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Author Topic: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?  (Read 12964 times)

Sunny Alan

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Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« on: April 29, 2014, 10:05:06 pm »

Somebody advised here to go for the open program 'Magic Lantern' an open source program to alter/ enhance capability of the camera for more single-shot file size, DoF, low light capability etc, against my query of replacing my 5d2 with Sony A7r, for more file size avoiding nuances of multiple stitching.

Is it helpful for more file size for enlarge printing?

Same time I found a warning of "THIS IS DANGEROUS AND MIGHT DAMAGE YOUR CAMERA. NO WARRANTIES. NO GUARANTEES. DO NOT TAUNT. IF IT BREAKS, YOU GET TO KEEP BOTH PIECES" (!) at the Magic Lantern site !
I wonder if it is so advantageous, why I never heard of it, and why not popular?
Any user of this with your 5d2 may please share....

Thank you.
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jjj

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2014, 10:18:44 pm »

Magic Lantern use on a 5DII is primarily for video and the extra capabilities it confers on the camera for such work. Though for stills I know of some people who install it for it's timelapse features, not for any image quality benefits.
Being able to shoot raw video, does benefit quality, but that is video, not stills.
So not the tool you are looking for really.
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hjulenissen

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2014, 01:59:17 am »

I am using Magic Lantern for my Canon 7D for stills only, and I find it quite helpful. I can only assume that what ML does for the 5Dmk2 is similar to what it does to the 7D.

It has got some nifty features:
-automatic ETTR
-improved histograms
-automated focus bracketing
-time-lapse/intervalometer
-the multi-ISO feature (haven't tried that one)

I don't think that you need to worry about bricking your camera. There is a chance that it will be less stable, so if your career depends on that single "golden shot" (and the camera not rebooting at that time), I would think twice about using this software. That said, I don't experience such problems using nightly builds on my 7D.

-h
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jjj

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2014, 10:46:36 am »

The question was about bigger, better files not about usability tweaks. ML does not do anything for stills in that regard, whereas with video it can enable raw, which makes an enormous difference to image quality.
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hjulenissen

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2014, 02:08:03 pm »

The question was about bigger, better files not about usability tweaks.
I was referring to "DoF, low light capability etc"

Auto ETTR is actually quite neat in providing (slightly) improved single shots without all of the hassle.

-h
« Last Edit: April 30, 2014, 02:11:17 pm by hjulenissen »
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Sunny Alan

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2014, 03:51:47 pm »

yes, I reiterate, I was not only seeking size of file, but other improvements too.
After all ML is a FREE fruit, why shouldn't I use it even if it minutely improve my images?

If the above-said are the advantages, I embrace it, especially I am assured by you users that it do no harm to my Camera.
Thanks for the advices.... I love LULA !  :-*
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Paul2660

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2014, 08:48:06 am »

For. Canon camera owner ML is a great asset. Currently use it on my 6D. Amazing what they can  unlock and create.

Paul
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Paul Caldwell
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Sunny Alan

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2014, 09:10:01 am »

"For. Canon camera owner ML is a great asset. Currently use it on my 6D. Amazing what they can  unlock and create. "

If I replace the 5d2 with Sony A7r, ML is not useful ? Why?
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jjj

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2014, 03:04:32 pm »

If I replace the 5d2 with Sony A7r, ML is not useful ? Why?
It's a Canon firmware hack, so nothing to do with Sony kit.
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jjj

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #9 on: May 01, 2014, 03:07:41 pm »

I was referring to "DoF, low light capability etc"
So how does it affect either of those two?

Quote
Auto ETTR is actually quite neat in providing (slightly) improved single shots without all of the hassle.
Not entirely convinced by ETTR myself, but that's a whole other debate or 14. ;D
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hjulenissen

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2014, 07:52:48 am »

So how does it affect either of those two?
DOF:
The focus stacking seems like a very convenient feature for cases where you want more DOF.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcRVXuc6Yt4

low light capability:
While ML won't magically improve the basic sensor quality, it does have tools that allows you to set exposure with greater confidence. For "marginal" cases, I would argue that finding the right compromise does matter.

-h
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jjj

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #11 on: May 02, 2014, 01:37:06 pm »

I can do either of those things without ML, so it doesn't actually increase those aspects as such.
However ML is very impressive indeed and the excellent tweaks to the UI and improved video quality only shows how lazy/complacent Canon is.
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hjulenissen

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #12 on: May 03, 2014, 05:25:09 am »

I can do either of those things without ML, so it doesn't actually increase those aspects as such.
I am sure that you can. Now, does any of this help the thread starter in any way?

-h
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jjj

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Re: Magic Lantern for 5d2. a make or break ?
« Reply #13 on: May 03, 2014, 05:40:12 am »

Quite possibly as he was wary about using ML in case of camera damage.
So if it is not necessary for his needs.....
But if it makes his life much easier then it may be worth the risk.
I have it on mine at moment, but it's a tad flakey.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2014, 09:21:29 pm by jjj »
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