Received my 60D this afternoon. As this is my first DSLR, I've spent the last few hours figuring things out. One of the big reasons for buying this, was for HDR photography.

I've been on the Magic Lantern wiki page, and being new to DSLR's, I'm not figuring the instalation process out.

I've downloaded Magic Latern (I'm on a Mac), it says to unzip to the root directory on my sd card. But once downloaded, my Mac opens the file into its own finder window, and I'm assuming it has already unzip the files, so I copy and paste the entire contents of the file, onto my sd card.

Here's where I get lost. It says to launch the firmware update process. How do I do that? I copied the files to the card, while th card was in my card reader, I take it out and put back in camera?

Thanks for any help,
Jeff

Put camera into manual mode and upgrade the firmware, and make sure that you have the latest firmware version on your 60D.

Im having the same issue I got mine yesterday I followed all the steps format, copy, Manual mode, firmware update... then screen goes black and the red light just flashes....

Hey Tom, I stumbled through it. I had the black screen and red light also. You have to download the 60D firmware update (off Canons website), even if you camera already has the latestest firmware (mine did), and reinstall it. Then go though the magic Latern instillation process again.

Not I'm trying to figure out how to use magic Latern. Specifically HDR bracketing. I can figure out how to turn it on, but can't figure out how to change its settings. Anyone out there know?

That worked perfectly. I found this video on Youtube Magic Lantern Users Guide - YouTube


It took me awhile to figure out how to get into the menus. Its the Trash Can button

Was thinking about installing Magic Lantern. Is it worth taking the chance? I dont want to mess up my camera trying to install it

What's wrong with your camera that you want to put ML on it?

Was thinking about installing Magic Lantern. Is it worth taking the chance? I dont want to mess up my camera trying to install it
Although there's warnings is big letters everywhere, the risk seems pretty low. I think they bricked a few back in the day when they were testing it out, but nothing much bad has happened since they released it.
Mostly all it does to the camera is flip some sort of internal soft switch that tells it to boot from the SD card, which then has Magic Lantern on it.
It means you have to use an SD card with Magic Lantern installed to make it go, but otherwise your old machine is still in there somewhere unharmed.

I find updating the internal firmware more nerve wracking (mainly because that sort of thing was fraught with danger back in the old days. Not so much any more)

Actually to my knowledge there has not been any bricked cameras due to ML.
For instance one that was reported turned out he had not closed the battery compartment door properly.
Any other incident has been rectified by taking out the battery for a minute and restarting.
So go ahead and load it. You know you want to.

What's wrong with your camera that you want to put ML on it?
Nothing wrong with my 60D, but, I'm quite happy that ML has given me:
(in no particular order)
Waveform monitor
Easier control of manual audio recording levels
Auto restart after stop due to continuous recording over 12min. (3 seconds don't get covered)
Zebras!
A couple different focus aids, that can be used during recording.
Intervalometer.
Headphone output during recording.

Those are the functions I've used frequently, there are many more.

Having said that, I don't feel that it's a beginner's tool. As a crowd-sourced firmware, there is documentation but no single authoritative and complete source written for the neophyte. Nothing like what we think of as a good user manual written by technical writers.

@Seth... I was trying to draw out of Derrick, those things he wanted ML to do for his camera that it doesn't do. Those things are the answer to his questions a.k.a. the things that would have to be worth it.

I use ML. I know what that list is for me. Derrick needs know what it is for him.