Zoom B1 Four Firmware Update

[Margy Eilbeck]

Whenthe Zoom B1X 4 arrives the first thing I plan to do is update the firmware.

I have seen several people post they had issues updating the firmware through the free zoom software from Zoom ie. Guitar Lab so I plan to do the update directly on the computer with the firmware upgrade file available from Zoom.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I have not. At first glance they appear to be aimed more at guitarists, and unlike ZOOM they are not free (although they are very reasonably priced). Nonetheless, they do make Linux versions and I may take a closer look in the future.

I just received my Zoom B1X Four and for those interested it DOES NOT come with a USB cable.

I am surprised they cheaped out by not supplying one because it does require a USB Micro cable to connect to the computer.

Clear and solid bass sound thanks to 96kHz sampling.The sonic frequencies generated by an electric bass are about 40 to 600 Hz, but harmonics go all the way up to the ultrasonic frequency range. The Zoom B1 offers ultra-high resolution signal...

Really appreciate your help on this matter. I had thought this somehow, yet wishful thinking on my part that perhaps there was a way/possibility to save different focal length settings to the various Custom modes/settings and perhaps someone in this Forum had perhaps figured it out. Anyway, perhaps they put it in the next firmware update and perhaps not. It works on my Canon G10 the only other digital camera that I have and I had became so used to it switching from C1 to C2 and the lens moving back and forth to its preset focal length settings. In any case, the D-Lux 4 is a excellent camera and one must accept it for what it is and the way it was engineered and built. It is a camera that I like a lot......Thanks for your help and kind comment. Looking forward to reading more on the D-Lux 4 in this informative and interesting Forum.

Nice try, however, this means that lens should move by another control (which in this case will be the dial) another than zoom or on/off switch. Sounds a bit difficult but not impossible. Maybe in v3.0 when also is expected a step zoom

Thanks regedit for the information . The step zoom on the comming Firmware v3.0 sounds great and very useful and practical I hope they do it. That means something like 28, 35, 40, 50, focal lengths that can be set in steps....some of the reputable and famous Leitz ( Leica M, R & CL) Lenses on a small easy to carry Leica D-Lux 4 camera .

for me the lens resume was good for an experiment. for a few days I pretend that my 28-60 turns into 35. So, I set the zoom level to which I considered to be 35 and set aperture above 2.8. In this way I got a "weaker ISO performance" X1. If anybody think about X1 upgrade should try this to realize what x1 it's about. Of course, on X1 you'll have a better sensor but you should realize the restrictions.

Reg, that's a great idea for those thinking of switching up - good thought! It seems based on previous model lifecycles the d-ux 4 will probably be EOL'd around September as Leica / Panasonic seem to have about a 2 year product cycle on this series (from street date, not anouncement). I'd expect a successor would be announced late summer.

It does EXACTLY what I always wanted - resumes to 60mm (provided that is where I have left it, which 99%of the time I have). Result: Less time to power up, less lens movement on power up and therefore quicker reaction time from "cold". For all l know I am also saving battery life too, through minimising un-necessary zooming.

Very interesting . Looks, agree the Lens Resume is a bit disappointing it could have been much more, but that's it just Lens Resume.... I think the other features in the update are ok (although I have not tried them all) The tricks with the menu are good. The 1:1 aspect ratio is interesting it shoots photos in square format like say a 6x6 camera. I noticed something about the change in focal length as a result of the 1:1 aspect ratio. When I looked in Lightroom 2.2 (it does not show it in Capture One 4) under the EXIF data I saw that photos shot in 1:1 ratio had a different 35 mm equivalent focal length. for instance a photo shot with 5.1 mm in 3:2 ratio is 24mm (35mm equivalent focal length) but in 1:1 aspect ratio it still shows 5.1mm but the 35mm equivalent of it is shown as 28mm. The same with the 12.8 mm focal length which is a 60 mm equivalent in 3:2, 4:3 ratios, but when shot in 1:1 aspect ratio in LR EXIF 12.8mm shows as 70mm (35mm equivalent). I tried it with various zoom settings in between and every time I got a higher 35mm equivalent shown in 1:1 aspect ratio. I know I am not the only one who has figured this out , but it is interesting something parallel to the change in lens focal lengths between large format cameras and 35mm cameras etc. Of course lightroom shows these 35mm equivalent focal lengths only for JPEG files; RAW or DNG is shown as digital focal lengths only, the same as in Capture 1.

regedit, very interesting, also a good experiment for if to buy the X1 or not.... I also tried it but I am probably not so good as you as finding the 35mm focal length I just put the zoom indicator right in the middle and made a median calculation i.e 24mm + 60mm=84) 84/2=42mm then I set lens resume and took 2 shots one with 3:2 aspect and one with 1:1 aspect and loaded them in Capture and also imported in LR. In LR for 3:2 aspect the focal length shows as 41 mm and for 1:1 aspect shows as 48 mm in both cases the digital focal length is 8.8 mm. I am not right in the middle I have to test this again there is a trick with the zoom lever as soon as it reaches the middle one should let go also best to look vertically down at the monitor when making the adjustment like when you draw a straight line with pencil and ruler. I went out and shot a lot of photos with 41 mm equavelent and they came out ok. Checking a shot taken outdoors in playback mode the lens would retract after a short while and then I would hit the shutter button and the lens would go back to 41mm to compose again. So the Lens Resume is doing its intended function. I thought perhaps just live with 24mm, 41mm and 60mm for the time being. 40mm is a good focal length 35mm is very good (although not so good when stuck permanantly on a expensive camera unless that's the only lens one wishes to work with). I would also like to have 35mm but I have to experiment if you know the trick let me know.

Ok h00ligan interesting about the successor probably would come, yet I think even when a successor comes using the logic that if something was done twice it would be done again that if there was Firmware version 1.2 and then 2.2 then there would be another Firmware update again for this camera. Just maybe. I think Leica likes to keep working on these cameras like they do with the C- Lux 3 etc. Of course it depends on the limitations in the design of this camera about how far it can be updated......

I believe the zoom on the D-lux4 is already a stepped zoom. I can always do 12 short nudges of the zoom lever from one end of the zoom to the other end. This goes for both directions and the zoom always seems to stop at the same spots.

Darius, perhaps if you have the time and will, you can experiment with this and let us know which step belongs to which focal length. Mind you, 12 steps is 13 focal lengths. Step zero is your starting point, from there you can go 12 steps to the other end. Of course digital zoom is turned off...

Many thanks griffster for your expert tip, and of course regedit.... I tried it just now but I only get 5 to 6 steps....perhaps it is that my fingers are not sensitive enough or it is the Holiday Spirit , I shall try it in daylight in a disciplined state of mind and post my results.....If I get it....

This is all very interesting, in an academic sort of way, chaps, but I think "steps" is the key word... The angle of view difference between some of the settings you are debating is no more than a step forward or back with your feet in the real world

now make sense! I cannot zoom constantly on camera as I can't make equal real steps! I'm quite ok to estimate distances but my body refuse to make constant operations. I'm not made by Leica, that's for sure

This Firmware Update for both of these devices kind of brings them up to speed with everything that DJI has been doing lately, which is to kind of uniform all of their products and bring all of these latest changes and improvements to all of their drones in their lineup.

So, across the board, whether you're using a Mini 4 Pro, a DJI Air 3, or a DJI Mavic 3 Pro, you should be able to enjoy all of their latest safety features. So, you don't really feel like your drone is falling behind or left behind by DJI, so I'm really happy to see that.

So, there are some features that we have on both of these drones, and they are getting them both with this new firmware update. So, I will start with those that are repeating themselves on both of these drones, and then we'll focus on the ones that are strictly specific to each drone.

Now, the first change that both of these drones are getting with their new firmware updates is called Vision Assist. You might have heard about Vision Assist already because it's a feature that has been recently added to the Mavic 3 Pro and the Mavic 3, and it's an amazing feature.

I would say that's one of the best new improvements that we've seen on any DJI drone lately. Vision Assist is using their Vision positioning sensors on the front and on the back of the drone to give you an idea of where your drone is positioned within its surroundings.

Let's say if you're doing an orbit shot and you're flying sideways, you don't really see what is next to your drone, what is on the left or what is on the right side of your drone, and even behind it. So, with Vision Assist, you can turn it on by simply swiping left on your map, which is in the lower left-hand corner of your screen.

You can simply swipe, and you will see a new screen that shows you in black and white what the drone sensors are seeing. So, these sensors here are obviously pointing forward and a little bit to the side, and the ones here on the back are doing the same but from the back side and also a little bit on the left or on the right.

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