CHDK Hack - possible added functionality to some Canon Cameras

[String]

This works perfectly on my Canon A620. Auto-boots and records in RAW.
Loads of other options like real time battery, histogram and so on.

For me, being able to do RAW is a huge advantage especially for underwater.

 

[TEERLKAY]

A write up on CHDK in popular science

Old Cam, New Tricks | Popular Science

 

[RoyN]

Well the camera stay to taking pictures in RAW or the function is lost when turning the camera on and off? :confused2

 

[String]

You can choose, either enable it every time OR set it to autoboot in the menu and lock the SD card.

Then it'll auto turn on with the CHDK firmware loaded and therefore your settings.

 

[Tigerman]

I set my G7 to autoload the CHDK program so that I dont have to jerk around with a bunch of menus if I just need to point and shoot a picture. Theres just no time for that in some cases.
Works like a charm as far as the program goes.
As far as the RAW files goes, Im not so sure tho.. They are quite time consuming to get to the quality of the quite well processed JPG files the G7 make, atleast if youre not very experienced. I have yet to see how the G7 perform in RAW and JPG under water though, that might change things quite a bit.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

I might have liked the RAW on a set of dives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Due to plankton in the water the WB kept changing every 10 feet of depth, so I ended up with a number of unacceptable shots when I wasn't changing WB enough. Unfortunately the version I have will not allow auto-load with my memory card and without access to the direct-print button underwater, I was having a hard time setting things the way I wanted them.

It's also a problem that I normally use Mac, and most of the Raw conversion applications for hacked cameras are windows programs.

 

[crazyjoker2]

I have the SD600 and the link said (2008 04 09) SD600 dumped. What does that mean?
sorry new territory for me

 

[lmorin]

I set my G7 to autoload the CHDK program so that I dont have to jerk around with a bunch of menus if I just need to point and shoot a picture. Theres just no time for that in some cases.
Works like a charm as far as the program goes.
As far as the RAW files goes, Im not so sure tho.. They are quite time consuming to get to the quality of the quite well processed JPG files the G7 make, atleast if youre not very experienced. I have yet to see how the G7 perform in RAW and JPG under water though, that might change things quite a bit.

Tigerman, do you use the Picasa viewer? If not, try it. It will probably allow you to view your RAW files, as well as the JPGs. I use the CHDK in an A570is. The white balance in most of my shots is much, much better in the CRW (RAW) files. What is good about Picasa is that you can more or less see the two file formats side by side or at least in immediate sequence. In my experience, nearly all (95% ??) the CRW images look better than their corresponding JPG images. I have tried a number of other viewers/editors and not yet found one that automatically, with no editing, allows me to see the original RAW file. The major downside of Picasa, in my view, is that it only allows you to save an edited version of your RAW file as a JPG.

 

[Tigerman]

To put it this way...
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/92062

 

[TEERLKAY]

I have the SD600 and the link said (2008 04 09) SD600 dumped. What does that mean?
sorry new territory for me

It basically means they have gotten the operating system data out of the camera in order to work on it.

I'd say - stay tuned, looks promising for a CHDK hack for your camera.