Magic Lantern makes Linux boot on Canon DSLRs

The skilled folks at Magic Lantern did another trick: booting Linux operating system on Canon DSLRs. And no, this is not a joke. It’s a proof of concept so far, a working prototype, never the less it is another big step in the right direction. Watch the video above to see Linux booting on a Canon camera.

From Magic Lantern:

We, the Magic Lantern Team, are very proud to present you a new milestone in DSLR customization!

LINUX ON CANON EOS CAMERAS!

(edit: after playing a game, making it look like an April’s fool, we can ensure: this is not a fake!)

Starting from our recent discovery about display access from bootloader, we thought, hey, we could now have full control of the resources from this embedded computer. At this stage, we knew what kind of ARM processor we have (ARM 946E-S), how much RAM we have (256MB/512MB depending on the model), how to print things on the display (portable code), how to handle timers and interrupts, how to do low-level SD card access on select models (600D and 5D3), and had a rough idea where to start looking for button events.

So, why not trying to run a different operating system?

We took the latest Linux kernel (3.19) and did the first steps to port it. As we have nearly zero experience with kernel development, we didn’t get too far, but we can present a proof of concept implementation that…

…boots the Linux kernel 3.19 on Canon EOS DSLR cameras!
– it is portable, the same binary runs on all ML-enabled cameras (confirmed for 60D, 600D, 7D, 5D2 and 5D3)
– allocates all available RAM
– prints debug messages on the camera screen
– sets up timer interrupts for scheduling
– mounts a 8 MiB ext2fs initial ramdisk
– starts /bin/init from the initrd
– this init process is a selfcontained, libc-less hello world
– next step: build userspace binaries (GUI, etc)

Canon announce 9 new, high performance network cameras

Canon Rumor

Canon press release:

Canon U.S.A. Expands Network Camera Lineup With Introduction Of Nine New Versatile, High Performance Models – Including Three In New “Speed Dome” Category

New Network Camera Models Include Weather and Vandal Resistant Speed Domes with 30x Optical Zoom and 360 Degrees Continuous Rotation, and Multiple Outdoor and Indoor Fixed Dome and Bullet Cameras 

MELVILLE, N.Y., March 31, 2015 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, has introduced nine new Network Cameras with advanced capabilities designed to efficiently meet outdoor and indoor applications in a wide range of markets including city surveillance, critical infrastructure, financial institutions, airports and transportation, education, retail, commercial offices, and gaming establishments. All nine new Canon network cameras integrate advanced core components designed to deliver video with superb detail, vital color information and exceptional low-light performance. Those core components include advanced Genuine Canon lenses with High and Super High UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) lens elements and multilayer coatings, high sensitivity 1.3MP CMOS image sensors, and dual proprietary Canon DIGIC processors: the DIGIC DV III to help maximize image quality and the DIGIC NET II for simultaneous streaming of H.264 and M-JPEG video streams in multiple resolutions for versatile monitoring and recording (including monitoring on compatible smartphones and tablets).

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(CW1) Canon having Problems with Glass Supply?

Canon Rumor

Northlight Images reports a rumor suggesting that Canon’s…

glass supplies (more exotic types) are limiting the introduction of a whole load of new top end lenses. Canon has new manufacturing capacity, but optical glass making still takes a lot of time and is not just something you can just quickly ramp up

Sounds unreliable to me, and never I got any suggestion pointing in this direction. For me it’s CW1.

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Canon Files Annual Report for 2014

Canon Rumor

Canon press release:

Canon Files Annual Report on Form 20-F for the Year Ended December 31, 2014

TOKYO, March 30, 2015—Canon Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE: CAJ) today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2014, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2015. The annual report on Form 20-F, which contains the Company’s complete audited financial statements, can be accessed from the Company’s website at:
http://www.canon.com/ir/library/form20f.html

The Company will also provide a hard copy of its complete audited financial statements free of charge to all shareholders upon request.

To facilitate this, Canon provides an online request form that can be accessed from the Company’s website at: 
http://www.canon.com/ir/annual/index.html