Canon A570IS

My understanding, though, is that you would have to reload the hack every time you format the card. Othewise, you'll need to delete the photos manually.

This is true. It's not that much of a pain as there aren't a ton of applicable variables for underwater shooting. I don't really need to play Sudoko on my safety stop. One thing to note: I have the inside of my camera masked off around the flash, leaving a hole for a fibre optic cord. In the dark waters of BC, I can't get the strobe to fire on 1/3, only 2/3 power. (I'm pretty sure this is because of the internal masking.)

Cheers,

Marli

Bingo! That's it exactly. Works fine on Manual now that I set the flash controller to "non-preflash." Guess I never really grasped what the switches behind that mysterious plug were. Thanks so much, Duncan.

 

Jim

No worries, glad to help....

I'm doing a follow up as I'm finally looking to make the jump into a compact setup - DSLR is out of my price range and what I primarily want to do is w/a available light - maybe small strobe setup at a later date.

It seems the Canon's are the only cameras that provide the hack for RAW shooting. I want the most compact setup with an Inon lens - what's the consensus for my requirements? It appears the A590 is the up to date version of the OT of this thread. Which Inon w/a lens is the best option to go with? Can it be used with the Canon housing or should I just forget the idea of Canon and shooting RAW?

I'm doing a follow up as I'm finally looking to make the jump into a compact setup - DSLR is out of my price range and what I primarily want to do is w/a available light - maybe small strobe setup at a later date.

 

It seems the Canon's are the only cameras that provide the hack for RAW shooting. I want the most compact setup with an Inon lens - what's the consensus for my requirements? It appears the A590 is the up to date version of the OT of this thread. Which Inon w/a lens is the best option to go with? Can it be used with the Canon housing or should I just forget the idea of Canon and shooting RAW?

I don't think canon makes a housing for the 590. Originally it was rumored that a 590 would fit in the 570 housing, but canon doesn't list it as supported and I haven't seen anyone say it will fit.

You can still get the 570 and housing if you look aroung. It's not as cheap as it used to be, but it's not bad either.

As far as the inon lense, it depends on what you want to do. I have the 165 fisheye which I use with a Fuji F30. It's fun for stills and video. I got some great video of mantas on a night dive in Hawaii which I could not have gotten without the FE lense. The mantas came within inches of the camera.

I debated the 105WA to the 165FE and went with the FE. It's bigger and bulkier, but you get a wider angle obviously.

Lots of people seem to like both, hard to go wrong with either.

I was just wondering if anyone is using a RAW hack on their Canon Powershot A570IS?

I have been given a link, http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK , (thanks Scott Gietler for the link) to access a RAW hack for the A570IS. As I'm still a amatuer underwater photographer, I was hoping someone using this hack or someone with a bit more knowledge could tell me if this would be a beneficial option to me. I know there are some lenghty forums on here regarding RAW vs JPEG, and I'm not wanting for this post to head down that road. I'm just trying to find out how to use this hack and/or would it be useful to me now or should I wait until I've mastered all the basics. If its something that is going to just cause me more confusion, then I think I'll give it a miss.

Also, is there any damage/problems that these hacks can cause to ones camera. Obviously I understand that this is going to void Canon's warranty, but what doesn't. If I was worried about any warranty I wouldn't take the camera underwater.

Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

For any other Canon users, the link above could be useful to you also. The site supports about 39 different Canon cameras, so isn't just limited to the A570IS.

Hi Adam, I had the crack on the A640 before it got wet . Anyway it is a great thing to have and as the crack is kept on the card there is no damage to the cameras firmware (as far as I am aware). A lot of people i meet have/do use it as it just gives you a bit more flexibility on several factors. The RAW is great on a compact and just gives you a little more leeway/ makes it easier to save an image, live histogram is useful so you can check exposure without having to shoot (if using natural light as you need to check your strobes light if using one). I also found that the battery indicator was a good feature as well. If you don't get on with it you don't have to use it.

Good luck with it

Tristan

They work great and they cause no damage to the camera - your warranty is fine ... no worries there.

I use the one for A570 IS, and it works fine. There is a new release, so make sure to get the latest one. There are two versions, 101e and 101a. Try both, one will work, one won't. (It depends on the firmware version that your camera has). The hack does not have some of the features that the other models have, but for simply shooting Raw (I shoot on Manual)it works great. Remember not to use Auto. You can use A,S, Manual or P.

Cheers,

Marli

Also has .DNG so you don't have to reconvert. Just straight to Photoshop CS4.

yup, there is no affect on the firmware. you can simply turn off and on the camera and its back to its original state. there is a way to have the chdk automatically load when you turn on the camera, but i havent looked into it.

as Tjsnapper has said, some of the most useful features are the RAW, battery indicator, live histograms, overriding shutter and aperture speeds, and some of the programs that people have created (motion detectors, burst shots, etc)

Thanks guys for all that info.

So i'm assuming that the hack only works in the M, AV, TV & P modes and not in Auto. Do any of the Hacks work in Auto, namely battery indicator?? Does the RAW Hack work in the SCN mode?? As I'm still only trying to master the basics, I do tend to use the SCN mode in Underwater. This is only due to the fact that due to work commitments, I don't get underwater near as much as I would like to improve my skills.

I think I read somewhere that using this hack the camera actually saves your image twice, once as a RAW image and also as a JPEG, is this correct? Currently I'm using a couple of 2GB cards but not sure if this is now going to be enough if I choose to use the hack.

I'm also assuming that I need later versions of Photoshop to be able to edit pics whilst using this HACK and not Photoshop 7 and Photoshop Elements that I'm currently using. (I can hear the moans already and know I need to seriously update).

I know I should just download the Hack and try for myself, but asking questions to those who have used it just makes things so much easier. All information provided is greatly appreciated.

Have just been looking on the CHDK downloads site. I was going to download the file for my 570IS but now have another question. I know I need to download both the 1.00E and the 1.01A versions and work out which version works with my firmware, but is it best to use the Complete or Small download?? Just something else to confuse me.

After alot of research between DSLR and compact P/S cameras for shooting while freediving (as well as looking at how much pocket book trauma I could endure), I just purchased the Canon A570IS and will be getting the housing shortly. The next step is to determine which lens to go with - the UFL-165AD or the UWL-105AD. Not sure, although the sheer size of the dome on the 165 has me impressed to say the least.

The types of content I want to be shooting will be mainly u/w landscapes, other freedivers - both close up and further away to incorporate the environment and larger marine life (manatees, Whale sharks, etc). Does anyone have images they have shot with either or both of these lenses, and have a preference loosely based around my requirements?

Thanks

Have just been looking on the CHDK downloads site. I was going to download the file for my 570IS but now have another question. I know I need to download both the 1.00E and the 1.01A versions and work out which version works with my firmware, but is it best to use the Complete or Small download?? Just something else to confuse me.

All that info including creation of a dummy file to find out which firmware you need is on the CHDK website. You'll have to sift through it.

After alot of research between DSLR and compact P/S cameras for shooting while freediving (as well as looking at how much pocket book trauma I could endure), I just purchased the Canon A570IS and will be getting the housing shortly. The next step is to determine which lens to go with - the UFL-165AD or the UWL-105AD. Not sure, although the sheer size of the dome on the 165 has me impressed to say the least.

 

The types of content I want to be shooting will be mainly u/w landscapes, other freedivers - both close up and further away to incorporate the environment and larger marine life (manatees, Whale sharks, etc). Does anyone have images they have shot with either or both of these lenses, and have a preference loosely based around my requirements?

I bought the 570 for reference shots for video shoots etc. You can find a few pics I've posted somewhere on WP. 165AD is soft around the corners and not very sharp. But what do you want for a $300 add on lens, but the fisheye look is pretty cool. Check out the distortion and see if you can live with it.

All that info including creation of a dummy file to find out which firmware you need is on the CHDK website. You'll have to sift through it.

 

 

I bought the 570 for reference shots for video shoots etc. You can find a few pics I've posted somewhere on WP. 165AD is soft around the corners and not very sharp. But what do you want for a $300 add on lens, but the fisheye look is pretty cool. Check out the distortion and see if you can live with it.

Drew - How "Soft" is soft? Just about any super wide angle lens I've seen or worked with seems to lose it at the edges - no matter well corrected it - and that goes for high end DSLR lenses behind dome ports as well. One advantage of the 105 is how small it is compared to the 165, but I guess softness is relative to ones needs.

I've worked with the UWL 100 from Inon on an Olympus P/S & housing and full frame images were very sharp from edge to edge - images going to publication and the editor was pretty impressed give the equipment used.

Have just been looking on the CHDK downloads site. I was going to download the file for my 570IS but now have another question. I know I need to download both the 1.00E and the 1.01A versions and work out which version works with my firmware, but is it best to use the Complete or Small download?? Just something else to confuse me.

Be prepared for more confusion if you continually update the CHDK file when new features are included (like the DNG file format). Sometimes, unless you are a programmer, hacker, etc., it is difficult to figure out how to do stuff, and if it seems there is a bug, and you are simply "confused", (as the manual is never updated) and you post a bug or query, be prepared for a condescending dressing down. One must always remember that this is free, and there is no CHDK for dummies manual that includes the things you want to know to use the camera underwater.

Download the full version. The small one is probably just the updates. (although I'm not sure, as there is no explanation!) Download both 101a and 101e. If your camera is fairly recent purchase, try the 101a first. If it doesn't work, then try the 101e. It's not that much of a deal to try, as soon as you update the firmware, you will get a confirmation massage telling you it is loaded. Just remember to turn the camera on in playback mode, load the firmware, change it to record mode, press the direct print button until the "Alt" message appears, and then enter the menu to set the changes (like Raw mode). If you want DNG, you will need to run a script. I finally managed to figure it out, but it took a while. After all, I'm right brained, and blond.

By the way, if you are using SDHC cards, you can't make them bootable.

Cheers,

Marli

Thanks Marli,

All this info is just getting so confusing for someone who doesn't have a head for all things technical, wondering if its worth all the trouble. Although the features of the hack are very tempting. Guess I'll just have to try it and see.

I bought my camera just over a year ago so guessing I'll probably need the 100e file. I'm currently using ScanDisk Ultra II 2.0GB cards, but with the price of SD cards these days I think I might even just go and get another and load the Hack on to it. Is there any specific SD card that you find works best?

By the way, if you are using SDHC cards, you can't make them bootable.

Yes you can....I have used a 4gb SDHC card in mine and had it boot.... have to format as FAT 16 on pc first, the instructions are in there somewhere on the website....

Duncan

Drew - How "Soft" is soft? Just about any super wide angle lens I've seen or worked with seems to lose it at the edges - no matter well corrected it - and that goes for high end DSLR lenses behind dome ports as well. One advantage of the 105 is how small it is compared to the 165, but I guess softness is relative to ones needs.

 

I've worked with the UWL 100 from Inon on an Olympus P/S & housing and full frame images were very sharp from edge to edge - images going to publication and the editor was pretty impressed give the equipment used.

Like I already suggested.... go search the forums for the samples I posted with the lens and see if you can live with it. The fisheye look is nice for some shots but very distracting for others.

Like I already suggested.... go search the forums for the samples I posted with the lens and see if you can live with it. The fisheye look is nice for some shots but very distracting for others.

Drew - Did a search for UFL-165AD but nothing came up with regards to your images - any other suggestions on search term?