Updating Sony Firmware… with a current MacOS? SOLVED!

[arkitect]

I apologise for the rant!

But posting in the vain hope that someone might have an answer.

*sigh* Busy pulling out the remaining hairs I still have at this age trying to update my A6500 firmware…

You guessed it, I am using a Mac… MacOS 13.2 "Ventura" and Sony only supports up to 10.14

It. Just. Does. Not. Work.

Launch the Update "Helper" and it crashes.

For the love of all that is holy! Can Sony make this experience any worse?

I have searched and asked (which brings me here) and watched Youtube videos, but no answers or solutions… nothing prepares you for the frustration and ultimate failure of this process.

Oh Sony… I love your cameras, but words fail me.

Seems I am left stuck on 1.05 forever and ever.

Edit:
Solution here!

 

[cthompson94]

I agree with you as I have had run in to similar issues with Sony camera updates with Mac too. I certainly understand the past having these problems, but Mac OS has been out for quite some time with a much larger user base and I think a good amount of the base uses some sort of branded digital camera so they need to either allow over the air updates even if it is via the App (as much as the Sony Imaging app irritates me) or put a small little Wifi chip or something so we don't have to tether to a computer for a program that isn't updated regularly.

As for solutions, since downgrading is well we can skip that idea one of the quicker options would be to ask a friend/family member maybe on Windows real quick, or just running a VM may possibly do it, if you have a Intel version of Mac a quick Bootcamp setup should work.

 

[arkitect]

I agree with you as I have had run in to similar issues with Sony camera updates with Mac too. I certainly understand the past having these problems, but Mac OS has been out for quite some time with a much larger user base and I think a good amount of the base uses some sort of branded digital camera so they need to either allow over the air updates even if it is via the App (as much as the Sony Imaging app irritates me) or put a small little Wifi chip or something so we don't have to tether to a computer for a program that isn't updated regularly.

As for solutions, since downgrading is well we can skip that idea one of the quicker options would be to ask a friend/family member maybe on Windows real quick, or just running a VM may possibly do it, if you have a Intel version of Mac a quick Bootcamp setup should work.

Thank you for the sympathy. 🙂

Your suggestions is indeed the route I will have to take… we have an old Mac in storage — hell — it's definitely old enough!
Otherwise it'll have to be Bootcamp on the Intel.

What a friggin pain.

 

[Clix Pix]

I hear you, loud and clear! I have yet to be able to update my cameras, since a long time ago I learned that Sony's method of updating truly just doesn't seem to be compatible with Macs, or if it is, I haven't discovered the magic secret yet. The last time I was in the camera shop I asked if they would do the update for at least one of my cameras if I brought it in, and they said yes, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. I have no family living in this area and most of my friends also use Macs rather than Windows, so that's not an option. I'm sure as heck not going to buy even a cheap Windows machine just for this purpose!

 

[Fishrrman]

First off, I'm a Canon user (not SONY).

Having said that, Canon offers more than one way to upgrade firmware.
One way is by using a Mac-based app and a USBc cable.
Another way is by copying the firmware "package" to an SD card, and then doing the update "in the camera itself".

Does SONY offer you a way to copy the firmware upgrade file to an SD card, put it into the camera, and do it that way?

Or... try doing it through Windows/emulation (yes, can be a pain).
Or... try digging out the old Mac and doing it that way.

 

[Clix Pix]

Back in my Nikon days, it was fairly easy and straightforward to update my cameras, as they indeed offered the method of copying the update files and material to a memory card and then putting the memory card into the camera and letting it do its thing. Unfortunately, no, Sony does not do things that way......

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I'm reading through some posts on the appropriate Sony forum over at DPReview, and it seems some have said that you need to make sure you're using the Sony-branded USB cable that came with your camera and also to check the security settings on your Mac. It seems like plenty of Mac users are having this problem updating their Sony firmware. All of them have the same info you have - this is entirely on Sony. If I see anything more specific I'll let you know.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

First off, I'm a Canon user (not SONY).

Having said that, Canon offers more than one way to upgrade firmware.
One way is by using a Mac-based app and a USBc cable.
Another way is by copying the firmware "package" to an SD card, and then doing the update "in the camera itself".

Does SONY offer you a way to copy the firmware upgrade file to an SD card, put it into the camera, and do it that way?

Or... try doing it through Windows/emulation (yes, can be a pain).
Or... try digging out the old Mac and doing it that way.

That's what I do with my Canon cameras, and even Minelab metal detectors. In this case I download the upgrade or update to my Mac, drag it to the card (camera), Reinsert the card into the camera, and go through the in-camera upgrade process. For the metal detectors, I connect to any of my Mac's, and run the upgrade from there. Both Minelab and Canon check the OS-X, and matches the proper file to download automatically.

 

[arkitect]

I hear you, loud and clear! I have yet to be able to update my cameras, since a long time ago I learned that Sony's method of updating truly just doesn't seem to be compatible with Macs, or if it is, I haven't discovered the magic secret yet. The last time I was in the camera shop I asked if they would do the update for at least one of my cameras if I brought it in, and they said yes, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. I have no family living in this area and most of my friends also use Macs rather than Windows, so that's not an option. I'm sure as heck not going to buy even a cheap Windows machine just for this purpose!

It is so frustrating.
I'll dig out the old macbook later this week and give it another go.

Definitely agree that I'm not going to be buying a Windows machine just for a rare update! 🙂

Hmmm. I hadn't thought of going to a local shop and ask if they could do it...

 

[arkitect]

I'm reading through some posts on the appropriate Sony forum over at DPReview, and it seems some have said that you need to make sure you're using the Sony-branded USB cable that came with your camera and also to check the security settings on your Mac. It seems like plenty of Mac users are having this problem updating their Sony firmware. All of them have the same info you have - this is entirely on Sony. If I see anything more specific I'll let you know.

Alas! Not the cable.
Sony's software is 100% to blame.
Any Mac running newer than 10.14 is SOL. 😕
Thanks for looking! 👍

 

[Clix Pix]

Well, that explains it -- I bought the A7R IV in November 2019, but an update wasn't available for quite a while after that. Apparently whichever version of MacOS we had at that time must've been newer than 10.14, as I always keep my computers up to date. Catalina, maybe?

 

[cthompson94]

Well, that explains it -- I bought the A7R IV in November 2019, but an update wasn't available for quite a while after that. Apparently whichever version of MacOS we had at that time must've been newer than 10.14, as I always keep my computers up to date. Catalina, maybe?

Should be Mojave

 

[Clix Pix]

Thanks! Well, definitely Mojave is long gone from my machines.....as well as Catalina, Big Sur and whatever else, as we are in Ventura now. Sony really needs to do something about the compatibility of Macs (both Intel-based and the new M1 and M2 machines) with their updating system. Surely it wouldn't be that difficult for them to do as Nikon, Canon and probably others do and allow users to deal with this by copying to memory cards?

 

[Stevenyo]

I apologise for the rant!

But posting in the vain hope that someone might have an answer.

*sigh* Busy pulling out the remaining hairs I still have at this age trying to update my A6500 firmware…

You guessed it, I am using a Mac… MacOS 13.2 "Ventura" and Sony only supports up to 10.14

It. Just. Does. Not. Work.

Launch the Update "Helper" and it crashes.

For the love of all that is holy! Can Sony make this experience any worse?

I have searched and asked (which brings me here) and watched Youtube videos, but no answers or solutions… nothing prepares you for the frustration and ultimate failure of this process.

Oh Sony… I love your cameras, but words fail me.

Seems I am left stuck on 1.05 forever and ever.

It's an apple problem not a Sony one. Apple killed off all 32bit apps going into 10.15 Catalina, so generally it's safe to assume anything that loses support after 10.14 is because Apple wanted it that way. There's plenty of code out there that just didn't need to be or couldn't be updated, and it's all just dead now. That being said, Sony should re-write their firmware updater, it's not a small company, or ancient product.

 

[kevcube]

It's an apple problem not a Sony one. Apple killed off all 32bit apps going into 10.15 Catalina, so generally it's safe to assume anything that loses support after 10.14 is because Apple wanted it that way. There's plenty of code out there that just didn't need to be or couldn't be updated, and it's all just dead now. That being said, Sony should re-write their firmware updater, it's not a small company, or ancient product.

no, it's a Sony problem. their app which they expect people to use today does not run by today's standards. this isn't legacy software.

 

[kevcube]

I have to crack out my old Thinkpad when I want to update my A7 IV.

 

[Stevenyo]

no, it's a Sony problem. their app which they expect people to use today does not run by today's standards. this isn't legacy software.

disagree. Apple created the problem for no reason and asked every developer to re-do every bit of 32bit code. There are plenty of reasons many smaller programs never need to be 64bit, and no actual cost to keeping support in the OS. it's just apple making MacOS worse for the heck of it like has been common at least since the snow leopard to Lion transition and has only accelerated in recent years (10.14 lost non-metal support, 10.15 lost 32 bit, 11 was redesigned to be worse to use and look at in every way, 13 decimated the usefulness of "System Settings" among many other huge losses and system-breaking bugs, and I'm sure 12 stunk too but I can't be bothered to remember which dumpster fires came in which update at the moment)

 

[TechnoMonk]

Can you run a 10.14 VM?

 

[TechnoMonk]

disagree. Apple created the problem for no reason and asked every developer to re-do every bit of 32bit code. There are plenty of reasons many smaller programs never need to be 64bit, and no actual cost to keeping support in the OS. it's just apple making MacOS worse for the heck of it like has been common at least since the snow leopard to Lion transition and has only accelerated in recent years (10.14 lost non-metal support, 10.15 lost 32 bit, 11 was redesigned to be worse to use and look at in every way, 13 decimated the usefulness of "System Settings" among many other huge losses and system-breaking bugs, and I'm sure 12 stunk too but I can't be bothered to remember which dumpster fires came in which update at the moment)

Meh, Apple will be stuck in 2002 if they have to support software developers who dont bother or care to update code. You dont move forward with people who dont have commitment to the platform.

 

[Stevenyo]

Meh, Apple will be stuck in 2002 if they have to support software developers who dont bother or care to update code. You dont move forward with people who dont have commitment to the platform.

Have fun when iOS and MacOS merge in a couple years. “Anyone who doesn’t move their apps to the iOS App Store isn’t committed enough to Apple”

I love my Macs but they’re barely computers anymore. Pretty much just glorified cell phones with a few extra user accessible options.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Have fun when iOS and MacOS merge in a couple years. “Anyone who doesn’t move their apps to the iOS App Store isn’t committed enough to Apple”

I love my Macs but they’re barely computers anymore. Pretty much just glorified cell phones with a few extra user accessible options.

I don’t see anything which shows the direction of merge, in fact it’s opposite. If you don’t like Macs, buy something else.

 

[MauiPa]

Sorry for your experience, even Samsung and WD play those stupid games. Have a Samsung monitor, you can only update using windows. How dumb is that? Have some WD external drives - do not use their crappy software even if it says it runs on a Mac, it caused me to lose the data on 2 disks. I mean both disks became unreadable, and I had to use data recovery software.

 

[WoodTableFromIkea]

*sigh* Busy pulling out the remaining hairs I still have at this age trying to update my A6500 firmware…

You guessed it, I am using a Mac… MacOS 13.2 "Ventura" and Sony only supports up to 10.14

It. Just. Does. Not. Work.

Launch the Update "Helper" and it crashes.

For the love of all that is holy! Can Sony make this experience any worse?

What do you mean? You said yourself that Sony only supports up to 10.14 and you're on 13.2... What did you expect to happen?

I mean... Uh?

 

[aorr]

Sounds like Sony and Epson have the same philosophy on updating software. 🤦‍♂️

 

[Jumpthesnark]

@arkitect have you watched this video? It's from a Sony photographer, and he walks you through the process really clearly. He notes that there are several times along his path when he had to redo things, start over, etc. The process involves several times when it asks for security permission, or sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it asks twice. You need to have multiple installer package windows open plus other "helpers." And it appears that at any point in the process you simply need to restart your Mac and redo everything.

It looks insane and awful. I'm so sorry you're going through this. I can understand why you're pulling your hair out!

The Sony software looks terrible. And there's even a couple warning windows that pop up and need to be clicked, but the warning (on software downloaded from the U.S. Sony site) is all in Japanese. So despite the FUD being spread around this thread, it is clearly Sony's updating software that is bad, and not Apple.

The directions for Mac and PC users both, based on Sony's site, are far more complex and arcane than they need to be. I used to own a Sony and got rid of it recently, partly because the camera software (menus, etc.) is the opposite of user friendly. If the same teams are designing the firmware updater, I can see why engineers are the only ones who can do it.

I use Canons, and I have some Sigma lenses. Products from both manufacturers require firmware updates, and both are easy and fast. Both work seamlessly with my OS.

I hope the linked video helps. Good luck.