Skipping Firmware Upgrades

I don't see that the latest 40D firmware upgrade offers me anything and since my camera seems to be working fine I don't plan to upgrade. However, if in the future there is a significant upgrade will it work on my camera even if I have skipped an upgrade or two in between? I would assume that upgrades work independently of each other but is that actually true?

Yes, applying a future one will work because firmware upgrades are cumulative.

The firmware will completely replace the code inside your camera. SO even if you skipped a particular version, you can be guarenteed you'll be getting all those changes and more in the next rev of firmware.

Sparky98,
Yes I believe you can skip and then upgrade.

The thing that bothers me, is if you upgrade the firmware and don't like it there is no way (that I know of) to go back to the firmware you were using ex. on 40D going back to 1.03 from 1.05

John_B, that is exactly why I asked the question. My camera is working fine and I don't want to take the chance of screwing things up and I do understand that once you upgrade there is no going back. However, if there ever is an upgrade that corrects an issue or adds a feature that I see as beneficial, like making the print button programmable, then I would consider an upgrade. I just didn't want to go back and have to install 2 or 3 upgrades I might have skipped to be able to use the one upgrade that I see might be an advantage to install.

Thanks all for the information.

Don’t count on it completely replacing what you currently have loaded. Though it’s true that probably all of Canon’s upgrades have been cumulative, it doesn’t have to be. Before upgrading it is always a good idea to read through the release notes and look for words stating that this is a cumulative patch and does not need a specific revision as a base. It is rare I’m sure, but it can happen especially if you have skipped multiple upgrades. There is nothing in the upgrade process that mandates a complete firmware replacement but it generally is easier and safer to do so.

For an example: I recently upgraded my XTi firmware from 1.0.4 to 1.1.1, without problems.

Current firmware upgrades include all previous upgrades. I've done this several times over the years (skipped an upgrade or two and then installed the latest version) with no problems.

Another part to my original question. When do you upgrade? I am sure some people upgrade everytime a new one comes out but if you read the release data and there doesn't seem to be anything in the upgrade substantial or that improves the operation of your camera is there any need to upgrade? On the other hand I am sure there are people that never upgrade the firmware and use their camera to failure or until they retire it.

This is my first DSLR and until I read about firmware upgrades on this site I didn't even know upgrades were available. For those of you that do upgrade your firmware how often do you upgrade - everytime a new one comes out or only when one has a feature that appeals to you?

My 20D firmware is really old. Never upgraded because it always performed well.

Why risk it? If it ain't broke...

if you love the way it works now, leave it forever until you run into a problem that new firmware might fix.

Personally, I only upgrade when I see something in the update that has relevance to me.

Firmware is a complete package...each installation completely replaces what was on the camera. You can go back to a previous version if you have it, because it will wipe what is currently there and replace it with whatever is on the card.

There is no reason to hesitate in upgrading the firmware at every opportunity. Canon only comes out with upgrades that have a significant impact on the ability of the camera. Not doing the updates keeps you from unlocking the full potential of your gear.

The procedure is very simple and is completely explained on the Canon website...the only thing you need to do is make sure you have fully charged batteries in the camera and have the ability to follow simple instructions. If you can handle those two little things...there is no reason to not upgrade the firmware.