Sunday, 6 January 2019

equipment damage - How safe is CHDK?


I've played with time-lapse photography using my father in law's Canon Rebel, using a USB cable, gphoto2 and an Ubuntu laptop. I want to create similar videos using my own A590 IS, but it cannot be controlled from a USB cable. The only solution I found on the web is firmware enhancement using CHDK.


How safe is CHDK? Is there really a way back? Are versions above 1.xx mature?


Adam


Update: Thanks for all the advice. I've successfully installed CHDK on my SD card and shot my first time-lapse using my A590. Works great!


Another Update: Installed on my 550D. Works without problems, and I can choose not to load CHDK at boot time (by long-pressing a button).



Answer




As you can see right on the main CHDK wiki - "Temporary – No permanent changes are made to the camera." You also can find very detailed information in the FAQ here.


Basically - Yes you are hacking your camera. So things can happen that the original manufacturer did not intend(if this wasn't true, you wouldn't want it anyways). But the chances of any permanent damage to your camera are near 0.


Technically CHDK is not firmware. It does not permanently reside on the camera. You can remove it, and go back to your factory default settings and firmware without any issues. Overall - install away!


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