Canon Digital Rebel Hacked Into A Pseudo-10D

Reverb9 writes "When Canon introduced the Digital Rebel, the world's first entry-level Digital SLR camera, many remarked on its similarities to the 10D , its $500 more expensive big brother. In fact, the two cameras share much of the same technology and so Canon implemented a number of software-based limitations to avoid destroying sales of the professional-oriented 10D. Now, a new hack that restores a previously hidden menu along with a few additional tricks has added nearly all of those 10D features to the Rebel, with an arguably superior user interface to boot. Canon has so far said little on the hack but certainly cannot be happy with its potential effect on sales. This is, however, a reality that more corporations are having to confront. In an era where programming labour is relatively cheap and computer connectivity more frequent can artificial, marketing-driven, barriers between technology products, last?"

Comments

Re:Makes you wonder

[Anonymous Coward]

Some of the Sony Minidisc players had features disabled through software. I, for one, was able to get many new features on mine after enering the service menu.

Re:Makes you wonder

[lambent]

My Comcast cablebox (motoral model unknown, somewhere from c.1992) is a POS. I called Comcast for tech support because my volume was too low ... they said I couldn't set it on the cable box. I foolishly took their word for it.

Fast forward some months ... I bought a nice universal remote to consolodate my growing stockpile ... as I was entering in trial numbers for motoral boxes, I got to an entry that kinda worked ... some of the buttons were screwed up, and I couldn't get to the menu. However, the up/down cursor keys magically brought up a volume menu!

This one feature was useful enough for me to keep two different codes for my one cable box on one remote.

I'm still searching for the CC button, like aztec gold.

Re:Makes you wonder

[wllf]

The best easter egg in a car I think is this one. Have not found the hidden launch control on my 10 year old rustbucket, though. I am taking apart the digital clock this weekend to find it.

Re:Time to buy.

[cujo_1111]

Spend the extra on the 10D, the metal chassis alone is worth the extra $$...

Both are "ProSumer" cameas really...

[SuperKendall]

Saving $500 is quite a lot, I'll bet a number of normal people figure out how to apply this hack with detail instructions from message boards and the like.

I really thought it was odd of Canon to differentiate the software at all - they should haver just kept the price differential to a resnable cost for a sturdier body.

Both are really prosumer cameras, I think people shopping for one would be thinking about the other - like you say, the real difference is when you are going for a 1D or a 1Ds.