Intervalometer (Take a photo every x seconds - very useful for creating time-lapse video).

Expanded exposure bracketing (from three shots in the stock firmware to up to 9 with magic lantern).

Focus peaking (areas that are in focus are highlighted on the live view screen).

Here's a quick shopping list of key features that the free Magic Lantern software can open up on compatible EOS cameras:

This fairly dry video shows an early version of the hack in action:

This has been particularly annoying for those who have had to downgrade to the cheaper, less durably built 550D (Rebel T2i) and other models in order to access the expanded firmware.īut in a surprise announcement yesterday, the Magic Lantern team revealed that a young team member has found a way to run the upgraded firmware despite the 7D's twin DIGIC processors. 7D owners, your new Magic Lantern firmware is on its way!įor the longest time, owners have been resigned to the fact that the Magic Lantern firmware upgrade would never be available for the EOS 7D.

But yesterday, after what they've described as an 'Aha! moment' the ML team announced they've figured out how to port the Magic Lantern software to the 7D. For years, this functionality was available on more or less every Canon HDSLR except the 7D, due to the fact that it runs two DIGIC processors, not one. Enter the firmware hackers at Magic Lantern, who have tacked on a bunch of extra functionality from focus peaking and focus stacking to zebra striping, expanded audio controls, time-lapse intervalometers and expanded exposure bracketing. Like its big brother the 5D, the 7D can be wrangled into an outstanding piece of cinema equipment, but that's not really what it has been designed for – and the onboard software reflects that fact. The EOS 7D is Canon's top-shelf crop-frame digital SLR - and since its release, it's been a favourite among SLR filmmakers.

Canon 7d firmware downgrade