Hi everyone! First time posting here. I've been aware of Magic Lantern for a number of years but it's never been something that I've felt like I've needed, until recently. While I'm not much of a videographer (primarily a stills photographer for portraits and landscapes) there is one feature in particular that Magic Lantern apparently offers that I'm very interested in - focus peaking. I currently own a Canon 5D Mark IV DSLR and am very interested in picking up a particular manual lens, the Lomography Petzval 58mm with Bokeh Control Art Lens for Canon EF. Based on the research that I've done regarding this lens (and based on my experience using manual-focus lenses) it can often be tricky to get sharp in-focus photos without the convenience of autofocus. While this lens isn't nearly as expensive as some of my other glass, it still costs a substantial amount and before I commit to purchasing it I'd like to learn more about Magic Lantern and if its focus peaking features would assist me achieving sharp focus with this manual-focus lens.
A few reviews of this lens mentioned that getting sharp focus on a camera that has built-in focus peaking (they mentioned the Sony A7 specifically) can be quite easy because even at the widest aperture (f/1.9) when the plane of focus is very small you simply have to set the zebra lines on the eyes of your subject which will indicate sharp focus on their eyes. So that's basically what I'm trying to achieve - being able to use focus peaking on my 5D Mark IV to determine what portion of the frame is in focus at such a wide aperture.
Since focus peaking isn't available on my 5D Mark IV (and since I'm not really in a position to invest in another camera that offers this one specific feature) I'm wondering if installing Magic Lantern would make this lens much easier for me to use, at least in terms of achieving sharp focus where I want. But like I said, since I have never used Magic Lantern before, I do have a few questions/concerns before proceeding. If anyone can help me by answering or providing feedback about my following questions, I would really appreciate it!![Smiley :)](/forum/Smileys/aaron/smiley.gif)
1. Is it safe to install Magic Lantern on the Canon 5D Mark IV, and does it void the warranty? I read through the FAQ and I know there is a risk of bricking your camera. However, the vast majority of users seem to have no problem with it, and in fact, many photographers/videographers seem to swear by it. I just got my 5D Mark IV in September so it's currently still under warranty...I haven't had any problems with it, but I would hate to run into an issue and have a void warranty as a result of installing Magic Lantern, if that is a thing.
2. Can it be safely uninstalled? Again I saw in the FAQ that it looks like you can uninstall Magic Lantern from your DSLR and revert it back to the latest official Canon firmware version. I'm just wondering if this process is easy/safe to do? Does it truly set your camera back to the way it would be if Magic Lantern was never installed?
3. Does Magic Lantern on the 5D Mark IV offer focus peaking, and if so, do you think that this would help me achieve sharp focus using the manual focus lens I mentioned? Or do you think there is a better alternative? Some sites suggested using an external video monitor that offers focus peaking, but even the cheapest ones cost a few hundred dollars and I have to wonder how much more of a hassle it would be to shoot with that attached the camera...I'm thinking it wouldn't be a very useful setup for street or candid photography.
If you have any other feedback or suggestions to give based on what I'm trying to do, please let me know! Thanks in advance for any help or information you can provide!
A few reviews of this lens mentioned that getting sharp focus on a camera that has built-in focus peaking (they mentioned the Sony A7 specifically) can be quite easy because even at the widest aperture (f/1.9) when the plane of focus is very small you simply have to set the zebra lines on the eyes of your subject which will indicate sharp focus on their eyes. So that's basically what I'm trying to achieve - being able to use focus peaking on my 5D Mark IV to determine what portion of the frame is in focus at such a wide aperture.
Since focus peaking isn't available on my 5D Mark IV (and since I'm not really in a position to invest in another camera that offers this one specific feature) I'm wondering if installing Magic Lantern would make this lens much easier for me to use, at least in terms of achieving sharp focus where I want. But like I said, since I have never used Magic Lantern before, I do have a few questions/concerns before proceeding. If anyone can help me by answering or providing feedback about my following questions, I would really appreciate it!
![Smiley :)](/forum/Smileys/aaron/smiley.gif)
1. Is it safe to install Magic Lantern on the Canon 5D Mark IV, and does it void the warranty? I read through the FAQ and I know there is a risk of bricking your camera. However, the vast majority of users seem to have no problem with it, and in fact, many photographers/videographers seem to swear by it. I just got my 5D Mark IV in September so it's currently still under warranty...I haven't had any problems with it, but I would hate to run into an issue and have a void warranty as a result of installing Magic Lantern, if that is a thing.
2. Can it be safely uninstalled? Again I saw in the FAQ that it looks like you can uninstall Magic Lantern from your DSLR and revert it back to the latest official Canon firmware version. I'm just wondering if this process is easy/safe to do? Does it truly set your camera back to the way it would be if Magic Lantern was never installed?
3. Does Magic Lantern on the 5D Mark IV offer focus peaking, and if so, do you think that this would help me achieve sharp focus using the manual focus lens I mentioned? Or do you think there is a better alternative? Some sites suggested using an external video monitor that offers focus peaking, but even the cheapest ones cost a few hundred dollars and I have to wonder how much more of a hassle it would be to shoot with that attached the camera...I'm thinking it wouldn't be a very useful setup for street or candid photography.
If you have any other feedback or suggestions to give based on what I'm trying to do, please let me know! Thanks in advance for any help or information you can provide!
![Smiley :)](/forum/Smileys/aaron/smiley.gif)