Magic Lantern - HDR video, bracketing - anyone with experience using this?

eoren1

Magic Lantern is the name for extended firmware for certain Canon cameras. I had followed their progress for some time hoping they would start working on a 50D port but had given up until I see an announcement the other day:
http://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/Release_2011Dec22

The HDR video and follow focus caught my eye but then I saw that the 50D was supported. It has a number of benefits but most importantly for me:
Bracketing - 5, 7, or 9 shots
Intervalometer setting

Was wondering if anyone has tried to use this firmware with any of their xxD or xxxD cameras.
Thanks

ziggy53

I have a Canon 5D MKII and I have been downloading Magic Lantern since it started. I haven't installed any of the versions because I haven't had an immediate need for the capabilities offered.

Magic lantern is similar to CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) in that you load the code onto a memory card and, when you boot the camera, the new boot code stub is installed temporarily into the camera. Ideally, that means that when you remove the affected memory card, you should be able to boot back into the camera's native state.

While this means that typically there should be no permanent code loaded onto your camera, it is not as safe as using the authorized manufacturer's firmware alone.

Permanent damage to your camera could result from using Magic Lantern stub code. While I have not seen any evidence that this has happened so far, it is entirely possible. (To date, the worst case has been where users had to remove both the main battery and the CMOS backup battery in order to revert the camera to normal use. Magic Lantern has also been known to drain the main battery, even with the camera powered down.) As such, there is some risk using the Magic Lantern stub on your camera and, if you decide to load the stub, you must accept the risk and all possible ramifications yourself.

My recommendation is not to use Magic Lantern on your camera unless you are willing to accept the risk of permanent damage to your camera.

eoren1

Thanks for the post Ziggy. I've been reading some more and this is how I understand it:
ML adds a boot flag to firmware
If you insert a CF card with autoexec on it you run ML software
if you insert a normal cf card you run the camera as-is
You can still format cards in camera as I do to clear them
Only danger seems to be if you remove the autoexec from cf card but leave hidden files (ie don't follow uninstall procedure) then the camera won't turn on. You then remove card and battery and should be fine again.

I'm thinking that the extended brackets and ability to shoot longer than 30 sec without need for external device make this worth trying out. Would love to hear if others have done so.

Dan7312

You might check out http://www.cinema5d.com . On and off there, they have quite a bit of discussion about Magic Lantern.

eoren1 wrote: »

Thanks for the post Ziggy. I've been reading some more and this is how I understand it:
ML adds a boot flag to firmware
If you insert a CF card with autoexec on it you run ML software
if you insert a normal cf card you run the camera as-is
You can still format cards in camera as I do to clear them
Only danger seems to be if you remove the autoexec from cf card but leave hidden files (ie don't follow uninstall procedure) then the camera won't turn on. You then remove card and battery and should be fine again.

I'm thinking that the extended brackets and ability to shoot longer than 30 sec without need for external device make this worth trying out. Would love to hear if others have done so.

JimKarczewski

Just wondering how they got around Canons blocking with the latest firmware needing to be encrypted? Unless you have to use an old BIOS. I played with an older version on my 5DII and didn't see a need for anything I didn't already have, but the new version with the bracketing and focus.. well, may be different.

Dan7312

My guess is that the firmware is just encrypted in the flash memory that holds it. I doubt the camera runs directly off of encrypted code. The firmware is probably decrypted and loaded into regular memory so it can be used by the camera.

ML is just loaded into the regular memory from the cf, it doesn't try to update the flash memory that holds the Canon encrypted firmware. In fact my guess is that it doesn't completely overwrite what is in memory, it just patches up the stuff that is there.

Ziggy's point about what this might do to your camera is a good one. It's not so much that you might corrupt the firmware in the flash memory, it's when you mix code with mechanicals or electricals and get it wrong you literally break things. I'm sure that code controls all kinds of timing issues for the mechanics and electricals in the camera. A slight mis-patch and you can end up with a "timing chain" issue and break a valve or overstress some electronic component.

I remember a long time ago when a co-worked was asked to write a diagnosic to test a software driver that handled printing on a teletype... he was told "don't worry about the mechanics your just writing code". His first pass at the diagnostic literally had springs flying out of the teletype.

But is seems like a lot of people use ML with great success... YMMV

JimKarczewski wrote: »

Just wondering how they got around Canons blocking with the latest firmware needing to be encrypted? Unless you have to use an old BIOS. I played with an older version on my 5DII and didn't see a need for anything I didn't already have, but the new version with the bracketing and focus.. well, may be different.