The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Sony A1 on OSX Monterey 12.01 firmware update

spb

Well-known member
Staff member
On my Mac Pro, total failure, the firmware update started up but then just churned away and did not even start the process after opening up and asking for cable to be connected and camera on, after that nothing but a message to say update could not be performed. Took the battery out and all the other recommended stuff, checked all my settings, tried several times. Failure. Gave up went to my dealer and they did it on a Windows 11 machine in 10 mins flat also my FE 4/70-200 G OSS, was updated from V1 to V3 at same time. On my Mac both failed. Anyone else or is just me with Apple gremlins?
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Ugh. I've always disliked updates that required my camera be linked to a computer to execute: it always seems to me there's a great potential for app/OS/camera incompatibility. Olympus does the same thing, and I have always been leery about it with their equipment too. Happily, all my Olympus equipment is so old now that the problem has disappeared ... they've all been updated to the last current firmware revision years ago. :D

My current digital cameras do their updates by writing an update file onto an SD card and then allowing the camera to execute the update standalone. To me, this is far less fraught with the potential for problems. ...

G
 

spb

Well-known member
Staff member
Ugh. I've always disliked updates that required my camera be linked to a computer to execute: it always seems to me there's a great potential for app/OS/camera incompatibility. Olympus does the same thing, and I have always been leery about it with their equipment too. Happily, all my Olympus equipment is so old now that the problem has disappeared ... they've all been updated to the last current firmware revision years ago. :D

My current digital cameras do their updates by writing an update file onto an SD card and then allowing the camera to execute the update standalone. To me, this is far less fraught with the potential for problems. ...

G
Agreed totally it is a much preferred system, and has worked for me flawlessly with other makes for years.
 

pegelli

Well-known member
I fully agree with Godfrey, allthough in the 15 years I shoot Minolta/Sony I've never had any trouble updating body or lens firmware, 100% successrate without any bricks or bugs. But I'm fully on Windows, so that might explain my "luck" in this matter.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Well a Sony firmware update doesn’t work on a cluttered Mac, that has lots of apps on it or is attached to many devices. I had the same problem. In particular anti-virus and some other software doesn’t allow a Mac to discover the attached Sony camera.

Solution for my late 2013 “trash can ” Mac Pro:

* Duplicate the cluttered internal drive, an SSD in my case, to an external bootable device so that your Mac can run from that. Make a backup.
* Then reformat your internal drive and install a virgin macOS on it, in my case Mojave, as I needed to update my A7R Mark II and the Sony firmware update wouldn’t run on a newer macOS.
* Then only download the 2 pieces of Sony apps required for the firmware update.
* Detach all devices, remove memory cards from camera, have a full battery, and follow update instructions, run on the fresh internal macOS.

That has worked like a charm for updating the A7R.2, A1 and numerous Sony lenses.

Although I have not tried it, the A1 firmware update should also work on a fresh install of Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey. According to user experiences the latest firmware update also seems to work on Apple Silicon computers running Big Sur or Monterey.

Good luck! ;)
 

spb

Well-known member
Staff member
Well a Sony firmware update doesn’t work on a cluttered Mac, that has lots of apps on it or is attached to many devices. I had the same problem. In particular anti-virus and some other software doesn’t allow a Mac to discover the attached Sony camera.

Solution for my late 2013 “trash can ” Mac Pro:

* Duplicate the cluttered internal drive, an SSD in my case, to an external bootable device so that your Mac can run from that. Make a backup.
* Then reformat your internal drive and install a virgin macOS on it, in my case Mojave, as I needed to update my A7R Mark II and the Sony firmware update wouldn’t run on a newer macOS.
* Then only download the 2 pieces of Sony apps required for the firmware update.
* Detach all devices, remove memory cards from camera, have a full battery, and follow update instructions, run on the fresh internal macOS.

That has worked like a charm for updating the A7R.2, A1 and numerous Sony lenses.

Although I have not tried it, the A1 firmware update should also work on a fresh install of Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey. According to user experiences the latest firmware update also seems to work on Apple Silicon computers running Big Sur or Monterey.

Good luck! ;)
I have done most of that when I did the update a few days ago to Monterey and 12.01. I did not detach three devices. (printer, ext SSD and USB HUB). I did remove cards from camera, took off the grip, had full battery and follow the update instructions. What a procedure just to try and do an update. Fujifilm updates for one are so much more intelligent and work first time every time on a very messy Mac Pro with other programs running - never an issue.

Anyway from now on the shop will do the updates on their Win 11 machine, as I cannot be bothered with all the hassle.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
I have done most of that when I did the update a few days ago to Monterey and 12.01. I did not detach three devices. (printer, ext SSD and USB HUB). I did remove cards from camera, took off the grip, had full battery and follow the update instructions. What a procedure just to try and do an update. Fujifilm updates for one are so much more intelligent and work first time every time on a very messy Mac Pro with other programs running - never an issue.

Anyway from now on the shop will do the updates on their Win 11 machine, as I cannot be bothered with all the hassle.
Well, it looks like you have found your solution.
Sony really needs to implement a better way.
 
  • Thanks
Reactions: spb
Top