Python bindings for libgphoto2.
This is a very rough proof of concept. Feel free to play with it and add improvements.
You have to install libgphoto2. It should work with any version, from the one prepackaged in Ubuntu to the latest SVN checkout. In theory, of course :)
import piggyphoto
C = piggyphoto.Camera()
print C.abilities
C.capture_preview('preview.jpg')
C.capture_image('image.jpg')
Enjoy!