Minimum for Digital Submissions from Eos 5D

[robert_potts1]

The Canon Eos 5D meets my standards for quality and is near my price

range, so I have been researching this camera. I am highly

experienced with film but am a digital novice. I know that I will also

have to buy a flash card and a lens. What else am I going to have to

get? It is my aim to make digital submissions to agencies and other

markets. My computer is an unreliable old snail, but might suffice?

Could I get by with one monitor?

 

Also, while reading the specs, I noted that the 5D should not be used

at temperature below freezing, above 104F, or at humidity greater than

85%. On any day of the year I am likely to exceed one or more of

these thresholds if I take the camera outside. Is this typical of all

digital cameras, or is the 5D unusually tender?

[erickpro]

Well I have a Nikon D100 and I live near the water at humidity of up to 94% sometimes higher I think and my camera has not malfunction ever. So I imagine that the 5D should be tougher even of its description.

[benb]

If your computer is several years old you may be in for a rude awakening.

 

JPEGs off the 5D tend to be about 3-5MB in size, I haven't shot any Raw files yet but I think they are like 20-30MB. In other words you will burn through a lot of hard drive space fast, image catalog software will chew up a lot of CPU rendering thumbnails, and photoshop will be noticeably slower. You will easily go out and generate several gigabytes of shots in a day with this camera, it will be easy to fill up hard drives and you will have plenty of work to back up and secure your files.

 

I don't have a real hot computer, but it is less then a year old. I have a 1.42ghz Mac Mini with 1GB of ram. Basically almost every photo operation I would do on my 10D files was instantaneous except for converting a raw file or running noise Ninja.

 

With the 5D my computer feels quite slow. It is definitely still workable but even opening a file in photoshop takes a noticeable amount of time, and running things like levels, curves, sharpening, etc.. on a full size file will take 5 seconds or so as opposed to being instant.

 

If you are a pro working on lots of files, and your computer is over a year or two old, I think you will end up wanting a new computer as the time saved will pay for itself.

[ron_jonson]

If you're a professional and going to be editing/submitting a lot of photos, you'll want to invest in a new computer. Get the fastest with the most memory you can afford (or write off). I an amateur on a PC, but for a professional I think I'd recommend a Mac because that's what most pros use (don't ask me why). You'll also want a good monitor. And a calibration package is essential. One monitor is fine, but get a BIG one. You'll also need a lot of hard disk space and a solid backup plan (I personally backup to other hard drives, but there are other ways). And of course, there's ever-changing software...photoshop and some raw converter. If you do a lot of editing/retouching maybe a tablet device which is much, much nicer than using a mouse for critical work. Yes there's a lot to get if you want to get into doing digital photography profressionally. Much easier to just shoot chromes, but I guess that's not much of an option for professionals anymore.<br><br> For the camera, you'll need extra batteries also. Just one memory card won't cut it either. Get a few. For the 5D, I think maybe 2GB is a usable size. <br><br> If you need lenses, are you shooting Nikon now? Why not try a D2X or wait for the D200? The quality is comparable. The biggest difference is the lens magnification issue. But if you're already familiar with Nikon, then you don't have to re-learn a new system and acquire new lenses.

[robert_potts1]

Thanks. You guys are quick. I have my eye on a pair of unique Canon lenses and the minimum requirement is 10 mp. I am just looking for the minimum to get me up to speed while I learn what I really need. My budget is modest and getting into debt scares me. I might wait a little while, but I would like to be using this in the spring. I wish I knew whether Canon's next introduction will be full frame or not.

 

RL Potts

[KenPapai]

<i>"JPEGs off the 5D tend to be about 3-5MB in size, I haven't shot any Raw files yet but I think they are like 20-30MB..."</i>

<p>

Not really. 5D JPGs are 5-6MB in size and the RAWs are around 13 MB in size.

[EricM]

"I think I'd recommend a Mac because that's what most pros use"

 

Sorry Ron, not true.

 

Yes a new computer is in order if you're going to digital. How much you want to spend on a new box determines how much your time is worth in front of the monitor. If you know what I mean. Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go? Hard drive space, you'll need lots.

 

At the moment CS2 is a 32 bit system. The next one to be released is promised, at The Adobe Seminar, to be 64 bit. This means more ram and faster processor speeds. Currently, with top of the line computers, the software is what slows us down. So I'd build a box that supports 64 bit windows even if you chose to run 32 for the time being.

 

As for the temp question, I'm not sure. It sounds like a 'better safe than sorry' statement from Canon. But the colder the camera gets the better the image due to less noise caused from less heat at the sensor.

[marcos_rodriguez]

Robert,

 

If you want to get the most out of that fine camera, you'll want to shoot RAW, not JPG. And in order to get the most out of your RAW files, you'll need a fast machine with plenty of RAM.

 

Also, if you are a film Pro and want to become a Digital one as well, you must be prepared to move into the digital darkroom: namely, Photoshop. At first it can look quite intimidating, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly --at least for the basic functions-- and once you do, you'll never want to go back to the stinky mess of chemicals.

 

As for computers, get the fastest you can afford with plenty of RAM; I run a Pentium IV at 3.0Gh with 1.5GB RAM, Intel Motherboard, WinXP Pro, with Photoshop's latest version (CS2) and find it enough for most situations. And Macs, they have a very loyal following, but are not the indispensable graphics workhorses they once were, so no need to worry there --a PC-based system will deliver anything you need at a much lower price and with tons of programs and Photoshop plugins that are not available for Macs.

 

Another thing you'll need is plenty of storage room ( = large hard drive). Remember that the digital files are your negatives, and they must be kept with the same care that is dispensed to the film strips. I have a DVD burner and always burn two identical discs, which are then stored at separate physical locations. Now, the jury is still out on DVDs' archival qualities, so you should verify the DVDs' integrity every year or so, to minimize the risk of loosing your data. Eventually, of course, larger and more stable storage media will be developed, and we'll all move our precious files accordingly.

 

Lastly, get a 19" monitor or larger, and make sure it's properly calibrated --you can get a good color-calibration system for less than $200; it's a great investment since, ideally, monitors (especially CRTs) should be calibrated once every few weeks.

 

From what I've read, the EOS 5D is a remarkable piece of equipment, so congratulations on your decision and enjoy the wonderful ride of digital imaging.

 

Best,

 

Marcos Rodriguez / http://www.aukeramen.com

[peter_weimann1]

For agency submissions you need min. 50 MB file size. Without interpolation only Canon 1Ds Mark II can do that. Ask your favorite agency what they want. Would not that be smarter to ask before you invest?

Just my 2 cent

[robert_potts1]

Good morning.

 

It looks like choosing a camera was the easy part. Now I am going to have to start researching computers.

 

Peter, the agency with the pickiest standards that I am interested in, says that the D2x and the 1Ds are also OK. There is no telling whether these standards will stand up when better machines come along, but by then I may be able to buy a dedicated medium format system. For right now, this is all I can afford and I am viewing it as a special purposes setup anyway.

 

Thank you for the useful information.

 

RL Potts

[scott_eaton]

<I>"I think I'd recommend a Mac because that's what most pros use" </i><P>Professional what? Special Ed teachers?

[EricM]

:)

[pmind]

I've used a Canon 10D in temperatures as low as -30C with no problem, as long as I kept the spare battery warm! I would assume the 5D will do at least as well, probably better. As for the Mac/PC debate that many of these forums descend into; enough already. I use both systems, both work. It is really a matter of personal pref. If you're in the market, do your research and put hands on the machine, make an informed decision!

[robert_potts1]

Thank you.