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I have now moved on to MLV recording.

OK. So I got myself a 50D. Few questions so far.
How do you do your framing on an external HDMI mon? Cropping doesn't seem to be applied here.
What is the optimal build currently? Link?

To answer one of the previous questions - 50D outputs 1080i on my monitor, or at least that's what it reports... Fills almost entire screen (1920x1080).

As I said, 50D outputs 1080 through hdmi but the native image will be a 4:3 image. To get it to display a 16:9 image, you have to set it in the ML menus. Some monitors, such as my Lilliput have a "Camera Mode"  that crops and zooms a 4:3 feed to fit the monitor's 16:9 LCD screen - know your equipment (or research it) before you buy it.

I'd recommend Andy's Tragic Lantern version:

https://bitbucket.org/andy600/tl50d/downloads/Tragic_Lantern_for_50D_Andy600Build.2014Mar03.50D109.zip

+1 to what Jpb1138 said. I was just going to log in to say that.

Currently this is the only reason I'm still using .RAW instead of .MLV. Because of space and time being what they are, we've found it's most efficient to simply transcode off a card directly to DNGs on the hard drive. With MLV Mystic we can't select an output directory which would enable this workflow for MLV. Hope you add this feature very soon as we're in the middle of a 2.5 week doc shooting all Canon RAW! Would love to add audio scratch track to our process. Thanks.

+1

I've been having issues with shooting long takes in ML Raw on the 50D.  If I go over the 4GB file limit and the clip switches to a zip file to continue the raw recording, when I render the ML RAW files into Cinema DNG, I get strange pink frames with lines all through the image.  The image is not even recognizable.  Any idea why this is happening?  Maybe a setting on my camera?  I tried many of your latest builds and even different cars and different recording resolution but all the same results if I go over the 4GB file limit.  Any help would be great!  I can even post a sample frame so you can see what I mean.  Thanks for your time and consideration on this.

How are you merging the spanned RAW files? Also, which app are you using to render the DNGs?

Hi there. I know about the restrictions, but  I have always had GD on with Histo and recording was continuous in my case. I also turned on Ficus Peaking, and it seems to record OK.

Regarding HDMI out: it does work, however it stresses the processor and it may influence recording. This was confirmed by 1% after I had numerous problems with a Lilliput monitor connected. In my case I had broken frames and switching off the RAW mode, incidentally recording in h.264...

Interestingly, I frequently record with my Lilliput for framing with no problems (although you won't get gray scale preview out the hdmi - doesn't work).

About peaking:  Keep in mind that it mostly depends on what mode you're shooting - most of the time I shoot in crop mode at 1920x960. Even with double buffering and dialog timers off, if I have peaking on, I do not get continuous recording. Global Draw is one of the most taxing processes in ML. I try to use it mostly for pre-record operations.

Thank you very much for the answers! Seems like a very usable camera for RAW atm, minus the focus peaking. DOes HDMI out work, so if I can an external display for focus peaking (or the USB and my tablet via DSLR controller)

HDMI Out works. I use it with my Lillieput.

I would REALLY appreciate this as well, as Im considering upgrading from 550d\600d and would like to know the hiccups to expect.   

Many thanks to all

Does USB output work (for DSLR controller)?

I've heard that it does. But have not tested it myself.

DOes audio work with MLV? Do we have on-screen audio levels while recording?

There is no audio on the 50D. But you can implement the dual system (external recorder)

Does peaking work while recording?

Yes, but no recommended if you want continuous recording. GD is recommended to be off during recording.

JUst want to know what we are getting into before we jump onboard

It has lovely images but you have to give it light (especially indoors). But also remember - it is RAW! So light sometimes is not that big of an issue.

Outdoors:
http://vimeo.com/davidequatela/peopleinfrankfurt

After I convert an MLV file to DNG, If I delete the DNGs and want to trans code the MLV file again, MLV Mystic won't let me. It basically just creates an empty directory with no DNGs in it. Does this have anything to do with the index? How do I avoid this?

Can't answer your resolution question, but have you tried EOS Utility while the RAW or MLV module is active?  Seems that on the 50D USB output is broken when a RAW recording module is loaded.  I try it every few builds to see if something in the changelog fixed it, but no luck so far.  I have a Nexus 7 with DSLR Controller that I would love to use with my rig (I sometimes do for framing, just shut off MLV or RAW and the image comes back) but that has the same USB issues as connecting to EOS Utility.  Good luck!

50D Native ratio is a 4:3 image with side columns ( resolution is 1080p - at least that's what my monitor reports ). . . although, resolution I think depends on the monitor . . . but the aspect ratio you can always change in the ML menus.

MLV Mystic? That's a GUI based app and converts .mlv and .raw on the Mac AFAIK

http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=10466.0

HA! . . Well, what do you know?  . . . that's why we need ya Andy!

Still using RAW rec, haven't taken the time to mess with MLV yet. I'm pretty comfortable with the RAW rec workflow. Metadata i can live without or take notes while shooting if need be. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Well, MLV is working fine. The only issue for me is that I find it more time consuming to convert MLV if your using OS X (Mac). There's no GUI conversion utility for it on the mac. On Windows, MLV  it is well supported with utilities

Thanks guys! I shot in 1584x894 (non-crop), and 1920x1080 (crop). Generally the closer up shots are 1920x1080. I used Andy600's latest builds, and after card warm up, had NO issues with recording as long as I felt like it, no drop frames, no bad frames, it totally rocked! In post exported as 1920x1080, scaling up the 1584x894 to match.

Shot with FPS override to 23.976
GD on, with just RAW histogram and focus peaking, Had this set to turn off during recording for the 1920x1080 crop shots.

MLV or RAW rec?

hi menoc, thanks for your note. honestly, I watch your posts and value them  what version of ACE do you use? I may have an older version...

Thanks. It's Camera RAW 8.3.0.141 (Photoshop CC - Creative Cloud)

Resolve can be pretty bad when it comes to debayering non-crop video from the 50D. It leaves mosaic artifacts in highlights. You can reduce moire quite well in ACR using the adjustment brush or if it's really bad on some shots I would suggest using Raw Therapee with AMaZE demosaicing and output to 16bit TIFF.

I have found ACR to be best when reducing moire and ISO noise. Lately, I've been doing it in Lightroom since it has the same engine and better handling of multiple DNGs.

I think an option to skip the WAV file extraction would be good for those that use the 50D . . . for some reason it tries to extract a wav file even if there isn't one.

Audio or what?

Zoom H4n and Zoom H6 is used a lot.

. . . TASCAM DR-40, JuicedLink pre-amp, and Audio Technica AT897 shotgun mic. That's my setup.

To quote myself ... MLV support is fine in OS X.

Pressure, I understand what you're saying. "Fine" is probably the right word, but until there's a "RAWMagic" type utility for MLV Raw, the non-techies out there are going to find the current process to convert MLVs a bit difficult.

MLV is your better alternative for all Canon's alike. However the 50d performs flawlessly on .raw. Thinking that MLV will outlast .raw in the "future scheme of things."

ISO 3200 is all the 50d wrote... When shooting raw you are not processing the signal. ISO 6400 and 12800 are digital / processed algorithms for the 50d... After further review that "original ISO 6400 test shoot" was in fact shot at 3200. Your discovery of H1 and H2 ISO is spot on! Pretty cool, huh?

I should add that if you're Mac centric, the support to convert the mlv to dng frames is limited - there's better support on the windows platform. Also, I'm not sure if it's my process or the utilities but my mlv dng's didn't play nice with Adobe Camera RAW, I was still getting some  magenta cast which I do not get with regular RAW dng's . . . It may have something to do with the metadata, but I haven't been able to figure it out.

@brandonmarsh: Check your AE project. I'm pretty sure you will find that AE has interpreted your DNG sequence as being at 30fps, which is the default value for image sequences for a new install of AE, if you never change the default. If you select the sequence in the Project panel, you will probably see that it shows as 30fps. Since these sequences are just a series of individual frames, and not a video, you actually have to tell AE what frame rate it should be. As I said, if you don't change the default, AE assumes that all imported image sequences are 30fps. To change the interpretation, right click on the clip in the Project panel>Interpret Footage>Main, and change the frame rate to what you shot it at, which is 24fps.

You can also change the default by going to Edit>Preferences>Import and changing the value for 'Sequence Footage' to whatever you want it to be: if you are always shooting 24fps, then make it 24fps. No matter what the default is set at, you can always change the interpretation of an individual clip with the procedure I describe above. Hope this helps.

Cheers!

That was it, thank you so much!

One more thing . . . make sure you specify the exact frame rate such as 23.976 for best results. You can enter it manually in after effects. You see, ML gives you the option to set exact FPS. So you should enter the "Actual FPS" in ML RAW video menu. . .

Thx, menoc!
Do I need to switch this feature on the ML menu, or is it just default?

Switch it on in ML "Movie" Menu. Set the shutter button to "Hold during REC" option.

https://bitbucket.org/andy600/tl50d/downloads

Thanks Andy.

Raw-rec.  Not mlv.  3x crop, yes. Dunno about half shutter.

Hey, what page number is Andy's latest Tragic Lantern?

WAO !

Now, in the last Andy release, 23,9fps and even 24fps works with 1920x1080 (full HD) continuous !
Double buffering and ML grayscale preview, 1Gb card warming-up option.
1000x 64Gb KomputerBay card (fully tested for uniform high speed >= 1000x and no defects, all this on all the addressable space).

What an achievement !

Many thanks and congratulations to all the people that worked on this !   

BTW, which version are you talking about? I'm guessing that you're talking about RAW Video, not MLV RAW . . . right?

Sweet!!
MLV or raw video?
By Full Hd u mean 3x crop mode, right? Since full frame is 1584x1052?

Also, is anyone using the half-shutter button when recording to activate IS, or that feature stopped working? Does it need to be set on in ML menu?

Thx!!

Yes. He meant 3x crop mode.

Half shutter hold works, I've been using it in conjunction with a stabilizer to get pretty good steady shots. Of course, you need a IS lens.

Has the ML Grey Preview mode ever worked out the HDMI port for monitoring and framing? Anyone got it working?