Hack Your Digital Camera

A while back, I planned to use my digital compact camera to record a video audition for my singing group. It would have been far more efficient in terms of downloading and editing the results. Unfortunately, the camera allows only a few minutes of video recording at low resolution, so we had to turn to a proper camcorder, albeit a Sony miniDV, which was a pain in the neck to work with as regular readers will know. If only I’d known about CHDK.

CHDK is temporary firmware that runs from your camera’s memory card and upgrades many models based on the the DIGIC II or DIGIC III platforms, including Canon A450, S5 IS, G7, TX-1 and many more. There’s a wiki to explain more about using and abusing CHDK here. The bottom line(s), however, are best summarised in a recent Lifehacker post:

• Enhanced Image Capture - shooting in professional RAW format
• Longer video recording time - up to 1 hour or 2Gb
• Additional Information On-Screen - battery life, histogram, depth of field
• Additional Photographic Settings - longer exposure times (up to 65 s), faster shutter speeds (1/25,000 sec or faster), automatic bracketing
• Script Support - including motion-sensing photography (great for lightning strikes) and time-lapse photography

Detailed instructions for installing and using CHDK are in the Lifehacker post, so I won’t duplicate their efforts here. But, to install CHDK, you’ll need to know your camera’s current firmware version and update it to one that is supported, download and install the CHDK, and then get snap happy!