Fuji GFX 50R firmware upgrade trials & tribulations

[Dave Gurtcheff]

OK...I am 83 years of age. I am a Mechanical Engineer (retired, of course); I have a Master's Degree. I could not figure out how to upgrade the firmware. It appeared to me I was to download the firmware to a newly formatted memory card, then put the card in the camera and update the firmware. I did not know until I reverted to Youtube and watched a Fuji Representative show me how to do it that the "bell in my brain" rang. Once I found out that first you down load the update (and nothing told me it was down loading) to my PC, and then copy it to the memory card, was I able to do it. I use a PC with Windows 10, and by default downloads go to a folder called "DOWNLOADS" (what else?). Fortunately the Fuji rep also warned that if I had downloaded the file more than once, the PC would give them new names, adding (1), (2), etc. Sure enough, since I did not know what I was doing, I down loaded the upgrade file 8 times and the PC gave them all different names. I deleted the newly named files and only copied the original file to the memory card. That was another question I had: where on the card should I install it? I "dragged and dropped" the upgrade file directly on the memory card icon, and it worked. So now I have my GFX 50R running the latest firmware. If I ever have to do another firmware upgrade, it will not be a problem, but it seams each camera maker has their own method of upgrading. I also use Sony (A7RIV) and came from Nikon, Pentax 645D and Canon.
I am embarrassed, but maybe my trial and error may help someone out there. Stay safe.
Dave in NJ

[Jim Kasson]

OK...I am 83 years of age. I am a Mechanical Engineer (retired, of course); I have a Master's Degree. I could not figure out how to upgrade the firmware. It appeared to me I was to download the firmware to a newly formatted memory card, then put the card in the camera and update the firmware. I did not know until I reverted to Youtube and watched a Fuji Representative show me how to do it that the "bell in my brain" rang. Once I found out that first you down load the update (and nothing told me it was down loading) to my PC, and then copy it to the memory card, was I able to do it. I use a PC with Windows 10, and by default downloads go to a folder called "DOWNLOADS" (what else?). Fortunately the Fuji rep also warned that if I had downloaded the file more than once, the PC would give them new names, adding (1), (2), etc. Sure enough, since I did not know what I was doing, I down loaded the upgrade file 8 times and the PC gave them all different names. I deleted the newly named files and only copied the original file to the memory card. That was another question I had: where on the card should I install it? I "dragged and dropped" the upgrade file directly on the memory card icon, and it worked. So now I have my GFX 50R running the latest firmware. If I ever have to do another firmware upgrade, it will not be a problem, but it seams each camera maker has their own method of upgrading. I also use Sony (A7RIV) and came from Nikon, Pentax 645D and Canon.
I am embarrassed, but maybe my trial and error may help someone out there. Stay safe.
Dave in NJ

The Fuji website warns about the file getting renamed. That will also happen if you've downloaded an earlier FW update for the same camera or the same lens. Just erase the file with the duplicate name and rename the new file to the right name. When you copy it onto the SD card, copy it into the root directory. The updater in the firmware is programmed to look for a file with a particular name in the root directory. It is not very flexible. There is, however, a silver lining. To do multiple updates (say body and a few lenses), copy all of the files to the SD card, and do all the updates with that card in the camera.

Jim

[Jonathan Cross]

Hi,  I have Fuji X cameras and I assume the process is similar. On Windows 10 I am given the option to save as when the Download has finished, so I save to a firmware folder I have set up on my HD.  I then copy to a blank SD card, and put that in the switched off camera, having removed the second card.  On pressing on and Display back at the same time, I am given the option to update the firmware and I just follow the LCD instructions.  As Jim writes you do lenses the same way. 

I'm am sure the next one will be easy!

Best wishes,

Jonathan

[David Sutton]

The default Windows "downloads" folder squirrelled away somewhere in the Users folder has never made sense to me.
It's simple in most browsers to set the desktop as the default, or have a "save to" dialogue come up. You can see when it's ready and delete when done.

[Jim Kasson]

The default Windows "downloads" folder squirrelled away somewhere in the Users folder has never made sense to me.

By default, there's a quick access link to that folder:

[David Sutton]

True.
But shortcuts get broken, installing new software creates duplicate folders, updates break the system.
In the long run I think it better practice to know where stuff is physically on a system, so I've deleted all the quick access links. Anyway, documents are on a separate drive, photos are on another.
Microsoft has always tended to treat its customers as morons. A beta tester friend reports that Windows 11 is even worse (think Mr. Paperclip with a vengeance).
Here's my explorer panel:

[Jim Kasson]

True.
But shortcuts get broken,

Never seen that. I run about a dozen Windows instances at any given time.

installing new software creates duplicate folders,

Not the Downloads directory, at least in my experiences.

updates break the system. 

The file system. Never seen that. Have seen updates go bad, though. Not an experience limited to Wintel.

In the long run I think it better practice to know where stuff is physically on a system, so I've deleted all the quick access links. Anyway, documents are on a separate drive, photos are on another.

I like more flexibility than that.

Microsoft has always tended to treat its customers as morons. A beta tester friend reports that Windows 11 is even worse (think Mr. Paperclip with a vengeance).

Not touching that. But every other major update does tend to go off the rails. And thanks for reminding me of Clippy.

Jim

[Dave Gurtcheff]

The Fuji website warns about the file getting renamed. That will also happen if you've downloaded an earlier FW update for the same camera or the same lens. Just erase the file with the duplicate name and rename the new file to the right name. When you copy it onto the SD card, copy it into the root directory. The updater in the firmware is programmed to look for a file with a particular name in the root directory. It is not very flexible. There is, however, a silver lining. To do multiple updates (say body and a few lenses), copy all of the files to the SD card, and do all the updates with that card in the camera.

Jim

Thanks Jim, and to all that replied. I do not know where the "root" directory is;  luckily, by accident, I copied the upgrade to the proper place. When I look at a newly camera formatted card in my card reader, this is what I see:
FFDB
System Volume Information
When I click on FFDB I see: FFXFER.DAT
By the way, after I upgraded the firmware, all the new image files on the card are renumbered starting with OSF0001.RAF  -- no big deal for me as my filing system is rather crude.
Dave

[Jim Kasson]

I do not know where the "root" directory is...

https://techterms.com/definition/root_directory#:~:text=The%20root%20directory%2C%20or%20root,subdirectories%20of%20the%20root%20directory.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_directory

You can't say that anymore.

Jim

[Dave Gurtcheff]

  Thanks.
Dave