How do you update Canon lens firmware?

[FunPhotons]

A search didn't turn up anything useful - how is this performed? Can it be done from a camera, so consumers can do it themselves (such as for the upcoming shorty forty upgrade), or does it need to be sent in to a service center who have a special harness?

[charlesa]

I believe it has to be serviced at a Canon centre.

[scottkinfw]

A search didn't turn up anything useful - how is this performed? Can it be done from a camera, so consumers can do it themselves (such as for the upcoming shorty forty upgrade), or does it need to be sent in to a service center who have a special harness?

Not sure if this is the same thing, but....

go to the Canon web site and find the firmware update and download it onto your memory card.  Make sure you camera has a good charge.  Turn off the camera, put in the card, turn on the camera.  Go to the sub menu where it indicates the camera version.  Press your set button and it will ask you if you want to continue with an update.

If you choose yes, be sure to put the camera down and don't touch it until it reboots.

Hope this helps.

sek

[aldvan]

He's asking for LENS firmware update...

[sweetcancer]

Correct me if i am wrong, but canon lenses do not have microprocessors, therefore they don't have firmware, only the camera itself does. Ergo, there is no updating the lens firmware.

The shorty forty update will also just be an update for the camera firmware, and how to update that has already been described on this thread.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

We do not know about the firmware in the newer STM lenses, they may be very well updatable thru the camera, but I doubt it.
The issue with some of the 40mm lenses is almost certainly a easy fix of the body firmware.  Its the body locking up and failing to focus, not the lens.

[Kernuak]

Correct me if i am wrong, but canon lenses do not have microprocessors, therefore they don't have firmware, only the camera itself does. Ergo, there is no updating the lens firmware.

The shorty forty update will also just be an update for the camera firmware, and how to update that has already been described on this thread.

Recent notices were issued for some of the big whites, to send them to a Canon service centre for the announced firmware updates.

[viggen61]

Correct me if i am wrong, but canon lenses do not have microprocessors, therefore they don't have firmware, only the camera itself does. Ergo, there is no updating the lens firmware.

I'd think they all have some kind of processor. Canon just announced a firmware update for the new, big, primes.

Oh, and Canon does the lens update.

[Halfrack]

Who else is waiting for Roger to disassemble a lens looking for the interface to upload firmware?? 

[FunPhotons]

The lenses have control circuitry of some some form, I wouldn't be surprised if that included a 8 bit microprocessor. Certainly the camera interface has enough pins that they could be updatable through the body, assuming the bodies all have the code to support that. But I think I've got an answer, the shorty 40 will be an across the board body update, and the lens firmware updates apply to the big whites, which have to go to Canon (which was my guess).

[jsbraby]

Correct me if i am wrong, but canon lenses do not have microprocessors, therefore they don't have firmware, only the camera itself does. Ergo, there is no updating the lens firmware.

The shorty forty update will also just be an update for the camera firmware, and how to update that has already been described on this thread.

All EF lenses have a microcontroller. Usually it does housekeeping things like listening to the camera for instructions, then telling the focus and aperture motors how far to turn (if at all). It's also responsible for reporting back to the camera lens information for EXIF purposes. I suspect that the lens firmware on at least some models includes focus errata so that instead of shimming the lens Canon can just update the internal focus tables (handy when all your lenses can focus past infinity).

Back in the dark ages (1993) I had an EOS A2 and a Sigma 24 f2.8. Every time I half-pressed the shutter release the lens aperture would pulse, making a horrible rattling noise. Had to send the lens back to Sigma for a firmware update.

Hopefully Canon set up the STM lenses to be field updatable via the lens mount's serial interface (i.e. EF control pins). We won't know for sure until Canon release the fix with instructions. Older lenses (i.e. the super-whites) had to go back to Canon for updates.

[AlanF]

The local Canon service centre has told me that they require a 5D III, !D X or 650 body to install the firmware upgrade on my lens. So, it is done via the camera, and just a few models at that.

[neuroanatomist]

For those who have a supertele but don't have a 2012 body, I wonder which is cheaper - shipping the lens to Canon (with insurance, of course, which isn't cheap on such an expensive item), or renting a 650D for 3 days to do the update at home?  I'm going to bet it's the latter...

[messus]

I have the EF 300 2.8 L II IS, and I want to upgrade the firmware from v.1.0.0 to v.1.1.1, which can be done through either the 5D3 or the 1DX.

Anybody know If the firmware is downloadable from somewhere? I cannot find it anywhere.
I can find though the firmware for the EF 40mm 2.8 lens. So Canon think it is ok for us to upgrade the 40mm ourself, but want to ruin us in shipping cost when sending the 300 II + 5D3 to service repair centre?

Kinda stupid that I should have to ship both my 5D3 and the lens, which is very costly and time consuming, to be able to upgrader the lens, when I can do the exact same procedure from home!! I mean why did Canon include this option in menus (to upgrade fw on lens through camera) when they do not release firmware files to the public??

[spinworkxroy]

I believe Canon only allows some lenses to be updated for certain cameras only..for the 40mm I'm sure the firmware is on the lens but the camera because when i bricked my lens..it didn't work on all my cameras not just the 5dmk3...