CHDK Canon Hack Development Kit for Powershot camera owners

Post by **nige** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:54 pm

For those of you that own a Canon Powershot digital camera, this website allows you to 'unlock' various settings and features for almost ever Powershot model Canon produced. I have yet to try it on my SD600, but my brother is having fun with his S3. I'll post up some pictures I take after I have loaded the software on my SD card. I am particularly interested in the 64 second shutter speed for some funky night shots. Definitely a few more options for some creative pictures! post up some of yours if you try the download!

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

=CHDK In Brief=

CHDK is a firmware enhancement that operates on a number of Canon Cameras. CHDK gets loaded into your camera's memory upon bootup (either manually or automatically). It provides additional functionality beyond that currently provided by the native camera firmware.

CHDK is not a permanent firmware upgrade: you decide how it is loaded (manually or automatically) and you can always easily remove it.

Please see the '''[[FAQ]]''', '''[[CHDK for Dummies|CHDK for Dummies]]''' and the '''[[CHDK_firmware_usage | Firmware Usage page]]''', as well as other pages on this wiki, for more specifics on supported cameras, details of features, scripting, downloading, etc.

Post by **Bow_Tied** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:19 pm

Cool. I have an S2. Please keep me up to date on your brother's findings!

Post by **Snafu** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:57 pm

That sounds very cool. I wish they had a version for my fujifilm e550

Major CHDK features

* RAW - CHDK can record raw files, giving you access to every bit of data the sensor saw, without compression or processing. Raw files can be manipulated on the camera, or processed on your PC. CHDK also has experimental support for the open DNG raw standard.
* Override Camera parameters - Exposures from 64s to 1/60.000s with flash sync. Full manual or priority control over exposure, aperture, ISO and focus.
* Bracketing - Bracketing is supported for exposure, aperture, ISO, and even focus.
* Video Overrides - Control the quality or bitrate of video, or change it on the fly.
* Scripting - Control CHDK and camera features using ubasic and Lua scripts. Enables time lapse, motion detection, advanced bracketing, and much more. Many user-written scripts are available on the forum and wiki.
* Motion detection - Trigger exposure in response to motion, fast enough to catch lightning.
* Edge overlay - Detect the edges in a scene, and display them later. Ideal for timelapses, stop-motion, stereography and much more.
* Live Histogram - CHDK includes a customizable, live histogram display, like those typically found on more expensive cameras.
* Zebra-Mode - Displays under and overexposure areas live on the screen.
* GRIDS - Create custom grids and display whichever one suits your shooting conditions.
* Multi-Lingual Interface - CHDK supports about 13 languages, and adding more languages is simple.
* DOF Calculator - Display detailed DOF information on the screen.
* Customizable OSD - Improved display of battery status, free space, camera parameters, and much more. Fully customizable with an on-screen editor.
* Filebrowser - Manage files without a PC.
* Textreader - Display text files on your camera.
* Games - Play Reversi, Sokoban or 4-in-a-Row on your camera.
* USB remote - Simple DIY remote allows you to control your camera remotely.
* Benchmark - Compare the performance of your SD cards.
* User Menu - Edit your own customizable User-Menu for fast access to often used features.
* there is even more → read the Manual & explore this wiki.

Post by **nige** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:06 am

I got it loaded up on my SD600 last night. There is an alternate menu that is accessible when you hit the print button. The histogram works pretty good, and the settings override is pretty cool too. There are so many new options to choose in there. I need to read more of that website because it's a little confusing with all the new settings. I need a bright sunny day to try the 1/10 000 shutter speed. I am getting the hang of using 15+ sec. shutter at night in the back yard. The battery meter is sweet too. It actually tells you how much % is left as well as mAh. Give it a shot when you get the chance

Post by **bordhead** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:16 am

The battery meter is sweet too. It actually tells you how much % is left

X2
I did this a while back specifically for this feature.

Post by **Adam** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:44 pm

I am going to try this on my S5 IS.

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