• Canon Sx50 Chdk
• Chdk Firmware
• Canon Hack Development Kit (chdk)
• How To Install Chdk

The CHDK (Canon Hacker Development Kit) software makes the extra settings of a DSLR available on Canon's point-and-shoot cameras. Good places to read about digital cameras are Dpreview (offers lots of camera reviews) or the Canon Forum, a website used by people who love to talk about Canon cameras. Canon EOS - M - DSLR Hack development. Articles Login Register Canon EOS - M - DSLR Hack development - CHDK Forum. CHDK Forum; Canon DSLR Development (+ other. CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) Tony_Hole 7:26am, 3 June 2013. Hey Out ther, Does anyone knows anything about the CHDK, Or have used. The free software Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK) project, started by Andrey Gratchev, has successfully enhanced many Canon PowerShot cameras without replacing the stock firmware. [25] [26] It allows programmatic control of many Canon compact cameras, enabling users to add features, including games and scripts written in UBASIC or Lua. This project uses an Arduino microcontroller and a laser break-beam trigger to fire via USB remote a Canon camera modified with CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) firmware. This project uses an Arduino microcontroller and a laser break-beam trigger to fire via USB remote a Canon camera modified with CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) firmware. Immediate influences are the high-speed flash photography triggered by sound or light project. Canon Hack Development Kit. About Community. CHDK is a free piece of software designed to run on Canon PowerShot cameras. It unlocks 100's of features and.

Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit (often styled as 'DiG!C') is Canon Inc.'s name for a family of signal processing and control units for digital cameras and camcorders. DIGIC units are used as image processors by Canon in its own digital imaging products. Several generations of DIGICs exist, and are distinguished by a version number suffix.

Currently, DIGIC is implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed to perform high speed signal processing as well as the control operations in the product in which it has been incorporated. Over its numerous generations, DIGIC has evolved from a system involving a number of discrete integrated circuits to a single chip system, many of which are based around the ARMinstruction set. Custom firmware for these units has been developed to add features to the cameras.

• 3DIGIC III
• 4DIGIC 4
• 5DIGIC 5
• 6DIGIC 6
• 15Custom firmware
• 18External links

Original DIGIC[edit]

The original DIGIC was used on the PowerShot G3^[1] (Sep 2002), Canon S1 IS (Mar 2004), A520 (Mar 2005), and other cameras. It consists of three separate chips: a video processing IC, an image processing IC and a camera control IC.

DIGIC II[edit]

DIGIC II is a single chip system introduced in 2004,^[2] unlike the first DIGIC, that allowed for more compact designs. DIGIC II also improved upon the original by adding a larger buffer and increasing processing speed. It has been used in some advanced consumer-level cameras and many discontinued digital SLRs such as Canon EOS 5D and Canon EOS 30D.

DIGIC II uses high-speed DDR-SDRAM, which improves startup time and AF performance. It can write to memory card at speeds up to 5.8 MB/sec.^[3] Additionally, Canon claims DIGIC II improves color, sharpness, and automatic white balance with its CMOS sensor in its digital SLR camera line.

DIGIC III[edit]

The DIGIC III Image Processor, introduced in 2006,^[2] was advertised to deliver improved image quality, faster operation and extended battery life compared to its predecessor. DIGIC III provides a faster interface to the SD memory card for the Canon PowerShot G7 and G9, SD750, SD800, SD850, SD900, SD 1000, A560, A570 IS, A590 IS, A650 IS, A720 IS, A495, EOS XS/1000D, EOS XSi/450D, EOS 40D, EOS 1D Mark III, EOS 1Ds Mark III, and S5 IS. It also provides higher resolution for their LCD screens.^[4] Additionally it has a 14-bit A to D converter providing greater bit depth than previous versions.^[5]

New features[edit]

DIGIC III provides face detection AF/AE, which finds and tracks up to nine faces at once and controls exposure and flash to ensure proper illumination of the faces as well as the rest of the frame, reducing the detrimental effect of overexposed or darkened faces in a photo. It reverts to the AiAF system if the subject is either not detected or not deemed to be a subject (based on the iSAPS database). The latter is useful at tourist spots where there may be many people around who are not intended to be the subject of the scene.^{[citation needed]}

Canon Sx50 Chdk

Scene-recognition[edit]

iSAPS is a scene-recognition technology developed by Canon for digital cameras.^[4] Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS also works with the DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.^[4]

Dual DIGIC III[edit]

The Canon EOS-1D Mark III uses dual DIGIC III processors to achieve a capture rate of 10 frames per second at 10.1 MP (with a maximum burst of 110 JPEG images, depending on the speed of the attached storage).^[6] The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III also uses dual DIGIC III processors to achieve a capture rate of five frames per second at 21.1 MP.^[7]

DIGIC 4[edit]

In 2008, Canon introduced the DIGIC 4 processor, used by the EOS 1100D/Rebel T3, EOS 500D/Rebel T1i, EOS 550D/Rebel T2i, EOS 600D/Rebel T3i, EOS 50D, EOS 60D, EOS 1200D/Rebel T5, EOS 5D Mark II and EOS-1D X (for metering and AF only). It is also used in newer cameras in Canon's PowerShot lines (A, D, G, S, SD, and SX).

Canon claims improvements such as:

• Much faster image processing when compared to previous processors
• Improved noise reduction in high-ISO images
• Improved performance while handling larger 14-bit RAW images
• Live Face Detection AF during Live View
• H.2641080p encoding.^[8]

Dual DIGIC 4[edit]

Dual DIGIC 4 processors are used in the EOS 7D and EOS-1D Mark IV.

DIGIC 4+[edit]

This CPU was introduced in 2014 to replace the DIGIC 5 on mid-range compact cameras, particularly the Elph/IXUS and SX series. Full specifications were not made available at introduction, but Canon claims a 60% speed bump over the original DIGIC 4.^[9]

DIGIC 5[edit]

In 2011, Canon introduced the DIGIC 5.^[2] It is featured on Canon compact cameras like PowerShot SX40 HS to achieve a capture rate of 10.3 frames per second at full resolution in High-Speed Burst HQ, Full HD 1080p Videos and Intelligent Image Stabilization. Canon claims the new DIGIC 5 processor is six times faster than the DIGIC 4 processor and efficiently manages the increase in scene information and simultaneously reduces the appearance of image noise by up to 75%.^[10] According to Canon, DIGIC 5 analyses four times more image information to create each pixel, recording more detail and colour from a scene than ever before.

DIGIC 5 was co-designed with Texas Instruments (TI) and manufactured by TI through foundry partnership in Asia using 45 nm node technology fanned out by TI.^[11][12]

DIGIC 5 Is used in the EOS 650D/Rebel T4i/Kiss X6i, EOS 700D/Rebel T5i/Kiss X7i, Canon EOS M, and EOS 100D/Rebel SL1/Kiss X7, as well as PowerShot cameras such as the Canon PowerShot N, S100, S110, G15 and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.^[13]

DIGIC 5+[edit]

DIGIC 5+ is an enhancement to the DIGIC 5 and DIGIC 4. The performance is said to be 17x the performance of the DIGIC 4.^[14][15] The additional processing power allows for higher frame rate in continuous shooting (burst) modes, and greater noise correction through the use of signal processing.

DIGIC 5+ is used in the EOS-1D X, EOS 6D, EOS 5D Mark III and the EOS 70D.^[16]

Dual DIGIC 5+[edit]

The EOS-1D X includes dual DIGIC 5+ processors, allowing for a capture rate of 12 frames per second in RAW + JPEG, and an additional DIGIC 4 processor specifically for its Intelligent Subject Analysis System.^[17]

DIGIC 6[edit]

Introduced in 2013,^[2] the DIGIC 6 image processor enables improved low-light performance up to ISO 6400, with reduced noise. In addition, it enables improved AF times and reduced lag over previous models. The improved performance allows for shots at up to 14 fps.

Further advancements attributed to DIGIC 6 can be experienced in movie mode, which records in MP4 format and doubles the frame-rate to 60 fps at 1080p. It also features reduced noise at 30 fps and improved image stabilization.^[18]

Includes a driver for Windows and a.pdf workflow for Mac. Can be installed via USB or network, but is typically installed via network. Use ePrint software to print documents or photos over the Internet by sending an email from an email-capable device, from any location, to an email address assigned to a Web-connected HP printer. HP ePrint software - HP ePrint software provides the ability to wirelessly print from a Windows or Mac desktop or laptop, to any wireless direct printer that is ePrint-enabled and connected to a network or HP cloud, from within applications using the standard File > Print method. Use HP ePrint App to capture, edit, and wirelessly print photos and other image files from an iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android phone, or other smart phone to a wireless network-connected HP printer.

DIGIC 6 is used in EOS 750D/Rebel T6i, EOS 760D/Rebel T6s, EOS 80D, PowerShot G16, PowerShot N100, PowerShot S120, PowerShot SX270 HS, PowerShot SX280 HS,^[19]PowerShot SX60 HS, PowerShot SX700 HS, PowerShot SX710 HS and PowerShot SX720 HS.In February 2014, Canon also released the compact Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II. They released their newest compact mirrorless Canon EOS M3 in February 2015 and the Canon EOS M10 in October 2015, both also utilize internal WLAN 802.11b/g/n.

DIGIC 6+[edit]

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV includes a DIGIC 6+ processor.

Dual DIGIC 6[edit]

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II includes dual DIGIC 6 processors, allowing for a capture rate of 10 frames per second in RAW + JPEG, and an additional DIGIC 6 processor specifically for its Intelligent Subject Analysis System. The Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R also use dual DIGIC 6 processors, with the capability to shoot up to five 50.6MP frames per second.

Dual DIGIC 6+[edit]

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II includes dual DIGIC 6+ processors, allowing for a capture rate of 170 consecutive RAW images at 14 fps or 4k Video with up to 60 fps.^[20]

DIGIC 7[edit]

Introduced in 2016, the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II was the first Canon camera to include the DIGIC 7 processor. The following cameras also using this processor: The mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, Canon EOS M5, introduced 2016. The Canon EOS 77D and Canon EOS 800D, introduced in February 2017. Announced in February 2017, the Canon EOS M6 the same. The Canon EOS 6D Mark II released in July 2017. The Canon EOS 200D, known as the EOS Rebel SL2 in the Americas and EOS Kiss X8 in Japan, released in July 2017. Currently last in this series is the Canon EOS M100, released in August 2017.

DIGIC 8[edit]

The DIGIC 8 was introduced together with the Canon EOS M50 in February 2018. It can process 4k videos with up to 30 fps using MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression. Cameras using this processor include:

• The EOS M50, a crop-sensor (APS-C) mirrorless camera in Canon M series lineup introduced in February 2018. It is the first camera with DIGIC 8 processor.
• The EOS R, the first full-frame mirrorless camera from Canon, introduced in October 2018.
• It was also introduced with the Canon SX740HS and SX 70 HS SX70 HS cameras in 2018.
• The EOS RP, introduced in February 2019.
• The Canon EOS 250D, also called Canon EOS Rebel SL3, announced April 10, 2019, also uses the DIGIC 8.
• The Canon G7 X Mark III and Canon G5 X Mark II, both are introduced in July 2019
• The Canon EOS 90D, introduced in August 2019.

DIGIC DV[edit]

The DIGIC DV is used in Canon's single-chip CCD digital camcorders as well as the DC20 and DC40 DVD camcorders.

DIGIC DV II[edit]

The DIGIC DV II utilizes a hybrid noise reduction system and a new gamma system. The processor is used in all of Canon's high-definition camcorders and, with the exception of the DC20 and DC40, all of their DVD camcorders including the new SD camcorders FS100, FS10, FS11.

DIGIC DV III[edit]

The DIGIC DV III processor is used in the Legria (PAL)/Vixia (NTSC) high-definition HFS100, HFS10, HF200 and HF20.

The Digic DV III has also been incorporated into Cinema EOS line of digital cinema camera, commencing with the C300 in late 2011.

DIGIC DV 4[edit]

The DIGIC DV 4 processor was introduced in 2013 in the Vixia/Legria G, R, and Mini series camcorders, as well as that year's XA-20 and -25 professional camcorders. Canon claims it is capable of recording simultaneous MP4 and AVCHD video streams.

DIGIC DV 5[edit]

The DIGIC DV 5 first seen in the Canon XC10 and the Canon EOS C300 Mark II, which both were announced on 8 April 2015 right before the NAB Show. The XC10 uses a single DIGIC DV 5, while the C300 Mark II uses a dual DIGIC DV 5 implementation. Both are capable of 4k at 24, 25 and 30fps with 4:2:2 color sampling in the XF-AVC H.264 codec.

DIGIC DV 6[edit]

The DIGIC DV 6 is used at the Canon EOS C200, which were announced on May 31, 2017. The C200 uses a dual DIGIC DV 6 implementation. It is capable of 4k up to 60fps.

Custom firmware[edit]

The DIGIC board contains an x86 compatible processor (NEC V30 emulation) running DatalightROM-DOS^[21] and only S1IS running VxWorks and two other chips (the image processor itself and a Motorola 68HC12).^[22]

The DIGIC II and DIGIC IIIASICs contain embedded 32-bit processors based on the ARMinstruction set. Until around 2007, Canon point-and-shoot cameras ran a VxWorks-based operating system, but recent cameras are based on the DRYOS operating system developed in-house by Canon.^[23][24]

Chdk Firmware

CHDK[edit]

The free software Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK) project, started by Andrey Gratchev, has successfully enhanced many Canon PowerShot cameras without replacing the stock firmware.^[25][26] It allows programmatic control of many Canon compact cameras, enabling users to add features, including games and scripts written in UBASIC or Lua. Features include shooting in RAW, USB-cable remote shutter-release, synchronized shooting between multiple cameras, motion-detection triggered photography, customizable high-speed continuous (burst) TV, Av, ISO, and Focus bracketing (increasing depth of field), 1 Gig video-size limit removed in earlier cameras, Shutter, Aperture, and ISO overrides (shutter speeds of 64' to 1/10,000' and higher).^[27]

For the CHDK project to augment or extend firmware, it was necessary to obtain copies of the cameras' original firmware; in some cases this can be done via a pure software method, while others^[28] rely on a method of using a blinking LED on the camera as an optical serial port to transmit the firmware to a host computer.^[29]

However, to install precompiled firmware on a PowerShot camera, it is only necessary to download the correct binary and copy it to an SD memory card. If the SD card is set to lock and the boot flag is enabled when the camera is turned on, the camera will autoboot from the binary file on the card and CHDK will be loaded into the camera's RAM. If the card is unlocked or removed, the camera will start up in the original Canon firmware. CHDK will mask the lock on the SD card so that the camera will still write to it however. Alternatively, CHDK can be loaded manually from the Canon menu.

400plus[edit]

400plus is a free firmware add-on which offers additional functionality for Canon 400D in a non-destructive and non-permanent way.^[30]

Spy Lantern[edit]

Spy Lantern is a surveillance camera commercial project^[31] based on PowerShot and CHDK open script.^[32]

Magic Lantern[edit]

Magic Lantern is a firmware add-on written for the Canon 5D Mark II by Trammell Hudson in 2009, and ported to the 550D/T2i/Kiss X4 (1.0.8) in July 2010 by the same author. Starting September 2010, A1ex from CHDK forum and other people ported this add-on to the 550D/T2i (1.0.9), 60D, 500D/T1i/Kiss X3, 600D/T3i/Kiss X5 (1.0.1) and 50D; It also runs on the 7D.^[33] The firmware is released under the GNU General Public License.^[34] Originally developed for DSLR filmmaking, its feature base has expanded to include tools useful for still photography as well.^[35]

Current features include:

• Audio controls, on-screen audio meter, audio monitoring via A/V cable
• HDR video, bitrate control, FPS control, auto-restart
• Precise ISO, White Balance, and Shutter Speed controls
• Zebras, false colour, histogram, waveform, spot meter, vectorscope
• Focus peaking, 'magic zoom', trap focus, rack focus, follow focus
• Automatic Exposure Bracketing, focus stacking
• Intervalometer, bulb ramping, bulb timer (up to 8 hours)
• Custom cropmarks/on-screen graphics
• On-screen focus and DOF info, CMOS temperature, clock
• Customizable menus
• 14 bit RAW Video on some DSLRs

Planned future features include clean HDMI output, anamorphic preview, and custom curves.^[36] Because installing Magic Lantern does not replace the stock Canon firmware or modify the ROM but rather runs alongside it, it is both easy to remove and carries little risk. Canon has not made any official statements regarding the add-on firmware, either on the subject of warranty or on the features.^[37][38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Canon PowerShot G3 Review'. dpreview. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
2. ^ ^abcd'PowerShot SX60 HS'.
3. ^'The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II: The Absolute Pinnacle Of D-SLR Design And Performance'(PDF). Canon Professional Network. Canon. 2004. p. 12. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
4. ^ ^abc'Canon Powershot G7 digital camera'. Usa.canon.com. 25 May 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
5. ^'Canon Professional Network - DIGIC processing'. Canon Europe N.V. 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
6. ^'Canon UK – EOS 1D Mark III'. Canon.co.uk. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
7. ^'Canon UK – EOS-1Ds Mark III'. Canon.co.uk. 23 July 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
8. ^Tomohiro Otsuki; Nikkei Electronics (22 September 2008). 'Canon Tips Off Enhanced Capabilities of Its New Image Processor – Tech-On!'. Techon.nikkeibp.co.jp. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
9. ^'Canon U.S.A. : Image Quality'. usa.canon.com. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
10. ^vashistha pathak; New Camera (15 September 2011). 'Canon New Digic V Image Processor'. thenewcamera.com. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
11. ^Inside the Canon Rebel T4i DSLR Chipworks
12. ^'Datasheets'.
13. ^'Page Not Found'(PDF).
14. ^'Canon EOS-1D X overview'. DP Review. 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012. (Intelligent Subject Analysis System
15. ^'DIGIC Processors Explained'. Canon Knowledge Base. 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013. A DIGIC 5+ is [..] 17 times faster than DIGIC 4
16. ^'Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EOS 5D Mark III'. Canon U.S.A., Inc. 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
17. ^'Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EOS-1D X'. Canon U.S.A., Inc. 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012. (Intelligent Subject Analysis System
18. ^'All About Canon's Digic 6 Image Processors (Video)'. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
19. ^'Canon unveils SX270 HS 20x superzoom and SX280 HS with GPS and WiFi'. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
20. ^'Official Press Release: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II'. CANON RUMORS. 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
21. ^'Canon Pro 70 runs ROM-DOS!: Digital Photography Review'. Dpreview.com. 24 August 1999. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
22. ^'Hardware of Canon PS A70 (in czech)'. Rayer.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010.Cite uses deprecated parameter deadurl= (help)
23. ^'Canon Technologies'. Canon. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter dead-url= (help)
24. ^'DryOS Porting – OS Switch'. Chdk.wikia.com. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
25. ^'CHDK Wiki'. Chdk.wikia.com. 30 March 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
26. ^'How to give your low-end Canon digital camera RAW support'. Linux.com. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
27. ^Slashdot, Hacking Canon Point-and-Shoot Cameras, Posted by kdawson on Tuesday 6 May, @04:56 pm, from the now-don't-brick-it dept.
28. ^'StereoData Maker'.
29. ^'Porting the CHDK – CHDK Wiki'. Chdk.wikia.com. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
30. ^'400plus/400plus'.
31. ^'Spy Lantern Surveillance Camera'. Invent plus 2015.
32. ^'Spy Lantern Surveillance Camera script'.
33. ^'Magic Lantern team finally cracks the Canon EOS 7D'.
34. ^'Unified'.
35. ^'16X9cinema.com'. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2011.Cite uses deprecated parameter dead-url= (help)
36. ^D, Alex. 'RAW-like highlight recovery in Movie Mode'. Magic Lantern Firmware Development Google Groups. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
37. ^'Unified User Guide – Magic Lantern Firmware'. Magic Lantern Firmware Wiki. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
38. ^'FAQ – Magic Lantern Firmware WIKI'. Magic Lantern Firmware Wiki. Retrieved 23 February 2012.

External links[edit]

CHDK and Magic Lantern[edit]

• Wayner, Peter (26 May 2010). 'Tweaking a Camera to Suit a Hobby'. The New York Times.
• SDM, StereoData Maker, a 'light-weight' variant of CHDK.

If you're using a consumer grade point-and-shoot Canon digital camera, you've got hardware in hand that can support advanced features way beyond what shipped in the box. With the help of a free, open source project called CHDK, you can get features like RAW shooting mode, live RGB histograms, motion-detection, time-lapse, and even games on your existing camera. Let's transform your point-and-shoot into a super camera just by adding a little special sauce to its firmware.

Canon dr-c130l driver. UPDATE: This guide is now out of date. You can check out the new version of this guide here.

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Unlock the Secret 'Pro' Features of Your Canon Point-and-Shoot with CHDK

You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a camera just for features like motion…

What is CHDK?

The Canon Hacker's Development Kit, aka CHDK, is a firmware enhancement that supports an impressive array of Canon digital cameras. I emphasize the enhancement aspect of CHDK because the tool is non-permanent and non-destructive, meaning that you load it onto your camera whenever you want to use it; CHDK makes no changes to your camera, and turning it off is simply a matter of restarting your camera. Installing CHDK involves copying a couple of files onto your camera's memory card; permanently removing it from your camera entails deleting those files. It's simple and powerful (sort of like hacking your router firmware) but even easier.

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What Can CHDK Do For Me?

Now that you're convinced that CHDK is easy to install and use, let's consider what makes it worth doing so. From the CHDK wiki: (Pictures below of CHDK in action also from the CHDK wiki, since I have only one camera and it's the one running CHDK.)

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Enhanced Image Capture: CHDK supports RAW format for pictures (in addition to JPEG), longer recording time and length for videos (up to 1 hour or 2GBs), and several new compression options.

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• Additional Information On-Screen: With CHDK, you can customize your on-screen display to your heart's content, including worthwhile information like remaining battery life, histogram, depth of focus, and more.
• Additional Photographic Settings: CHDK takes many of the features already available on your camera and gives you way more options, including longer exposure times (up to 65 seconds), faster shutter speeds (1/25,000 sec or faster), automatic bracketing of your photos, and more.

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Support for Small Programs/Scripts: CHDK can run small scripts that will allow your camera to perform a set of actions based on the conditions of the script. Tons of scripts are available, and they provide functionality like motion-sensing photography (which reportedly works for lightning strikes) and unlimited interval time-lapse photography (see video below).

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Even better, CHDK is being actively developed, which means that new features are always on the horizon. There are actually several versions of CHDK in development, but the version we're going to focus on is called the Allbest build—a build that incorporates many of the best features available in other builds (get it?).

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What You'll Need

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To use CHDK, all you need is a supported Canon digital camera and an SD memory card. If you've already got a supported camera then it only follows that you've got the memory card, so you're already well on your way.

Install CHDK

Even if your camera is listed as supported, you must know your camera's firmware version before you're ready to install CHDK. Here's how.

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Determine Your Firmware's Version Number:

In order to determine your camera's firmware version, you need to create an empty file on your computer called ver.req (notver.req.txt), and copy this file to the root directory of your SD card. On Windows, for example, you could right-click your desktop, select New -> Text File, and then rename the untitled.txt file to ver.req. (Windows Explorer should be set to show extensions.) Alternately you could create an empty text file in Notepad, click File -> Save as, name the file ver.req, and save it as type All files.

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If your digital camera supports disk mode (i.e., if it shows up on your computer with a drive letter or as a mounted drive), all you need to do is create the empty ver.req file and copy it over to the very first level of the drive. If your camera does not support disk mode, your best bet is to stick your SD card in a reader and then copy ver.req to the card. Finally, if your camera doesn't work in disk mode and you don't have an SD card reader, a program called the uploader is available. (Search for it on the linked page.) This program is supposed to address this problem. (I haven't tested it, but it's supposed to upload files to cameras that do not appear as a disk.)

After you've copied the ver.req file to your camera, determining your firmware version is simple. Just turn your camera on (in review mode, not in camera mode), press and hold Function/Set (FUNC. SET on my camera), then press and hold the Display (DISP) button. Your camera should flash information on the screen, including text that looks something like this:

Firmware Ver GM1.01B

The 1.01B part is your firmware version.

Download and Install the Appropriate CHDK Files:

Now that you've got your camera's firmware version, you're ready to see if it can run CHDK and then go ahead with the installation. If you want to go with the Allbest build on your camera, head to the download page and find the build that matches both your camera and your firmware version. For example, my camera is a Canon SD1000, firmware version 1.01B, so the file zip file of Allbest I download looks like this:

allbest-ixus70_sd1000-101b-50.zip

You may also want to check out the firmware comparisons page to see which CHDK builds will support your camera's firmware version. If your camera is supported but your current firmware is not, you can download an official firmware update from Canon so that you're using one that is.

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Canon Hack Development Kit (chdk)

Once you've downloaded the proper build, you'll unzip a folder containing at least two files—one called BOOTDISK.BIN and another called PS.FIR. All you have to do now is copy those to files to the root of your camera's SD card, again either by dragging them to the top level of your camera in disk mode, through a card reader, or using a program like the uploader mentioned above (though there are special steps for Mac users).

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Now that you've installed CHDK, all that's left is to fire it up and try it out. As I said, CHDK is non-destructive to your current firmware, so if you just turn on your camera you won't notice anything different. You have to run CHDK each time you want to use it. Here's how:

Run CHDK on Your Camera

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Again, turn your camera on in review mode. Now hit the Menu button and head all the way to the bottom of the menu options, where you should now find a Firm Update.. option (if this isn't there, either CHDK isn't correctly installed or you didn't start in review mode). Hit SET on Firm Update and you'll be asked to confirm a firmware update. Select OK and your camera will load CHDK, you'll see a splash screen telling you that you're using CHDK, and then you'll likely see a few more bits of info on your onscreen display.

You're now running CHDK.

How to Use CHDK

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Before you start using CHDK's many features, you'll need to understand the new key settings and shortcuts for operating with CHDK. The important thing to know is that even with CHDK running, your camera works the same as always under normal conditions. Your buttons do the same thing as always, with the exception of one—either the direct print button or the user selectable button. This will put your camera into what the CHDK documentation refers to as ALT mode. When you're in ALT mode, your camera's keys take on new meaning. Here's a rundown of the most important (you can see more on the CHDK wiki):

• Toggle RAW: ALT mode + (+/-) key for A-series cameras; ALT mode + FUNC for S-series; ALT mode + ERASE for G-series
• Open Main Menu: ALT mode + MENU
• Toggle Histogram: ALT mode, then Half-press shutter + Up
• Toggle CHDK On-Screen Display: ALT mode, then half-press shutter + Right

I found that some of the shortcuts listed were hit-or-miss—for example, on my S-series camera ALT mode + DISP toggled RAW mode. The most important thing to know is that pressing MENU in ALT mode brings up the alternate CHDK menu rather than your camera's default menu. From there, you can adjust virtually any of CHDK's settings.

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The best way to get to know CHDK is to play around with the menu to get a feel for what it has to offer. (Be sure to check out Games under Miscellaneous stuff for a quick round of Reversi.) If you've never used some of the more advanced functionality on other cameras, it may seem daunting at first, but with a little effort you'll likely learn to love your camera's new features. And don't worry, if you ever tweak CHDK to a point that you're not happy with it but you don't know how to undo what you've done, you can just reset all of the options. If CHDK ever freezes and you can't turn it off, just pop out your camera's batteries and restart. Everything will be back to normal.

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Extra Scripts and Other Goodies

Now that you're running CHDK, you may want to test out its scripting capabilities. As I mentioned, CHDK runs scripts written in a shorthand version of BASIC called UBASIC. If you're interested in coding scripts, you can get started here and here. Most of us, however, just want to use scripts.

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To do so, first you need to find and download a script. There are tons of user submitted scripts to choose from, so just find one you like—such as a motion detection, unlimited interval shooting, or high-speed shutter and flash sync script—and download it to your computer. Installing the script for CHDK to use is a simple matter of moving it to your SD card in the CHDK/SCRIPTS/ folder.

To activate a script, open the Script menu (ALT mode + FUNC on my camera), navigate to the scripts folder, and select the script. To execute the script (i.e., to run it), just press the Shutter in ALT mode.

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Automatically Running CHDK

Once you've gotten comfortable with CHDK, you may want it to load automatically whenever you turn on your camera. The CHDK wiki explains how.

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I'm new to CHDK, so if you've been playing around with it since we first posted about it or longer, share your experience in the comments.

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How To Install Chdk

Adam Pash is a senior editor for Lifehacker who enjoys a good firmware upgrade, from hackingrouters to digital cameras. His special feature Hack Attack appears every Tuesday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Hack Attack RSS feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

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