How To Install Magic Lantern – A Step-By-Step Video Guide

Given all the (justified) hype around Magic Lantern’s RAW hack more and more Canon users want to install the firmware hack. The most amazing results are obtained with the EOS 5D Mark III, but also a five year old camera that was never thought to shot video, the EOS 50D (here on eBay), can produce amazing results with the Magic Lantern hack.

Dave Dugdale from Learning DSLR Video made a video that shows step-by-step how to install the Magic Lantern hack. As Dave suggests, it is best to install first the stable version of Magic Lantern before playing around with the alpha-releases (or nightly builds) that deliver the RAW video output.

Be sure that the battery is fully charged before starting the installation process. You have to reset the camera to factory settings, then you have to format the memory card. After that you plug the card in you computer and copy the downloaded files on it. Finally, the card goes back in your camera, where you navigate to the firmware update menu. When all is done correctly you will see the screen output below.

magic lantern

[ISO 1200 via PetaPixel]

Canon C300 Video-Reviews (P. Bloom and others)

EOS C300

The Canon EOS C300 and C300/PL are discounted to $13,999 at B&H (click here) and Adorama (click here).

Let’s start with a short SciFi movie (That Day) shot by Philip Bloom on the Canon C300. Bloom says (source: creativeplanetnetwork):

For my part as DP, I had to decide which camera I was going to shoot this on, how to shoot it, and what I needed to achieve this. I decided upon the C300…why the C300? Well first off it is my newest camera and I really wanted to see it pushed in this situation. I was looking at the F3 which would have worked great, but for me this camera made more sense. Especially as it’s the EF version and there would be some hand-held work. Those IS lenses are a dream for that.

 

Zac Nicholson shot No Place On Earth, a movie about how 38 Ukrainian Jews hid from the Nazis for 18 months in 1942. About the Canon C300 he says (source: motionvfx):

I had been using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II for a lot of my own documentaries and narrative experimental work. (…) I think Canon was the first to understand what they had created for filmmakers in the DSLR market, and then to push that beyond its boundaries into new areas. For a long time I had been waiting for something I would be comfortable shooting movies with that didn’t use film. The EOS C300 camera was what I had been waiting for. I have heard other filmmakers praise the EOS C300 camera, and everything I saw from it was extraordinary. Plus, I’d be able to use my Canon EF lenses with the EOS C300 camera. As soon as the EOS C300 camera became available I bought one, and it has exceeded my expectations. I have been shooting with it ever since and it’s basically been my workhorse, the camera I hope to shoot with every single time I go out. There were a lot of things that we did with the EOS C300 camera for No Place on Earth that were in environments that were so difficult to shoot in that we could not have physically or logistically done them with a larger digital cinematography camera, especially one requiring assistants. The EOS C300 camera provides a small, almost DSLR-like shape and structure, which is highly portable and maneuverable, and yet it gives you a sensor that can match those of the larger digital cinema cameras.”

 

The utility of the C300 in shooting documentaries is well known. Rick Gershon made the film Surviving the Peace: Angola, documenting the problem of people in Angola, still struggling with landmines 10 years after the end of the civil war. About the C300 he says (source: motionvfx):

Despite the few things that bothered me about the C300, I found it to be a phenomenal verite-style documentary camera. In fact, for this type of work, given the form factor and features of the camera, in my opinion, there is not a better camera out there right now for guys like me. (…) Working with the C300 in a documentary setting was a really great experience. I was truly blown away with just how user friendly the camera was and how quickly I became comfortable with it. And of course the footage speaks for itself.

 

Finally, a short video by Italian filmmaker Aldo Ricci. The video is in Italian and has English subtitles. C300 vs Maserati, good challenge! :-)

 

Reviews: Canon IXUS 255 HS (techradar), Powershot N (cnet) And Powershot SX280 (photographyblog)

Canon ELPH 330 HS
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Specs:

  • 12.1MP CMOS Sensor
  • Canon 10x Optical Zoom Lens
  • 35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 24-240mm
  • 3.0″ LCD Monitor
  • Continuous Shooting Rate of 6.2fps
  • Full HD 1920 x 1080 Video
  • Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • Intelligent IS Image Stabilization
  • Canon HS SYSTEM

techradar reviewed the WiFi-enabled Canon Powershot IXUS 255 HS (ELPH 330 HS in the US, available with a $30 discount for $199 at B&H and Adorama). In the conclusion they write:

Overall, the Canon IXUS 255 HS is a solid, dependable, easy to use point and shoot camera. With its full price of £230/US$230/AU$280, it sits comfortably in its price bracket, shared by rival cameras such as the rugged Fuji XP200, stylish Nikon Coolpix S9500 and ultra wide-angled Panasonic SZ9.

You can power on and take a shot within a matter of seconds, making it almost as quick to use as your always-to-hand smartphone, but with a resulting image quality that far outstrips its mobile competitors. It also offers an array of useful functions without cramming too much in for gimmick value, making it simple and easy to handle.

The Canon IXUS 255 HS is capable of producing some excellent images, with plenty of detail and vibrant colours. Pleasingly, we also found the HD video shooting to be good, making it useful for those who want to shoot the occasional home movie too.

Canon Powershot N
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Specs:

  • 12.1MP High Sensitivity CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • 8x f/3.0 Optical Zoom Lens
  • 28-224mm Focal Length Equivalency
  • 2.8″ Capacitive Tilt-Touch LCD Panel
  • 1080p Full HD Video Capture
  • Built-in Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • One-Touch Mobile Device Connect Button
  • Creative Shot Mode

cnet reviewed the WiFi-enabled Canon Powershot N ($299), a true fun-cam. In the conclusion they write:

The Canon PowerShot N acts as a nice complement to a smartphone camera. You get some optical zoom with excellent optical image stabilization, very good photo and video quality (certainly better than typical phone camera quality), and built-in Wi-Fi so you can still share your shots almost as easily as you can when you shoot with your phone. And it’s all in a tiny attention-grabbing package.

PowerShot SX280 Review
Specs:
  • 12.1MP High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
  • 20x Optical Zoom Lens
  • 35mm Focal Length Equivalent: 25-500mm
  • 3.0″ LCD Monitor
  • Full HD 1080p Video Capture at 60fps
  • Built-in Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization
  • Hybrid Auto Mode
  • GPS Tracker

Finally, photograhpyblog reviewed the WiFi and GPS-enabled Canon PowerShot  SX280 ($329). In the conclusion they write:

The same 25-500mm, 20x zoom lens offers a broad focal range that makes it possible to frame up subjects near or far in pretty much an instant, pretty amazing given the size of the SX280 HS which is only a little larger than most compacts. The GPS system has been speeded-up, so that the waiting time for a lock on the nearest satellite is shorter, while wi-fi makes its first appearance on a Canon travel-zoom. As with Canon’s other wireless compacts, though, it doesn’t offer all of the features of rival systems and is a little difficult to both setup and use. Using both GPS and wi-fi quickly drained the battery, so buy a couple of spares if you want to take full advantage of the camera’s features.

Canon C100 vs EOS 7D Video Comparison

How do the Canon C100 and the Canon EOS 7D compare? It’s a $5500 (C100) vs $1300 (7D) affair and they have different sensors, but it is interesting to see where the differences are. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM was used on both cameras.

Canon C100 with a $1000 discount at: Adorama and B&H
Canon EOS 7D price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA [via planet5d]

More Videos Taken With Canon EOS 50D And Magic Lantern RAW Hack (and comparison with 5D Mark II)

How cool is it to get RAW video output from a 5 year old camera that was never thought to be a video camera? Pretty much cool in my opinion. Kudos to the skilled Magic Lantern hackers for their Magic Lantern RAW hack.

There is more video footage shot with the modified 50D that showed up. Check the videos above and below. It also means that the hardware of the EOS 50D has always been able to shot video. There is a discussion going on about the Magic Lantern RAW hack in the Magic Lantern forum.

This could be the right time to get an EOS 50D on eBay, before the price will raise because of the newly discovered possibilities.

[via nofilmschool and motionvfx]

 

Head To Head Review: Canon Powershot G15 vs. Nikon Coolpix 7700

Powershot G15

Interesting comparison by photographic authority dpreview.

A head to head comparison of the Canon PowerShot G15 and the Nikon Coolpix 7700, both very popular high end compact cameras for enthusiasts. While it obvious that each one has its strengths and weak points – the G15 has a faster lens (f/1.8) and the 7700 a longer zoom range, just to make an example – the Canon Powershot G15 comes out as the winner – even if with a very small advantage. Let’s see the core specs (taken from B&H‘s product pages)

 PowerShot G15  Coolpix 7700
 12.1MP CMOS Sensor  12.2MP CMOS Sensor
 3.0″ LCD Monitor  3″ Display With 921K Resolution
 5x Optical Zoom 6.1-30.5mm Lens  7.1x 28-200mm Zoom Lens (35mm Equiv.)
 28-140mm 35mm Equivalent Focal Length  f/2.0 Maximum Aperture
 DIGIC 5 Image Processor  High-Speed Shooting at Up to 8 FPS
 1080p HD Video Capture  Subject Tracking Auto Focus
 12800 ISO  19 Scene Modes
 Intelligent IS Image Stabilization  Full-Size Accessory Shoe for Accessories
 10fps Continuous Capture  In-Camera Creative Special Effects
 RAW & JPEG Capture  RAW & JPEG Capture

In the conclusion, different aspects are considered:

  • Design and Handling: While the P7700’s flip-out LCD is appealing, [dpreview thinks] that the G15’s smaller, more rugged body and optical viewfinder give it a slight edge.
  • Features: Canon Powershot G15 is winner
  • Performance: Canon Powershot G15 is winner
  • Movie mode: Coolpix P7700 (thanks to mic input and manual exposure control)
  • Image quality: Coolpix P7700 (by a hair)

The final word by dpreview:

The Canon PowerShot G15 narrowly beats the Nikon Coolpix P7700 in our competition here, but it’s a close-run thing. The G15 offers a fast lens, very good image quality, a compact yet solid body, snappy performance, and plenty of manual controls. And then there’s the optical viewfinder which, while not great, is better than nothing. About the only things on our wish list are an articulating LCD display (like on previous models), faster frame rates in movie mode, and a bit sharper images, though the latter is subjective.

The Canon Powershot G15 gets a Gold Award (76%), the Nikon Coolpix 7700 a Silver Award (75%).

Canon PowerShot G15 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Nikon Coolpix 7700 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

[via dpreview]