Cannon Hack Development Kit (CHDK) software

The Cannon Hack Development Kit (CHDK) is software that enhances the features of some Canon cameras. It is the result of excellent work of many people around the world. The web site for the project contains up-to-date information, a forum, downloads, and a wiki page. You can visit it at http://chdk.wikia.com/ . This software is not intended to produce permanent changes to your camera, so you can try it and then you can decide if you want to continue using it or not. If you decide not to use it, you can simply delete some files from your camera’s flash memory card, put it back into your camera, and it would be like CHDK was never there.One of the main advantages of using this software is that it enables you to shoot in raw mode on cameras that do not have this option available. Shooting in raw mode is a good choice because it allows you to select the white balance on the computer afterward. Also, the color depth is larger than the processed .jpg file.Another interesting feature of CHDK is the continuous display of different indicators, such as battery, temperature, histograms, and zebra mode for a visual representation of under-and overexposed areas in the image.Exposure time is also enhanced. Using CHDK, you can select from an extremely fast 1/10,000”exposure to a very slow 64” exposure. By using these extreme parameters, you can create a new variety of shots that are impossible to capture on the camera without the use of CHDK. Other parameters, such as aperture, focus, and ISO, are also enhanced.You can easily use the bracketing technique with CHDK. You can take many continuous pictures by just maintaining the shutter button pressed and the camera automatically will be changing such parameters as exposure time, ISO, or aperture on each capture. By using this feature, you can take the images needed for creating an HDR image.There are many other additions in CHDK. Some of them even transform your camera into a more versatile device. CHDK allows you to read text files stored on your memory card, display a calendar, and even play games. For example, you can copy tutorials to your camera so that you can read them on-siteor play a game while waiting for a specific shot.For more advanced users, CHDK also has the ability to run scripts. This allows you to write or download programs that add more features to your camera. For example, by using a script, you could add a motion detection feature to your camera so that you can photograph lightning. For programmers,the source code of CHDK is released under the GNU Public License. This gives you full access to the project so that you can compile a customized version that suits your needs.You can visit http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/chdk to look at some pictures taken with the extra capabilities of CHDK. On that site, you can also search for other tags, such as the tag qtpfsgui,which will give you HDR-looking images produced with that software.