First Magic Lantern Canon 7D RAW Video Sample is Impressive

A couple of days ago, to the delight of many a 7D user, we heard that Magic Lantern was working on bringing RAW video goodness to the semi-pro model. And now, only four days later to be exact, we have our first RAW video sample shot with the aging prosumer camera.

The news first broke when Magic Lantern’s Alex (a1ex) discovered the same RAW buffer in the 7D that led to RAW video on the 5D Mark III. Unfortunately, that’s as far as that news got until yesterday when 7D user Florian released the above 33-second video made up entirely of 2-second RAW clips.

7dRAW2

As you might have guessed, the tech is still very limited on the 7D. Resolution-wise, you’re limited to 1736 x 1156, and Florian used 2-second clips because he had to, not wanted to. Still, to quote DPReview, “the video quality is lightyears ahead of the standard H.264 movies recorded by a stock 7D.”

Florian shot the video using a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro L-series lens, and pumped all of the RAW data onto a Transcend 64GB 400x CF card.

In order to keep up with test vids as they go up, Florian also decided to start a Vimeo group specifically for Canon 7D RAW video, which already has another sample up thanks to 18-year-old film student Cody Powers:

To follow along as the Magic Lantern folks continue to perfect the RAW video capabilities of the 7D, be sure to check back often for more news and subscribe to the new Vimeo group. Although 2-second bursts and 1736 x 1156 is all you get for now, if the 5D Mark III RAW video timeline is any indication, significant improvements shouldn’t be far off.

(via DPReview)

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