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List:       gphoto-devel
Subject:    [GNU Photo devel] Re: Canon support
From:       J.A. Bezemer costar () panic ! et ! tudelft ! nl
Date:       1999-05-28 12:06:37
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On Thu, 27 May 1999, Ole Aamot wrote:

[...]

> Perhaps you could write Canon Inc. and request the specs for this camera.
> 
> Hm... did anyone out there write one standard template/mail he could use?
> 
> Canon support would be great.

I did write Canon, just asking for info on the checksum, to be able to "use it
with Linux" (no mention of gphoto). Unfortunately, they seem to be allergic to
open source (and I didn't even say that the code wasn't for personal use
only ;-) :

----------
 Thank you for your email.

 Unfortunately we do not provide low level command specifications for our
 digital cameras for Linux development.  This is due to the open source code
 issue.  In addition, there are no commands available for the PowerShot 350. 
 This camera was originated by Panasonic and is not a Canon own brand camera. 

 I am sorry that I am unable to help you on this occasion.

 Regards

 Louella Fernandes
 PSDP Manager
----------

By then, I already knew that the Canon Powershot 350
 (www.powershot.com/350) 
is identical to the Konica Q-mini 
 (http://www.konica.com/products/digital/cameras.htm#qmini)
and a Panasonic type
 (http://www.dreamarts.co.jp/magazine/miscall/DC/newface/dcf1/index.html;
  Panasonic itself has no info whatsoever).

So I contacted Konica, with a little different story (trying to write a
DOS-driver for a 286 "laptop" that doesn't run even Win3.1 ;-). This time the
reply was more friendly, but again no luck: 

----------
 I wish I could answer your questions about the checkum questions or the
 driver source in general; unfortunately Konica is not the manufacturer and
 only a marketer of this product. The manufacturer is Matsushita of Japan and
 they are the also the developers of the driver. I have looked on their site
 for information, source, etc. - but have not been successful. In the past I
 have contacted our tech group in Japan requesting such info and have been
 told that the source is not available since Matsushita will not release it!

 [...]

 Sorry I could not be of more help.

 Peter Johnson

 ____________________________________
 Peter Johnson
 Technical Manager
 Digital Imaging Development
 Konica Photo Imaging   
 201.568.3100 x 255
 201.568.7864 [fax]
----------

(And Panasonic is the "low-end" brand name of Matsushita.)

Right now I'm contacting Panasonic, but I'll not be surprised if they won't
help me.

BTW, due to (many!) university activities, I didn't have time yet to post
PS350 protocol details. (Well, without checksum they're useless...)

And don't have high hopes for a PS600 driver without Canon support. Parrallel
comm is _very_ hard to decode... (ask the Zipdrive guys ;-)


Regards,

  Anne Bezemer

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