The Canon Camera Hackers Manual

The Canon Camera Hackers Manual is a new book that targets “geeky” owners of Canon consumer cameras who would like to tweak them to do things way beyond their original specifications. Canon cameras allow the user to temporarily upload so-called add-ons into the camera through the memory card. The next time the camera is powered on, the add-on is active; when the camera is switched off, the camera returns to its original state, so there is no risk of losing the manufacturer’s warranty, the publisher claims. The hacks are based on the Canon Hack Development Kit, free software maintained by a group of enthusiasts. Many scripts are already published on the web, and this book teaches how to use existing scripts and how to write new ones. The Canon Camera Hackers Manual is available now from O’Reilly, priced at $29.95.

Press Release

The Canon Camera Hackers Manual — New from Rocky Nook

Teach Your Camera New Tricks

Santa Barbara, CA—The Canon Camera Hackers Manual (Rocky Nook, $29.95 USD) addresses “geeky” owners of Canon consumer cameras, such as the Powershot and IXUS, who would like to explore the possibilities of their cameras and eventually tweak them to do things way beyond their original specifications.

The hacks are based on the Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK), free software maintained by a group of enthusiasts. Many scripts are already published on the web, and this book teaches how to use existing scripts and how to write new ones.

Canon cameras allow the user to temporarily upload so-called add-ons into the camera through the memory card. The next time the camera is powered on, the add-on is active; when the camera is switched off, the camera returns to its original state, so there is no risk of losing the manufacturer’s warranty.

Some of the things you will be able to do are:

* Produce RAW (or DNG) files in addition to the camera’s JPEG output
* Manually control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO
* Expand shutter speeds way beyond the specification limits
* Enable bracketing

Berthold Daum studied photography in Melbourne and has both exhibited and published his images of Australia’s natural beauty.

He also holds a Ph.D in mathematics and is a professional Java and XML developer. Dr. Daum specializes in innovative electronic business technology and electronic content production. His experience in software training and ability to anticipate the needs of professional developers has been demonstrated in his previous books, including Eclipse 2 for Java Developers (Wiley) and Modeling Business Objects with XML Schema (Morgan-Kaufmann).

The Canon Camera Hackers Manual
Publisher: Rocky Nook
Berthold Daum
ISBN: 9781933952581, 256 pages,
Book Price: $29.95 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

About Rocky Nook
Rocky Nook’s books are distributed internationally by O’Reilly Media.

Rocky Nook was founded in early 2006 in Santa Barbara, California, and is closely associated with dpunkt.verlag, a leading publisher of books on technology based in Heidelberg, Germany. The focus of Rocky Nook’s publications is on digital photography and computing.

About O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

(info from photographyblog.com)