Friday, January 17, 2014

CHDK Installation Canon Powershot SX50 HS



  1. Create a file 'ver.req' and put it in the SD Card.
2. Put the card in the camera.
3. Start in PLAY mode (hit the button you use to view images)
4. Once camera starts, hold down the Func./Set button and press Disp. button.
5. Camera would show you firmware details.
6. Look for the firmware version, it should say GM1.00B or C
7. What really matters is if its the "B" or "C".
8. Once you get the details, download Cardtricks[ savedonthe.net/download/78/CardTricks-144-SFX.mht ]
9. Download CHDK from here : mighty-hoernsche.de/ . Download the appropriate version. Eg if your firmaware is 1.00B , download "sx50hs-100b-1.2.0-3313-full_BETA.zip"
10. Now, plug the card into the card reader.
11. Open card tricks.
CARDTRICKS :
12. Click the SD-Card image & choose your card.
13. FORMAT AS FAT (Backup media before doing that)(Formatting takes time)
14. MAKE BOOTABLE.
15. Click on CHDK -> Card button. Choose the "sx50hs-100b-1.2.0-3313-full_BETA.zip" or whatever it is.
16. After unzipping, take your card out, slide the "lock" down on the card, put it in the camera and turn on.
DONE.
If everything was done well, you would se a CHDK logo.
lens will be retracted, half press the shutter button to release.
There is a S button on the left side of the viewfinder.
Press it to turn on CHDK access, press it once more to turn it off. ;)
once you access CHDK (you'll see the script you're running in bottom left corner)
Press MENU to enter CHDK Menu
Press Func./Set to Enter Script Menu (when not in CHDK menu)
*Scripts can be only run when CHDK is accessed but any changes made in "CHDK menu" (eg shutter speed) will be effective even after it.
EXAMPLE SCENARIO.
*AIM : Set a shutter speed of 30 sec
*Procedure : Start the camera, you'll see the CHDK logo. Press shutter halfway and lens will come out. Press "S" or print button on left side of the viewfinder. CHDK ACCESSED. Press Menu. goto "Enhanced photo operations" > Goto Override Tv Type -> .. select LongExp.. go down to LongExp value. set value to 00:00:30 . Press "S" to get out of the menu. Now take a picture (I'd recommend taking a landscape photo at night, plus set the self timer to 5 seconds before you place your camera anywhere)
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8 comments:

  1. James RogersAugust 21, 2014 at 11:05 AM

    Thanks for the post. Can damage occur from leaving shutter open so long? Or heat up like I've read elsewhere?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rishbh SharmaNovember 5, 2014 at 5:41 AM

      As you can see, the sensor on the camera is very small. A mere 1/2.3" sensor of 12mp resolution will have the pixels packed closely, unlike any DSLR. When leaving the shutter open for a long time, sensor will heat up, resulting in visible noise at some points. You can use 'Dark frame Substraction' method ( If I am correct ) to remove them. Its been an year and my camera works fine. ;) I won't recommend it using slow shutter speed too much continuously. You can do better in winters though.

      Delete
  2. Mike FaridAugust 25, 2015 at 7:21 AM

    I'm sorry I have a couple of questions,
    I read that after checking the version, just formatting the card in FAT32 format in windows, unzip the content of the zip file on the card and it is all done, I mean is it necessary to use CARDTRICKS for just formatting and unzipping? the process on sx40 didn't require that, or am I missing somthing?!
    Also, do u open it with the preview button to launch the CHDK like the sx40 or just with the on and off button?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rishbh SharmaNovember 9, 2015 at 4:28 AM

      1. Cardtricks is a lightweight tool. SD Card needs to be "Bootable" as well. 'Diskpart' may help if you don't want to use Cardtricks, but I don't believe that'd be easy. I haven't tried "Simple Formatting and Unzipping" but I think that would not work on my SX50. Maybe its not the same for SX40.

      2. There is an 'S' button on the left side of viewfinder on my SX50. I use that to access CHDK menu. The same button can be found on the SX40.

      I hope this helps.

      Delete
    2. AdminOctober 1, 2016 at 2:43 AM

      It worked for me.. I directly copied and extracted in SD card without cardtricks. And I use SX50.

      Delete
  3. UnknownMarch 8, 2016 at 3:08 AM

    Hi Rishbh,
    Thanx for this nice post. Have you tried a long exposure with the sx50 (between the 15-30sec range). Since the sensor is smaller and will tend to heat up, i am just trying to determine a safe/comfortable time duration that can be used with this sensor.

    Another thing, have you tried to set the aperture override to f/16 and determined if its actually working on the sx50??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rishbh SharmaMarch 10, 2016 at 9:50 AM

      1. I have gone beyond 30 seconds, the camera works fine in cold weather. If you see the "bright spots" in the pics, it means that the sensor is heating up and you better let the camera cool down. If the weather is not appropriate I'd rather not try to keep the shutter open for long.
      https://www.flickr.com/photos/rishbhsharma/11494175083/ this pic is a night-time HDR. Max exposure time is 50.8 seconds. Ambient temperature was about 10-15 deg C at that time.

      2. No, F/16 doesn't work. CHDK crashes and camera shuts down AFAIK. If you're trying to get long exposure time during daytime, try this
      * set aperture to f/11
      * reduce the ISO to 10
      * better try photography early in the morning or late in the evening
      * buy an ND filter off ebay
      * click RAW photos to reduce the exposure even a bit more
      sample : https://www.flickr.com/photos/rishbhsharma/12087002215/

      Delete
  4. JulesJune 22, 2017 at 11:13 AM

    Hi Rishbh, I'll try to install the program on my sx50 right away. So what would u recommend me for stars pics? Do ypu think that iso 3600, 30sec exposure and F 3.4 aperture could dage the camera?

    ReplyDelete

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