Magic Lantern firmware released
 

The Magic Lantern firmware for the 5D Mark II is available for public beta! There are still some very rough edges, but it should be usable for wide-spread testing. In this version there are:

- Onscreen stereo audio meters
- Full-time cropmarks
- Zebra stripes for overexposed regions
- Fixed audio gain (+10 dB analog, +12 dB digital) with -NO AGC-
- Live headphone monitoring on A/V jack (without disabling LCD)
- printf() to the bitmap display
- GUI event viewer (press Picture Style button)

The button remapping was having problems, so it has been pulled out for now.

I've posted a Magic Lantern firmware introduction on vimeo and the website for more info and downloads is Magic Lantern Firmware Wiki. See the FAQ for most questions regarding the software.

Keep in mind there are no warranties and no guarantees, and if it breaks your camera you get to keep both pieces.

Bravo!
 

Bravo Tramm. Well done! Nice touch with the video as well.

I don't even own a Canon, but I've been so impressed with this that I've followed this topic with great interest. Congratulations Tramm. Nice job.

I have been testing this for a bit tonight. Really loving the combo of the JuicedLink CX231 and Magic Lantern software. As a user, you may want to boost your headphones output by getting something like the Boostaroo Revolution, and head phone amplifier for about 29 to 35 dollars. You should also consider an inline volume control for the headphones out of boostaroo.

Sound is solid.

Genarally you mount the firmware on your CF cards in root directory, and then when you want to employ Tramm's software, you go to menu, and tell camera to update software. It will do so, and the camera will restart in Magic Lantern. When you shut down, or the time shut off occurs, when you restart, you are back in firmware 1.10.

I assume there are plans to have the features selectable, but this is an amazing dream come true for this camera.....

It seems only the external mic input is supported. But does the internal mic work at least even without benefit audio changes? Or is it disabled too and is an external mic mandatory?

On the internal mic issue, it has to be remembered that this is a beta test of new software. At moment, we are getting some things, and for the moment until the boys get it all worked out, we are giving up some things. This beta release should be considered first step in a developing process.

I am sure at moment, what was figured was that internal mic did not need to be mapped because the genisis of this software was sound capture improvement. The internal mic could never be used for that purpose.

As it stands right now, we don't have video out either. I know from prior responses from Tramm plan is to get HDMI out going.

Now remember, when you invoke this software, it does not permanently replace 1.10. It has to be recalled after camera has gone into rest, or been turned off.

Congratulations Tramm!

The audio quality, with a clean, hot signal, absolutely rocks!

hey Tramm, great work man.

My Vuzix LCD glasses just arrived today, is there a chance of a HDMI out on/off option? I'm using a Zoom H4n for audio so internal signal noise isn't an issue for me and many other users are using external recorders and LCDs for monitoring too.

Likewise I don't own the 5D but I've read with interest all the developments - I think you've passed wizard and moved to Dragon Slayer. An awesome job and I loved the video - content is king and boy the content of that video shows whats possible with a lot of interest, a good deal of effort and a dash of genius.

I think you just took Canons queen with a pawn and the game is about to get really interesting.

Congratulations young man and don't consider any job offers from them under 200k

How many minutes does it take for booting the ML firmware?

External audio is for 35mm film shooting, not for who wants to take advantage of such a light setup, generally one man crew using a small capture device, capable of recording picture and sound. Why not both together? It doesn't make sense. Otherwise, digital audio is there for years and it is lighter than dealing with digital imaging.

*EDIT*
Interesting those glasses in a setup of one man crew.
You'll probably want to know these:
http://www.i-glassesstore.com/
http://www.3dvisor.com/ (eMagin Z800 3DVisor model . . . the resolution is 800 x 600)

Congratulations Tramm! Not just for the all the generous hard work, but for the really professional way you've produced this private beta and the slick presentation of the Wiki etc. A fantastic achievement.

erm most of the guys I know shooting with DSLRs are making films. 2 of whom have shot features with the D90. A zoom H4n is light and has 4 track recording with higher bit-rates than the onboard sound.

Yes, but onboard sound going with a DSLR makes more sense to me.

*EDIT*
See my post above, I added some links for you.

Thanks Trammel!
 

I encourage anyone who appreciates Trammel's work to donate (there's a link on the wiki)... without great tools like this, we'd be stuck and we should show our appreciation!

Fantastic, and just in time for a shoot I have tomorrow.

Thanks Tramm for taking an already great camera and making it better.

Anthony, Mathieu,

The recording quality of the juicedLink into Magic Lantern is awesome. But there are still reasons to record double system in some cases. It really depends on the size of the crew.

If you have a dedicated audio team, they can run untethered from the camera.

If you are are a one person crew, or want fast turnaround in post, recording into the camera makes the most sense.

So, both of your perspectives are valid, depending on the context.

about 10 seconds.

this is awesome! I think the Canon dudes should be working on 1.11 now to catch up!!

That's what I'm HOPING for!

Will the magic lantern firmware void out the warranty of the camera?

That's a good question. It is very similar to CHDK, which has a FAQ: Does using the CHDK program void your warranty?:
They include an email exchange with Canon:
The Magic Lantern firmware is distributed with NO WARRANTY and NO GUARANTEES are provided. It might work. It might not. It hasn't destroyed any cameras yet, but who knows.

If I were management at Cannon, I'd be most vexed with their programmers. I'd say, "Tramm Hudson did what you haven't been able to do. You Are The Weakest Link. You're Fired. Someone get Tramm on the line and hire him for the combined salaries of everyone I just fired."

Ok, that's partly tongue-in-cheek, but still, you get the idea.

During alpha testing, I would turn off the camera and yank the battery after each set of captures, just to make sure that the firmware was yanked and no processes were left resident. That way I felt comfortable testing a series of builds. For people who are worried about the firmware, I recommend this approach, just to calm any fears.

BTW, after each series of tests, I would download the files to the PC using a card reader. I then deleted the media files manually time and time and time again without reformatting the card. I would also delete the older firmware and copy new firmware to the card, again without reformatting. I never had any problems. Many people only delete the media with an in-camera reformat, but I found that this was not necessary.

However, if you are a worrier, you can reformat the card in the camera to clear the card, and then add the firmware in the PC each time to ensure a perfectly clean starting point.

One nice thing about loading the firmware is that the camera will stop you if your battery is too low. That not only protects the camera, but it protects us from losing the next take to a low battery.

The Canon programmers did a great job. I think the problem was with the camera specifications.

Keep in mind that much of the camera spec is awesome, especially where it counts - image quality. It was (and is) just missing a few important features. I wouldn't fire the spec authors though. I would just encourage them not to repeat past mistakes. :)

First of all, I want to extend a big thank you to Tramm. This is simply amazing. I plan to donate as soon as I can (i.e. afford to) and I think anybody who uses this camera should do so as well.

I believe efforts like this will get Canon to update the firmware faster than any other campaign. I think Tramm deserves (I don't use that word lightly) as many donations as he can get, because when Canon finally updates the firmware, Tramm is, figuratively speaking, back to square one.

In my opinion it is his efforts that provide the biggest push for Canon to implement these features in future updates.

It may well be that the programmers already know what can be achieved but are limited by management. Canon has to consider their product pipeline, they don't wnt to canabilise their own sales. The programmers and camera designers may be secretly pleased with Tramms efforts but management would not be happy and the people they'd be yelling at arn't the programmers. Right now my guess is the company lawyers are the ones working double shifts.

Congratulations Tramm!!! ;-DD

Congrats on the front page post on Slashdot!

Slashdot Hardware Story | GPL Firmware For Canon 5D Mark II Adds Features For Film Makers

Here it is on Gizmodo...

Gizmodo - Magic Lantern Firmware Unlocks the Canon 5D Mark II's A/V Potential - Canon 5D Mark II