Automating the Canon A570IS

It is now possible to automate many of the Canon Powershot cameras using a "temporary" firmware. You place this firmware on your SD memory card in the root directory and then the camera can load it and utilize its many new or expanded capabilities. This firmware can be automatically loaded and you can specify a script to automatically run once the camera has started. (see bottom of page for details on how to obtain he firmware)

At EOSS we're interested in being able to automate the camera to 1.) get ready for flight and 2.) control the camera during the flight. I downloaded one simple intervalometer script and modified it adding commands to set every feature I could think of in the camera's menu systems to work to the advantage of an airborne camera. Basically the script will:

• First execute a reset.

There’s a “reset to default” on one of the camera's menus. By clicking on that and a script writer can be sure of the state of all settings.

After reset the script enters the menu system and:

• Turns digital zoom off
• Turns off red eye
• Turns off MF-Point Zoom
• Turns off MF-Safety
• Turns off AF-Assist Light
• Turns off image review (necessary if set to take really fast sequential photos)
• Sets image stabilization to shoot only
• Then it uses the hardware buttons and:
• Sets the aperture to wide open
• Sets the camera to MF (manual focus) and adjusts the focus to infinity
• Finishes the setup by turning the display off

Once the camera settings have been finalized the camera starts taking photos, one every 30 seconds.

Video of script executing

Here is the uBasic code being executed in the above video.

rem Interval shooting
rem For Canon A570IS
rem Camera must be in AV (aperture priority mode)

rem For 3 hour EOSS flight photo every 30 seconds

@title EOSS Intervals
@param a Shoot count
@default a 360
@param b Interval (Minutes)
@default b 0
@param c Interval (Seconds)
@default c 30

d=1000

rem reset camera
sleep d
click "menu"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "up"
sleep d
click "set"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "set"
sleep 3000

rem set menu values
sleep d
click "menu"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "left"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "right"
sleep d
click "menu"
sleep d


rem set apeture to 2.5 by overkill
for n=1 to 10
	sleep d
	click "left"
next n

rem select manual focus
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "down"
sleep d
click "down"

rem set focus to infinity
for n=1 to 10
	sleep d
	click "right"
next n

t=b*60000+c*1000
if a<2 then let a=10
if t<1000 then let t=1000

print "Total time:", t*a/60000; "min", t*a%60000/1000; "sec"

sleep 3000

click "display"
click "display"

shoot
for n=2 to a
    sleep t
    shoot
next n

end

CHDK Firmware

You know, I've looked so I don't misidentify this but I can't find a single full text reference to what the abbreviation stands for. So, I'm dubbing it the "Canon Hardware Developer's Kit". What else could it be?

This is a group of folks who know their stuff and have programmed an alternate firmware for some of the Canon Digic II and III series cameras. You need to download the correct version for your camera. So far there have been no reports of bricking cameras. This firmware only loads off the card. It does not overwrite the firmware already installed on your camera. So, in a worst case scenario where your camera locks up, dump the batteries, reinstall them, remove the SD card and start the camera. You should be back to a factory condition.

Go to their Wiki pages. Read stuff, download stuff and write stuff and you'll be on the road to new and useful capabilities for your camera (assuming it's supported).

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

Look down to "Basic Articles" and read them. By the time you have read down to Chinese versions of the Firmware you should be fairly expert at using CHDK.