Open-Source Firmware for Canon EOS 5D Mark II Adds Audio Features, Zebras

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II has captured the imagination of a remarkable number of video producers, so much so that a number of technically-advanced owners have taken the camera’s capabilities into their own hands, offering their own firmware for use with the camera. One such project is called Magic Lantern, though the nature of the open source movement leads me to think there may be more projects like this, or that this particular project might lead to the creation of similar projects.

The developers focused on audio improvements for this release (including on-screen audio level meters, disabling auto gain control and adding a manual gain control), but on the video side, there are now zebra stripes and crop marks for 16:9, 2.35:1 and 4:3 frame sizes. You can leave wishes for the developers on the Wiki’s to-do list.

We’re excited to see the influence of the open-source software movement continue deeper into our realm–it’s interesting to see what some of the hardware we use from day to day is capable of.