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Open Source Brings High-End Canon Camera Dynamic Range Closer To Nikon's
PainMeds writes "Magic Lantern is an open source 'free software add-on' that 'adds a host of new features to Canon EOS cameras that weren't included from the factory by Canon.' One of ML's newest features is a module named Dual ISO, which takes advantage of the sensor in some of Canon's high-end cameras (such as the 5D MK II and MK III) to allow the camera to capture an image in two different ISOs, greatly expanding the dynamic range of the camera, and bringing its dynamic range closer to Nikon's popular D800 and D4."
Magic Lantern is fucking awesome. It turned my Rebel T2i (550D) into something that I definitely wouldn't have been able to afford. If you own a Canon DSLR, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. You'll be amazed, confused, and then even more amazed.
That being said, the cameras mentioned in the summary cost more than all my lenses combined. Sounds like an awesome feature, but not one that will be available to casual photographers.
Chuuch. Preach. Tabernacle.
Alternate line exposure is not new, it is in a lot of current generation sensors. Omnivision, Sony and Toshiba all have sensors out with this capability.
The underlying issue is that when doing alternate line exposure you are getting only half the resolution for each range. DSP and image processing techniques can help smooth out the issues, but you are fundamentally dealing with a half-height dark and a half-height light image. Depending on the alternate-line approach, you also get other funky color fringing issues due to the underlying bayer pattern. As the article notes, there are color fringing issues
A good generalized approach is to output a 1/2 resolution image in both dimensions, otherwise you will get a vertical stretch if you keep the horizontal width at full resolution. So it means for a 16 MP camera, you will get only 4 MP HDR images. In a lot of cases this will be more than good enough... But it makes it really difficult to sell and explain to users.
There is usually a good reason that advanced features aren't release/published. A lot of the time it comes down to features be sub-optimal on what is supposed to be a highly polished product.
"One of ML's newest features is a module named Dual ISO, which takes advantage of the sensor in some of Canon's high-end cameras (such as the 5D MK II and MK III)"
Nope. Dual ISO works on *most* Canon DSLRs, not just the 5DII/5DIII. More info here. Technical paper from the developer here.
Oh yeah, Magic Lantern is one of the most amazing and useful pieces of software I've ever come across. If you own a Canon DSLR, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Nikon outsources its sensors from Sony. Really that's a pretty unstable situation and likely fleeting advantage comparing to having in-house sensor development.
Otherwise Canon has it all over Nikon. Lens quality (watch any sporting event - the white lenses are Canon's). Support (which is why I went with Canon) is far better.
If you're worried, it boots off the sd card. You can have multiple sd cards, some with ML, some without. Though it's fairly simple by default.
It goes back and forth.
Canon got a lot of Nikon users when only Canon had full frame cameras.
Nikon got a lot of Canon users (back?) with D3/D700/D300
Nikon got some Canon users with the 14-24 f/2.8
Nikon got some Canon users with the D800
Nikon got some Canon users with better CLS/TTL flash system
Canon got many Nikon users for video
Fuji now gets many Nikon/Canon users with X-trans sensor, good ergonomics and great lenses
Sony got some Nikon/Canon users with small cameras and big sensors, but lost them again with slow and expensive lenses and lack of support
Nikon lost customers with sloppy quality control
Canon lost customers with not so good sensors
Two different ISOs?
Hasn't one International Standards Organization caused enough design-by-committee standards harm? Do we really need another?
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