DX-1G Firmware Upgrade???????

[Diverjim3483]

I have read critiques of the 1G that mentions difficulty viewing the LCD display. This concerns me a great deal. In recent years, my eyesight for reading has deteriorated to the point where I require reading glasses. This has not impacted working with my current camera/housing as I can usually read its display after looking at it for a few seconds. No big deal. What concerns me are the comments about the brightness of the display on the 1G.

I have also come across posts on this forum that mentions a firmware upgrade for the 1G that may improve the LCD display in some fashion.

Please respond with information regarding the display on the 1G and whether an upgrade does exist that improves the LCD's brightness or general readability.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[SEA&SEA]

HI Jim,
SEA&SEA has not offered a 1G firmware update, however, Ricoh has offered GX100 (the identical camera to the 1G except for SEA&SEA mode) firmware updates on their website. It is located HERE, you can evaluate the updates and see if you would like to update your cameras firmware.
Please note, you will lose SEA&SEA mode and this original firmware is not available for reloading your camera. The 1G's housing is a smoke polycarbonate and thus when the camera is in the housing, the LCD becomes a bit darker. It is highly recommended to adjust the LCD brightness to max setting to help with this.

 

[Diverjim3483]

Of course, that makes sense that Ricoh would have initiated the firmware upgrades not Sea and Sea.

I reviewed all of the firmware upgrade summaries and didn't see anything that I would associate with the LCD display. So I am assuming there hasn't been anything further by Ricoh that would help the brightness of the LCD.

If current owners of the DX-1G are following this thread, please take a moment to provide your opinion of its display's brightness and readability in an U/W environment. Nothing would upset me more if I were to decide on a DX-1G and find I was unable to use the display because of the combination of my poor eyesight and a dim display.

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

Jim

 

[SEA&SEA]

HI Jim-
If you are that worried about the LCD contrast in the DX-1G, we would recommend waiting for the DX-2G which has a higher res and larger LCD, 2.7 inch and 460,000 pixels. It also is viewable in 160 degrees in any direction.

 

[treb]

Just adding my 2 bobs worth. I tried the Ricoh 1.51 Firmware upgrade following the procedure on the download site but there was no indication that the upgrade was successful or failed. The firmware table numbers on the DX-1G are still the same as they were before I started the update. The Sea&Sea mode can still be selected, however, the picture taken in this mode no longer has the original mode enhancements such as addition of red tones.
I tried the 1.15 firmware modified phenomena with the zoom setting and that seems not to be implemented. So it appears the firmware update did not work, other than to get rid of the Sea& Sea mode enhancements. All a bit puzzling.

All that said, I have not had a significant problem with the dim screen in the Manual mode. If you use the half press of the trigger to allow the camera to focus before completing the full press, the screen brightens briefly until focus is acheived, which is usually enough time to decide whether the photo is correctly framed.