Musing over faulty D3300 firmware update issue

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Photomann

New member
When I first received my used D3300, I put it thru a thorough shakedown to determine how well it performed. Imagine my shock when I saw that it was rough and distorted yet somewhat soft and indistinct when rendering fine detail.

Then I did an exhaustive search online to see if anyone else with a D3300 was suffering from this issue. I came across a few posts detailing how firmware updates had ruined the cameras images.

Then I searched even harder to determine if the firmware could be rolled back. While there is no official way to do so, I learned that it can be reset back to the original firmware that was installed when the camera was manufactured by using the reset functions in the menu.

After having done so, I retested the camera with the same lens (Nikkor 35mm f2.8 K Ai'd) and found the improvement in image quality I was hoping for.

It's rendering is now similar to that of my D2x. I will be testing it again soon with my just purchased 24mm f1.8G.
 
bluzman

bluzman

Senior Member
Interesting post. I was given a used D3300 by a friend. It had a shutter count around 3,900. It would not recognize an AF-P 18-55mm VR lens. A quick check revealed that the firmware version was V1.0. When I looked at the available updates on Nikon's website, I found v1.01 allowed the camera to recognize AF-P lenses and v1.02 fixed a bug in Live View. I updated to v1.02 which included the updates in V1.01. Everything has worked properly after the update...no strange behavior related to IQ has been observed.

I did a quick search for info about how using the Reset functions in the menu system may affect installed firmware. The only reference I found (https://smarttechsavvy.com/how-do-i-reset-my-nikon-d3300-to-factory-settings/) states in part:

"Can I reset my Nikon D3300 to factory settings if I’ve updated the firmware?"​

"Yes, you can reset your Nikon D3300 to factory settings even if you’ve updated the firmware. The firmware update will not be affected by the reset process, and the camera will retain the updated firmware after the reset is complete. However, keep in mind that any custom settings or profiles that you’ve created may be erased during the reset process, as mentioned earlier. If you’ve made any changes to the camera’s settings after updating the firmware, these may also be lost during the reset."

"It’s worth noting that if you’re experiencing issues with your camera after updating the firmware, resetting to factory settings may not necessarily resolve the problem."

Curious to know if your approach simply used the Reset functions in the menu system or used some other method to get back to v1.00.
 
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Photomann

New member
bluzman said:
The firmware update will not be affected by the reset process, and the camera will retain the updated firmware after the reset is complete.
Click to expand...

This of course is incorrect as it does reset it.

bluzman said:
Curious to know if your approach simply used the Reset functions in the menu system or used some other method to get back to v1.00.
Click to expand...

Yes. my original factory software is C:1.00 L:2.009. I received the camera with the latest updates, and had no issues with resetting it.
 
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