First Canon 7D RAW video shown courtesy of Magic Lantern

If you've been lustfully eying the latest DSLR models, you want to give your trusty Canon 7D another look. Magic Lantern has been enhancing the features of Canon EOS digital SLRs for some time now, the popular, but aging semi-pro model has been given the RAW video treatment from Magic Lantern, and the first samples have now been posted (after the break). Maximum resolution still falls short of the much newer 5D Mark III's full HD at 1,736 x 1,156, but otherwise, the images are improved in every way. The video has a full 14-bit color spectrum, for starters, is completely free of compression noise and has much less (though still some) moire and aliasing. Now video can only be captured in 2 second bursts, but we saw similar limitations on early Magic Lantern builds for the 5D Mark III, as well -- meaning the 7D may finally live up to its beast-like video potential.

So far, a 7D owner named Florian has put this feature to the test, by combining a series of ~2 second DNG files taken in silent shooting mode into a 33-second video. While there's some moiré at times, the video quality is lightyears ahead of the standard H.264 movies recorded by a stock 7D.

See for yourself:

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Magic Lantern firmware boosts dynamic range of Canon 5D III and 7D

The folks at Magic Lantern are no stranger to adding new features to Canon DSLRs, courtesy of their EOS Camera Tool software.  

Magic Lantern's brought some miraculous features to Canon EOS DSLRs lately, including RAW video recording on the 5D Mark III, and video recording, period, to the 50D. Its latest feat is no less amazing, even for jaded DSLR shooters.

By exploiting unused dual ISO amplifiers on a sensor chip in the Canon 5D Mark III and 7D, new firmware allows you to record lighter parts of a scene at ISO 100 and darker portions at ISO 1600. It works with RAW video and stills on the 5D III and RAW stills only on the 7D, with both requiring post-processing after capture. That bit of creative coding increases the dynamic range of both cameras to around 14, though not without some drawbacks. Namely, the 7D implementation is buggy for now, you'll lose some resolution while gaining aliasing in shadows and highlights, and won't be able to check critical focus by zooming in. Still, the organization has a track record of quickly improving new features -- so, if you've got the guts to risk voiding your warranty, hit the source.

Their latest creation - called Dual ISO - dramatically increases the dynamic range of the 5D Mark III and EOS 7D by four stops, bringing the total dynamic range to 14EV. This allows you to pull detail out of the shadows with a lot less noise than with the 'stock' firmware. The technical details are complex, but simply put, it works by interlacing two rows of pixels captured at ISO 100 with two rows taken at a higher sensitivity (usually ISO 1600). The low sensitivity rows capture highlight detail, while the high ISO rows capture shadow detail. When they are combined, you get relatively noise-free shadows without blowing highlights.

According to Magic Lantern, there are some downsides to using the Dual ISO firmware, though. Vertical resolution is reduced by half and there's more moiré and aliasing in over and underexposed areas. The author also warns that since this software modifies the sensor's operation, you could end up frying your camera. 

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