How about using your old Nintendo DS as your camera controller?

Dec 7, 2011

There are many photographers/geeks trying to add new camera abilities with hacks or attachment. This may add features of the camera, as well as bringing bugs and problem.

Meanwhile somewhere in the other side of earth, there is a group of geeks there created the Open Camera Controller(OCC) and lets you to control you camera using Nintendo DS. Yes, a Nintendo DS. Cool huh?

The OCC uses open source development tools which enables the modified Nintendo DS to perform functions as a camera controller.

The OCC project arose from our need to shoot HDR images for film production using Canon cameras. Canon has stubbornly chosen to stick to its standard 3-shot method for bracketing shots – one metered shot and two additional shots one or two stops above and below the metered shot. For texture shooting, it is sometimes necessary to shoot 5,7,9 or even 11 or more stops of bracketing around the metered exposure. We’ve since found that the OCC system can work with other brands like Olympus and Sigma cameras.

The Open Camera Controller uses your camera remote shutter release cable port as a main communication cable between the Nintendo DS and the camera. Based on the site, they have tested with several camera such as Canon 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D and 5D mark II and it works!.

But take note that some cameras won’t works well, you better check for your camera’s compatibility on their site.

* It’s not a jailbreak in the common sense. Your DSLR and Nintendo DS stay untouched, no firmware is flashed, no warranty seal broken, no irreversable change done. We like our gear and play it safe.

The best thing about this Open Camera Controller is it is an open source development based. Which means, you can add your open source app on the Nintendo DS to owns that specific features.