That's because it takes time to reverse-engineer the camera and tailor the software to work alongside Canon's stock menu system.

Notice that the cameras on this list are all older models. The developers are currently working on the software to support the Canon 70D, Canon SL1/100D, Canon T5/1200D, and Canon XSi/450D. A list of currently supported cameras includes the following: The software has since been developed to include many other Canon camera bodies, and even the EOS M series of mirrorless cameras. The source code was originally written by Trammell Hudson in 2009 for the first full-frame DSLR camera capable of 1080p video recording, the Canon 5D Mark II. This would presumably be done by someone who knows a thing or two about code. The software is open source, which means that anyone can download the source code to provide further developments and tweaks to the software.

The software does not replace the stock Canon firmware, but instead runs parallel with it. Magic Lantern is essentially a software add-on that includes many features that are not included in the base menu system for Canon EOS cameras. If you happen to have some of those same questions, it will also hopefully provide some answers. This article provides my thoughts and experiences with using Magic Lantern so far. Questions like: “What does it do?”, “How does it work?”, and most importantly, “Is it going to break my camera?”. I had many of the usual questions about Magic Lantern that caused my hesitation. Although I had known about Magic Lantern since getting a Canon DSLR in 2013, it wasn't until recently that I decided to give it a try. This is especially true for those who are Canon shooters. Most photographers have probably heard or read something about Magic Lantern.

Magic lantern canon 5d mark ii raw size