing and modifying this firmware are currently networking, sharing their findings, and what I said at PATLive on Friday – that so far only features already present in the firmware but, for whatever reason, not made available to customers had been unlocked – is changing. Additional features are in the pipeline, with the target date being ‘Christmas’. Progress is measured not in months, but in days.

And these people are driven by conviction. They look at the firmware and get really fed up. They feel let down by the manufacturer. The camera they bought at full price is, for the most part, just sitting idle. A particular lens only performs to its full potential on a camera if all other lenses are restricted. And with the online firmware update, all usage data is also sent back to the manufacturer. It doesn’t help at all if the manufacturer offers money to prevent the findings from being published. You can’t win over people who are fed up like that.

There’s only one path to victory left for the outdoor company: take swift action, rolling out firmware updates with full functionality for all cameras from the last ten years. Be better and faster than the hobbyists. The current approach is no longer effective. When even flagship influencers showcase a camera with tweaked firmware on their YouTube channel and ask, “Why can’t we get this officially?”, alarm bells should be ringing through the corridors in Tokyo – and especially in the CEO’s office. After all, an influencer’s capital is credibility. At least a small remnant of it is necessary to still be able to convey a paid advertising message to viewers. Anyone on the Titanic who claims that icebergs are a fabrication by malicious bloggers shouldn’t be surprised if nobody takes them seriously anymore.

And an influencer like that would naturally like a place in a lifeboat. Going down with the stricken steamer isn’t usually part of the business plan.

Tokyo, for heaven’s sake! Get a move on. At the very least. Preferably every bit of effort you can muster. Once the first tweaked OM-1 firmware with LiveGND and the PEN-F’s improved colour and mono modes is out, you’ll be the laughing stock of the entire industry. No one with a shred of common sense will believe a word you or your paid mouthpieces say.

And you can be sure of this. I’ll be writing the book on this firmware. No matter who releases it. Or which cameras it’s for.

And if anyone now thinks this would only affect one camera manufacturer – no. All manufacturers will have to put up with being scrutinised more closely from now on. The ‘nobody’s going to notice’ trick is over.