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DIGIC

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DIGital Imaging Core (DiG!C) is a proprietary application-specific integrated circuit made by Canon to perform high speed signal-processing and control operations incorporated inside Canon digital cameras and camcorders.

DiG!C

The original DiG!C was used on the A520, Canon S1 IS,Canon S5 IS, and other cameras. It consists of 3 three separate chips such as a video processing IC, a image proccesing IC and a camera control IC.

DiG!C II

DiG!C II is an one single chip contrary to the prior DIGIC which consisted of 3 different chips. This let to a more compact design by reducing the parts. DICIC II also improved upon the original DiG!C by adding a larger buffer and faster processing speed. It uses high-speed DDR-SDRAM, which improves startup time and AF speed. Canon claims DiG!C II improves color, sharpness, and automatic white balance with its CMOS sensor in its digital SLR camera line.[citation needed] It is used in some advanced consumer-level cameras and many digital SLRs such as Canon EOS 400D and Canon EOS 5D. It can write to memory card at speeds up to 5.8 MB/sec.[1]

DiG!C II cameras can be modified with the CHDK [1] firmware by Andre Gratchev.[2]

DiG!C III

Front view of Canon PowerShot A720 IS, shot by itself in front of a mirror

The DiG!C III Image Processor is the latest (as of 2007) version of Canon's proprietary DiG!C technology, supposedly delivering superior image quality, more responsiveness and extended battery life. DiGIC III provides a speedier interface to the SD memory card for the Canon PowerShot G7 and G9, SD750, SD800, SD850, SD900, SD 1000, A560, A570 IS, A650 IS, A720 IS, and S5 IS. It also provides higher definition for their LCD monitors.[3] Some DiG!C III cameras can be modified with the CHDK.

New features

DiG!C III also provides new Face Detection AF/AE, which finds and will track all the faces in the frame and sets the most suitable focus point, when the shutter button is depressed half-way. Exposure and flash are controlled to ensure proper illumination of both the faces and the overall scene, eliminating the common problem of darkened or overexposed faces. The system will also revert to the AiAF system if the subject is either not detected or not deemed to be a subject (based on the iSAPS database). The latter is useful at tourist spots where there may be many people around who are not supposed to be the subject of the picture.[citation needed]

Scene-recognition

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon.[3] Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS also works with the DiG!C III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.[3]

Dual DiG!C III

DiG!C III is also being applied Canon's latest (as of 2007) Digital SLR cameras. The Canon EOS-1D Mark III uses dual DiGIC III processors to achieve a capture rate of 10 frames per second at 10.1 MP (with a maximum burst of 110 JPEG images, depending on the speed of the attached storage) [4]. The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III also uses dual DiGIC III processors to achieve a 5 frame per second at 21.1 MP [5].

DiG!C DV

The DiG!C DV is used in Canon's single-chip CCD digital camcorders as well as the DC20 and DC40 DVD camcorders.

DiG!C DV II

The DiG!C DV II—the latest generation of Canon's DiG!C DV processor—utilizes a hybrid noise reduction system and a new gamma system. The processor is used in all of Canon's high-definition camcorders and, with the exception of the DC20 and DC40, all of their DVD camcorders.

Custom firmware

The DiG!C II and DiG!C III ASICs contain embedded 32-bit ARM architecture processors. Until around 2007, Canon point-and-shoot cameras ran a VxWorks-based operating system,[6] however recent cameras are based on the DRYOS operating system developed in-house by Canon.

The CHDK project, started by Andre Gratchev, has successfully modified the firmware for many Canon PowerShot cameras, adding sought-after features such as:

In order to create modified firmware, it was necessary to obtain copies of the cameras' original firmware; in some cases this can be done via a pure software method, while others rely on an ingenious method of using a blinking LED on the camera as an optical serial port to transmit the firmware to a host computer.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.jirvana.com/news_pdfs/IDs_MarkII-WS_2.pdf
  2. ^ Linux.com :: How to give your low-end Canon digital camera RAW support
  3. ^ a b c Canon Powershot G7 digital camera
  4. ^ Canon UK - EOS 1D Mark III
  5. ^ Canon UK - EOS-1Ds Mark III
  6. ^ DryOS Porting - CHDK Wiki
  7. ^ Faq - Chdk Wiki
  8. ^ Porting the CHDK - CHDK Wiki
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