[raihansaputra]

Love this. Due to the rising costs of film lots of people are switching to older, CCD sensor digital pocket/prosumer cameras. They produce great photos in good lighting (ISO200-400, like film). The sensor quality and "raw" image is good, but they're held back by the old processing hardware. I wish it's easier to hack these older sensors to newer boards/hardware for better control/output. Even an ESP32 would be an upgrade to the older processing boards I guess.

[schrijver]

There are options atm… just not on-device. There’s CHDK, https://chdk.fandom.com/wiki/CHDK which changes the firmware of certain Canon compact cameras to add (among other things) RAW output. It should help you get the max out of your sensor.

Then again, the first generation of pocketable mirrorless cameras with APS-C sized sensors (which are much bigger & high quality than those found in pocket cameras, or the one used in the article’s hack) should be pretty accessible right now… ie Fuji x-t10, canon m1/2/3. The Canon M1 also takes Magic Lantern which adds raw video ! (Albeit with a significant crop factor).

[raihansaputra]

I knew about Magic Lantern but just found out about CHDK! I'll definitely try to grab a S95 to use with it.

Yeah the APS-C cameras definitely has better sensors (even accounting for the better highlight falloff from the older CCD sensors), but personally the appeal of digicams is to replace my small pocket film cameras, so those are just slightly too big. (I do still have an original x100 kicking around too.)

[psychomugs]

Behind my phone, the Fuji XF10 - their answer to Ricoh's GR - is probably my most-used camera out of a cabal that includes the X100V, X-T3, and X-Pro2. It's a shame that this pocket of pocketable cameras with physical controls is dying out.