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Magic Lantern: Hack your Canon DSLR
Just as the ring in the DC-Universe gives its wearer superpowers, Magic Lantern will give your camera “superpowers”. Magic Lantern is a firmware add-on for Canon DSLRs. It enhances the functionality of the camera and adds additional features. The list of features is long and it also depends on the camera you use.
Magic Lantern will not change the original firmware as it is loaded from the memory card. This has advantages and disadvantages. First, you can just delete the firmware files on your memory card and Magic Lantern is gone. Simple. But it also requires you to put the firmware files on every memory card you use. Otherwise, you won’t have Magic Lantern anymore after you swap your memory card. But this is only a one time deal, except there is an update for Magic Lantern. Updates, on the other hand, seem unlikely as the project has pretty much come to a hold. That doesn’t mean that Magic Lantern isn’t any good anymore but as of right now, there won’t be any support for future cameras nor new features.
Rest assured, if you have a camera which was supported my Magic Lantern it will even work today. I am still using my Canon EOS 5D Mk II and I installed Magic Lantern shortly after I bought the camera. I also added an extra but older camera to my gear, which I selected just because it supports Magic Lantern.
What do you get out of it?
Magic Lantern will enhance your camera’s abilities in the following categories.
- Audio Tweaks
- Exposure Tweaks
- Overlays for better composition and exposure
- Movie Tweaks
- Photo Tweaks
- Focus Tweaks
- Display Tweaks
As mentioned earlier, the exact features also depend a little bit on your camera model, as some cameras have additional hardware that others don’t have. For example, my 60D can show a level on the display so I can make sure it sits horizontal, but the required hardware for that is not available in my 5D MKII.
Features
Some of the features you get, which would otherwise require you to buy extra hardware is the Intervalometer and Bulb Timer. These are the two most used features for me. Especially Bulb Timer is helpful while shooting at night. Another neat feature is the overlays you can display in Live View. This is helpful for taking passport photos as they have a lot of requirements where the head has to be in the photo and how big. I used this multiple times and my photos were never rejected to be used in passports.
The list of features is sheer endless and the Magic Lantern Website provides a great overview of which features are available for what camera models and what the feature exactly does.
Installation
Installing Magic Lantern is really worthwhile even for the novice user. You don’t need to be a power user to get good use out of this little firmware add-on. The first thing you have to make sure is if there is a version of Magic Lantern available for your camera model. Check this website for the latest builds of the firmware. The version for my 5D MkII showed that it failed one test, but don’t worry it still runs like a champ on my camera. If you click on one of the camera models it will give you all the necessary information and downloads to install ML on this model.
One very important thing. Make sure you use the right firmware which is recommended to run with Magic Lantern. Everything is listed and described very well for each camera model with download links for the corresponding firmware and ML files. A general and very detailed installation guide is available on the ML website.
Once you have all the files ready, installation takes just about 5 minutes and you are completely set up with Magic Lantern on your camera.
Usage of Magic Lantern
Once you have successfully installed ML on your camera, reboot it. Press the “delete” button, the one with the trash bin, and Magic Lantern will open. Now you are ready to play with the settings and see how it works for you.
Before you are going out and try to do long-time exposure with the Bulb Timer, do a dry-run at home, same as for any other features. Just to get the hang of it. Read the ML-Wiki for detailed help on all the settings and options within ML.
Warning
You might be used to format your card before heading out to a new trip or shoot. Don’t format your card in camera or on the PC. You will lose the Magic Lantern files and therefore its functionality. The camera will still work but none of the ML features will work. If you want to delete all of the images on your camera go to “Erase Images” and then select “All images on card”. It is usually under the first blue tab of the menu. It depends on your camera model. It should be relatively easy to find when you go through the different menu tabs. Otherwise, consult the manual of your camera model as it is slightly different from model to model.
That’s really the only thing you have to worry about. If you are out on a longer trip, keep a backup of the ML-Files on your computer and also in the cloud for example in a Dropbox folder. In case you ever delete the files of your memory card, you have them handy and just have to copy them on your memory card.
Conclusion
ML is definitely the best hack I ever did to my Canon cameras. Alone the bulb timer is a feature I use a ton. But this is just one of the simple features added to your camera which should come from the factory. Newer cameras have some of these features finally integrated. You can do so much with ML. Check out what is possible with your specific model on the ML website. Too bad that development stopped and newer cameras are not supported anymore. Once I switch over to mirrorless from my current favorite, the 5D MkII, I will have to adapt to a new reality 😉
Peter is an award-winning photographer who travels all over the world to capture the beauty of our planet as well as the achievements of humanity. Follow Peter on his travel blog Gate to Adventures for more amazing places to go and explore.
