Can you upgrade the R7 Camera using a USB cable?

[mmills79]

Hi,

I am using UHS-II cards in my R7. I don't have a UHS-II card reader. So I use the USB cable to upload my pictures from the camera to my Windows PC. That works well.

However, I can't seem to be able to use the USB to C cable to download the newest firmware version to the root of a reformatted SD (UHS-II) card. I can clearly see the root directory of the card on my PC using the USB cable (when the card is mounted in the camera slot 1). Why shouldn't you be able to use a USB cable to download the firmware to the SD card when the card is in the camera and you have set up a connection to the PC?

[jrhoffman75]

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@mmills79 wrote:

Hi,

I am using UHS-II cards in my R7. I don't have a UHS-II card reader. So I use the USB cable to upload my pictures from the camera to my Windows PC. That works well.

However, I can't seem to be able to use the USB to C cable to download the newest firmware version to the root of a reformatted SD (UHS-II) card. I can clearly see the root directory of the card on my PC using the USB cable (when the card is mounted in the camera slot 1). Why shouldn't you be able to use a USB cable to download the firmware to the SD card when the card is in the camera and you have set up a connection to the PC?

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You could download the firmware app to the PC, extract the .fir file and copy that file to the card in camera. but a better method is to use the Canon EOS Utility application on the PC.

[mmills79]

Well, my experience is as I said in my post. I cannot seem to be able to copy the .fir file from the PC to the SD card mounted in the R7 over a USB connection. I regularly & successfully transfer the photo files from the camera to the PC using a USB cable. So, I can only say making a connection between a PC and the camera over a USB cable doesn't seem to work to transfer firmware updates (the .fir file) to the camera. Why would that be a problem?

[jrhoffman75]

Maybe it is how your computer sees the camera - what kind of device.

I always transfer the .fir to my card via a card reader.

[mmills79]

It's curious...

The PC apparently sees the SD card mounted in the camera as a storage device since I can transfer the images stored on the SD card from the camera over a USB connection to the PC. So, I am befuddled why I can't transfer a file in the opposite direction (from PC to SD card in camera over USB)? I think it has to be a bug.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

I've used all 3 methods, EOS Utility (once years ago), USB cable and card reader.

Card reader is the #1 recommendation, but there is no reason why you should not be able to copy data to and from the camera's memory card when the camera is connected via cable. It becomes a mass storage device and to the computer (PC or MAC) it is viewed as removeable storage.

If you are not going to use a card reader, then remove your photos from the card.  Format the card in camera.  Now connect it to your PC or Mac and copy the .FIR file to the root directory of the card.  

Disconnect from your PC, use a freshly charged battery and perform the update.  Also note, a UHS-I card reader can read your UHS-II card, just slower.  

[Lisaa77]

Although upgrading the firmware on your R7 camera is possible via USB cable, there are specific limitations to consider. The type of cable used and the method of transferring firmware to the SD card can cause issues. Transfer speed is one of the most common issues since not all USB cables support UHS-II cards' high speeds, which can result in errors when transferring firmware. Moreover, some SD cards may not be compatible with certain cameras or firmware updates, so it's vital to format your SD card correctly and ensure it's compatible with the R7 camera.

[mmills79]

That is exactly how I tried to do it.

I formatted the SD card in the camera, left it in the camera, connected the camera to the USB cable and the USB cable to my windows HP computer. I opened file explorer and browsed to the SD card - no problem accessing the SD card over USB. I opened a second file explorer and browsed to the .fir file on my computer. I first tried to drag and drop the .fir between the computer file explorer window to the SD card file explorer window and that did not work. I then tried to copy and paste between the two windows and that did not work either. So, on my R7 at least, I cannot write to the SD card in this manner.

[jrhoffman75]

I just tried it with a Rebel. Cannot paste the .fir to the camera when the card is showing. Works fine in card reader. It bings a sound when I try to paste to camera. 

My 1D X Mark III used CFExpress cards; they are treated as hard drives. Same behavior trying to paste .fir to the camera. The .fir is on the card (loaded in reader). It shows in the reader but all the camera shows is the two folders. Doesn't show the .fir or two configuration files that are on the card.

[Waddizzle]

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@mmills79 wrote:

Well, my experience is as I said in my post. I cannot seem to be able to copy the .fir file from the PC to the SD card mounted in the R7 over a USB connection. I regularly & successfully transfer the photo files from the camera to the PC using a USB cable. So, I can only say making a connection between a PC and the camera over a USB cable doesn't seem to work to transfer firmware updates (the .fir file) to the camera. Why would that be a problem?

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You cannot write to the card in the camera from your PC when it is connected to your PC using a USB cable.  You need to use a card reader connected your PC or the SD card slot, if your PC has one.  I recommend using a dedicated SD card for firmware updates.