CHDK NEWS: Ported to more Canon P&S Cameras, New CBR Video Compression Options

See this page for further details about anything mentioned below.

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


New Cameras Supported:

Canon Powershot A560 fw v1.00a
Canon Powershot A570 fw v1.00e
Canon Powershot A720 IS
Canon Powershot SD500 fw v1.01a (IXUS700)

Progress has also been started on porting it to the following models:

SD300
SD700
S5 IS -- Yes, a way was found into the previously locked-out new models, or at
least the S5 so far. This may mean it might be possible to also port it to the
G9 and SX100 in the near future if there is more success with the S5, all being
new Digic III models locked out in a similar manner.


New Constant Bit-Rate (CBR) video compression options found and implemented by
EWAVR

See this discussion page
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Downloads

Test builds available for:

A570 v1.00e
A610 v1.00e
A610 v1.00f
A620
A630
A640
A700
A710
G7 v1.00g
G7 v1.00i
G7 v1.00j
Ixus 700 (SD500)
S2 v1.00e
S2 v1.00f
S2 v1.00g
S3 IS

(works great on mine so far!)

You not only have compression ratios of 1 to 99 for VBR mode, Variable Bit Rate
(constant quality) as before, but you now have an alternate option of CBR mode,
Constant Bit Rate (variable quality). With CBR settings of 0.25x, 0.5x, 0.75x,
1x (standard), 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, 2x, 2.5x, and 3x. (the higher the number
being the higher the video quality, the higher the MB/s.)

Note: to use the Quality (VBR) compression settings above 95 or Bit Rate (CBR)
settings of 2.5x or higher you will need the fastest SD cards you can find. You
may have to also lower your audio sampling rate if you want to be able to
sustain such high video data rates without hitting buffer overrun problems.

You may download these test versions from the "/for_test/" link in the opening
paragraphs on that discussion page (link above).




New uBASIC scripting commands available for faster and simpler loops and more
complex if/then/else/endif multi-command constructs. See Fingalo's CHDK2 page
and the two "Special Builds" sections on the Scripting Tutorial page for further
details:

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/UBASIC/TutorialScratchpad

To make full use of the more complex and in-depth "get_prop" and "set_prop"
uBASIC commands by Fingalo be sure to see the ongoing investigation into this
low-level-access feature in this discussion area:

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:UBA...ty_Case_values._A_working_exploration_section

And this page of now-known Property Case ID values:

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

By using the "get_prop" and "set_prop" commands you have almost complete access
to all internal features and flags being set by the camera at any time, for use
in any of your own automated scripts. Anything from setting custom color modes,
sharpening settings, and even setting auto-exposure bracketing steps up to 4 or
more f/stops per 3-shot bursts, in 96 available EV steps per 1-stop increment.
Example use: one simple script can give you 6 fast HDR exposures of 2 stops
apart for each exposure. You can even alter auto-flash intensity in 96 steps per
1 stop increments (the amount of full 1 stop increments for flash not fully
tested yet). There is more accuracy and capability in these cameras than anyone
ever first suspected.

If you are new to writing CHDK scripts be aware that these "set_prop" and
"get_prop" uBASIC scripting features/commands are for more experienced
script-writers. It would be easy getting lost in their subtleties and
co-dependent complexities until you are familiar with the more common uBASIC
camera control commands and uBASIC syntax on the scripting tutorial-scratchpad
page.



If you have a Digic II or Digic III camera that is not supported yet be sure to
check out the revamped "For Developers" pages

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

With your camera and your effort you might be the first on your block to add
your camera model to the growing number of CHDK supported cameras for everyone
on earth.

 

Personally I don't mind being kept up to date (I'm waiting for the
version that will support my camera's firmware, I'd really like the RAW
function).

As to "examples" CHDK adds some functionality to the supported camera,
but doesn't really change the nature of the beast. The finished photos
are likely to be pretty nearly the same with or without CHDK.

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

"Main features:

* Save images in RAW format
* Ability to run "Scripts" to automate the camera
* Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel)
* Zebra mode (blinking highlights and shadows)
* An "always on" Battery indicator

Additional features:

* a depth-of-field (DOF)-calculator
* File browser
* Text reader
* Calendar
* Some fun tools and games "

Regards,

 

I didn't know that, I'll try harder to keep up to speed.....

Regards,

 

He'll probably do that just as soon as you post anything more than highly
immature attempts for attention.

Neither of you should hold your breath waiting.

 

I don't think the A720IS is supported yet. They seem to have been able
to download the firmware from the camera, but there is no CHDK build for
it yet, unless I missed it somehow.

 

True, a misread on my part. I mistook a report that the A720 firmware was
finally available for download (for analysis), not the working ported binaries.
Just as you state.

It appears now that the A650, A720, S5 IS, G9, and other Digic III cameras have
been compiled and are working on a whole other OS (DRYOS vs. VxWorks). While it
is possible, CHDK is going to have to be re-analyzed from square-one to make it
work with them.

Due to the overwhelming benefits of any camera that can run CHDK I suspect it
will happen, it's just a matter of when. Winter is a good time for the less
adventurous photographers to find something else to do with and for their
cameras. New CHDKs might be part of their snow-day activities.

When I think of the leaps and bounds that CHDK has taken in only the last 6
months, ever since that first little binary that allowed people to only save RAW
files, and on only one model of camera at that, 17 different cameras supported
presently. Now it's capabilities are all the way up to a selection of 7
different full-color live histograms, Zebra's real-time under/over-exposure
areas flashing in your EVF/LCD (in 6 different flavors and 255x255 different
color options, with user selectable under/over limit settings), programmable
motion-detection fast enough to capture lightning strikes, an unlimited number
of cropping and composition grids, an inexpensive and 100% adaptable USB remote
trigger, on-screen DOF calculations, full-frame high-speed stereo photography
done with two cameras linked by USB (all automated)..... I could also mention
the fun things like having a 10,000 e-book library on one SD card to read on
your camera's EVF/LCD while on vacation, but that's not photography related.
Aside: with the right font converted to RBF format it's actually pleasurable to
read an e-book using your camera and CHDK, I used it for that while tanning this
summer. (I've also already found a way to use my camera as an MP3 player but
it's a too-clunky work-around when MP3 players are so small and cheap now.) ....

I've no doubt that CHDK's availability and capabilities are only going to grow
exponentially. As it already has. It's becoming difficult to even keep up with
the weekly changes and new findings, huge sections of the Wikia pages haven't
even been updated with all the new features in the last month. (We're too busy
playing with our cameras' new, and until now unavailable, capabilities.) People
once thought that new video compressions were impossible. Now we have 98 VBR
options and another 10 CBR video quality options to choose from. Some of such
high quality that even the best SD cards available can't keep up with the
bandwidth needed. Need I mention the new set_prop scripting command that allows
me to take +/- 4 or more f/stop brackets, in high-speed multiples of 3-shot EV
brackets, with each f/stop in increments as fine as 96 steps if wanted? Or
unlimited automated DOF bracketing? I've yet to delve into the 96-steps per
f/stop flash-output options to fine-tune the flash for macro-photography. Using
a simple script it could read the camera settings automatically to set the flash
for the macro-photo distances. Or for high-speed photography studies that were
once only the realm of the laboratory. (Flash output intensity is controlled by
flash speed, the dimmer the flash the faster the relative shutter speed.) The
unlimited precision intervalometer options is child's-play compared to the new
things that CHDK cameras can be now be made to do.

CHDK is already well past the "HOLY F'n WOW!" stage of development. I don't
think the camera designers even realized what their cameras could be made to do,
nor how many have been waiting so long for something just like this.

 

The designers certainly knew, but to include all that capability implies
supporting all that capability, including software upgrades when bugs
are found, and of course delaying the product launch until all the
software is completely written and tested. You can't really blame the
manufacturer for being reluctant to include all the capabilities on the
lower end cameras, when so few users would ever use the extra features.

 

"Lower end cameras"?? They don't even include 1/20th of these capabilities on
their $8,000 to $20,000 cameras. Show me just one DSLR that has built-in
motion-detection in it. Considering the noise this has made on the net (have you
done a Google hit count on the word CHDK lately? 151,100 hits), I'd be hard
pressed to ever use the phrase "so few users" when talking about those
interested in the features of CHDK.

Supporting all that capability? A handful of volunteers (maybe 5 active ones)
put up the Wikia for CHDK with all the information anyone needs to use it.
You're going to tell me that a multi-million dollar company can't even do that
much? And this was all done in less than 6 months by people who didn't even know
what they were doing at first. You could print up the CHDK firmware usage pages
and scripting-guide section in one small pamphlet, smaller than most of Canon's
"Basic User Guides". Upgrades and bugs? It takes the authors just ONE reply from
ONE person about any bug found in any build to have it fixed in all the next
ones to come, and within less than one day from the report to the fix.

ANY camera company could be offering what CHDK can do for all their cameras,
today if they wanted to, with one simple FREE firmware update. But they don't
because they make more money by selling cameras that are crippled, always
keeping the customer wanting more, or having to buy 5 different cameras all with
different features that could have easily been done by one. Then selling one
minor improvement next year as a brand new model to wow the "me first!" idiots
that don't realize they are being taken for fools, DSLR buyers especially.

Get real.

 

Multi-billion actually. They could do it, but they'd have to charge more
for the cameras because of the increased development and support costs.
And they can't charge more for the cameras because the price they charge
isn't based on the cost of manufacturing and development, but on the
market, which is looking primarily at megapixels, LCD size, and price.

Just be happy that enough buyers still understand the value of an
optical viewfinder, or Canon would have dropped it from every model,
rather than just most models.

 

Yeah, I guess that's why just a small handful of volunteers can do the same
thing for FREE in less than 6 months with no financial incentive nor financial
gain at all. (I don't think I've ever read such a stupid reply before.)

Now why would I be happy that people are still limiting themselves to last
century's optical viewfinder system with all its inaccurate framing and exposure
setting problems, as well as poor performance in low-light situations or
whenever you want to use any DOF preview feature with them? Understand the value
of them? They don't have a clue on what they are hindering themselves with.

I've not used an OVF for 10 years now, I don't miss them in the least. I
wouldn't bat an eye if Canon dropped that feature from every last one of their
cameras. In fact it would only encourage them to improve the already more
useful, adaptable, and configurable LCDs and EVFs. In fact I wish they would
quit wasting their time on that last century OVF nonsense that will never get
any better. At least with an EVF I can use one of my cameras to focus and frame
in total darkness by using IR light alone. Totally impossible using any OVF
system.

It's obvious now that you're just trolling or you'd know better than to say
things as stupid as you have so far. Time for you to go find a new thread to
manipulate someone else into replying to you.