Nintendo DS hacked to control DSLR shooting

This is easily one of the more unorthodox hacks we've come across, and while we have all ideas only a few will even bother to give it a go, we couldn't help but share. Steve from PanoCamera decided that lugging around a laptop for precisely controlled shooting was just too much effort, so rather than throwing in the proverbial towel, he simply figured out a better way. By hacking the DS to play nice with his monstrous Canon, he was able to use the handheld to begin / stop shooting and tweak all manners of settings. For those interested in having one of their own, but completely uninterested in using their innate DIY skills to make it happen, drop ole Steve an e-mail.

[John @ Sep 18th 2008 9:37AM]

If he did this with a pocket PC or an Iphone it'd be even better. The mini USB cables are readily available and the Canon SDK would allow for viewing the captured images on the larger screen. I'd pay for that.

[bogd @ Sep 18th 2008 2:58PM]

Unfortunately, the USB cables that are "readily available" are used for plugging the device (pocketpc) into a host (pc). They cannot be used for connecting two devices together (pocketpc to digital camera).

While there are a few PocketPCs that can act as an USB host (my aging FSC PocketLoox 720 comes to mind), it wouldn't be easy to find drivers supporting the camera on Windows Mobile...

[Cesar Cardoso @ Sep 18th 2008 9:41AM]

+1 for awesomeness and +1 for pure hackery.

[pozzitron_fanboi @ Sep 18th 2008 9:48AM]

My hero pozzy did this back in the 80s using a commodore64 and Hubba Bubba.

[pozzitron @ Sep 18th 2008 9:55AM]

I agree with John, but even that would be too much work.
I got one link for you guys.!
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/18/brando-telescope-makes-iphone-3g-photos-6x-worse/

[burriot_avatar @ Sep 18th 2008 10:01AM]

Hahaha, that's a quality product. I'm always asking myself, "Burriot, how can I take panoramic shots with my cellular telephone?" Now I have an answer.

[xtole @ Sep 18th 2008 10:01AM]

w00t

[GarJE @ Sep 18th 2008 10:07AM]

Fair play. One of the most useful hacks I've seen.

I'm sure canon would be interested in this little mod.

[Dave MacKinnon @ Sep 18th 2008 10:22AM]

I'd buy a DS in a second just for this application - nice work!

WRT GarJE - I am sure Canon is loving it - but calling up Nintendo and telling them you did 'bad things' to their game system doesn't go over well.. Perhaps they can form a formal partnership?

[JS @ Sep 18th 2008 10:35AM]

Pretty clever. Who needs a remote when I can have this bad boy and still play all my games!

[kb2zuz @ Sep 18th 2008 10:43AM]

Much better than having to carry around a laptop.

Intervalometers are very useful, not just for bracketing:
http://vimeo.com/362183

[Matt @ Sep 18th 2008 12:15PM]

I'd like to see the DSLR hacked to play GuitarHero on the DS instead ^^

[Joseph @ Sep 18th 2008 12:49PM]

why did he do this?

1- More precise intervelometer
2-Larger bracketing than camera allows
3-better battery and less bright than laptop + instant on
4-Longer times exposures than 30 seconds
5-Play mario cart when you're bored

My in-camera intervelometer and in camera 9 brackets suffice for me. I would imagine if i had my old body and didnt have the money to upgrade, this would be my next logical choice.

[Eli @ Sep 18th 2008 2:37PM]

You can't even compare this to a body upgrade. The fact that its total cost would be around $200 puts it squarely in the "accessory" range. If all you need is the bracketing, I can see how you wouldn't be interested in this, but as a professional I could really use a lot of the features it offers, and anything I can do to add more value to my current equipment is a smart business move. Besides, how often do I get to write off a game system? :D

[Bogd @ Sep 18th 2008 2:58PM]

While I agree with 1, 3, 4 and 5, I'm not so sure about 2. How could this offer larger bracketing than the camera allows, when it's connecting to the camera via the shutter release?

If it was actually controlling the camera (exposure time, aperture, and so on) via the USB port, that would be possible. But AFAIK those are not controllable via the shutter release interface.

[Joseph @ Sep 18th 2008 5:22PM]

Bogd-
It is not my opinion, it is an article summary.
"Where the Canon 5D can do a bracket of three shots, spread two stops apart, and the latest 1DS MKIII series can do a nine shot bracket, the “DS-DSLR” can do any number of shots, and if I don’t like the way it does it, I can rewrite the software to do it better."

Case in Point:
"This was a 16 shot range that was meant to expose for the full moon rising in the last frame of the pano."

It is software, so it can theoretically tweak any control imaginable.

RTFABYC

[MR @ Sep 18th 2008 2:56PM]

Cut the price to $50 and I'll think about it.

[grommit @ Sep 18th 2008 4:34PM]

Bogd,
the Canon SDK usb connection allows for a maximum shot length of thirty seconds. This dealie can also take more than nine shots, which may be overkill, or may be useful for low light photography.

[Greg Mcp @ Sep 19th 2008 12:53AM]

nice idea.

[Paul Nolan @ Sep 19th 2008 5:41AM]

Pocket Phojo has Canon and Nikon DSLR drivers for Windows Mobile built-in:
http://www.idruna.com/pocketphojo.html

[grommit @ Sep 19th 2008 7:41PM]

It looks like Pocket Phojo is the high-falutin' equivalent of a card reader. It doesn't control the camera at all.