How safe is Magic Lantern? Can I fully remove it, has anybody removed it?

D

daktulus

Well-known member
I intend to buy a 550D tomorrow in Germany, which firmware will I probably get?
Will it be the for ML required 1.0.9 or already 1.1.0 (what do I do then?)

From http://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/550d_install:

....The installer (magiclantern.fir) will enable the bootdisk flag in NVRAM by calling the bootdisk_enable() function from Canon firmware. This is the only persistent change to your camera, which can be reverted.


What does that mean? That everything else can´t ever be reverted, that the camera will always have the ML hack that can´t be removed?
Will Canon see immediately that you hacked the camera (no chance to ever garantee-repair)?

Has anybody ever successfully removed ML?
 
Installed it last night. Go here for a great "how to" video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sQS3eNUL0I&feature=player_embedded

My initial thoughts are here, at the end of the thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...I-buy-600D-Automatic-OK&p=2301786#post2301786

It's not perfectly safe, their web site makes that clear. BUT, the risk is from installing it improperly, not from the firmware itself. Follow the video above and you should have no problem.

As for the firmware, you need the latest from Canon (1.09).

Far as getting rid of NL, just format you memory card.
 
Just bought a 550d with kit lens (18mm-55mm) in Berlin last Thursday 30th April (€629 at Saturn). The firmware is 1.09. Haven't tried to install ML yet, but hope to do so within the next few days.
 
@JKF: How did you manage to get that price, which Saturn in Berlin, who was the salesclerk? Normal Price is 679,-? (pm me if you like)


When you format the card isn´t there something of the hack left on the camera? Is it possible to restore the original factory settings?
 
The firmware is flashed to the camera's RAM, meaning that it is temporary and will be removed every time the camera is powered down.
 
Calomile said:
The firmware is flashed to the camera's RAM, meaning that it is temporary and will be removed every time the camera is powered down.
Click to expand...
I have some considerable experience with this process,
in another industry. What I assume you are saying here
is that the camera really has two memories. One a
flash memory in which is written, once, the firmware.
In the case of the T2i that would be version 1.09.
When the camera is powered up the CPU in the camera
copies what is in the flash memory to a quicker but
read/write-able volatile memory. This has nothing to
do with the SD memory chip. In fact most motherboards
do this same thing. The flash memory is slow so it's
contents is moved to a volatile, but faster, memory.
That faster volatile memory reverts back to an all
"1"s or "0"s state when the camera is turned off.
Is this the case?

There are devices, and I've designed a few in my
time, that run entirely from ( embedded ) flash memory.
 
I bought the 550d at Saturn in Zehlendorf.

Cyberport.de at Mitte and Steglitz have it on sale in their stores for €658 (€649 if purchased online). My wife (who is German) was in the Zehlendorf branch of Saturn on Wednesday and pointed out the cyberport price to the sales guy at the camera section - apparently Saturn have a policy of matching lower prices if you challenge them. The sales guy went away for a minute and then came back and offered it at €629 - saying it was the lowest he could go.

I went down to Saturn the next day and the male sales guy wasn't there, so my wife simply told the female sales lady that her colleague had offered her the camera at €629. The sales clerk asked if my wife had seen the 550d anywhere else at this price, and my wife politely explained that the issue was now irrelevant as her colleague had already offered the camera at €629.

BTW they have the 600d there, so are probably trying to shift existing 550d stock.

I'm new to this forum. As soon as I figure out how to PM you I will send you the sales lady's name.

Hope that helps.
 
By the way, if you want to buy SD cards as well (you will need at least one for your 550d) you may be better off going to Cyberport anyway. I tried to buy two 8 GB cards (class 10) with my 550d at Saturn and they wanted €60 each for SanDisk cards, which was all they had. So I jumped on the U-bahn over to Stegitz and got two Transcend 8 GB class 10 cards for €19.90 each at Cyberport. Anyway good luck with your shopping!
 
i installed it and uninstalled it when i still had my t2i. it takes about 20-30 min imo, but is definitely doable (i was on a MAC, found it pretty simple). just take your time and reread/watch instructions. it's completely safe if you do it right. to take it off you just format your card. simple.

i realllly want a 7D build to come out :(
 
I installed ML tonight to my t2i no problem.

But I don't have some of the menus. Namely I don't see ISO in the Shoot menu as well as some other options that are in the tutorial videos.

Can't find it in the documentation, it lists ISO under the shoot menu, but I don't have it?
 
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