# Recommend a digital camera **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 7, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371 "2008-05-07T00:18:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371/21 "2008-05-08T00:13:40Z")
[QUOTE=Magiver] Not sure how hard it’s going to be to find a small camera with a remorte but you can research [CHDK](http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK_in_Brief) software which will allow you to program the camera through the USB port. [/QUOTE] :eek: Well, bother. If I’d known about that, I would have bought a Canon. **Silver Tyger Girl** , any chance of piccies when you get your new camera? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371/22 "2008-05-08T01:33:06Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] **Silver Tyger Girl** , any chance of piccies when you get your new camera? 🙂 [/QUOTE] What? Of me? I can provide those right now. I swear my sister’s camera has a remote available. But I think she bought a really expensive one. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371/23 "2008-05-08T02:57:16Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] What? Of me? I can provide those right now. I swear my sister’s camera has a remote available. But I think she bought a really expensive one. [/QUOTE] My Nikon D-70 has a remote control as I suspect most SLR’s do but you specified a lower price range. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371/24 "2008-05-08T03:18:35Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] Thank you everyone. I was out taking some reference shots and random photos and several times my camera took over 30 seconds to stop blinking. [/QUOTE] No camera takes that long, something is wrong with your current camera. No camera you buy, if in good working order, will take that long. You may have dying batteries or a bad memory card in need of formating. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371/25 "2008-05-08T03:45:05Z")
There is open-source software available for Canon digital cameras that adds some incredible functionality. This [Wired article](http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Supercharge_Your_Camera_with_Open-Source_CHDK_Firmware) explains about the Canon Hackers Development Kit. This alone narrows the list of digital cameras to the various Canon models. A short list of features unlocked: > [@](#): > > Unlimited Interval Shooting – Use your camera for surveillance, or use it to shoot at precise intervals during a lunar eclipse or meteor shower. > High-Speed Shutter – Use this override option in the AllBest firmware to explore life’s littler moments. You can also override the camera’s slowest shutter speed settings to shoot exposures of a minute or longer. > Long Exposure Intervalometer – Take multiple long exposure shots all night, then assemble the shots into your own time lapse videos. > Shoot better HDR pics with CHDK’s auto-bracketing features. > Shutter speeds up to 1/60,000 of a second. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371/26 "2008-05-08T04:08:43Z")
CHDK is great, but honestly most people won’t want to use the features that are available. For advanced photographers, it’s a godsend. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371/27 "2008-05-08T04:42:14Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] No camera takes that long, something is wrong with your current camera. No camera you buy, if in good working order, will take that long. You may have dying batteries or a bad memory card in need of formating. [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure the camera is dying, seeing as it’s 10 years old. There’s been other problems with it, off and on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-digital-camera/448371.md?page=1)