Anybody hacking D70 firmware?

I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For one, it
would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and shoot" setting
for those times when you don't want to futz around with settings and
curves -- where the image doesn't have to be perfect, just bright and
colorful. Couldn't this be done with a hack?

"Gisle Hannemyr" wrote in message
...
"Sheldon" writes:
I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For
one, it would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and
shoot" setting for those times when you don't want to futz around
with settings and curves -- where the image doesn't have to be
perfect, just bright and colorful. Couldn't this be done with a
hack?

What's wrong with the P&S setting provided by Nikon (Auto)?
Or for that matter, what is wrong with the other idiot modes (which I
believe Nikon literature refer to as "scene modes")?

Nah. They still look a little on the dark side. I usually use the P mode
with a custom curve, and the shots still aren't as good as decent point and
shoot at first glance. Don't get me wrong, however. The basic image from a
DSLR will blow away most point and shoot cameras. Just takes a bit of
tweaking here and there.

I will say that every once in awhile I will use the sport mode as it
automatically sets the focus to continuous. Also, I think the closeup mode
makes reds and greens pop for flowers. Normally, however, I usually use P,
A, S, or M.

--
- gisle hannemyr [ gisle{at}hannemyr.no - http://folk.uio.no/gisle/ ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kodak DCS460, Canon Powershot G5, Olympus 2020Z
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Sheldon wrote:

I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For one, it
would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and shoot" setting
for those times when you don't want to futz around with settings and
curves -- where the image doesn't have to be perfect, just bright and
colorful. Couldn't this be done with a hack?

Set the ISO to "auto" and the exposure to "P" with the exp comp
set appropriately?


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On Tue, 17 May 2005 13:29:15 -0600, Sheldon wrote:

I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For one, it
would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and shoot"
setting for those times when you don't want to futz around with settings
and curves -- where the image doesn't have to be perfect, just bright and
colorful. Couldn't this be done with a hack?

I'd pay good money to be able to get metering with manual focus lenses.

--
"I'm here to make pictures, not friends."
~ Chris Buck

Roxy d'Urban wrote:

On Tue, 17 May 2005 13:29:15 -0600, Sheldon wrote:


I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For one, it
would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and shoot"
setting for those times when you don't want to futz around with settings
and curves -- where the image doesn't have to be perfect, just bright and
colorful. Couldn't this be done with a hack?


I'd pay good money to be able to get metering with manual focus lenses.

That requires a hardware hack - which can be done for good money.
see: http://home.carolina.rr.com/headshots/Nikonhome.htm

Sheldon wrote:

I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For one, it
would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and shoot" setting
for those times when you don't want to futz around with settings and
curves -- where the image doesn't have to be perfect, just bright and
colorful. Couldn't this be done with a hack?


I never tried it, but the "Direct Print" option under "optimize image"
in the menu is supposed to do that isn't it? It is a couple of menu
clicks away - and is only available on M, A, S, and P modes.

I wouldn't be getting up my hopes for useful firmware hacks - even if
hardware features had been disabled - which I doubt. Comparison of the
Canon firmware binaries side by side would have made deciphering it
easier for the hackers when they did the 300d hack. I have to wonder if
they had some inside knowledge too. You'd have to be quite brave to
want to be the first person to try it.

On Wed, 18 May 2005 22:59:11 +1200, Frederick wrote:

Roxy d'Urban wrote:

On Tue, 17 May 2005 13:29:15 -0600, Sheldon wrote:


I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For one, it
would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and shoot"
setting for those times when you don't want to futz around with settings
and curves -- where the image doesn't have to be perfect, just bright
and colorful. Couldn't this be done with a hack?


I'd pay good money to be able to get metering with manual focus lenses.

That requires a hardware hack - which can be done for good money. see:
http://home.carolina.rr.com/headshots/Nikonhome.htm

Pity, I don't have a single one of the lenses he modifies. I wonder why he
won't do the 105mm f/2.5?

--
"I'm here to make pictures, not friends."
~ Chris Buck

Roxy d'Urban wrote:

Pity, I don't have a single one of the lenses he modifies. I wonder why he
won't do the 105mm f/2.5?

There is no suitable matrix chip to use in that lens. You can use a chip
for a different maximum aperture and then dial in exposure compensation
to account for the difference. I don't know if that's the only reason
it's not straightforward.

Of course, if you *really* meant "good money", you can spring for a D2x,
which will meter with the manual lenses.

--
Jeremy |

In article ,
Roxy d'Urban wrote:
On Tue, 17 May 2005 13:29:15 -0600, Sheldon wrote:

I can think of a lot of features I'd love to see on my D70. For one, it
would be great to have a real, honest to goodness "point and shoot"
setting for those times when you don't want to futz around with settings
and curves -- where the image doesn't have to be perfect, just bright and
colorful. Couldn't this be done with a hack?

I'd pay good money to be able to get metering with manual focus lenses.

*That*, you can -- if you have the right lenses. It requires a
CPU chip installed in the lens.

However, if you mean by a firmware hack to the D70 -- I am
afraid that won't happen, for one major reason. Cameras like the N90s
(which will meter with the AI lenses with no CPU) have a sensor which
tells the camera body how far the lens is stopped down below the maximum
aperture, at which metering takes place. This senses one of two
projections on the aperture ring.

The D70, however, has a sensor for a different projection. All
it tells the camera is that the apertue ring is set to the smallest
aperture, so the body can control the actual aperture by limiting the
travel of the actuator from the camera body to the lens inside the lens
mount area. It has *no* way to tell what aperture the lens happens to
be sit to, unless the lens is fitted with a CPU to tell it both the
maximum aperture and the current setting.

Even the possibility of stop-down metering is made more
difficult by the lack of a mechanical depth of field preview button.
The button which they *do* provide only works with a CPU lens, and only
in certain modes.

Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Wed, 18 May 2005 12:29:30 +0000, Jeremy Nixon wrote:

Roxy d'Urban wrote:

Pity, I don't have a single one of the lenses he modifies. I wonder why
he won't do the 105mm f/2.5?

There is no suitable matrix chip to use in that lens. You can use a chip
for a different maximum aperture and then dial in exposure compensation to
account for the difference. I don't know if that's the only reason it's
not straightforward.

Of course, if you *really* meant "good money", you can spring for a D2x,
which will meter with the manual lenses.

Naturally!

I wish Nikon would make a DSLR with the same spec and construction as an
F100. The D100 is based on an F80 and won't meter old lenses. I don't like
these moster-sized cameras anymore. The D70 would be perfect if it could
meter with the old lenses.

--
"I'm here to make pictures, not friends."
~ Chris Buck