Today’s small update for the D4s to fix compatibility with the WR-10’s own firmware update brings up a question: what models of cameras are Nikon truly supporting in the prosumer/pro realm.
I ask this because it’s unlikely that a pro moves from a D3 to D3s or a D4 to D4s. Thus, we have a D4 that might have issues with the WR-10’s new firmware and a lot of pros still using it. Actually, a lot of pros are still using D3 and D3s bodies.
Back compatibility is a problem lots of companies have. Apple is one of the more aggressive ones in not going back and addressing issues and compatibility in older versions of the OS and software. But that’s my point today: Apple has told its customers fairly clearly what compatibility will be maintained, and keeps pages of deprecation so you can actually see what’s being maintained and what isn’t.
Nikon needs such a statement, and it needs to have as much predictability into the future as possible. We’re in the D5 generation, but now I have to wonder if four years from now when the D6 comes out whether my D5 firmware is still going to be maintained (there will be a D5s in the interim, most likely, which puts the D5 into the current D4 position).
And due to SnapBridge, we’re now in this funky period where WiFi in some cameras only talks to the Nikon WMU app, while in the new cameras it wants the SnapBridge app. How long is WMU going to be maintained for iOS and Android upgrades (my guess: it isn’t).
So we need a better proactive statement from Nikon on what their stance is on firmware and software updates and when and how those products get deprecated. I’m sure we won’t like that statement, as it will most likely show things getting abandoned faster than we’d like, but at least we’d know where we are.
