ordering 5d - what accessories will I need?

[William Michael]

>>> I just was wondering if the contrast of the LCD kind of accurately reflects a typical rendering of the photograph as a lighting preview aid. <<< bg

 

IMO, yes that would work reasonably as an AID.

 

I think you would be best to work backwards photographing and viewing a few high and low key scenes as a standard reference, before you leave.

 

And note the viewfinder brightness is variable and (obviously the effect of) the ambient light in the surrounds you are viewing the screen.

 

If you kept these two elements as constant as possible I think once understood by the trial beforehand, the LCD would be a good aid that someone skilled and experienced in cine could adapt effectively.

 

WW

[alan_myers]

Hi Bruce,

 

You need a bulb blower, which is sort of like one of those "nose" bulbs for a baby (in fact one of those might work, but I wouldn't stick a *used* one in my camera!). This is used to dust off the sensor. DO NOT use canned air to clean the sensor, it can do damage. Look up on the Internet how to clean a sensor. You might want to get additional cleaning stuff. Be a little cautious, the 5D (along with a few other cameras) requires particular type of cleaning fluid, if doing a "wet clean", to avoid damage to the anti-alias filter's coatings.

 

The one niggle I hear from many happy 5D owners is that the sensor does get dust on it. You can minimize it a bit by changing lenses as infrequently as possible and never letting the camera sit without a lens of at least a body cap. Still, it's recommended to learn how to clean it, how to dust with a blower (use the sensor clean mode, not camera set to "bulb", that's a danger to the shutter, it's in the manual). Also, good to know how to "dry clean" and maybe even "wet clean", if needed.

 

Usually, sensor dust shows up in images made at small apertures. If you are shooting with a release early and late in the day, I bet you are using a large aperture anyway. In which case dust isn't very noticeable unless it gets really, really bad.

 

Now, I thought right away that you were an old film person from reading your very first post. You obviously gravitate to prime lenses and I can appreciate that. I do too.

 

However, gotta say that today's zooms are excellent and can help a lot keeping a kit under control and manageable while on the road. 24-70/2.8 is a great lens I use a lot, too, for example.

 

But, I won't belabor the point because I sympathize about your preference for primes.

 

Me, I'd want a different list of primes. I'm not a big user of 50mm lenses on film, and probably wouldn't use on a full frame D-SLR like the 5D (which I don't have, BTW). I don't particularly care for the non-USM Canon lenses.

 

So if money were no object I'd probably opt for the 20/2.8, 24/1.4L, 35/1.4L, 85/1.8 (or 85/1.2L) and 135/2L. The earlier suggestion about the 100/2.8 Macro serving as a dual purpose lens is a very good one, too, that might be fitted into your kit somewhere.

 

The 5D can take more full advantage of the better glass. It's your money we're spending here, right? So, of course, all these are more expensive than your selections! Your budget will be your guide. But personally I'd opt for fewer lenses, and better quality, if it really comes to that.

 

L-Series lenses all come with lens hoods. For all other Canon lenses they are highly recommended accessories.

 

Unlike some, I do not put UV filters semi-permanently onto any of my lenses, but you might want some in the right sizes in case you find yourself shooting in a sandstorm or salt spray at the seaside.

 

Yes to a Circular Polarizer, too (it won't have as much effect as linear polarizers, if that's what you are used to... but it's the only choice).

 

You might also want a Graduated Neutral Density filter or two, as well, depending upon whether or not you expect to shoot any landscapes. There are inexpensive ones in the Cokin filter system that are adequate for occasional use (easily scratched, though).

 

No, I don;t rely upon the LCD of any of my D-SLRs to judge an image for anything other than general composition and perhaps a quick zoom in to see if something important appears to be in reasonable focus. The LCD is not accurate or fine enough to tell a great deal other than generalities. The histogram display mode tells you a lot more about exposure accuracy.

 

Will you have a laptop with you? Could you view the images on that? Even that's not not ideal, most laptop's screens aren't really up to final image evaluation and editing tasks. Best is a calibrated monitor, which generally means a CRT unless you have a lot to spend on a high end flat panel. But, a laptop is better than nothing, and far better than trying to evaluate based on the camera's LCD.

 

If you have access to a graphic quality monitor, or a laptop that has a screen that can be calibrated, that should be done for most accurate image review, processing and editing. In that case, devices with their special software like the Pantone/Colorvision Spyder are another thing you may want to seriously consider.

 

Yes to extra batteries (cheaper from Sterlingtek.com, good quality and they have a warranty, I buy generics off eBay, even cheaper but a little riskier except that I have quite a few for backup). Maybe even a second charger (also available from Sterlingtek). I use two to speed up charging a handful of batteries (each charger can only charge one battery at a time). Presumably you have access to 110/120 AC power, or a converter/adapter to allow you to use the battery chargers. Canon sells chargers for most different electrical systems around the world, of course, but why buy one for just 10 days use.

 

Personally I have vertical grips on all my cameras, wouldn't want to be without them. That may or may not interest you. It does double the battery capacity, though.

 

Even two 2GB CF cards sounds pretty minimal to me. That assumes you have frequent opportunity to download the images off them. I have 10 CF cards for a total of 18GB, and sometimes bring them home nearly all full from a days shoot. That's with my 8MP cameras, your 5D uses 50% more space. Memory cards are pretty cheap now, anyway. I say get as many as you can justify.

 

Others have confirmed, you need a separate remote release switch from Canon, if that's something you use. None is included with the camera. There is a version that allows for some time lapse. Not sure the name or details, I have a couple of the simpler ones for use with my cameras.

 

There are interchangeable focus screens for the 5D, too. Some of which may or may not be useful to you. Some have crops, others have a grid to help with composition.

 

Assuming you are buying the camera new (there are some deals on used 5D, check out KEH.com, B&Hphotovideo.com, etc.), it will have a cable to connect the camera to a computer. The computer needs to have a USB port. As mentioned, this is not so useful for downloading images. You can use the camera remotely with it, setting exposure and tripping the shutter, though. You need to install a utility that is on the CD that comes with the camera.

 

There is also basic Canon Digital Photo Pro RAW conversion software on the CD with the camera. Be sure to download the latest version, if the one with the camera is older. It's free from Canon's website.

 

Of course, there should be an instruction manual with the camera. If not, download a copy from Canon's website. You might also want to get a copy of the Magic Lantern Guide (or other similar) for Canon 5D (probably avail. on Amazon.com). This sort of picks up where the manual leaves off. Really handy and quick way to get started using the camera and familiarizing yourself with the entire system.