Olympus Has "Unofficial" Firmware Update for E-10 To Battle Dead or Bad Pixels

According to a news article at digitalkamera.de Olympus has an unofficial firmware update with version number 42-0130 for the semi-professional digital camera Olympus E-10 should do for "dead" and "hot" pixels. To get this, though, you have to send the camera back to Olympus.

The firmware update with version number 42-0130 introduces a technique called "pixel mapping" by Olympus which detects and "computes out" defective pixels. On cameras provided with the appropriate firmware update, a special menu entry activates the pixel mapping function.

All E-10s shipped from August onwards should ? according to Olympus ? already be provided with the new firmware version. If in doubt, the firmware can be checked by reading out and displaying the so-called meta data contained in the EXIF header of the individual pictures with a suitable program (e.g. ACDSee 3.1, Thumber, Irfanview). Cameras not yet provided with the new firmware version can be sent in to Olympus where the update will be carried out on payment of a "small contribution".

This information has been confirmed by Olympus America. To further explain the problem and causes of "hot, stuck or bad" pixels please click here for Olympus document on Automatic Pixel Mapping (MS Word doc). Olympus America will retrofit E-10 cameras with the new APM-enabled firmware for .95 which is really just the shipping and handling costs. The camera must be sent in and only Olympus U.S. warrantied (FCC approved) cameras will be serviced.