Canon Point and Shoot Cameras Hacked "CHDK"...

[chimo]

well what speed was that?

raggie, I'm not sure. I am still picking up the interface and I was trying a bunch of things. As well, with some of the override functions, the actual shot info does not get written in the EXIF data (yet?). They are continually working on new builds so that feature may come in time.

BTW, I can't wait to get the focus bracketing sorted out - that should be handy for macro shots. The "shutter" speed is supposed to go to 1/60,000sec with this build.

Paul

 

[raggie33]

i have a a570 is . i have no idea what firmware to even dl for it.that website isnt to clear.id love faster shuter speeds for shots like u took awesume pic btw

 

[BB]

From looking at the file information, it is a Canon A620 running a shutter speed at 1/2,500 or faster (the EXIF data does not show faster shutter speeds).

CHDK can run the shutter speed up to 1/60,000 of a second--but from what I have read, you require more than full sun (like a specialized microscope stage light) to get good exposures at that speed.

There should be no damage to the camera--these are electronic shutters (no mechanical parts being slammed inside). And CHDK is just a boot/memory resident program. If you have any problems, just turn off the camera (and/or remove the batteries for few seconds) to bring the camera back to normal operation.

-Bill

 

[BB]

CHDK made the Feb 2008 Popular Science Magazine in a short blurb...

-Bill

 

[chimo]

Here's a another great feature example for the macro folks - Focus Bracketing.

I used a -/+ 10mm bracket (manual focus, continuous mode). It takes the center focus, then -, then +.

 

[geepondy]

I don't recall which hack version it was but it was quite some time before the CHDK hacks for the point and shoots came out. The Rebel XT has a lot of the features that Canon choose to omit from the original Rebel.

Wait, isn't that the same as the Rebel? Which version of the hack did you use? Would it work on the Rebel XT?

 

[binky]

I wonder if a company would have "leaked" their firmware on purpose. I mean, it seems it'd be pretty hard to reverse engineer it. If they wanted to test the waters for how well-received an open-OS firmware was, without risking the liability for releasing it themselves? Well, I'm just thinking out loud on this and wondering with no factual basis whatsoever except the existence of CHDK and its load method.

Maybe they thought "Gee -- look at how Linksys stock went up when the market took on customizing its firmware in the router. And TiVo grew on that too. Maybe we could benefit."

I dunno though.

 

[RA40]

This would be nice to see Canon integrate directly on future models. The people who did CHDK, if they continue on, it has some nice possibilities.

 

[raggie33]

can one of you fine people tell me which firmware i should get for a canon a 570is.im confused as hect reading that site

 

[BB]

Raggie,

It looks like not all builds support the A570is... But, to get started, you need to find the current version of your camera's internal firmware. Follow the steps here (basically, create an empty file ver.req and boot the camera in playback mode--it will display your version number).

Once you know your firmware revision, you can look through which sets of CHDK support your specific camera/version.

Looking here, there are a couple builds that support various version of the A570is...

A560, A570, SD500, SD700, and G7 have a more limited selection currently, although growing. Fingalo and Microfunguy (in the SDM section) also have builds for some of these cameras. See the links in the sections near the bottom.

That is about all I can add to the discussion at the moment (my camera is close to being ported, but is not supported yet)...

-Bill

 

[ABTOMAT]

Just my luck that both my S1-IS and A200 aren't supported. The S1's a pretty nice camera for the type.

 

[raggie33]

cool thanks ill try that

 

[raggie33]

well im the worlds dumbest person. took me like 3 hours to get this figured out.even with help.it was cool once i got done with it

 

[WildChild]

Damn! My Camera isn't yet supported... (A530)

 

[BB]

Hey Raggie,

You want to type up the instructions/links you found useful? My camera is coming soon (A720is), so it would be interesting to see what you had to go through to get CHDK working.

-Bill

 

[raggie33]

bb the only part i figured out was how to get the new firmware loaded in camera.but im not sure how to use it once it is there my shutter spped remained the same for some reason.but i knew the new firmware was there due to a new gui

 

[raggie33]

nad i had a cool battery meter

 

[BB]

Raggie,

The shutter speed is (should be?) changed with the new interface, but the EXIF (sp?) and other camera screens will only show the default min/max shutter speeds even though the camera is actually faster/slower.

-Bill

 

[raggie33]

bee i cut and paste this i figured how to use some of the features with the firmware im useing
[edit] <ALT> mode
<ALT> mode will disable your normal camera buttons and will give them an alternative meaning. This mode is normally off! You only need it for the main configuration menu, starting a script and other shortcuts.

How to activate <ALT> mode:


A-series: press the direct print button
S2 & S3 IS: press the <ALT> mode button as selected in Miscellaneous Stuff. In the Miscellaneous menu you may select from any of the following buttons to enter <ALT> mode: Shortcut*, Flash, Timer, ISO, or Video. To enter <ALT> mode press your chosen button for a short moment. To use the button's original function, press and hold the button slightly longer. (Note: this was done to prevent the original <ALT> mode Shortcut button from always interfering with your camera's Shortcut option. Making this adaptable to anyone's preferred method.)

 

[raggie33]

here is a picture i took with chdk in a completly dark room no light other then the oring thats like 10 feet away from camera.i even turned off camera lcd