But none of the Canon cameras record decent sound anyway, so I recommend investing in one of the Tascam portable recorders, which can be purchased for under $200, and doing dual system recording (don’t have a clapboard? Just use your hands, or have your subject/actor clap at the beginning of each shot). You will probably want/need a tripod and a sound recorder/mic as well, as the 50D does not have built in sound capabilities. The Komputerbay cards reportedly get 90-120 MB/s, which will be fast enough for continuous shooting)
For example, I first tried out the Transcend 64GB 1000x, but only got write speeds of up to 81 MB/s, which is only fast enough to shoot about 1 minute of full raw HD at a time. Other cheap cards may not write fast enough for full HD raw video. 128GB cards don’t seem to be fast enough, so the 64GB is the best bet. A 32 or 64GB 1000x flash card (the Komputerbay card seems to be the cheapest with the fastest results and is available on Amazon for example for $200 or less.A lens (cheap Canon Zoom lenses abound, and there is a cheap 50mm 1.8 prime if you intend to do low-light shooting).Realistically, you will need several batteries (this camera drains them very quickly) and probably at least two compact flash (CF) cards, but here are the basics: What You Will Need to Shoot Raw Video on a 50D
So I’ve decided to put this post together as a detailed how-to manual to hack your 50D. The information is out there, particularly in the Magic Lantern forums, but it is very decentralized and not easy to sift through. Check out this post for info on post-production workflow.Ī simple google search will reveal a lot of articles and posts exclaiming the amazing capabilities of the 50D, but there is less clear or organized information about installing and using Magic Lantern on the 50D. I used the “Nifty-Fifty” (Canon 50mm/f.18) and shot mostly in “crop mode” at ISO 3200.
UPDATE – I recently shot this night-time footage with my 50D. Here’s some sample footage I shot today with a newly hacked 50D: There are some limitations of course with this cheap DIY approach, but for new or even experienced filmmakers who have a miniscule budget, the possibilities are pretty amazing. Even when adding in all the elements you will need to shoot video (a fast CF card, one or two lenses, a sound recorder, and a tripod), it’s possible to acquire a full package for under $1000. By far the biggest bang for the buck is the Canon 50D, a 2008 camera released without video functionality but with the hack can shoot both compressed (with the H.264 format, the same format all the Canon video capable cameras record in) and raw HD video. Many of the less expensive cameras still go for $800-$1000.īut the Magic Lantern hacks for Canon DSLRs offer some very cheap options for building a true DIY production package. DSLR cameras are fabulous for low-budget, DIY filmmaking, but high quality cameras are quite expensive (4K cameras such as the Panasonic GH4 and the Black Magic Cinema camera run $1700 to $3000 respectively, Black Magic Pocket is $1000, and the Canon 5D Mark III sells used for $1400ish – and all of these are prices for the camera body only with no lenses).