Improve your Canon compact camera with CHDK

[Locrian]

Hi

I know this may sound redundant and tiresome for the majority, but to my surprise a lot of people don't know about CHDK and how to use it for their Canon compact cameras.

Q. What does the CHDK program do?

A. CHDK enhances the capabilities of your camera in a non-destructive, non-permanent way.

After loading of CHDK program you will get the following functionality:

• Shutter-priority (Tv) exposure - via shutter value override feature
• Aperture-priority (Av) exposure - via aperture value override feature
• Shooting in RAW, with RAW Average, RAW Sum, and RAW Develop features
• Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel)
• Zebra mode (a live view of over and under-exposed areas of your picture)
• Depth-of-field (DOF)-calculator, Hyperfocal-calculator with instant Hyperfocal and Infinity focus-set, and more
• Battery indicator
• RAW and Video space-remaining gauges with custom low-limit alerts
• USB cable remote shutter release
• Motion-detection trigger - automatically fires camera on motion detection. (Fast enough to capture lightning strikes.)
• Customizable high-speed continuous (burst) Shutter-based (Tv), aperture-based (Av) and ISO-based exposure bracketing (unlimited shots)
• Focus bracketing (unlimited shots)
• 99 constant bit-rate and 10 constant-quality video compression levels
• Elimination of 1 Gig video-size limit
• Zoom during video function (for cameras without this feature)
• Shutter, Aperture, and ISO Overrides
• Ultra-long shutter speeds - up to 64 seconds
• Ultra-fast shutter speeds - up to 1/10,000" and higher
• High-speed Flash Sync at all speeds up to 1/64,000 second (even faster in some cameras)
• Custom user-editable visible Grids for framing, cropping, and alignment
• File browser
• Text reader
• Calendar
• Some fun tools and games
• Fully customizable CHDK display, info placement, user-colors, fonts in menus, etc.
• Custom CHDK User-Menu (for instant recall of up to 10 favorite functions)
• Scripts execution - including exposure bracketing, focus bracketing, intervalometer and more)
• And other features too numerous to mention here. See the CHDK Firmware and Allbest Firmware usage pages for a more complete overview.

These features work on all camera models supported by CHDK. The camera does not need to have "related" or "inherent" features already present - CHDK will add the required functionality. New features are accessed through CHDK-specific menus, rather than the default camera menus.

As CHDK is continually evolving, new features are often added. Thus, some of the listed features depend on you using a version of CHDK that has those features. Check out the Downloads page for information on finding the right build for your needs

Read more here: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
Get the last CHDK form here: http://mighty-hoernsche.de/

--
http://floppyrom.deviantart.com/gallery/

 

[Bengdogg]

I tried chdk on my s2 powershot and really wansnt taken in by it. Its worth dabbling with for sure to see if you like it or not. i didnt
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bengdogg

 

[YehudaKatz]

Hi

I know this may sound redundant and tiresome for the majority, but to
my surprise a lot of people don't know about CHDK and how to use it
for their Canon compact cameras.

Q. What does the CHDK program do?

A. CHDK enhances the capabilities of your camera in a
non-destructive, non-permanent way.

After loading of CHDK program you will get the following functionality:

• Shutter-priority (Tv) exposure - via shutter value override feature
• Aperture-priority (Av) exposure - via aperture value override feature
• Shooting in RAW, with RAW Average, RAW Sum, and RAW Develop features
• Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel)
• Zebra mode (a live view of over and under-exposed areas of your

picture)

• Depth-of-field (DOF)-calculator, Hyperfocal-calculator with instant

Hyperfocal and Infinity focus-set, and more

• Battery indicator
• RAW and Video space-remaining gauges with custom low-limit alerts
• USB cable remote shutter release
• Motion-detection trigger - automatically fires camera on motion

detection. (Fast enough to capture lightning strikes.)

• Customizable high-speed continuous (burst) Shutter-based (Tv),

aperture-based (Av) and ISO-based exposure bracketing (unlimited
shots)

• Focus bracketing (unlimited shots)
• 99 constant bit-rate and 10 constant-quality video compression levels
• Elimination of 1 Gig video-size limit
• Zoom during video function (for cameras without this feature)
• Shutter, Aperture, and ISO Overrides
• Ultra-long shutter speeds - up to 64 seconds
• Ultra-fast shutter speeds - up to 1/10,000" and higher
• High-speed Flash Sync at all speeds up to 1/64,000 second (even

faster in some cameras)

• Custom user-editable visible Grids for framing, cropping, and

alignment

• File browser
• Text reader
• Calendar
• Some fun tools and games
• Fully customizable CHDK display, info placement, user-colors, fonts

in menus, etc.

• Custom CHDK User-Menu (for instant recall of up to 10 favorite

functions)

• Scripts execution - including exposure bracketing, focus

bracketing, intervalometer and more)

• And other features too numerous to mention here. See the CHDK

Firmware and Allbest Firmware usage pages for a more complete
overview.

These features work on all camera models supported by CHDK. The
camera does not need to have "related" or "inherent" features already
present - CHDK will add the required functionality. New features are
accessed through CHDK-specific menus, rather than the default camera
menus.

As CHDK is continually evolving, new features are often added. Thus,
some of the listed features depend on you using a version of CHDK
that has those features. Check out the Downloads page for information
on finding the right build for your needs

Read more here: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
Get the last CHDK form here: http://mighty-hoernsche.de/

--
http://floppyrom.deviantart.com/gallery/

 

[Locrian]

not even by the bracketing features, battery indicator, take photos as RAW(DNG format)? I use those a lot

I tried chdk on my s2 powershot and really wansnt taken in by it. Its
worth dabbling with for sure to see if you like it or not. i didnt
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bengdogg

--
http://floppyrom.deviantart.com/gallery/

 

[Bengdogg]

Yeah it has a lot of good stuff but its also a bit of a mess imo, i wanted it mainly for raw and the live histogram but i found that slow and unreliable, the battery indicator is a good feature though rather than just getting a replace the batterys message

I tried chdk on my s2 powershot and really wansnt taken in by it. Its
worth dabbling with for sure to see if you like it or not. i didnt
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bengdogg

--
http://floppyrom.deviantart.com/gallery/

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bengdogg

 

[Locrian]

Not yet. The camera is quite fresh on the market. A developer must kick in and port CHDK for it. It's only a matter of time until someone ports it.

In my oppinion every enthusiast should consider the hacking value of a CHDK supported camera over the competition offers.

The more stuff you can do with your camera, the more powerful it is and the bigger the value for money you get.

Unless we're talking about a camera with extraordinary optics (Panasonic LX3), the rest of the bunch is pretty much at the same level with the optics, the only difference being made by the software features.

Hi

I know this may sound redundant and tiresome for the majority, but to
my surprise a lot of people don't know about CHDK and how to use it
for their Canon compact cameras.

Q. What does the CHDK program do?

A. CHDK enhances the capabilities of your camera in a
non-destructive, non-permanent way.

After loading of CHDK program you will get the following functionality:

• Shutter-priority (Tv) exposure - via shutter value override feature
• Aperture-priority (Av) exposure - via aperture value override feature
• Shooting in RAW, with RAW Average, RAW Sum, and RAW Develop features
• Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel)
• Zebra mode (a live view of over and under-exposed areas of your

picture)

• Depth-of-field (DOF)-calculator, Hyperfocal-calculator with instant

Hyperfocal and Infinity focus-set, and more

• Battery indicator
• RAW and Video space-remaining gauges with custom low-limit alerts
• USB cable remote shutter release
• Motion-detection trigger - automatically fires camera on motion

detection. (Fast enough to capture lightning strikes.)

• Customizable high-speed continuous (burst) Shutter-based (Tv),

aperture-based (Av) and ISO-based exposure bracketing (unlimited
shots)

• Focus bracketing (unlimited shots)
• 99 constant bit-rate and 10 constant-quality video compression levels
• Elimination of 1 Gig video-size limit
• Zoom during video function (for cameras without this feature)
• Shutter, Aperture, and ISO Overrides
• Ultra-long shutter speeds - up to 64 seconds
• Ultra-fast shutter speeds - up to 1/10,000" and higher
• High-speed Flash Sync at all speeds up to 1/64,000 second (even

faster in some cameras)

• Custom user-editable visible Grids for framing, cropping, and

alignment

• File browser
• Text reader
• Calendar
• Some fun tools and games
• Fully customizable CHDK display, info placement, user-colors, fonts

in menus, etc.

• Custom CHDK User-Menu (for instant recall of up to 10 favorite

functions)

• Scripts execution - including exposure bracketing, focus

bracketing, intervalometer and more)

• And other features too numerous to mention here. See the CHDK

Firmware and Allbest Firmware usage pages for a more complete
overview.

These features work on all camera models supported by CHDK. The
camera does not need to have "related" or "inherent" features already
present - CHDK will add the required functionality. New features are
accessed through CHDK-specific menus, rather than the default camera
menus.

As CHDK is continually evolving, new features are often added. Thus,
some of the listed features depend on you using a version of CHDK
that has those features. Check out the Downloads page for information
on finding the right build for your needs

Read more here: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
Get the last CHDK form here: http://mighty-hoernsche.de/

--
http://floppyrom.deviantart.com/gallery/

--

--
http://floppyrom.deviantart.com/gallery/

 

[bobkeenan]

I was using CHDK on my S3IS. It was really a great add-on for the capabilities of that camera. I even had some fun using the motion sensor aspect to take pictures of people moving by while I was not there (long story).

But my question is..... is anyone working on a version of CHDK for the G10?

 

[Locrian]

here is the official forum: http://chdk.setepontos.com/

ask them.

I was using CHDK on my S3IS. It was really a great add-on for the
capabilities of that camera. I even had some fun using the motion
sensor aspect to take pictures of people moving by while I was not
there (long story).

But my question is..... is anyone working on a version of CHDK for
the G10?

--
http://floppyrom.deviantart.com/gallery/

 

[Jerrich]

I put up a couple of raw shots I took with chdk on my a650 in Puerto Vallarta. It is a couple of pages back by now though. I also had chdk on my 710 and loved it; I think raw makes for a better picture with some PP than the jpgs.
JR
--
Nikon F
Argus C44R (gorgeous)
Fuji S100fs
Canon A20, A80, A710, A650

 

[Jerrich]

correction: I meant to say Cabo San Lucas. Senior moment.
JR
--
Nikon F
Argus C44R (gorgeous)
Fuji S100fs
Canon A20, A80, A710, A650

 

[waterwingz]

CHDK for the G10 is now available from the usual source.

 

[PaulRivers]

Just wish I could use it with my 16gb card...

 

[aman74]

Just wish I could use it with my 16gb card...

There's a size limit?

 

[PaulRivers]

Just wish I could use it with my 16gb card...

There's a size limit?

If I remember right, there's a 4gb size limit if you want chdk to load automatically when you turn the camera on.

 

[PhilM oz]

Just wish I could use it with my 16gb card...

There's a size limit?

If I remember right, there's a 4gb size limit if you want chdk to load automatically when you turn the camera on.

For cameras released before 2011 you can autoboot from cards larger than 4GB; but only if you partition the card first (you have to create a small 'boot' partition and a large 'data' partition). Instructions for doing this are in the CHDK Wiki.

For cameras release in 2011 this no longer applies and you can autoboot from large cards without partitioning.

(And before anyone asks, the changes in the 2011 Canon firmware can't be applied to older cameras to get the large card autoboot.)

Phil.

--
http://www.pbase.com/phil_a_mitchell

 

[eilivk]

Not read all of this, but could I get RAW in my S2?! Would be nice. So if this is possible, why has not Canon done it?
Stupid question I suppose...
And would have been even better, RAW in SX20!

 

[Don_Campbell]

Not read all of this, but could I get RAW in my S2?! Would be nice. So if this is possible, why has not Canon done it?

I just looked and see that several versions of S2IS firmware are supported. So raw is probably available for you.

There has been much speculation about why Canon doesn't offer raw on most P&S cameras. The likely reason is to avoid confusing the majority of P&S customers about how and why to use raw. That's a shame because raw is something that has made my S45 a pleasure to use even now when its 4MP image size seems relatively low resolution.

Stupid question I suppose...
And would have been even better, RAW in SX20!

I use CHDK with my SX20IS exactly for the raw photo capability. I get DNG raw files and process with RawTherapee. The combination has become very useful and powerful.

Don

 

[I2K4]

Along with RAW/DNG output and the rest, the S2 manual focus control can be switched to the zoom lever from the omni. It actually makes MF conveniently usable on Canon S2-S5 models. Unfortunately that wasn't done by developers to replace the dodgy control wheel on the SX20.

 

[eilivk]

Thanks! OK, so I should find out what firmware version the cameras have, download CHDK and put the memory card in the PC and maybe choose some options and so on. For some this could seem easy, are there any simple guidelines? Several versions for S2. And Small or Custom? May be smart to get a larger card (than 1GB).

Most interesting for SX20. Will it improve video too? Using it a lot for animals and birds, find it OK, but...

As cameras are hacked anyway, maybe Canon and others should make the best upgrades and offer them cheap. But if they did this, we would not buy new cameras so often.

 

[I2K4]

First, you do have to get the right firmware version. I suggest getting the "full" install since it included "scripts" with things like intervalometer and motion detection, but more importantly, it will permit in-camera conversion of RAW to DNG. (I'm not entirely "up to date" but I think you still need the "full" version for that.

The easiest way to install (on a 4GB card or smaller) is using a little Windows application called "Cardtricks" (with a larger card you need to find some instructions about partitioning the card - I've never done it.) Once installed, the main thing to remember is to move the card slider to "Locked" position to activate CHDK - if the slider is not locked, the card will act normally using Canon's default settings.

The settings are chosen from a menu in the camera itself, not on your PC. It can be confusing on first impression, so don't go wild. There's an excellent PDF user guide here:

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/File:CHDK_UserGuide_April_2009_A4.pdf