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| lrh | profile | all galleries >> Other >> By Camera >> Past Cameras >> Canon EOS 300D (Digital Rebel) >> 300d_hack | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
Canon EOS300D (Digital Rebel) Hack Instructions
(Updated Friday, August 05, 2005 to reflect Undouchables hack usage) Download Immediately OverviewWhen Canon came out with its "Digital Rebel" (300D) (link) in Aug 2003, almost immediately everyone noticed--and review sites confirmed--that its basic structure and image quality were identical to the next-model up, the EOS-10D (link), that in fact it was based on this model very largely. The image quality, autofocusing ability (except for "servo" on the 10D, missing from the "Rebel") were equal between the two (which they should be, if the 300D is in fact derived from the 10D)--and especially noteworthy is that many of the EOS-10D's features are still present in the Digital Rebel, sort-of; they've simply been electronically "switched-off" in the software ("firmware") that operates it. A guy in Russia by the name (username?) of "Wasia" figured this out, and figured out a way around it by simply turning these features back "on." Then, another group of persons (or person, not sure) improved it more, this more current version goes by the name Undouchables, and that is the firmware this site points to now. Simply enough--install this alternative firmware on the Digital Rebel (300D), and you reactivate many of the EOS-10D's features! If you are not sure if this is ethical and amounts to "cheating" (since perhaps part of what made the 300D affordable was the very act of disabling these features), to me the controversy no longer exists because both the 300D and 10D are now discontinued, so no "cheating" of Canon would occur now to do this, while arguably one could say you were "cheating" before to do this when the models were current. (When I bought mine, the 10D--though not the 300D--had already been discontinued, and I bought my 300D used anyway, and it already came with this firmware, the older "Wasia" version.) Having used the current Undouchables and the original "Wasia," I can tell you--it's great! The main things about it I like: The only caution: the official word is that if you install this & send your camera to Canon for servicing, they won't honor the warranty. Just be warned. (Note: the firmware CAN be removed later on.) FeaturesFlash-exposure-compensation is re-enabled via this "hack." To set it, simply hold down the JUMP button; you will see the exposure compensation scale pop on the LCD, and the words "FEC 1" appear. Simply spin the wheel and watch the scale change to reflect your setting. Don't forget to turn it back to 0 when you're done. Unfortunately, it appears that nothing shows up on the LCD or viewfinder to remind you that you've set FEC to somehting other than 0. Obviously if you forget to turn it back to 0 subsequent shots will be underexposed--AND, turning the camera off & back on does NOT clear the setting, it "remembers" it. "Force-Fire" Button. The left-browse button, when pressed down, turns the AF off--and makes the camera release-priority. (This does NOT mean you can leave the lens's AF/MF button on AF and turn the focusing ring without damaging the camera, unless that particular lens has this feature.) This is a good way to "force-fire" the camera--that is, make it take the photo immediately without introducing a delay due to its insistence on re-autofocusing again unnecessarily. Mirror lockup (covered in custom functions CFs, below) is enabled. Obstensively it is switched off/on in the custom functions menus, but you can actually leave it on and use the "drive" button to toggle it off & on. With the drive in "single" shooting mode, mirror lockup would be activated (if so set in the menus, of course); in continuous, no matter, mirror lockup is not activated. So you can put the drive in "single" to use mirror lockup, "continuous" to not use it--and leave it turned on in the custom functions menu. 
The "hack" re-enables most of the EOS10D's custom functions. A list of them follows. Not all the ones listed actually work as of the most current version (detailed below). To access the Custom Functions menu:List of Custom FunctionsNot all the listed custom functions actually work; those that do work are bold-face, and their defaults are bold-faced too. With those that work, the check mark shows my preferences.
My preferences? I like to set: Installing the Hacked SoftwareFirst, some things to watch out for (from sites I've read, not my experience): Those cautions aside, here's how to upgrade the camera to the "hacked" software Step 1: Download the SoftwareClick on the link for downloading the file. Download File (My Angelfire Site, will open in new window)Save this file to a location on your computer's hard drive. Then, go to this location and "unzip" the files. Look for a file named E3kr111.FIR . This is the file you will need. Step 2: Prepare Compact Flash Card Used for Uploading FirmwareTake a spare Compact Flash card (even an 8 megabyte is good enough), the camera, switch camera off, insert CF card into your Canon Digital Rebel, then switch on the camera. Then, format this Compact Flash card. Turn off the camera, remove the card. Step 3: Load Firmware File onto the CardPlace this Compact Flash card into your computer's card reader. Access this card--it should show up as a spare hard-drive letter on your computer, probably letter E or H, etc. (This drive letter may automatically pop-up when you insert the card.) Then, locate the E3kr111.FIR file you downloaded, and COPY this file to your Compact Flash card in the "root" directory. Step 4: Upload Firmware File to CameraMake sure your camera's battery is charged aplenty. Remove the card from the computer's card reader. Place it in your camera. Turn on your camera. A box should pop-up like this:
Press SET to activate OKAY. You may have to do this a time or two (the box, top-right, may appear). You will then get a box showing the firmware as it's downloading, like this: This will be on the LCD for 3-4 minutes or so, so make sure your battery is pretty fresh to give this enough time to work. After the firmware has updated, this box will appear: 
The update has finished. Re-format this card (it may be wise to reformat ALL cards--just make sure no images are on there 1st of course). Accessing the Custom-Functions Menu
Press the MENU button on the camera, then go the 4th page on the menus (the tab with "--2" in the heading). On the bottom, look for Custom Functions (C. Fn). Use the <<< and >>> keys to select the function, then press SET to access it then the UP/DOWN keys to scroll through the choices, then SET to accept the settings. List of Custom FunctionsReturning Camera to "Un-Hacked" StateShould you feel the need to reset the camera back to its unhacked state, simply do this: 0,0,0,0,0,1,0,11,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 Resource LinksI've linked to the various websites I have found which talk about this and provide detailed instructions, in case you want them for reference (or prefer them to mine):
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| David Stembridge | 16-Jul-2006 21:44 | |
