Canon EOS 40D owner hacks camera, records silent movie
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Sep 24th 2008 6:37PM
posted Sep 24th 2008 6:37PM
This enterprising EOS 40D owner wants a DSLR that records video, too -- and he's taking action. This hack uses CHDK -- the free firmware enhancement for Canon PowerShot cameras -- and LiveView to capture video to the camera's CF Card. There are still a few issues: LiveView shuts down after a period of inactivity, video can't be transferred via USB, and unlike your $79 consumer grade camera, the EOS 40D won't record audio. But what's a little challenge in the face of a good camera mod? There's no word on file format, frame rate or resolution (though the camera's display weighs in at 320 x 240), but there are lots of other juicy details available once you hit the read link. And be sure to catch the video after the break.[Via Hack A Day]
WoW!
TerRy!
Terry, you really need to put the game down. The only words you can say anymore is the title.
how about that... fucking "WOW" doesn't get ranked but my reply does.
that anti-me's are out in force today. bring it on, hataz
keep it coming stalker-haters. feel that rush of superiority coursing through your veins
Take that D-90
yeah, up your ass other camera! so says Joe Pantoliano.
lol. 240i is insane!
i want it!
Here's an easier way to do it.
Buy a cheap video camera.
Record the screen on the back of the DSLR.
Voila! You have a super crappy quality video WITH sound.
I would love to see this hack ported to the Rebel XSi as well when it's ready. Even a 720p capture will be good enough for my needs if the the camera is not suitable for 1080/30p capture somehow. What I really need is frame rate support at 23.976, 24.00, 25.00 and 29.97.
your picture is hideous!
Mine is too, but that is why i put a stuffed animal.
shoot it!
If you want a video camera, buy a video camera. If you want a high-end still camera then buy a DSLR. If you want both, use your cellphone or go out and spend $200 on a cheap P&S.
Am I the only one that thinks video-recording DSLRs are a sign of the coming apocalypse? I'd much prefer better high-ISO performance, faster burst rates, and more bracketing options.
I actually created an Engadget account just to respond to this story...
DON'T DO THIS HACK! The Canon DSLR sensor obviously is sensitive, and will damage if you expose it to light too much. (which is what this does to it) The live views for DSLR actually use a separate sensor so the main sensor won't damage.
It's almost silly that someone who pays $1000+ for a DSLR would hack a camera to do silent video, and later on pay the price with a damaged sensor.........imagine someone buying it from him on Ebay
Don't move to California. There are earthquakes here.
Don't move to California. We're out of water, electricity, state funds, english-speaking citizens, police patrols, air quality, affordable apartments, affordable homes....wait why did I move here?
I'm pretty sure the Canon DSLRs use only one sensor for both Live View and main photography, however that's still irrelevant in this case. This hack tells the camera to record its Live View output to the CF card, which is why it's limited to 320x240 (the resolution of the display), so there's no distinction between recording video this way and simply using LV under normal conditions.
Yeah, I call bs on this too. I predict there will be aftermarket firmware on the interwebs soon to do this right, probably on the CHDK wiki.
The potential for this is immense!!! I might even rebuy a 40D......ah screw it. Someone start hacking the 50D already! I want HDMI out video!
Now you can expect one of the next EOS cameras to have "Video recording" function :)
Thanks goes to Mr.Hacker.
5DmkII already has this.
hopefully the 50D can do some snazzy 1080p with the D!G!C 4 processor like the 5DmkII
ALSO - to Chris - it downsamples the image from the main sensor, how the fe ck else do you think you can do 5x and 10x magnification on the fly? =/
I'll give this a go when its out (if its not already out) until i get the 5DmkII in November =D
I really don't get why people want video in a still camera. Sure, its fine for the point and shoots, but why the hell would you be shooting HD video with a SLR camera? Just get a proper video camera if your doing something serious enough to be shot in HD
You should check out some of the videos shot with the 5D mk II. It puts many prosumer HD camcorders to shame. Sure, you lose some advanced control features, but you gain so much in image quality. Being able to use Canon L-series lenses on a video camera will do wonders for bokeh :D
Lenses.... get it?
Hi John, the reason people want this, why carry two cameras?
Go to the Canon site and check out the new 5DmkII video sampler, to get a feel for what a DSLR with Video is capable of.
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2086
I know this sounds crazy, but I like to shoot video *and* take pictures. I'm not a video quality snob, either. So I often end up leaving my nice shiny DSLR at home and taking out my old S2 just because it has video capability and can shoot pictures.
I don't care about sound, either. I always throw out the audio portion and replace it with rocking badass music anyway. So the 40D hack is actually quite tempting, it could save me a grand over the 5DmkII.
...but I want the full-frame sensor, so alas, I will have to keep selling plasma until I can afford it.
I understand what you mean guys, but the way I see it, is this is just like saying "i can now play games on my iphone". Umm ok...you can, but there are better things that can do that but 1000x better and they are dedicated to that.
Although that canon sampler on their website looked pretty damn good :P
Several years ago I had a Minolta DiMage A2 which could do stills as well as video with sound. And do it better than the current crop of cameras.
There was no mirror, unlike the current Nikon and Canon DSLRs which can do video as well as stills. The display (electronic ground glass) was VGA-quality, not some crappy electronic display. It's because of the high quality display that I bought the camera as my first digital. I shot many commercial jobs with it until I upgraded to a Nikon D70.
The Minolta A2 electronic display meant the photographer can look through the lens while shooting. You can NOT do this with the Nikon and Canon cameras - you must lock the mirror up and frame the shots on the back of the camera. Not very ergonomic!
I had no interest in shooting videos with the DiMage A2 so can not tell you what the resolution was. But the still resolution was something like 8mb or 10mb. Sorry but the years have dimmed my memory!
Terry Thomas...
the photographer
Atlanta, Georgia USA
www.TerryThomasPhotos.com
my canon 20d can shoot 5 frames per second. you could just shoot continuous frames and use some software from the internet to combine them into an AVI. no hardware hacks necessary.
What is this "after the break" crap? I am seeing this more often. There is no break. What the F - is this television? I always got up during the break. Morons.
I'll answer you, just in case you're not kidding.
The video doesn't show up on the home page. Thus, "break" "cut" .. and several other blog lingoes apply.
You're kidding, right?
The 40D does not need a firmware hack to record video, see "DragonStopMotion" software. You can optimize the live view technology in the camera as a realtime preview... you just deal with the hardship of monitoring through your machine, as the shutter is locked when you are using the video preview.