Messages

I have one question though - do those magiclantern-tragic builds for 6D carry a version indication someplace that can be displayed from the menu?  Or is it only date on the autoexec.bin file that differentiates them (except for some code changes I suppose).

Agree.

I miss having the message appear showing which version is installed. This seems to be the standard on other ML supported cameras. Usually, it appears once, which is sufficient to confirm that the installation went ok. IIRC, you can check at the Debug Menu to confirm which version is install, at least on cameras other than the 6d.

Ok, I am vbs illiterate.

Is there a way to run the script at lower priority so it doesn't reduce the responsiveness of the foreground window?

such as a change to statement:
    WshShell.Run line,windowtype,false

From the command line, you can use:
start /belownormal cr2hdr .....

Also, the script seems to remove Rating Stars and Label Colors that were in the .xml sidecar files. They were put there with Adobe Bride. I used Stars
and Labels to keep track of which files were in what category:
* 6d or 5d2
* Dual-ISO or non-Dual-ISO
* _MG or _UAL or _0

Is that "as expected"?

Send them all to cr2hdr. It'll ignore the non-dual iso shots.

It appears that your .vbs script for multi-threading now has compelling advantages with the 6d situation of unreliable renaming. I'm trying to figure out how to use it.

In the situation above with _0# files being either Dual-ISO or non-Dual-ISO, it appears I'd just use a line in the .vbs script of:
imgprefix="_"

and let all .cr2 be processed. I'll then see if it works ok to resolve my situation from the appropriately merged contents of created subdirectories:
.\compressed dng
.\Dual ISO CR2s
.\Regular CR2s

And thanks for putting together the .vbs script. I have some .jsx experience, but not .vbs

[inputfolder=cr2hdrpath]

In the script, it seems that the command line wants an argument for the actual directory where the .cr2 files are. I use a command line of either
VbsScript S:\MyCr2Dir   or
VbsScript .

Otherwise, the script prompts for a subdirectory.

Would it be ok to have a line in the script hear the top:
'------------------------------------------------------------------
cr2hdrpath="S:\MyCr2Dir"
inputfolder=cr2hdrpath

and then comment out lines that invoke the Open dialog?

' if Wscript.Arguments.Count>0 then
'   inputfolder=Wscript.Arguments(0) 'command line
' else
'   inputfolder=getfolder("Select the folder containing the dual ISO .CR2 files.")
'  if inputfolder="" then WScript.Quit
' end if

Also:
'cr2hdrexe="cr2hdr.exe"
cr2hdrexe="cr2hdr-cmd.exe"

Just checking ... in the .vbs script, is the version with the filename cr2hdr-cmd.exe a modified version of the normal cr2hdr.exe, except with additional debugging options?

Also, I'm confused on what the following line does:
deleteoriginaldng=true

It doesn't seem to make any difference whether it is true or false.
The original .cr2's are still deleted, regardless, from the original directory with the cr2hdr.exe and .cr2 files:
cr2hdrpath="S:\MyCr2Dir"

That was unexpected.

The .cr2 files do seem to be preserved in the created subdirectories:
"Regular CR2s"
"Dual ISO CR2s"

So I guess that is fine.

i followed this advice only to discover the next time i turned my camera on, ML was *poof* all gone.  any idea why?

I've observed one or more of my cameras has the option for "Deep Format" and "Normal Format". My impression is that "Deep Format" would remove ML files, whereas "Normal Format" leaves ML alone.

Or not?

[Always use Manual modes - avoid Auto]

Edit: Disregard content below   ... sorry
..................
Is there a way to delete a post with SMF? Or just shorten length to zero or near zero?
.................
...

Always use Manual modes - avoid Auto
Magic Lantern is a great tool for power users - most of its features work best in manual modes. Don't forget to enable manual exposure in video mode from Canon menu!

We do not even try to use the camera in auto modes - these modes were not tested at all. Canon seems to do the same, according to this post.

When you mention "auto modes", are you including Av and Tv? Really? Don't use Av / Tv with ML?

Or is this "best practice" for video, and not applicable for still photos?

I mostly use Manual, but often use Av, and sometimes Tv ... less often. ML seems to work ok with Av ... at least with stills.

At first, I thought this specific "best practice" was from a much earlier version of ML, but the date on the OP was Sep, 2013.

On my 5d2, 6d, and 600d, there is a warning in the ML/TL menu about "File renaming may be unreliable". I haven't encountered any problems on my 5d2 and 600d. I use the setting "Adobe-98 Workspace", so I have files like:
* non-Dual-ISO ... _MG_####.cr2
* Dual-ISO  ... _UAL####.cr2

However, on the 6d, there will be three "flavors" of file-renaming:
* _MG_####.cr2 (seem to all be non-Dual-ISO)
* _UAL####.cr2 (seem to all be Dual-ISO)
* _0#_####.cr2 (may or may not be Dual-ISO) ... the "prefix number" have ranged from 01 to 04. They seem similar to "Folder Numbering" except there is only one folder, and there isn't a "roll-over" from 9999 to 0001

This makes it difficult to decide which images to process with cr2hdr, and which not. I suppose I could look closely at each _0#_####.cr2 image to guess if it is Dual-ISO number. But that is tedious and error-prone.

My thinking is that I should process all 6d files that have the prefix _UAL and _0#_ with cr2hdr.exe ... not just the _UAL#### ones. My observation is that if cr2hdr.exe attempts to process a non-Dual-ISO file, it short-cuts the processing, writes a printf-like message to the console and continues .cr2. I guess this doesn't cost much "wall clock time". I think previous versions would halt, so subsequent files in the "batch" would be unprocessed.

Are there flaws with this? Is it ok to use cr2hdr.exe on a non-Dual-ISO file? Am I missing a way to tell which files are and are not Dual-ISO? The "Keyword" doesn't show up until the .dng has been generated by cr2hdr

Is there a better work-flow that just having cr2hdr.exe process all _UAL and _0#_ files?

BTW: I haven't tried using the .vbs approach to processing Dual-ISO .cr2 files. Can this utility tell the difference between Dual-ISO and non-Dual-ISO?

"Canikon" is hardcoded in ML cr2hdr. However the cr2hdr use ExifTool to copy the camera model to the DNG, so in this case it's only cosmetic. ACR should recognise your right camera model. I think you are on windows, I'd recommend to use cmd for the logs.

Thanks for checking. However, it may be a bit more than cosmetic. I use Adobe Bridge and its "Filter by Model" to sort out which camera was in use for which images. But not a biggie.

I suppose I should let Phil at ExifTool to ignore, at least for now.

I have been using a "double embedded for - do loop" in Windows to accomplish cr2hdr of 100's of Dual-ISO .cr2's, rather than the .vbs approach.
for %n in (0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9) do start /belownormal for %c in (YYM*%n_DI_*.cr2) do cr2hdr %c

I think these are close enough not to matter, really would need a IR thermometer to check it.

FWIW:
Newegg has "Shell Shocker" deals on their house-brand Rosewill infrared thermometers several times a year. IIRC, about $20, free shipping.

I´m just doing these test with heating the cam from outside and let acclimate it for some hours,

I wonder how valid such temperatures from an acclimated camera will be. Electronics and especially CPU can heat up quite rapidly, even during boot-up. I think the newer, higher end cams have a more substantial heat-sink, which would help. Maybe?

My speculation is that my 600d doesn't have a substantial heat-sink.

Is there is a way to embed debug statements in the boot-code to write soon-after-cam-turned-on temp values to a log than could be accessed externally, after the fact?

Perhaps an intervalometer function that recorded the internal temp, while the cam was taking pictures of a thermometer so as to facilitate sync of camera and ambient?

The temperature reported needs to be accurate first.

The Celsius numbers for my 5d2 and 6d seem valid, but I'm not aware how to confirm those numbers with confidence. I suppose I could have the camera off so it was at ambient temperature, next to a known-to-be-good thermometer, then turn it on, and quickly check the reported temp. I would think the electronics and/or CPU could heat up pretty quickly. Or not?

I have the understanding that the 600d reports high numbers, that may or may not be valid. IIRC, A1ex has requested people to test this, and it might be simpler for me (and other Celsius challenged Americans) to test if Fahrenheit was reported. hint ... hint ... 

If someone tackles this admittedly low priority and "nice to have" feature request, perhaps they could also see if the temperature could be displayed on the non-LiveView screen.

That might be similar to how the battery level % is displayed on both LiveView and non-LiveView.

Thanks for considering this. I suppose I'm a lazy American who avoids "brain strain" to get comfortable with Celsius.

I don't think anyone of us works under windows  ... (apparently not still true)

and another comment to a potential dev using Windows ... something like ... "well, that is going to be a problem"

In a way, this might be a good task for a newbie developer to tackle ... seems pretty low risk. Perhaps the "guy in the mirror" should step up, but as a Windows user, and with only limited Linux experience from 15+ years ago, I'm hesitant to get involved.

For example, if you stack 64 identical exposures

But ... with astrophotography, would those really be identical exposures, as everything is moving.  Or would you need to be on a rotating, motor-driven tripod like telescopes use? (or is that assumed for this discussion?)

BTW ... impressive/intimidating math ...

What version of cr2hdr are you using.

Latest, with date-stamp of Dec 7, 2013.

IIRC, I did update the version of ExifTool that came with the earlier bundle of cr2hdr.zip

Could they possibly be "out of sync", and I "shot myself in the foot"?

There were some other oddities ...
* Out of several hundred pano files, those with problems weren't sequential:
* 4055 then 4060 then 4061 and then 4067
* Create times were an hour after the last actual shutter activation
* ExifTool refused to rename the Lens model from "Samyang 14mm" to "Canon 35mm"
* And I'm unclear how a file with EXIF of 35mm got changed to Samyang 14mm

Also, I wonder if this is possibly related to the issue of renaming the Dual-ISO files to _UAL_####, which has the warning of "Not reliable". My somewhat convoluted workflow treats _UAL_####.cr2 differently than _MG_####.cr2

I'm ending up with some files with the EXIF info indicating the "Camera Model" is "Canikon". Is anyone else encountering this?

My speculation is Canikon is a mix of Canon and Nikon when ExifTool or cr2hdr is confused with a possible "corner case". Or not?

I'm rusty with grep, but would a "grep" for "Canikon" in the ML or TL source code return any hits?

I'll also ask this question on the ExifTool forum.

So far, I don't have a repeatable sequence that causes this to happen. Sorry. I thought I'd check first before digging into the issue. It happens rather erratically ... maybe every 5th shooting session. I think it's happened 3 or 4 times in the past several months.

It seems to involve:

• Shooting with both 5d2 and 6d, with one of them having a Samyang manual lenses with no EXIF for fstop or lens
• I use ExifTool on the .cr2's to fill in this EXIF info when images from Samyang lenses are involved.
• Seems to involve Dual-ISO, which also involves ExifTool
• Problem could involve ExifTool, cr2hdr, or ... operator error on my part
• There is a odd-ball work-flow involved, including multiple pass of ExifTool

First, so it's official that you have to use 16gb card to install TL?

My understanding is that cards less than 16gb (like 8gb and 4 gb , etc) will work ... so it isn't "just" 16gb.

Article from Canon Rumors:
http://www.canonrumors.com/2014/01/patent-microadjustment-automated/

I'm unclear what the engineering involves. I have no idea if it is similar or not to ML's implementation.

BTW: I've been wondering if the lower-end DSLR's (Rebels, 60d, etc.) could get a work-around micro-focus-adjustment capability by comparing a high-resolution distance difference between the distance reported by the AF point and LiveView. Or not?

I'll check behavior ... and stuff happens.

I do want to mention that I am Extremely Appreciative that there is a port for the 6d. Thanks for the time and effort ... and impressive talent that you (1% and others) have put into it.

My use of the intervalometer is often with Bulb, when doing StarTrails. With the 5d2 and 600d, my recollection is that changing from M to AV stopped the intervalometer, but perhaps my memory is faulty, or that changed.

BTW:
My other "use case" for the intervalometer is stage performances. Up in a "crow's nest", I'll have the 5d2 with 14mm or 35mm taking a picture every minute or so, to get an overall shot of the different "acts" going on during the 70 to 90+ minutes. I'll have the 200mm on the cropped 600d taking zoomed-in shots for duets and soloists.
http://berean.zenfolio.com/bpm_worship_sampler/h5fb45182#h5fb45182

I don't really see the purpose of dualIso in startrails.

dmilligan: Extremely inappropriate, and probably rather detrimental.

Glad I asked, and thanks for the feedback. It did seem potentially flawed, so I'm very appreciative to get guidance.

I do tend to learn more from my (many) mistakes than my (fewer) successes.

Out of curiosity, I'd appreciate getting the settings and work-flow for the example dmilligan provided. What ISO, shutter-speed, f-stop, and number of frames over the 2.3 hours. Bulb? Did you do something different for the foreground tree and tree-line? Masking?

What software do you use for stacking? Photoshop? I use StarStaX, which is freeware, and does have provision for dark-frames.

The first thing I noticed was that the Advanced Bracketing function does not work properly.  It should have taken 7 pics from -EV4 to +EV4.

If you were doing +1 EV change, than it would seem like 9 exposures would happen. With +2, it would have been 5 exposures. Were you using +1.3 EV or +1.5 EV or +1.6 EV as the "bracket delta change between exposures"?

I got 10 pictures with the same exposure.  Not a big deal at this time as Canon has provided almost the same range.  Just thought someone should know. 

I've used Advanced Bracketing some, and also recall that it was glitchy ... just kept going. The work-around seemed to be giving a fixed change of +2 EV and a fixed number of brackets ... usually 3.

Testing the invalometer next.

My experience has been that the 6d implementation seems different than the 5d2 and 600d implementation. Changing "modes" ... like Manual to AV ... for Bulb to Manual ...  is supposed to turn the intervalometer OFF, but the 6d seems to just keep going in the new mode. I have to turn the camera OFF to get the Intervalometer to stop. Maybe that is "as expected"? Or operator error?

I also followed the same but not working for me. Anything I am missing?

I did get the 6d Nov. 30, 2013 build installed and working. Whew.

However, it was a rather "lumpy", trial-and-error procedure. Two steps forward, and one step back.

IIRC, it took several attempts after getting firmware 1.1.3 down-graded  to 1.1.2.  I don't recall the exact steps that finally resulted in TL being operational ... I was pretty much just trying something, and hoping for the best, and that the 6d wouldn't brick. Very nerve wracking.

My speculation is that glitches with EosCard.exe 1.3.2 were some or most of the problem? Operator error?

It was not a procedure I look forward to doing again.  YMMV.

If the problems appeared right after that date, we know where to look. If not, it would be very helpful if you can point out the date when the problems appeared.

I'll put that on my "to do list", but it may be a while before I have anything to report back. Sorry.

Interesting ... and also frustrating to have working code get less stable over time. It happens. Something of an example of "bit rot"?

So, I'm no longer using these chips.

With the u.w.a. Samyang 14mm and fisheye, the DOF tends to be so great, that I more or less do "zone focusing". The 14mm distance scale seems reasonably accurate, but the distances on the 8mm fisheye seem flawed. To focus at infinity, it seems to work best to be "past" infinity. I've been tempted to get a "focus confirmation chip" for the Samyang 8mm fisheye.

Zoom on half-shutter and sharpness tricks work best for me.

I'll give those a try. I've seen them in the menu, but I was fuzzy on how they worked.

I also have a focusing screen like this: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=9916 but I couldn't get used to it.

I suppose those would give a "split range-finder" effect? That's all we had back in the early 70's with my TLb and then A-1.

I did have the interchangeable screen on my 5d2 pop out, which was hard to work around. IIRC, LiveView sort of worked. Fortunately, the camera was still within warranty. Whew.

To me, the interchangeable focus screens are just something to go wrong.  For me, 10x magnification in LiveView is great, but it sure slows things down. YMMV.

I'm ignorant about "focus peaking". I suppose if I did more "sports/action photography", the split-range-finder would make more sense.

if anyone confirms the bug

IIRC, when I first used the 5d2 nightly build for DotTune AFMA, it seemed to "just work" ...

When I got the 6d and attempted to do DotTune AFMA, the builds for both the 6d and also the 5d2 seem less stable than before. I'll get really unexpected patterns like:

• Capital X stands for "confirmed focus"
• lower case x stands for "marginal focus"
• _ stands for "not focused"
• XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
• everything seems to have focus confirmation ... invalid
• ___xx____XXXX____XXXX___xxx______
• seems unexpected to have several "not focused" between a number of  "confirmed"

Has anyone else experienced this? I've had this happen outside in bright sun, on tripod, with a secured high contrast target, with little or no wind. It doesn't seem like the camera or target is moving, but the pattern above suggests that something is moving.

Or operator error?

Since I don't use AF lenses

Out of curiosity, I'm wondering if you have "focus confirmation chipped lenses"?

In addition to several Canon EF and EF-S lenses, I have the Samyang 14mm and 8mm fisheye lenses, which are completely manual with no "focus confirmation chips". My impression has been that DotTune AFMA doesn't apply to those lenses. Or not?