CHDK = How to turbo-boost your Canon compact
Have you ever wondered whether maybe -just hypothetically asking!- your Canon compact can do a lot more than you can currently access? If you have, you are not far from the truth. Like all modern electronics, it is all down to the processing unit in the camera’s heart. And if it is a Digic II or III -i.e.: one of the two latest generations- you can use CHDK firmware to reach all available functions.
CHDK stands for Canon Hacker’s Development Kit and you can load it onto your Canon compact without fear, since the original firmware can be restored. According to the CHDK wiki, the list of enhancements is as follows:
- Shooting in RAW.
- Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel).
- Zebra mode (blinking highlights and shadows).
- Depth of field calculator.
- Battery indicator.
- Scripts execution (exposure/focus/… bracketing, intervalometer and more).
- File browser.
- Text reader.
- Calendar.
- Some fun tools and games.
The ability of electronics to perform a lot more than the model’s formal spec is not new. Think of it like that, it is much cheaper and infinitely simpler and more practical for a manufacturer to have the same processing unit in many models with certain functions disabled, rather than using many different units with different characteristics and functions. It is just software man!
Having RAW file availability can only be described as a blessing and I consider it as the strongest of the kit’s features. So if you are bored of your Canon compact or are thinking of donating it to your brother/sister, think again. There is a second life to be squeezed out of your camera!
Link 1: Wired
Link 2: CHDK
