Magic Lantern - bitrates, audio, questions... at DVinfo.net

David St. Juskow · May 14th, 2011, 02:57 PM

Just installed version 1.0.9, my first entry into this world of ML. I like the potential but am not blown away just yet by the features... still trying to gauge just how useful they will be. 2 questions off the bat:

-the bitrates: seems like you can only make the bitrate LOWER, thereby decreasing the quality of the video, not HIGHER. Am I missing something obvious? I would think higher is what users would want.

-speaker: my speaker now seems disabled (presumably because ML is sending the audio out through the AV jack.) If i just want to listen to something quickly through my camera speaker, is there any way to do that? It's definitely recording audio- I can hear it on my computer- but I can't play back audio via the speaker.

-The focal length info display might be the best feature on here (though no one seems to be that excited about it) since I can use that to hit focusing marks accurately... any way to view them in Feet and Inches instead of meters? I can do the conversion if metric is the only way, just thought I'd ask.

I find the zebra stripes pretty useless because they're so slow and clunky in refreshing- it's much easier to just see what is overblown via the viewfinder (with enough experience you can tell what's going to be what) but manual gain control is a huge bonus (obviously.) That and the focus information seem to be the biggest genuine feature advancements so far... and the higher bitrates, if they exist...

thanks, ML folks, for the time and energy you put into this...

Joel Peregrine · May 17th, 2011, 12:02 PM

Hi David,

I use ML mainly for four things - defeating the AGC, Kelvin white balance, Magic Zoom (alw, small, se) and Restart. I do occasionally use intermediate ISO settings but nothing else. All the other features are off - histogram, focus peaking, literally everything else - completely off. I have 15 cards that all have the same config file and its not set to autosave the settings. That way I always know how the camera is set up when I put in a new card.

Gintaras Mockus · May 18th, 2011, 03:45 AM

You can read about bitrate settings Bit rate - Magic Lantern Firmware Wiki

Chris Barcellos · May 18th, 2011, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David St. Juskow

I find the zebra stripes pretty useless because they're so slow and clunky in refreshing- it's much easier to just see what is overblown via the viewfinder (with enough experience you can tell what's going to be what) but manual gain control is a huge bonus (obviously.) That and the focus information seem to be the biggest genuine feature advancements so far... and the higher bitrates, if they exist...

thanks, ML folks, for the time and energy you put into this...

David, for exposure evaluation, I have been using false colors. You just can't trust your LCD to be sure you haven't cooked a highlight, or killed detail in shadow. This is something that is very worthwhile in complex lit scenes and in natural backgrounds. It is extremely useful in keeping anything from blowing out. It is included in Marshall monitors, and to have this included on camera is a great boon to the software.

Charles Newcomb · May 18th, 2011, 09:52 AM

Is ML for the 60D ready now? Last i heard, it was still not quite there.

Sam Kanter · May 18th, 2011, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David St. Juskow

Just installed version 1.0.9, my first entry into this world of ML. I like the potential but am not blown away just yet by the features... still trying to gauge just how useful they will be. 2 questions off the bat:

-the bitrates: seems like you can only make the bitrate LOWER, thereby decreasing the quality of the video, not HIGHER. Am I missing something obvious? I would think higher is what users would want.

-speaker: my speaker now seems disabled (presumably because ML is sending the audio out through the AV jack.) If i just want to listen to something quickly through my camera speaker, is there any way to do that? It's definitely recording audio- I can hear it on my computer- but I can't play back audio via the speaker.

-The focal length info display might be the best feature on here (though no one seems to be that excited about it) since I can use that to hit focusing marks accurately... any way to view them in Feet and Inches instead of meters? I can do the conversion if metric is the only way, just thought I'd ask.

I find the zebra stripes pretty useless because they're so slow and clunky in refreshing- it's much easier to just see what is overblown via the viewfinder (with enough experience you can tell what's going to be what) but manual gain control is a huge bonus (obviously.) That and the focus information seem to be the biggest genuine feature advancements so far... and the higher bitrates, if they exist...

thanks, ML folks, for the time and energy you put into this...

Is this for 60D or 550D?

Sam Kanter · May 18th, 2011, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Newcomb

Is ML for the 60D ready now? Last i heard, it was still not quite there.

Depends what you mean by "ready". It's in alpha now, you could DL but might want to wait for beta.

Charles Newcomb · May 18th, 2011, 01:13 PM

Yeah, I'll wait. Thanks.

David St. Juskow · May 21st, 2011, 06:51 PM

Ah- I see the light! I had no idea there were a ton of updates to the firmware they post on the main page. No wonder- the latest build is amazing. If anyone has tips on shooting with higher bitrates (what cards you need, how the footage looks) feel free to post!

That magic zoom is everything i ever wanted in life. time to donate!

also, if anyone knows how to save settings even when you remove the battery, let me know. it seems like you can't..?

rock on!

May 14th, 2011, 02:57 PM	#1
David St. Juskow Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: new york city Posts: 113	Magic Lantern - bitrates, audio, questions... Just installed version 1.0.9, my first entry into this world of ML. I like the potential but am not blown away just yet by the features... still trying to gauge just how useful they will be. 2 questions off the bat: -the bitrates: seems like you can only make the bitrate LOWER, thereby decreasing the quality of the video, not HIGHER. Am I missing something obvious? I would think higher is what users would want. -speaker: my speaker now seems disabled (presumably because ML is sending the audio out through the AV jack.) If i just want to listen to something quickly through my camera speaker, is there any way to do that? It's definitely recording audio- I can hear it on my computer- but I can't play back audio via the speaker. -The focal length info display might be the best feature on here (though no one seems to be that excited about it) since I can use that to hit focusing marks accurately... any way to view them in Feet and Inches instead of meters? I can do the conversion if metric is the only way, just thought I'd ask. I find the zebra stripes pretty useless because they're so slow and clunky in refreshing- it's much easier to just see what is overblown via the viewfinder (with enough experience you can tell what's going to be what) but manual gain control is a huge bonus (obviously.) That and the focus information seem to be the biggest genuine feature advancements so far... and the higher bitrates, if they exist... thanks, ML folks, for the time and energy you put into this...

May 17th, 2011, 12:02 PM	#2
Joel Peregrine Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 689	Re: Magic Lantern - bitrates, audio, questions... Hi David, I use ML mainly for four things - defeating the AGC, Kelvin white balance, Magic Zoom (alw, small, se) and Restart. I do occasionally use intermediate ISO settings but nothing else. All the other features are off - histogram, focus peaking, literally everything else - completely off. I have 15 cards that all have the same config file and its not set to autosave the settings. That way I always know how the camera is set up when I put in a new card. __________________ WeddingFilms.com>> Last edited by Joel Peregrine; May 17th, 2011 at 01:39 PM.

May 18th, 2011, 03:45 AM	#3
Gintaras Mockus New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mazeikiai, Lithuania Posts: 9	Re: Magic Lantern - bitrates, audio, questions... You can read about bitrate settings Bit rate - Magic Lantern Firmware Wiki

May 18th, 2011, 09:52 AM	#5
Charles Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Salida, Colorado Posts: 561	Re: Magic Lantern - bitrates, audio, questions... Is ML for the 60D ready now? Last i heard, it was still not quite there.

May 18th, 2011, 01:13 PM	#8
Charles Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Salida, Colorado Posts: 561	Re: Magic Lantern - bitrates, audio, questions... Yeah, I'll wait. Thanks.

May 21st, 2011, 06:51 PM	#9
David St. Juskow Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: new york city Posts: 113	Re: Magic Lantern - bitrates, audio, questions... Ah- I see the light! I had no idea there were a ton of updates to the firmware they post on the main page. No wonder- the latest build is amazing. If anyone has tips on shooting with higher bitrates (what cards you need, how the footage looks) feel free to post! That magic zoom is everything i ever wanted in life. time to donate! also, if anyone knows how to save settings even when you remove the battery, let me know. it seems like you can't..? rock on!