The people over at HDRLabs have found a way to use their Nintendo DS to control their Canon DSLRs. The Open Camera Control project isn’t just a cool new way to press the shutter button though, they also came up with new software that’ll let you add new features to your predictable old cam. Now, we’re pretty sure that not a lot of people will have an extra Canon DSLR and Nintendo DS just lying around, but if you’re in the mood for some tweaking—along with the time and the balls to go for it—you might want to check this out.
Before going into the details of how to do it, here’s a short list of what the camera mod will let you do (once you get all the coding and interface mods done): add a timelapse function with a built-in alarm, add a “clap” trigger that’ll let the cam shoot by clapping your hands. Certainly not a big game-changing deal at the moment, but we’re sure there’ll be a lot of other added mods once the word gets out.
If you’re into the whole modding thing, you can check out the OCC project here, where you can get all the details for turning your boring old cam and DS into some sort of geeky touchscreen-shooting Franken-cam. If you also happen to be a geek god that can do your own coding, you can also contribute to the project and develop your own apps using the dev kit. Also, we’re calling dibs on the “Franken-cam” trademark. Just in case.
According to the OCC project’s notes, it’s not just limited to Canon cams, although you could encounter a few bumps if you’re using the other brands. The mod has been tested with the Canon 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D, and 5D Mark II, along with Sigma DSLRs, Casio’s EX-FX1, and Olympus’ E-P1.
Tags: Canon, Digital Cameras, DSLRs, Nintendo DS, Tweaks and Hacks
