Messages

1

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: August 06, 2022, 12:52:53 AM »

Hello, I tried the latest build (Aug 04 2022) and the camera froze twice in a row.
I loaded the 2.5K tap preset, then I selected the 3K preset (In the internal menu). Set 25 fps was on. (So I could get 23.976 fps)

I pressed the Menu button a few times and Crash! Needed to remove the battery.

Tried a second time, Crash again.

Then I could not get it to crash anymore.

Here are the crash logs. Because I filmed two full days with the previous build last weekend, and I only got 1 buffer error and 1 pink frame (Total 180 clips), maybe this crash is significant.

Code: [Select]


ASSERT: err == SUCCESS
at GUI.c:683, MainCtrl:ff0d7274
lv:0 mode:3

MainCtrl stack: 191308 [1913d8-1903d8]
0xUNKNOWN  @ ff0ceed0:1913b8
0xFF0CDBD0 @ ff144638:191388
0xFF0D7674 @ ff0ccac4:191360
0x00001900 @ ff0d7270:191340
0x0009E558 @ 9e864:191308

Magic Lantern version : Nightly.2022Aug04.EOSM202
Mercurial changeset   : 5b3193b29ac1 (crop_rec_4k_mlv_snd_raw_only) tip
Built on 2022-08-04 08:20:58 UTC by daniel@Daniels-MacBook-Pro.local.
Free Memory  : 220K + 1911K

ASSERT: err == SUCCESS
at GUI.c:683, notifybox_task:ff0d7274
lv:0 mode:3

notifybox_task stack: 1f0d98 [1f0e18-1efe18]
0x000D4A84 @ bd990:1f0df0
0x00001900 @ ff0d7270:1f0dd0
0x0009E558 @ 9e864:1f0d98

Magic Lantern version : Nightly.2022Aug04.EOSM202
Mercurial changeset   : 5b3193b29ac1 (crop_rec_4k_mlv_snd_raw_only) tip
Built on 2022-08-04 08:20:58 UTC by daniel@Daniels-MacBook-Pro.local.
Free Memory  : 220K + 1908K

I remember that at some point, I could get the cam to write a detailed log of every event in a file on the SD card, but I could not find that function today. Anyone knows how to make it happen?

2

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: July 13, 2022, 11:42:24 PM »

About the focus pixel maps:
Launch MLV App while connected to the Internet. When you open your first EOS-M clip, the program will ask you if you want to download a map for the selected clip or all the maps. Those will be downloaded automatically once you make your choice.

3

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: June 07, 2022, 12:41:52 AM »

@tupp I tried one of the tips in the links you posted, pressing the button about 50 times in quick succession made it work a few times. Now it works intermittently. It looks like there is a problem with the contact, as I can hear it click. Maybe some deoxit could do the trick. Looking at the video link Danne posted, it looks like it's not too much work. Will post results. Waiting for the seller to decide...

4

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: June 06, 2022, 10:45:20 PM »

Thanks for the replies! The issue is not related to ML at all.
Since everyone has an eos m here (Sometimes Several) I had a good chance of someone having heard about this kind of issue. I was hoping I wouldn't have to replace the cable @danne
I will have a word with the seller...

5

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: June 06, 2022, 09:00:54 PM »

Hello Everyone, I just purchased a used EOS M and the Menu Button doesn't work.
I updated the firmware to the 2.0.2 version using the EOS Utility App, but the Menu Button is still dead.
Anyone else ever had this problem before?

6

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: May 29, 2022, 06:07:15 PM »

I confirm the behaviour here (May04, April30, April29 builds).

If setting gain to INFO_switch or SET_switch (and disabling the selected button in the other menus),
if you toggle so that aperture is selected (Press INFO or SET a few times, according to the button selected in gain)
When aperture is toggled, up / down varies the aperture.
When ISO is toggled, up goes to the single shooting / continuous shooting menu, down does nothing.

The feature was working properly up to the 2022_Apr24 build

7

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Frame Staking Noise Reduction for Video- EOS M

« on: May 27, 2022, 02:06:08 PM »

Isn't that basically what the ML "HDR Video" feature does?  It "stacks" two consecutive video frames, each with differing gain (iso), to yield higher capture dynamic range.  Hence, lower noise from combining those two consecutive frames.

Here is an old ML HDR Video tutorial that shows the DR increase along with the motion smearing.

Dual ISO is not the same as Frame Stacking (or Averaging)

For example, given this frame, shot at ISO 800: (Click on image to see full size)


Which looks like this after averaging 75 frames (In MLV App export settings, you select TIFF and then change "Sequence" to "Average Frame":


Look at the details on the brick wall. Everything is almost intact after stacking, where those details were mostly hidden by the snowstorm...

Using dual ISO on this sequence would avoid the lights being clipped, but it would not help reduce noise, because there is very little light hitting the scene as a whole. You would end up with either a lot of noise in the shadows, or a very underexposed image overall.
Dual ISO is used to preserve highlights. It lowers the sensitivity to properly expose the highlights and then uses a normal sensitivity to properly expose the rest. When you have plenty of light available to begin with, you can expose everything properly using Dual ISO (But there are often artifacts at the transition points).

Frame Stacking increases the Signal-to-Noise ratio. The noise is random and is completely different across frames.
On a still shot, the "Signal" (the subject) doesn't move or at least varies at a much lower pace than the noise itself.
Therefore, when you average, the "Signal" average is higher than the "Noise" average, so you end up with an image having a lot more "Signal" and a lot less "Noise", as you can see in the example above.

8

crop_rec and derived builds / Resolution, Crop Modes and FOV

« on: May 27, 2022, 03:57:36 AM »

Resolution, Crop Modes and FOV

I ran a few tests to decide which crop mode / resolution I would use for an upcoming project, so I share my results here, in case it may be of use to anyone wondering...

I could not find a proper, affordable test target, so I decided to create one myself. The chart is 23x13 inches (60.96 x 33.02cm) 600 DPI. It can be cropped, but should not be resized, otherwise you'll lose some details. I had it printed at 600 DPI, inkjet, glossy paper at the local print shop. Total $25 and it gets the job done.
You could also print portions of it on a regular sheet of paper. Just set your printer to 600DPI.

Link to the chart: https://bit.ly/3lL7jft



The Videos:

In the first video, I recorded the chart with different lenses at 2.5k, 2.8k and 5k frtp. I then recorded various related real-life scenes to validate what I observed when reviewing the chart recordings.

In the second video, I recorded a football field right from the center at 2.5k, 2.8k and 5k frtp, at different focal lengths, to have a reference for the relationship between Focal Length, Crop Mode and FOV.

Link to the Resolution Video: https://bit.ly/3ajK6hL
Link to the FOV Video: https://bit.ly/38LQ2jn
Link to the MLV files for the resolution tests with the efm 32mm Lens: https://bit.ly/3LVaGea
(I did not include every lens tested because of space restrictions)
You have to download the videos in order to view at full Prores 422 resolution.

What to pay attention to when looking at the chart:



A: When looking at those patterns, you can see the size of details at which the camera starts creating moiré and other artifacts.

B: The various wheels help exposing any aliasing.

C: The text at various sizes, along with the various patterns, help with the evaluation sharpness.

D: The checkerboard patterns also help at observing moiré, and artifact created when recording repetitive patterns of different sizes. The sharp contrast between blocks will also expose aberrations or high contrast related artifacts, if present.

The Resolution Test

In order to facilitate comparison, I resized the 2.8K and 5K to 2520x1054 (2.5k) in the video. Downscaling the Pixel-Binned 5k has a serious advantage: A significantly sharper image. When using DaVinci Resolve or Topaz Video Enhance AI to upscale, sharpness and most details are preserved, so you will end up with a sharper image than if you left the 5k image as-is.

Also to facilitate comparison, I moved the camera closer to or further away from the target to get the same chart framing, regardless of the recording resolution / crop mode.

As expected, the 2.5k and 2.8k recordings are quite clean, with moiré present only at the smallest detail levels.There are focus dots "Trapped" between the narrowest-spaced lines. Changing the interpolation method in "Fix Focus Dots" in MLV App helps, but will not get rid of all of those. The interpolation method 3 gave the best results.

At 5k, some aliasing is present when recording steep oblique lines, but luckily, the artifacts are not as obvious (if at all) when recording real-life targets (See second portion of the Video).

The FOV Test



For this test, the camera was put right at the center of the football field. Only the focal length was modified on the ef-m 15-45mm lens. As you can see (In the video) crop modes have a serious impact on the FOV (Field-of-view). Also, by looking at the net in the goal, you can evaluate when the Focal length / detail size is large enough to avoid moiré when filming repetitive-detailed objects (Nets, fences, hair, fur, screens, rooftop tiles, etc.)

Why is 5k frtp so important?

There is very little difference between 2.8k and 2.5k. You can, for the most part, compensate by moving a few steps closer or away from the subject. The price to pay for the extra pixels in 2.8k is a less fluid recording experience and shorter recording times.

5k frtp gives not only a wider field of view, but also a significantly different perspective when compared to a similar 2.8k or 2.5k framing. frtp allows real-time previews (As opposed to the framing of 2.8k and 2.5k) and downscaling 5k to 2.5k for editing makes the noise finer, less obtrusive and quite pleasing.
The mode has issues with steep, contrasty oblique lines, but moiré has a different quality, far less obvious than in the other modes.

As a rule of thumb, avoiding fine details in the frame, getting as close as possible to the subject and avoiding extra-wide lenses will allow you to get around most problems. If shooting a scene with a lot of steep obliques, using 2.8k or 2.5k would be a good idea. It would also be good to favor lower contrast, less sharp lenses (But keep in mind that Vintage sharpness still has clarity, which is definitely not the case when looking at the softness of the ef-m 15-45mm at some focal lengths and apertures, as you can see in the video)
I do not own the proper adapters to fit older glass on my ef-m, but it would be interesting to compare different lenses to the well known ef-m lenses in such a controlled fashion, for reference.

And the Focus Dots?

When using manual focus, is there a way to forbid the camera to generate those completely? It would help a lot when shooting naked product or things like fences and lace.


Reference for Beginners:
https://martinbaileyphotography.com/2017/04/10/the-effect-of-subject-distance-and-focal-length-on-perspective-podcast-568/

9

crop_rec and derived builds / Frame Staking Noise Reduction for Video- EOS M

« on: May 10, 2022, 08:52:32 PM »

Frame Staking Noise Reduction used on Video

Note: Google makes a preview of the videos in the links with Youtube-like compression.
To get the full Prores 422 quality (Necessary to evaluate the noise processing), you can download the files.

I have been running a lot of tests lately to devise an optimal pipeline for a project. Noise being something to always take into consideration, I were wondering if Frame Stacking, used regularly when taking stills, could be applied to video. There is a built-in script in MLV App based on this idea. I think the original intent was to use the method mainly with frame burst sequences, but I decided to give it a try. Although the results are far from perfect, I thought it was still worth posting as it can still be used creatively if taking some precautions. Also, maybe someone reading this will have a stroke of genius and figure out how to make it more "General-Purpose".

The script is called TIF_CLEAN.command and can be found  in MLVApp's export settings:



The process will export your .mlv file as a .tiff sequence which will be post-processed by the script. A Prores .mov file will also be created from the Tiff's.
On first run, Hugin, the program on which this script is built around, will be installed along with its dependencies. The download and install process should take less than 20 minutes. Unfortunately, in my case, in part because I am using an older OSX, I ran into permission problems and a lot had to be installed manually. There are plenty of cues appearing in the terminal window for you to figure it out, IF you have done those kinds of installs before... So it took me about an hour to get it running. If you happen to be terminal or Command-Line Averse, save this for a day where you have plenty of spare time.

Some Examples. (Video files links after the Images, All shot with EOS-M, 23.976fps 1/48th Shutter)

In order to highlight the strenghts and weaknessses of the process, I went a little outside of what would be done normally. I exposed at least 2 stops below optimal and then added 2 stops in MLVApp to increase the noise.
Being able to record underexposed  (and know you can deal with some of the noise later) has its advantages, as it allows you to record higher resolutions in 14bit almost continuous (More details in shadows), have fully intact highlights, etc. Also, when shooting in dimly-lit environments, such as Churches and concert halls, a tiny inconspicuous EOS-M which can be fitted to a tiny gimbal can be preferable to a heavier Full-Frame.

Example 1: Slow Pan, 1 axis Pan, Tripod EF-M 32mm f1.4 @ f2.2, ISO 100


Areas or interest with the green arrows. We have Shadows, ok-ish exposed and underexposed.


With 2 Stops added (The noise is clearly visible to the right of the image.)


After processing. The noise is completely gone on the Recycling bin, and a little movement is left in the shadows which were lifted to the right of the image.

Original Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lsmxm3iyz4rUvq5QkqQcVY2XobWURuGb/view?usp=sharing

Processed Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n6rY61uKT1Fc-6CLzxsnWyZxfR1ho9J-/view?usp=sharing


Example 2: Slow Pan, 2 axis Pan, Tripod EF-M 32mm f1.4 @ f2.2, ISO 100


Original.


2 Stops Added.


Processed. See how the details in the hair and on the shirt are preserved, and the noise in the leaves is almost gone.


Smooth Aliasing 3 pass added on top for good measure. This adds a motion blur to the footage, which could be helpful in some cases, such as the next examples.

Original Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AqdLu6tQyxHspNqyFfKuEKqDb7xg8uGN/view?usp=sharing

Processed Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wVQbrAL9cuOreMxAcWJaWgW4b0gLdVHY/view?usp=sharing

Processed with Smooth Aliasing 3 pass added: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D1X3WZ4V_TZUJ7CfXBX4YswOojvmTbWT/view?usp=sharing


Example 3: Fast Motion, All Axes, Handheld EF-M 15-45mm @ 15mm f3.5, ISO 800


After a few exchanges with Danne, it became obvious that this method was severely challenged when having to align images with movement on several axes at the same time. So I shot this one handheld, but with a stabilized lens. One thing to note is that in its original form, the script will report a silent error when images cannot be aligned properly (You end up with a video with a frozen frame where the error occurred. The error tolerance is 3 pixels) In order to give it a larger margin, I edited the script so that it has a 100 pixel margin, to allow plenty of movement. The following options need to be added to align_image_stack (-t 100 -g 20). You end up with: align_image_stack --use-given-order -t 100 -g 20 -a ...
The -g option gives a 20x20 grid (As opposed to the default 5x5) so that, hopefully, the movement would not affect the whole image (More apparent in example 4)


Processed. As you can see, when an object is moving fast enogh to cross the 5 frame boundary within a sampling period, we end up with ghosting (The script stacks a total of 5 frames, Current, 2 before and 2 after).


Processed with Smooth Aliasing 1 pass added. This adds some motion blur, but not enough to hide the ghosting.


Here, I filmed the same sequence but without a car in the middle of the frame. You can still see some ghosting on the cars afar (In the video), but the bulk of the image isn't too affected.

Original Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12ScYGKewG3GkjNaP_xzQ2JEJ9X0FLyqT/view?usp=sharing

Processed Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n3_ORRINhAWGQ8vbx9NbhSWLzjD7BsK2/view?usp=sharing

Process with Smooth Aliasing 1 pass added: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VL225cvRZLfh22tLGQMQSy5XWofCMVeK/view?usp=sharing

Sequence without  Car: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17LyqUbVZk0YpyDo7yq76W3TnQhq8KnHc/view?usp=sharing


Example 4: Fast Motion, All Axes, Handheld EF-M 15-45mm @ 15mm f3.5, ISO 100


Original. To find out if night time had anything to do with it, I reproduced example 3 during the day.


Processed with options -t 100 -g 1
The ghosting is still there and when the car passes by, the whole image shakes as if it were an earthquake!


Processed with options -t 100 -g 35
This processes using a 35x35 grid (As opposed to the 1x1 of the previous example). The image is a lot more stable, but still not enough. A finer grid would be required and the ghosting still needs to be addressed.

Original Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Er3r13Vu9n-d1SNKwcvYNESK1MCuno1h/view?usp=sharing

Processed Video 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qW6M0MEFI8TZE2eq9O2sdP9N4mcJ92ZR/view?usp=sharing

Processed Video 2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qW6M0MEFI8TZE2eq9O2sdP9N4mcJ92ZR/view?usp=sharing


Example 5: No Motion, Tripod EF-M 32mm f1.4  @f2.0, ISO 3200


Original. Here only the moon as a light source at iISO 3200. This example would benefit from more frames in the stack, and maybe from dual ISO.


Processed. The noise has been reduced substantially. There is still some movement in the noise, but it shows how powerful this stacking method can be under ideal conditions.

Original Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FrkHYPpgIQbZ_HL4DY1mPzYivtqZQ6af/view?usp=sharing

Processed Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17lLcWzV-Lu-xLSV4MkfN8oyWMZOj_EzK/view?usp=sharing

Conclusion

The way it is now, if planned accordingly, this method could allow to film still subjects such as flowers and wildlife (As long as it isn't too windy, as too much movement creates artifacts); Statues, landscapes, Architechture, etc. Using a tripod (or maybe a gimbal) is mandatory.

This is beyond my current technical abilities, but maybe someone with more skills can find a clever way to use the deghosting_mask function present in Hugin. Using a much finer grid would also help a lot (I could not go beyond 35x35 and get a complete video sequence). If there was a way for the system to detect motion and avoid blending frames there, it would also help.

Also, this method isn't for everyone. With a Six Core 3.33GHz, it takes 6 minutes per second of footage to process at 2.5k resolution.

I have seen similar results (minus the major artifacts) with Topaz Vid Enhance AI at 4-6 minutes per frame when using the cpu.
As some of you know, when using temporal noise reduction such as Neat Video or the NR present in DaVinci studio, some details are lost. This is why Frame Stacking is interesting, as fine details are preserved a lot more.

So, this has been tested so far, so anyone with the same idea reading this will have a few examples to start with


References:

https://wiki.panotools.org/index.php?title=Align_image_stack&oldid=15916
https://manpages.debian.org/testing/hugin-tools/deghosting_mask.1.en.html
http://enblend.sourceforge.net/enfuse.doc/enfuse_4.0.0.pdf

Example of deghosting_mask  applied on  a still panorama: https://www.miltonpanoramic.co.uk/deghosting.php

.mlv file for Example 4: https://bit.ly/3yvi1yf





 

10

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: May 06, 2022, 01:51:16 PM »

Possible. Check scripts included in Mlv app. Yould tweak those directly without recompiling.

Are you referring to TIF_CLEAN.command and enfuse_average.command?

If so, yes this is within my reach.

11

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: May 06, 2022, 06:36:40 AM »

Chroma smooth 3x3 is not that bad either.

Actually, this works a lot on the hair images I were referring to. It gives it the shine back. Thanks!

Your suggestions prompted me to dig deeper into MLV app (I'm still new to the whole ML pipeline)

A question: I saw in MLV app that there is an option to stack TIFF's to get a clean image (Averaged Frame).
Would it be in the realm of possibilities to, instead of scanning the whole .mlv file to average to a single photo image, Output a sequence of Tiff's where each frame in the .mlv file is averaged with the nearby frames? (And just clean the shadows like magic)

For example, given frames 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9...
Frame 1= avg(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
Frame 2= avg(2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9)

Or maybe
Frame 4=avg(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
Frame 5=avg(2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9)
etc.

I "Think" that 8 frames plus slow camera movements would work, maybe?

12

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: May 05, 2022, 08:18:11 PM »

Dots can be removed using focus pixel maps. Interpolation method 3 looks nice for this example:

Yes, I just tried with the other clips and it gives a massive improvement, Thanks!

13

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: May 04, 2022, 04:09:55 AM »

Tests for crop_rec_4k_mlv_snd_raw_only_2022Apr30.EOSM202

Presets tested 2K, 2.5K, 2.8k, 5K Ana frtp.

Monitor: Asus PB278Q Hdmi in, hdmi 1.4 cable
Phone: LG V30
Capture Dongle: Hagibis UHC06
Capture App: USB Cam (MJPEG 1920x1080 60P)

Hello Everyone, (And thank you Danne)
I tested the latest build and here are my findings:

This build is a lot more stable than the previous ones: very few camera restarts were required.
One tip for smoother operation is to give the cam time to  operate and reconfigure between button presses.
If you experience something weird (More Below) A camera Restart and Reloading the preset fixes it.

1- 2.5k 1:1 Centered hdmi can be used with an hdmi monitor, or without, (Phone works with 2.5k 1:1 Centered or the default 2.5k preset), without pink frames. But the preview on screen makes it not very usable.
With hdmi, Only 5k Ana frtp gives an  accurate representation of what is being recorded (A few screenshots below)

2-One time Autofocus works better, and can come in handy, once you get a feel for it.

When setting the cam to AF, you can autofocus with the half-shutter button and record. It is not continuous and it may let you refocus only once during the recording.
The best way I found to use it is to press and hold the set button to get to sticky-zoom, Aim, hold half-shutter until focus, keep holding for 1 second, release and it goes back to the preview. You then press record. Can be handy if it is very bright outside and you cannot see the screen properly.

AF+MF behaves like AF. Maybe you could send a dummy MF signal so that it releases the Autofocus after focus confirm, so we could have the option to manually adjust from there, if needs be.

After a few uses, the AF stops giving the confirmation beep, but is still finds the spot.

The results are not always as sharp as if you do it yourself, but it has been usable in every test I did.

Sometimes the screen displays Vertical green lines or gets corrupted. Camera Restart is then required.

3-Half-Shutter button and STAR button work faster and more consistently when used for X10 Zoom.

When used in MF mode, as long as you do not rush the keypresses, both buttons work reliably and as expected. If you press and relase too quick, you may have to do it twice.

4-The Framing / Preview function works reliably across every preset tested.
When using the eos-m screen, what you see in framing is what you get.
Exception: The 5K Ana frtp preset must be used in preview mode. (it says frtp in the title so...)
 In framing, the image on screen is shifted downwards, but it records the framing you get in preview.

5-Sometimes, the x10 zoom "Gets lost" somewhere off-center (You may not realize what part of the image you are looking at if shooting a row of flowers or a forest with few distinctive visual cues, for example.
I could not reproduce the issue every time, but there is a screenshot below. Most times it zooms-in close enough to the center.

6- I had a white screen on power up on 2 occasions (Preset reload fixed it). I cannot reproduce it on demand.

7-Recording times are in line with my previous tests, except for the 2.8k preset, I were able to get 14bit 23.976 fps, 2608x1092, at least 1 minute (2022April 10 build).
Now I need to set it to 12 bits to get 1 minute+

Hdmi Monitor and Phone

The chart , a DIY chart made with water bottle wrappers (Nice patterns to check for moiré and lots of little characters)


The Recorded Output, 2.5k Centered hdmi preset:


What we see on the phone-as-a-monitor:


What we see on the Asus hdmi monitor:


I won't post every screenshot to save space, but what we see on the monitors is always a cropped version of the final image; sometimes centered, sometimes not.

Only the 5k Ana frtp preset displays the whole image, but it doesn't work when using the phone. In the latter case, only the interface displays and the preview is scrambled.

x10 Zoom

The recorded output


What we see on the Eos-m


What I saw when I zoomed in (Star Button or Shutter Half-Press)


It often displays an area close to the center (Easier to notice when on a tripod). Also, if I use the invisible arrows on the tap screen to navigate to a region of interest, the next time I zoom in it will display the default area, and on a subsequent press, the arrow-navigated area.

Edit: With the latest Build, crop_rec_4k_mlv_snd_raw_only_2022May04.EOSM202_test.zip, the zooming has been greatly enhanced. It now always land close to the center and doesn't get lost anymore. It is also more responsive.

Not Exclusive to this build: Image Quality

When recording surfaces with a lot of details (Hair, Fur, certain surfaces), some quasi-static dots appear over those areas. It sometimes make the image look "dirty". Changing debayer type sometimes improves it a bit, but there are always traces left. If I take a picture, those artifacts do not appear.
Is there a parameter that can be tweaked to make the sensor scanning more precise? (Even if it is at the expense of some resolution)

Example 5k Ana frtp




Example 2.5k


A link to the mlv file
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zV7A2JUXOpxUrt-ewXol6s-eiM6BhBjB/view?usp=sharing

Also, maybe this is only anecdotal, but when installing a new build, the camera needs an on/off cycle before working with consistency.

14

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 28, 2022, 03:08:26 PM »

Some Test Results

Test Parameters:

Build: crop_rec_4k_mlv_snd_raw_only_2022Apr27.EOSM202
Monitor: Asus PB278Q Hdmi in, hdmi 1.4 cable
Phone: LG V30
Capture Dongle: Hagibis UHC06
Capture App: USB Cam (MJPEG 1920x1080 60P)

2 one minute clips and 3 30seconds clips per Ratio/Bitdepth for 5kfrtp with/without monitor

60 clips total with varying presets and bit depths  for 2K,2.5k,2.8k,5kana,5kflv  with/without monitor

Shooting straight at  a lightbulb to make it fill half the frame (Slightly clipping), pan left-right to help spot skipped frames.

5Kfrtp:

Works in 16:9, 2:35 and 2:39 ratios
10,12 and 14bits, continuous
16:9 now gives continuous recording (Did not with yesterday's build)
Half-Shutter and Star Button gives a Zoom. Works with Sticky enabled or not.

I got a few black previews when starting up the camera without hdmi monitor.  (You see the interface, but nothing in preview). Restart Required. I Wasn’t able to reproduce the issue on demand.

While recording, using the monitor, there are occasional flashing bars on the external side of the Live View. It does not affect the recording and is fixed by pressing MENU twice.

2.5K

2.5K 2520x1418: When using the Monitor, I get Pink frames. Sometimes, there are black  blank spots on the screen, which are not as apparent as pink frames. 
2.5K Centered: You never get pink frames, but some of the clips have the black spots.
If what changed is not obvious to you, let me know and I will go back to the April 26 build to check if I only got lucky when I did not get any.
Edit: I checked the files recorded with the April 26 Build, some showed the occasional black spots on the image.

When using the phone (3 recordings), I did not get pink frames.
Edit: Did 5 more recordings, the image is always corruption-free.


About 3x crop and focus aid options in Customized Buttons:

When using 2.5k Preset  with hdmi monitor: The x3 and focus aid options cannot be changed (Remains Off) Looks like you’ve put a safeguard there.

When Using 2.5k Preset with  the Phone:The options can be selected, and even when selected, the preview displays correctly and recording is free of corruption.
Also, the Star and Half-Shutter button work and give a zoom in, zoom out when you release (Or press again if sticky is enabled).

2K, 2.8K: Nothing new to report

5K ana and 5k flv:

I tested 10bits and 12bits and various resolutions. It is possible to get 5k flv (Set 25fps ON) 1520x1906 10bit @23.976 2.39:1 for at least 1 min (Stopped Myself). 
I need to run resolution tests to see if those extra pixels are actually worth the effort…
Every recording was corruption-free.
Half-shutter and Star button work like 5k frtp


About rewiring the SET Button:

when i load one of the cropped presets, If I use the SET button for the dropdown presets,, it goes to the presets list found on top of the movie tab.
The 5Kfrtp preset works as expected, it goes to the “Tap display” presets when I hit SET.

About the half-shutter Focus aid button:

1-Try loading the H264 tap preset, Check.
2-Then turn Raw video on, Check. The process is slower than step 1, but snappier than 5k frtp. Maybe this can be a hint, maybe not.

15

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 27, 2022, 08:33:35 PM »

Thanks for posting your workflow around using a phone.
Define display correctly using a phone? Full real time view? Framing? Cropped view?

With yesterday's build:

Phone:

5k: Doesn't display preview, only the interface shows (See the screenshots I linked in my previous post)
2k: Full realtime preview
2.5K: Realtime crop
2.8k: Realtime crop

Monitor:
5k: Full Realtime Preview
2k: Full realtime preview
2.5K: Realtime crop
2.8k: Realtime crop

The state remains the same whether you are recording or not (As opposed to the display turning into Grayscale framing when recording on the 2.8k preset on eos-m display, for example)

2.5K Preview crop (Estimate)

2.8K preview crop (Estimate)

16

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 27, 2022, 05:20:16 PM »

I would like a detailed description how correct display is working over a phone? What program is used, connectors etc.

Sorry about that, I had to edit my post to keep it slimmer

Phones Tested: LG V30 and Samsung S8 (Both work identically, OTG must be enabled if it isn't already)

Capture Dongle: Hagibis UHC06
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003578647111.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.f3207226CSULaS&algo_pvid=8c9ae453-45ca-47af-ba6d-ac2e82e713c0&algo_exp_id=8c9ae453-45ca-47af-ba6d-ac2e82e713c0-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000026355134132%22%7D&pdp_npi=1%40dis%7CCAD%7C%7C19.77%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%402101d91e16510716307594707e6967%7C12000026355134132%7Csea

You will need something like this so you can connect a powerbank to the phone (Battery drains fast)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003377144632.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.ae4559faZe23kH&algo_pvid=342ea171-bf60-4bd0-b33f-c7e3888dea9b&algo_exp_id=342ea171-bf60-4bd0-b33f-c7e3888dea9b-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000025498967128%22%7D&pdp_npi=1%40dis%7CCAD%7C%7C6.38%7C%7C%7C2.19%7C%7C%400b0a556016510717328135199ef60b%7C12000025498967128%7Csea

Android App: USB Camera (Free Version)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shenyaocn.android.usbcamera&hl=en_CA&gl=US

Connected with a Straight 1 meter Mini hdmi to hdmi 1080P hdmi 1.4 Cable.

From my Previous Post:
When using a capture dongle with a phone and usb camera, the dongle needs to be connected to the phone BEFORE powering it on. That way, 2K, 2.5K and 2.8K presets work (But the screen shows only part of the actual recorded image). When changing presets, resolution, etc, the EOS-m needs to be restarted. Edit: This seems to be fixed, will test some more. My hdmi monitor (Asus) doesn't work with 2.5K (At any aspect ratio), but some people got their monitors working when using a 16:9 ratio) Edit: With the April 26 2022 Build, Pink Frames at 2.5k ARE GONE! (5 clips recorded). Maybe we could post working configurations in a dedicated thread to make it easier for everyone... My USB camera Video Format settings are: MJPEG, 1920x1080 60p (important, otherwise the screen may be blank)

Screenshots of the phone and monitor outputs: (Taken with this build: crop_rec_4k_mlv_snd_raw_only_2022Apr26.EOSM202.zip)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zWw8YD_cvj_PawmkjybyozBM20lQokAf/view?usp=sharing

17

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 27, 2022, 05:44:10 AM »

Regarding hdmi: (Of course, considering that Record fps and Higher resolutions means compromises have to be made)

If anyone knows what kind of signal is output for the live view, framing and interface,
It would allow us to look for the right capabilities when shopping for a monitor, as not every preset displays correctly on every brand.
On my end  for example, while 2K,2.5k,2.8K display correctly when using a phone; only 2K,2.8K and 5K display on my monitor (But with heavy crop)

In 5K ana (Not frtp), you get the whole frame preview, it is squeezed, but it takes the whole available space.
I do not own one, but the newest field monitors allow to unsqueeze (If you use an anamorphic lens).
Even though the interface text will be distorted, this could be an acceptable compromise, if getting a non zoomed crop preview is not possible, in the cropped  modes.

A hdmi customize section would be helpful as @Danne stated. If possible, ideally we would be able to have:

Choose between squeezed (Bigger Image, which could be unsqueezed on monitor)
and a smaller unsqueezed version, like the one we currently have for 5k frtp;

If bandwidth is limited, we could always have a low fps “Frame Correct” preview
Then press Star button (Or half-shutter press) to toggle between Cropped Realtime preview and Framing.
That way, if you need to keep an eye on framing, you can get low fps framing and just keep a consistent distance to the subject to maintain focus (And stop down a little to have more margin);
If you need to follow-focus, you use the center realtime crop.

The way it is now, the hdmi preview is heavily cropped and isn’t centered, so it heavily limits its usefulness, As you don’t know exactly what is included in the shot.
If Framing is technically non-feasible, then the crop needs to be centered, at least.

Especially when very sunny outside, a monitor is necessary, as even with full brightness (Which drains battery faster) it is not easy to focus on the small screen.
Insigna makes a stick-on hood to put on the eos-m screen, but it gets in the way when using a gimbal.

Regarding Centering:

The presets also need to be centered (Center part of the sensor) when possible, as vignetting, “Maintain Framing when zooming” and peripheral sharpness aren’t consistent across presets.
I am aware that a lot of users are into Landscape / Nature / Vacation type shootings, where that stuff isn’t too obvious.
But I have seen a few reviews on Youtube blaming those issues on the Lenses and Filters.
With a well performing lens (ef-m 32mm, Sigma), not too obvious, but with a Vintage (Helios and al...)

Right Now:
5k frtp: Lower portion of sesnor is scanned, slightly off center
2K:Leaning towards bottom, leaning towards right
2.5K: Almost centered, leaning towards right
2.8k: When first loading the preset, top and  left heavy. Press menu twice, goes to lower portion slightly to the  left.

I tried changing the CMOS registers, didn't succeed, as the steps are quite coarse, then I got a black screen.

To verify, you can (Use a Zoom Lens):
1-  Start up bypassing ML (Hold Set while powering on) to get a center reference, check zoom.
2-  Restart, In ML, enable  Overlay>Cropmarks, select CrssMtr2.bpm, then have a look at the different presets and check zoom behaviour and peripheral sharpness.

18

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 24, 2022, 10:30:32 PM »

@Danne, didn't know I had my camera with me.
It works and it opens the door to many more possibilities! 
One should disregard my previous post completely, as the procedure won't be necessary, unless you want something very specific.

When using a hdmi monitor, Setting Customized buttons to:

x3crop toggle     Off
focus aid           Off
gain                  Aperture only
INFO selectable  INFO1
Tap display         Off

Gives You: up/dpwn buttons= Aperture control, circle knob= Shutter Control, INFO button= select dropdown (but you have to press info again after selecting the preset, to get to the preview).

Zoom, False color and Zebra will most likely be available on your monitor.

Without a monitor:

x3crop toggle     SET
focus aid           sticky push
gain                  Aperture only
INFO selectable  INFO4
Tap display         Tap display 01

Give you INFO button= false color on/off, up/down buttons= Aperture control, circle button= Shutter control and  Tap screen= dropdown menu selection.

The MENU button is now always working as expected, so no access is lost.
(The camera needs to be restarted after modifying all those settings, otherwise some things give unexpected results)

When using 5k Ana mode, the false color (or Zebras) doesn't cover the top part of the preview, so you just need to aim a little higher to check exposure there.

Thank you again. Once you get to understand how everything works, this camera gives some REALLY high quality images.

19

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 24, 2022, 09:04:40 PM »

@gabriielangel
Here´s a crop_rec.mo which let´s you select INFO button and let´s you choose between Zebras or false color. Is this how you mean?
https://bitbucket.org/Dannephoto/magic-lantern_jip_hop_git/downloads/crop_rec.mo

I will try it and report back tomorrow. Thanks!

20

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 24, 2022, 08:59:38 PM »

You could probably customize info button to select zebras etc. Don't have much time here to do this. Code for customization lies in crop_rec.c.
Not sure what the issues are you are describing wirh MENU. How is it suppose to work and is that working so with other eosm builds? Is it working with official nightly build for instance?

The 2.5k issue seems to be device dependant. Like I said, it works on my phone-as-a-capture-device for 2K,2.5K,2.8K, and works with my monitor with 5KFRTP,2k,2.8k. I will ask Zeek, as he uses several different brands.

As a workaround for now, I start with 2.8K, or 3K preset (Which gives a larger but low fps preview) and lower the resolution from there.


Like I said in the post, it is possible to use the info button to select zebras, but the way I managed to make it work disables the functionality of the menu button (Without any programming that is, only using available functions). I will try to explain it clearly, the procedure takes less than a minute, so you can check the behavior when you have more spare time:

Press the MENU button once, you see the first menu
Press the MENU button a second time, you see the second menu.
Press Menu again and you are back to the  preview screen.

1-Now press trash can to get inside ML menu
2-Go to Prefs>LV Display Presets>select 2 (or 3, or 4)
3-Go to Movie>Customized buttons>INFO selectable>select OFF
4-Go to Overlay, to the top right corner, you will see DISP0 in gray.  Make sure that on this page, nothing is selected besides Global Draw.
5-Tap the screen once, you will see DISP1 in gray in the top right corner. On this page, select  Global Draw and False color.

Press Menu.
Now, pressing the INFO button toggles between False Color and a clean overlay. By selecting 3 or 4 in Step 2, and cycling between different DISP pages in step 5 (By tapping the display), you can use the INFO button to toggle between several different modes while in live view.

Press Menu. Now it goes straight to the second menu.
While it is possible to map the Aperture to the up/down buttons, you still lose shutter and Audio Levels settings(which are located in first menu. Shutter access is kinda needed, as switching presets and speed hacks often changes the shutter values.

This behavior has been there since at least the Feb042021 build (I can't go earlier than this, as I weren't an ML fan before that date

On a side note, with the latest build:

When enabling lvface+aewb, and keeping 1/50 shutter, no fine-tuning (Which doesn't matter if you do a static shot) It is possible to get at least 30 seconds of 12bit 2800x1172 23.976 with the 3K preset, and 10bit 21fps continuous-ish with the 5K ana flv.

Those two modes come in handy if you want to have a larger FOV and cannot move back.

21

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 23, 2022, 11:33:37 PM »

Thanks ZEEK.

Those are really nice images! The Black Mist filter adds a nice finishing touch to the image.

22

crop_rec and derived builds / Re: Danne's crop_rec_4k experiments for EOS M

« on: April 23, 2022, 11:05:51 PM »

Added a new version:
https://bitbucket.org/Dannephoto/magic-lantern_jip_hop_git/downloads/

Includes these changes:
https://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=26443.0

Just tested crop_rec_4k_mlv_snd_raw_only_2022Apr18.EOSM202.zip

Works like the previous build, I get comparable results to my last test https://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=26443.msg238437#msg238437 (20 recorded clips).

On my end, the 2.5k Preset still gives pink frames when using hdmi with monitor, 2 times out of 3.
So, the monitor works fine with 5K frtp, 2K, 2.8k
And with a phone and capture dongle (Samsiung S8, LG V30, Hagbis Capture Dongle);2K, 2.5K and 2.8K work, no pink frames, but with 5K frtp, only the interface shows, not the video overlay. (The dongle has to be connected prior to turning the phone on for 2.5k and 2.8K to work)

It is worth noting that, on an hdmi monitor (or Phone with hdmi capture dongle),  the preview for 2.5K and 2.8k are uncentered crops of the actual recorded image. So unless you are recording a landscape or a general frame without any particular point of interest, there will be some randomness in your framing...

An ongoing related issue:

When enabling 7th ML Menu>LV Display Presets (2,3 or 4)
And then 3rd ML Menu>customized buttons>INFO selectable (OFF)

It is possible to use the INFO button to toggle between different Overlay presets (2nd ML Menu), to toggle Zebra or False Colors on and off, for example.

But then, the MENU Button stops giving the menu where you have access to the Aperture, Shutter and Audio Levels settings. It is possible to change 3rd ML Menu>customized buttons>gain (aperture only) to get access to the aperture, but we still lose shutter access and audio level settings. The MENU issue had been addressed at some point, but it seems like it is there again (has been like this for at least the past 3 builds).
False Colors and /or Zebra are a must to have consistency between takes. It would be nice to have a way not to have to go to the ML menu before each take to turn those off.

23

General Development / Re: LiveView hacks (write speed improvement)

« on: April 22, 2022, 02:09:39 AM »

Is there a script or a way to do frame stacking (For Noise Reduction) from within MLV app?

24

General Development / Re: LiveView hacks (write speed improvement)

« on: April 20, 2022, 04:08:53 AM »

@mlrocks , This is very interesting. Did you have a chance to compare the output of the 650D to that of the eos-m? As the 650D is quite affordable, it could be interesting.

25

General Development / Re: LiveView hacks (write speed improvement)

« on: April 19, 2022, 10:00:07 PM »

I think that now 650D is an APS-C 5K raw camera with hardware compression ratio of 3. Although software compression may have better recovery with smart algorithms, 650D 5.2k 1x3 footage very possibly will stack against other raw cameras' 5K footage at a compression ratio of 12 or even 8 or 6.

By hardware compression ratio of 3, do you mean subjectively?
1x3 Binning isn't exactly compression. What you lose is mostly sharpness (And detail resolution), because every 3  horizontal pixels are combined into one. (But every line is scanned, thus, vertical resolution is relatively untouched)