mrodoc said:
It would be nice if people used the words rather than initials when mentioning something new. CHDK meant nothing to me except by deduction that it was a way of influencing software. I had to do a Google search to confirm this.
Thank you for your contribution, I am glad you were able to use your powers of deduction to grapple with my post and were able to use the most powerful archival and research resource ever created by mankind which is literally available at our fingertips to confirm your suspicions.
I shall endeavour to provide sufficient definitions for any onerous nomenclature in all future posts. This thread is entitled "Another Camera Thread", from which the reader may infer that a brief search of this forum will return a small number of prior threads on the subject, many of which mention 'CHDK' with varying levels of explanation provided. Perhaps one might consider that this thread was directed at those with some knowledge of CHDK, or be at least willing to research it in order to provide sufficient advice in answer to the question pertaining to the selection of a suitable caving camera in the original post.
For the sake of forum users referring to this thread who do not wish to conduct an arduous search engine query for "Canon hack CHDK", my limited understanding of the software based on a few minutes reading the other night is described below.
CHDK, or Canon Hack Development Kit is a piece of software developed by community effort for the past 8 years or so (hence it is not "new") for a reasonably comprehensive range of Canon cameras. It allows access to more advanced photographic controls than a 'point and shoot' style compact camera typically allows.
It is not a permanent modification, as it loads the necessary code onto the camera's onboard memory from the SD card at boot time. It is therefore relatively unlikely to cause damage to the camera, provided it has been ported to, and tested on your particular model before. By the looks of the camera list in the CHDK
FAQ, a small number of versions are in the alpha stage so are potentially hazardous.
Potentially a boon to many amateur outdoor photographers, this software tool allows the end user to purchase old or entry-level cameras and produce higher quality photographs. The facilitates an acceptance such that the hardware will not be missed too greatly, nor the financial consequences be too severe should it be lost or rendered unusable by a harsh environment.
Hence it may be of particular interest to cavers, who need sufficient camera control to compensate for the challenging lighting conditions a cave can provide, whilst balancing the needs of a cheaper camera which may be worried about less when in transit underground. This is supported by the previous threads on this forum which discuss the tool and it's effectiveness in underground and outdoor applications.
PS I hope I don't come across as being facetious.
