clipped from: lifehacker.com   


If you're using a consumer grade point-and-shoot Canon digital camera, you've got hardware in hand that can support advanced features way beyond what shipped in the box. With the help of a free, open source project called CHDK, you can get features like RAW shooting mode, live RGB histograms, motion-detection, time-lapse, and even games on your existing camera. Let's transform your point-and-shoot into a super camera just by adding a little special sauce to its firmware.


Enhanced Image Capture:

Additional Information On-Screen:

Additional Photographic Settings:

Support for Small Programs/Scripts:

What You'll Need



Automatically Running CHDK

Once you've gotten comfortable with CHDK, you may want it to load automatically whenever you turn on your camera. The CHDK wiki explains how.