Anybody hacking D70 firmware?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Sheldon" <sheldon@XXXXXXXXsopris.net> 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" )?
--
- gisle hannemyr [ gisle{at}hannemyr.no - http://folk.uio.no/gisle/ ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kodak DCS460, Canon Powershot G5, Olympus 2020Z
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

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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Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

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

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

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

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

In article <pan.2005.05.18.10.17.17.801000@home.com>,
Roxy d'Urban <not@home.com> 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: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
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Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

On 18 May 2005 23:15:49 -0400, dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols) wrote:

<snip: metering non-CPU lenses>

>
> 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.
>

I may have this wrong, if so, please correct me, but: if you dial-in or
select the aperture on any lens, even the non-CPU ones, that aperture isn't
actually used (the blades don't close) until the shot is taken, right? (Or
a DOF preview is used).

Therefore, given that a manually-metered shot can be taken with non-CPU
lenses, the body must be able to tell the lens to "stop down now, the
picture's about to be taken". If so, I'd be very surprised if the firmware
_couldn't_ (at least in theory) get the body to tell the lens to do this
while it meters the shot. You would effectively be restricted to
apperture-priority metering, but that would be better than nothing.

Or have I missed something?


Regards,
Graham Holden (g-holden AT dircon DOT co DOT uk)
--
There are 10 types of people in the world;
those that understand binary and those that don't.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

In article <taso81t4q6ju5227b3hni89n8vt8ufaqm2@4ax.com>,
Graham Holden <look@bottom.of.post> wrote:
>On 18 May 2005 23:15:49 -0400, dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols) wrote:
>
><snip: metering non-CPU lenses>
>
>>
>> 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.
>>
>
>I may have this wrong, if so, please correct me, but: if you dial-in or
>select the aperture on any lens, even the non-CPU ones, that aperture isn't
>actually used (the blades don't close) until the shot is taken, right? (Or
>a DOF preview is used).

That is correct. Except that with a non-CPU lens, the only way
to select an aperture is to rotate the aperture ring on the lens. I
believe that the camera body does not know how to select an aperture
without the CPU in the lens.

>Therefore, given that a manually-metered shot can be taken with non-CPU
>lenses, the body must be able to tell the lens to "stop down now, the
>picture's about to be taken".

Correct -- by a solenoid actuating the lever, I believe. And
with a non-CPU lens, the lever goes the full distance, leaving it up to
the aperture ring to limit the actual aperture.

> If so, I'd be very surprised if the firmware
>_couldn't_ (at least in theory) get the body to tell the lens to do this
>while it meters the shot.

In theory, yes. I don't know what kind of power drain on the
battery this might involve.

O.K. As a check I've just tried several lenses. The DOF
preview button works *only* with CPU equipped lenses, and *only* when
the lens is set to the smallest aperture so the camera can control the
aperture.

Granted -- this could be changed in firmware -- but I suspect
that they do not expect the typical purchaser of the D70 to be able to
deal with stop-down metering (in spite of the fact that many have used
it quite successfully through the years since TTL metering came into
SLRs.)

But -- I think that either transferring metering information
from another lens (or a hand-held meter), or even *guessing* and tuning
with the histogram might be better in the long run for anything where
stop-down metering would be adequate. Obviously, anything happening
quickly needs a faster way of metering, so a CPU-equipped lens is a
better choice.

> You would effectively be restricted to
>apperture-priority metering, but that would be better than nothing.
>
>Or have I missed something?

Just that it, at best, is an awkward way to do the metering
for anything quick, and you can get a better final exposure value by the
guess (or separately meter) and then fine-tune with the histogram.

The one older lens in my collection with which I would *really*
like to be able to work, an 80-200mm f4.5 zoom with the push-pull collar
zoom (and rotate the same collar for focusing), I would want quicker
metering than stop-down metering added as an afterthought to the
camera's controls could give me, as I would be using it photographing
things which were changing quickly, not a tripod-bound stationary
subject type of shooting.

Probably allow the DOF button to work with a non CPU lens, as
long as it was set to above minimum aperture, and turn onn the metering
with the DOF preview button in manual mode would be the best choice with
the available controls.

Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | 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 ---

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

Paul Furman <paul-@-edgehill.net> wrote:

> So does a manual aperture lens still wait for the shot to stop down?

Yes. It's just that the camera won't know what aperture it's set for
(in the case of a D70 or D100).

--
Jeremy | jeremy@exit109.com

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

DoN. Nichols wrote:
> I hope that this helps,
> DoN.


Yep, thanks guys!

--
Paul Furman
http://www.edgehill.net/1
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