[redgecko]

Has anybody tried the pre-alpha or beta version of the Magic Lantern firmware update for the T2i?

It features:

* Onscreen audio meters
* Lens data computation

Upcoming features:

* Manual audio gain (not yet tested)
* Headphone monitoring via A/V jack
* Zebra stripes / histogram / waveform
* Cropmarks

More info here: http://magiclantern....a.com/wiki/550D

[jius]

From reading progress since months ago magic Latern seems to be a bit of a dead horse. For 550d its been in pre-alpha for a long while with no visible progress. So being a pre-alpha i don't know anyone who would risk it. There seems little progress on ML as a whole, just look at wiki dates. So I would just count this as a no comer for 550D (unless something drastic happens) - so its just a fustration shared by those on 500D who never got manual controls they so desired from Canon or ML or the like.

[zaverho]

I've tried beta version, but it didn't work well on my 550D, I could see audio meters, but couldn't adjust levels. The camera also hung after a while.

I'm back to the original firmware now.

[funkdis]

I've just installed this and have tested the sound, although its not 24bit, it will do fine in interviews. I have two wireless lavs that I will just plug into my t2i, not the best sound, but definitely workable with voice on my budget and how much i charge and what the client wants.

[jius]

The proposed extras like Zebras would be a very welcome edition indeed!! Its a shame Canon is not watching and getting motivated (that we know of). Give Hudson a job at Canon i say!

Keep us updated with your progress and findings.

[Shaz J. Ahmed]

I think proposed extras like more Iso control would be a great break through. Im sick of jumping from iso400 to iso800. Its grainy and awful. Also increasing the bit rate to maybe 32bit would be nice. Obviously you gotta keep it behind the 5D's capacity but having said that working with 32bit would be great for post work.

[Phillip Gibb]

I am keen to try out the Magic Lantern Firmware on my 550D. I am not concerned about audio since I will be using a Zoom H4n.

[zaverho]

A new , full version of ML came out in the past days -
http://magiclantern....a.com/wiki/550D

A lot of new features are included. Have anyone tried it yet?

@Ahmed - selective bit rate doesn't mean you'll be able to shot in 32bit mode. Its just the amount of compression you apply on the raw footage when writing in H264 compressor.

[Shaz J. Ahmed]

No but because theres more info which is not so damaged due to compression it should look better in 32bit compositions when created in AF. And colour levels should be more generous. Thats the theory. Like i said in the 5dmkii topic, would love a sample recorded at 66mbs.

[redgecko]

Now a new Magic lantern firmware is out and it seems to be working:

http://philipbloom.n...sign-of-7d-yet/

http://magiclantern....a.com/wiki/550D

It has now the following features:

* GUI menus: press the ERASE button to display them
* Bit rate control (QScale parameter) for the H.264 encoder
* Zebra stripes for overexposed / underexposed areas
* Spotmeter, histogram
* Cropmarks (16:9, Cinemascope, Fisheye)
* Simple intervalometer
* Trap Focus: camera takes a picture when something comes in focus
* Wireless trigger with the LCD face sensor & your own hand
* AE bracketing (like on 5D2 ML)
* Rack focus
* Stack focus (Live View only)
* Lens data computation
* Onscreen audio meters
* Manual audio gain, selectable input source, disable AGC and digital filters
* Display time remaining during video recording
* Debug functions (display CMOS temperature, screenshot, logging)


It's still a pre-alpha version, but I wonder if anybody else tried it already?
I am planning to give it a shot today and will post my results.

[Shaz J. Ahmed]

Please do redgeko. i would love to hear if it all functions ok. Theres some releases there that would be magic intergrate. Looking forward to your review.

[redgecko]

I've installed the new version without problems, also just tried out the add-on for custom ISO positions (https://groups.googl...89e86251793ce1d).

I will do some test shooting tonight, I hope I can give you a few more details tomorrow!
So far I had some problems with the overlay infos being frozen, and no audio playback on camera, but everything else seemed to work fine.

[redgecko]

I've just tried the qscale settings at -16 = 73.3 mb and was able to record for about 30sec before the buffer sign comes on and recording stopped automatically (on a class 6 card).

Here is a discussion with a lot more opinions from people who have tried it:
http://cinema5d.com/...&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[Shaz J. Ahmed]

Wow its really starting to open some doors! Iso positions is just what i suggested in a 550D forum topic somewhere on here...
Maybe try the qscale setting at 66mbs. That what the recommended rate is for the 5D hack.

[jius]

Found this link in vimeo showing the ML hack:



Zebras are a nice touch for me!, something missing that are helpful.

[geeyouwhy]

Very keen to see how this goes. Thanks for the posts guys!

[Shaz J. Ahmed]

Think im going to wait a little longer to see if they straighten out those bugs and get a better overall display. It would annoy me not being able to see my settings as i shoot.

[zaverho]

I've just installed the new version. Works fine, but there are problems with stuck graphics.

I don't know how much it will help me, since I never use internal sound recording. Maybe higher bit rates will be useful.

I can hardly wait...

[Phillip Gibb]

I am a bit nervious about installing the new firmware - the disclaimer makes it sound like my camera will blow up
and I also assume that it would be best to get an SD card that writes at 90MB/s at least for ML - ML used Lexar 400x UDMA 16 GB Cards, but I can only find the CF Cards on amazon that match that. Anyone have any links to good SD Cards for the 550D?

shot

[Shaz J. Ahmed]

Hey phillip try http://www.amazon.co...0&tag=saouri-20
Never had any trouble with Class 10 Transcend cards.