GX10 with K10D firmware?

[This subject has been raised here before but I don't remember a definite answer]

Can K10D firmware be uploaded to a GX10? If so, are the Samsung's menus and everything then exactly like the Pentax's?

Failing that, how do the latest firmwares compare? Is there anything particularly annoying or lacking with Samsung's?

Cheers,

Personally I wouldn't chance it, although I wouldn't be surprised if it worked.

But is there a particular reason you'd want to?

They publish their own firmware updates:

http://www.samsungcamera.com/customer/download/cus_firmware_list.asp

This version apparently adds builtin-flash-as-wireless-controller and SDM support, so I can't imagine there's functionally much difference.

Edit: I've just run a quick compare of the most recent Pentax and Samsung firmware files, and not surprisingly, they are very different. Not, of course, that in itself, this is evidence for or against them both being compatible or incompatible with both cameras.

But I still wouldn't chance it - the functional similarity is so great, that the risk of an expensive mistake just doesn't seem worth it to me.

If you were lucky, it may not work. If you were unlucky, you could corrupt the firmware and render the camera useless without a factory repair.

Why would you want to do this when Samsung have their own firmware updates?

:

AFAIAA, you can't do it.

AFAIK, the feature set with K10D/GX10 firmware is currently the same (apart from any PEF options).

Thanks for the replies.

I don't have either camera (yet). I might want to do it if I bought the Samsung but believed the Pentax firmware is better - more functional, or with clearer menus, etc. The ability to do this or not may influence my decision as to which camera to buy.

If the firmware got corrupted, why couldn't I upload the original Samsung firmware over the top of it to correct the problem?

Of course I wouldn't try without checking it's possible first - hence my question here. I'll be disappointed if no one in the world knows the answer for sure. I suspect Samsung and Pentax know, but I don't expect them to tell me!

I wouldn't be at all surprised if no one outside Pentax and Samsung knows for sure - since they'd have to do it to be sure. And finding someone with enough money not to care if they break it, and also with the interest to bother, might be very difficult.

Since functionally the cameras are virtually identical (apart from the PEF RAW format), I can't believe that the menus can be different enough to make it worth while to muck about like this.

The firmware is like an operating system. It's a computer program that runs when the camera is on, and controls all the camera's functions.

If you corrupt it, it might not run at all. If it won't run, the upload procedure, which is itself presumably a function performed by the running firmware, won't run either, so replacing the firmware won't be possible without returning it for service, where they'd have to flash it externally.

Some devices permanently store a copy of the original firmware in separate memory that can be restored in the event of firmware corruption - by turning on the device when holding down a combination of buttons or something. I've done this with a TV Freeview tuner, for instance. I think they call it a "factory reset".

Does this not apply to the GX10?

I doubt it very, very much.
Normally, to bring down costs, manufacturers will use a flash chip that can just hold the firmware. Providing a dual-firmware boot option is expensive to develop and requires at least twice as much flash storage space (I've developed "bomb-proof" boot loaders for the telecoms products we design at work).
The likelihood is that a "toasted" camera will require back-to-base reprogramming - which more than likely will need a special jig to connect up to the flash chip and program the firmware in again (just the way it did during manufacture when the chip was completely blank).

You'll note that there are very strong and bold warnings about doing a firmware upgrade - i.e. make sure the batteries are fully charged, and DON'T turn off the power....

But... as has been stated, the Samsung upgrades have the same features exactly (except for the RAW PEF option).
Matt

Thanks for that, Matt. Interesting stuff.

feature request for the K20D a JTAG interface

/Remco