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Topics - Wannabe

#1
Here is my workflow. You guys tell me if I am doing anything wrong (most probably I am).

1. I use a Canon EOS-M camera with Magic Lantern Crop Mood installed and shoot a clip in 4.8K, 2.35:1 anamorphic.

2. I then use the MLV app to export the .MLV file to AppleProRes LT for the sole purpose of finding out what the final de-squeezed size should be. It turns out that the final size must be 4800x2040 pixels. I write this down.

3. I then use the MLV app again to export the same .MLV clip to CinemaDNG Lossless.

4. I create a new project in DaVinci Resolve.

5. I change the project settings (File > Project setings) to Custom and then enter 4800x2040 pixels

6. Then I import the CinemaDNG sequence in the Media Pool of DaVinci Resolve

7. In the Cut page I drag the CinemaDNG sequence down to the editor tab, and this automatically creates a new Timeline

8. I right click on the new Timeline and do Timeline Settings > uncheck Use Project Settings > Mismateched Resolution = Stretch frame to all corners

Tada! I now have a perfectly de-squeezed footage.


Now. I see one huge problem with this workflow.
The original CinemaDNG's are 1020 pixels tall, which means that when I stretch them to the final height of 2040 pixels, I lose quality.
If I leave them at 1020 pixels of height, then I no longer have 4.8K footage. It is a Catch 22 situation.
What should I change in this workflow?
How do you guys manage to upscale the 1020 pixel DNGs to a larger size without loss of quality?




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#2
General Help Q&A / Swapping SD cards
March 16, 2024, 04:55:00 AM
I bought a new SD card for use with ML Crop Mood.

Kind of a stupid question, but do I have to go through the entire ML installation process for this new card, or is it going to be enough to just copy all the essential ML folders and files from my older card on which I already have ML installed?

In case that copying the files from one card to another is going to be enough, do I have to still overclock the new card?

Thanks!
#3
It worked. :)
Best watched in 4K.


#4
My first (successful?) try at using Magic Lantern.
EOS M and 15-45mm kit lens.

24 frames per second
1/50 shutter speed.
ISO was kept at 100 at all times.
Originally shot using the 4.8K preset in Crop Mood and then exported using the MLV App to 1080p (1920 x 816 to be more precise).
This was done in order to save editing time in Adobe Premiere.

No color grading or color correction was applied.
Also no noise reduction.

Everything was shot hand-held and then stabilized in Adobe Premiere.
The stabilization process cropped the video and this took away from the sharpness of the original material (which was a bit soft to begin with).





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#5
I got myself a Canon EOS-M.
Downgraded its fimware from 2.0.3 down to 2.0.2
Then downloaded the latest Crop Mood build: magiclantern-crop_mood.2023Aug19.EOSM202.zip and installed it.
Set the video settings to 4.8K, 12 bit, ~24 fps.

I can't make the programmed buttons work and therefore I can't change the ISO and Aperture. The buttons do not respond while in Crop Mood.
The dial is as good as dead and does nothing as well.
What could be causing these issues?
#6
Can the 'Influx' plugin import MLV files directly in Adobe Premiere now?
Or is this functionality still work in progress after two years of development?
https://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=26225

Are there any other plugins of this kind?

PS:
The MotionCam Android app goes with a similar plugin that allows the user to import and edit their MCRAW format files directly in Adobe Premiere. Saves long hours (or even days) of conversion time. Very convenient!
#7


Mod note:
Some of the statements made below are either misleading, or false. You can find clarifications in the following posts.




Let me start by saying that I just removed Magic Lantern / Crop Mood form my EOS 100D. I am not sure if I will ever go back to using it again.
This is not a knock on the ML/Crop Mood developers. You guys are absolutely great.

I wanted to try ML/Crop Mood out, because I have a short film project coming up and I got attracted by the idea of shooting in RAW.
After messing around with ML/Crop Mood and MLV App for a few weeks, I decided that I will not use it at all, and that I will shoot my short film using the regular Canon video firmware with a C-LOG profile installed. This will be more than sufficient for my color grading needs and will allow me to shoot without worrying about crashes, interrupted recordings and lost material.
I will then upscale the 1080p result up to 4K, using artificial intelligence software.


Anyway, here are my thoughts on Magic Lantern / Crop Mood:



Pros of Magic Lantern / Crop Mood:

1. Donate-ware. Free to download and install. The user decides how much he wants to pay for it.
2. Has a great forum with lots of friendly and helpful people.
3. Glitches and bugs get ironed out almost instantly by the developers.
4. Could be an interesting project for geeky programmer people who want to mess around with code and try some firmware hacking.


Cons of Magic Lantern / Crop Mood

1. Not exactly user-friendly. Way overloaded with options, too many menus and sub-menus most of which rarely come in to play. Takes a lot of trial and error, a lot of reading, and a lot of YouTube tutorial watching before you can become comfortable with it. Suitable for geeks, but frustrating for the average Joe. Needs to be simplified.
2. Not reliable. Video recording could stop at any given time. For example: the user can experience an interrupted recording while shooting an important movie scene or interview. Material gets lost and/or ruined forever.
3. Requires an expensive fast SD card that often costs as much as the camera itself (or more). If you don't have such card already available to you, be prepared to drop some extra $100-$150.
4. Requires an expensive computer that can handle and speed up file conversion and editing of RAW files. If you don't have a powerful PC already available to you, that would be an extra expense that you will have to make, and another $1000+ down the drain. The total you are going to pay for this Magic Lantern / Crop Mood setup can reach ridiculously high numbers. In many cases you will not be saving any money, but you will be spending money instead. It is like trying to pimp a really old car - it ends up costing you same money as a brand new car.
If you are starting to build your ML / Crop Mood setup from scratch, it would be way better to just spend all that money on a proper cinema camera (second hand) or just shoot 8 bit video with a LOG profile.
5. Steep learning curve for the post-processing stage. MLV App may be intimidating and confusing to some users.
6. Time consuming post-process (mostly the conversion from RAW video to usable video files). Takes long hours or in some cases even days to convert all your material.  And when you are done converting, you have yet to start editing the converted files. Not suitable for people who are in a hurry to finish a project that has been ordered by an impatient client.
7. Auto focus does not work in Crop Mood. Yes, I know that most cinematographers don't use auto focus anyway, but not everybody has a dedicated focus-puller person at hand.
8. Does not offer real 4K video, but basically upscales 1080p and this results in a soft image which does not have the level of detail that real 4K normally delivers.
9. Some builds are still work in progress and can cause camera crashes (learned this the hard way) and some MLV App features may be missing for your camera model. For example there's still no focus pixel maps for EOS 100D.


That's just my 2 cents on this subject. This is my personal point of view: the point of view of an ordinary guy and an ordinary user.
Once again: no disrespect to all the brilliant people who have put countless hours of hard work in this interesting project. Rock on, guys!

I will be following the further development of ML / Crop Mood with greatest of interest.
#8
Probably the most retarded question ever asked on this forum, but is it possible to switch between Canon's standard Photo and Video modes and Crop Mood, without having to uninstall Crop Mood from the SD card first?
In other words, can I use my Canon 100D the way it was intended to be used by Canon, even if my SD card has Crop Mood installed on it?
#9
General Help Q&A / Canon Rebel SL1
July 02, 2023, 08:21:42 PM
So, I got myself a Canon Rebel SL1 / 100D because I read on the forum that it is one of the few models that can run Crop Mood.
Only after I made the purchase, I learned that Rebel SL1 does not support 240 MHz SD cad overclocking and that its focus pixels cannot be removed from the videos.
So I basically bought a useless camera, LOL.  :D
Is there any chance that these issues may be fixed in the future?
Are there any other known problems that I should expect from the Rebel SL1, other than the mentioned above?
Thanks!
#10
Is the difference between 10bit and 14bit color really that important? Is it really noticeable to the naked eye? Does 10bit cause banding issues, etc?
From what I have read, 10bit should be enough for decent color correction in post. So why do people like to overload their EOS-M's by using 14bit color?
Wouldn't it best to take off some load from the camera and always shoot in 10 bit?
Just a lame newbie question.
Thanks!
#11
It is a SanDisk Extreme PRO, microSDXC card that you put in a larger adapter before inserting it in the camera.
I am not sure if it will work at all, as it is a micro SD card and not a standard size SD card. It reads 170 MB/s and writes 90 MB/s.

I heard that people overclock their SD cards, whatever that means in terms of SD cards...

So, will this micro SD card work with Crop Mood?
Can it be "overclocked", etc.
Thanks!

#12
So, in theory all you need is $200 for a used EOS M (with kit lens included).
Sounds affordable and very lucrative. However, then you will be forced to spend at least $350 more on a nice, sharp, wide angle lens in order to compensate for the heavy crop in higher resolutions.
And then you will need some extra $120 for a SanDisk Extreme Pro, as the EOS M + ML setup cannot use cheap SD cards.
That is a total of $670 that you simply have to spend on a rather alternative and experimental system...

For that same money (or even less) you can buy a second hand Sony a6300 (with kit lens included) that can shoot in real 4K without extra crop at 24 fps, and that will have 425 phase detection auto focus points at 0.05 sec AF speed, and will offer continuous shooting capabilities. The Sony will also perform way better in low light conditions, it will be much more stable than the EOS E + ML setup and will not cause you any headaches like pink frames or crashes.
The a6300  will also have a S-LOG profile, so you will be able to color grade all you want.

Maybe I am wrong or maybe my calculations are messed up, but the only advantage that the EOS M + ML setup has over the Sony a6300 is its capability to shoot RAW video. And that advantage can actually be a disadvantage for people who do not want to fiddle with format conversions in post.

Don't get me wrong, I am still going to get myself an EOS M, because I love the idea and because it will allow me to upgrade gradually and not throw a larger sum of money all at once.
I am just thinking if there is a way to cut the total cost of the EOS M setup down.


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#13
General Help Q&A / Five questions
August 22, 2022, 12:38:16 PM
Hi guys, I have five lame beginner questions regarding the Canon EOS E and Magic Lantern.

1. What is a "build"?
Everybody on the internet is talking about downloading the latest "build". But is a build just another name for the latest version of Magic Lantern, or is a build some sort of of an add-on that you install after you have already installed the main Magic Lantern firmware?
Where to get the latest build?

2. Assuming that I have a good and fast SD card (SanDisk Extreme Pro), would it be possible to shoot 4K at 24fps, 10 bit continuously or will it only shoot a few seconds and then crash?
What is the highest resolution and bit rate that allows continuous shooting?

3. It is my understanding that the 5K modes in Magic Lantern are not real 5K, but are up-scaled 1080p.
Doesn't the picture quality get super bad when you up-scale 1080p to 5K?

4. What about the rolling shutter problem at high resolutions? Has it been solved or is it still present?

5. And finally: do you guys think that it would be possible to use Canon EOS M with Magic Lantern installed to shoot a short action movie where there will be lots of dynamic shots with lots of movement in them?
How good and how fast is the auto focus on ML anyway?

Thanks!