Is "Magic Lantern" Harmful to your camera ?

[danm161]

I'm trying to find a way to get rid of the focus square on my screen, because when i'm trying to use my camera as a web cam for broadcasting it always show the square. They give the solution of instaling the firmware of "Magic Lantern" But i don't know if that would harm my camera. Can someone please help me with this. ???

[amfoto1]

You don't mention what particular camera you want to use ML on. That might make a difference.

I don't shoot video with my DSLRs, so have not had a reason to install ML on my cameras and haven't done so. I've got some interest in hyperfocal macro techniques and have considered getting it for that. Occasionally in researching it I've heard/read reports of cameras ending up "bricked"... I guess there's always some minimal risk when hacking a camera like this, but the problems seem to mostly occur when using a Beta version of ML or using ML on a camera that's not on the supported and tested list, such as a new model.

ML resides on the camera's memory card and is essentially an overlay of the firmware to enhance the functions of the camera. Seems pretty safe and fully reversable in most instances.

However, using a DSLR for continuous video as a webcam seems like it would be hard on the batteries, shutter mechanism and sensor, might lead to overheating and would drain power pretty rapidly. Especially for a lower resolution web purposes, I think I'd be shopping for a small vid cam instead. But, hey, that's just me.

Maybe if you tell us what model camera you are thinking of using ML with, someone will have more experience with the particular combination.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

[danm161]

I have a Canon 7D and a Canon 70D i'm using both of them. for the battery I don't have that problem because i have a batery replacement that is conected directly to the power source. 

[Skirball]

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@danm161 wrote:

I'm trying to find a way to get rid of the focus square on my screen, because when i'm trying to use my camera as a web cam for broadcasting it always show the square. They give the solution of instaling the firmware of "Magic Lantern" But i don't know if that would harm my camera. Can someone please help me with this. ???

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It's not really a yes or no question.  The chances of ML harming (e.g. "bricking") your camera are very slim, yet you can't guarantee that it can't happen.  I think it's best you understand what ML is, and what it is not, before trying it.  Knowing that will help you decide if it's for you or not.  It's little different then running a boot disk on a computer.  Even if the software on the bootdisk is corrupt, chances are you'll be able to remove the boot disk, reset your BIOS, and it'll run like it did before.

So long as you're using official releases of ML, and you check your camera firmware, I believe the chances to be incredibly slim.  Even without that diligence, the software is mostly benign.  The guys at ML have done a lot of testing, and moreso with the thousands of people that run it on their comps.  But there's always the stories of people trying to jailbrake an iPhone or root a Tablet that brick it...  so someone out there is figuring out how to do it wrong.

[Peter]

I use the nightly builds for 6D and 7D. Works almost like a charm. My 7D has sometimes needed a removed battery because I was too fast taking out the memory card.