Magic Lantern Mobile App

[Ammar]

Hi ML Nation :-)
i am planing to create app for Magic Lantern, that well help to guide all of us when its needed, it will be a user guide in your pocket. it will run on both IOS and Android.

So all ideas are welcome.

[Marsu42]

i am planing to create app for Magic Lantern, that well help to guide all of us when its needed, it will be a user guide in your pocket. it will run on both IOS and Android.

Ugh? So it's rather an ebook with ML documentation than an app(lication)?

[a1ex]

Why not just bringing the built-in ML help up to date?

[Saumin]

I think its an excellent idea...

It would be better to have it outside the camera...so that u can access it even when the camera is not around u, if you have it on ure smart phone then you can be prepared before the shoot...
plus its also easier to go through it on the shoot when the camera is setup. just use the app on smart phone and setup ure camera...not need to go back and forth in the camera.

plus it would be great if we can choose the models in the app so we know exactly whatever that model is capable to do with ML.

It should be interactive so you just put in a model no. and it gives you all the settings and info required.

It would be great to add the workflow for post as there are so many different ways. and still lot of confusion.

Cheers.

[Marsu42]

It would be better to have it outside the camera...so that u can access it even when the camera is not around

Why anyone need this in an app and not just on the web is beyond me (not that that matters), but please do the rest of us a favor and try to design this in a way so that the text can be re-used in the in-camera ml help system - or we'll never get a 3.0 stable release.

plus it would be great if we can choose the models in the app so we know exactly whatever that model is capable to do with ML.

There's already a table which module works, and a more fine-grained table is in the works afaik.

[Saumin]

an interactive app is definitely better than browsing and searching on the web...it is faster and specific.
there are so many film making apps for android and IOS. and they help a lot ....to have something like ML app would be a boon.

[Marsu42]

an interactive app is definitely better than browsing and searching on the web...it is faster and specific.

Well, if you say so :-) ... it's just that you can do all the interactive stuff with Javascript/CSS on the web, too, and not only mobile dev users would beneft. Maybe the op finds a way to also publish this information on the web somehow and esp. in the ml help system.

[engardeknave]

It would be better to have it outside the camera...so that u can access it even when the camera is not around u

Why would you need it if you don't have the camera?

if you have it on ure smart phone then you can be prepared before the shoot...

Ah, so you can study without the camera. Why would you do that?

plus its also easier to go through it on the shoot when the camera is setup. just use the app on smart phone and setup ure camera...not need to go back and forth in the camera.

So you're holding the camera and your smart phone. And this is easier than pressing a key to get to in-camera help.

I guess this app makes sense when you want to study for a shoot without a camera, or when you're shooting with a tripod and you don't want to press a key on your camera to get to help but you are ok with operating your smart phone and then pressing keys on your camera to perform other operations.

[ItsMeLenny]

Well, if you say so :-) ... it's just that you can do all the interactive stuff with Javascript/CSS on the web, too, and not only mobile dev users would beneft. Maybe the op finds a way to also publish this information on the web somehow and esp. in the ml help system.

Don't worry Marsu42, I'm on your side.
It's like those apps which are just slide shows of pictures.
I don't even have a smart phone or tablet.

[chris_overseas]

Well, if you say so :-) ... it's just that you can do all the interactive stuff with Javascript/CSS on the web, too, and not only mobile dev users would beneft. Maybe the op finds a way to also publish this information on the web somehow and esp. in the ml help system.

Personally I think an app like this would be useful if it was well done. Here are some of the benefits I see:

1) Works offline (unlike HTML/web). 95% of my photography is done in foreign countries or remote areas where I don't have Internet access.
2) Could be far more in-depth than the on-camera ML help. Eg tutorials, example images/videos, hyperlinks, animations.
3) Possibility of an improved UI due to touchscreen & sensors.
4) As others have mentioned, useful for studying without the camera present or while the camera's on a tripod.
5) Preserving camera battery life (important to me when in remote locations without the ability to recharge).
6) Future possibility to allow some camera integration ala DSLR Controller.

I'd think of the ML on-camera help vs this app as being analogous to the Canon camera manual compared to a book like http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-DSLR-Ultimate-Photographers-Workflow/dp/0240520408 (note that I have no idea if that book's any good, I just chose it randomly as an example).

Having said all that, I strongly agree with the general sentiment that it is far more important the in-camera help is brought up to speed as a priority, or if this app is developed it is important to be able to somehow keep the app's content in sync with the in-camera help and with the content on the ML website. At a minimum I'd hope that the ML website's userguide and the app's content was based on the same source content - the app just provides an offline version for those who might require it.

[jose_ugs]

+1
I'd love to re-read ML stuff when the Canon is bound to take pictures for the next 4 hours (timelapse, for example...) and you're deep in the mountains with no 3G, Edge, etc...

[surami]

+1

After the next stable release we should make a donation round and find a mate who (maybe he will jump into it, dslrdashboard) can write a crossplatform (iOS + Android) mobile app to set up ML functions through Wi-Fi with a mobile device.