Maybe the single most exciting feature of Magic Lantern, this allows a filmmaker to capture the full power of Canon’s sensors – and the difference in image quality, along with the ability to operate on the footage in post – is night and day compared to the H.264 output. The fact that Magic Lantern is open source doesn’t make it potentially dangerous. There are plenty of softwares like Opera or Firefox that are open source, heck, even Android is open source. That doesn’t mean those softwares could brick your computer.
Now playing:Watch this: Unlock the secret features of your Canon dSLR
There are many hidden features inside your Canon dSLR. Magic Lantern is the key you need to unlock them.
Magic Lantern is one of the most popular firmware add-ons available, opening up many possibilities for photography and video. It's free, runs alongside the stock Canon firmware and new features are constantly being added.
Magic Lantern Canon 50d
Once installed, your dSLR gets useful tools such as:
These features are just the tip of the iceberg. A full functionality list can be found in the userguide.
Before you install Magic Lantern, be aware that it is not in any way supported by Canon. Proceed at your own risk and note that it may void your warranty.
Current cameras supported include the 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III, 6D, 7D, 50D, 60D, 500D/T1i, 550D/T2i, 600D/T3i, 650D/T4i, 700D/T5i, 1100D/T3 and EOS M.
Installation processMagic Lantern Terraria
Step one: Find a spare SD card and format in-camera. Then, head to the Magic Lantern downloads page and choose your model number from the list.
Step two: Make sure the official firmware on your camera is up to date. The Magic Lantern download page will tell you which is the latest version number. Check what is installed on your camera by choosing any of the manual exposure modes (PASM) on the dial, then press the Menu button. Scroll through until you find the version number.
If required, head to Canon's official support site and download the latest version of the firmware for your dSLR.
Step three: Connect the SD card to your PC or Mac and download the Magic Lantern build for your camera. Extract the zip archive, then put all those files in the root directory of the SD card.
Step four: Insert the SD card into the camera and turn it on. Install the firmware by going to Menu and finding the firmware option. Press Set and confirm your selection to update the firmware. You will be prompted to restart the camera by turning the power off and on again.
Step five: Clear any custom settings by pressing Menu, and find Clear settings. Exit the Canon menu system by pressing Menu again, then press the trash can button to bring up the Magic Lantern options.
If you run into any difficulties during the installation process, there's also a full guide on the Magic Lantern wiki page.
General tips
Helpful photography tools
Intervalometer: Magic Lantern has it all built-in. From the menu, scroll across to Shoot, then down to Intervalometer. Press Set to activate, then the Q button to bring up options.
Choose how often you want to take a picture and when you want the camera to start. Get out of the menu and you'll see the screen is waiting for that half press.
Audio trigger: You can fire the camera shutter using sound. Go to the menu, Audio RemoteShot and press Set. Then, hit the Q button to set the trigger decibel level. Make sure it's set to as high as possible, so 20dB, otherwise even the smallest sound will fire the shutter.
Clap your hands or make some noise, and when the camera detects it, the shutter will fire.
![]() Download Magic Lantern T3i
Focus peaking and zebras: This one is great for stills and video users. Focus peaking gives you an outline on what's in focus while zebras show you areas of overexposure. In the menu, go to Overlay, turn on zebras and focus peak. You can tweak lots of other options to your liking in the sub-menus too.
Head out of the menu, turn on live view and press the Info button a couple of times to turn off the Canon overlays. You'll see your exposure info down at the bottom of the screen with focus peaking and zebras on the screen as well.
UninstallingMagic Lantern Guides Canon
Once you've finished playing around with Magic Lantern, you may want to uninstall it. To do this, go back to the Canon menu and find the firmware option again. Press Set to complete the uninstall process, then once completed, format the Magic Lantern SD card in-camera if you don't want to reinstall it again. Remember to save any photos on the card elsewhere before formatting.
Install Magic Lantern T3i
These are just a few features of Magic Lantern; I'll delve into more advanced options in a future How To article.
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