5dMKII what are the hidden cost

[teethgator]

<p>I am about ready to make the plunge from a 20D to the 5DMKII. The obvious IQ improvement makes me salivate but as I read the forums I keep seeing hidden expenses that await me. I will need a lot of memory( in full Raw about 1/4 less compacity) but do I need the more expensive HDMA cards ( i use sandisc extreme III now )?<br>

When I use video will I just download into iMovie on my mac? I read I can use lightroom 2 since CS3 doesn't work with this camera for my raw photos but where does my video go.?<br>

Do I really need L lenses. I will be getting the 17-40L for wide angle since my ef-s 10-22 can't adapt ( come on canon Nikon does it!). I will also get the kit 24-105 but I hope my 70-300 IS will be just fine. <br>

Will my 2MB 4 year old iMac be fast enough or will I need to upgrade to 4MB and therefor a new computer?<br>

What other hidden cost are out there? I would like some advice from 5dMKII users. I know a 50D would be a no brainer( and my old battery works for with it) or even a used 5D would have less cost but when I buy computers( and the digital cameras are really a computer) I like to get the latest technology. To me this camera would be a keeper for many years. So help me deal with my soon to be buyers remorse.<br>

Paul</p>

[digitmstr]

<p>What is a 2mb iMac? Do you mean 2gigabytes?<br>

The camera ships with all the software you need, including for video.<br>

You obviously already had a 20D so I assume you know about editing, etc... so, don't sweat it. It will be larger files but, it's not an alien machine.<br>

At this point, any computer should have at least 4gb of RAM anyways, if used for photo or video editing. And ram is cheap as is storage.<br>

I think if you look at it simply as a 'better' 20D you'll be fine and if anything 'pops' at you as a limitation in your current system (computer, card, lenses, etc...) upgrade one thing at a time, as needed. I wouldn't try to do it all at once...unless you have unlimited resources of course :)</p>

[steven_f1]

<p>You don't need L glass. There are non L lenses out there that that are optically just as good as L glass. The build quality will however will in general not be as good. Most EF lenses were originally designed for use on film cameras. Some films can be just as demanding of optical quality as a full frame digital. </p>

<p>The 10-22 lens has an image circle that is only big enough for APC sensors. It won't cover all of the sensor on FF. You can fit a Nikkon DX lens on a FF but again the image circle will not cover the sensor on FF. Nikkon and Canon are the same in this regard. The 17-40 and 24-105 are good lenses and your 70-300 will be just fine. </p>

<p>Your existing Sandisc cards will work on the 5D. The HDMA cards will only show their value when the camera is set to continuous shooting and you hold the shutter down for a long time. HDMA cards will allow it to take more pictures before it has to stop due to a full buffer. If your current camera is set to single shot most of the time you probably don't need HDMA cards. Yes the the 5D MkII will fill up the cards faster.</p>

[evphotography]

<p>There will be some additional expenses but how much is up to you. Memory is CHEAP, I have 5DMKII and use Extreme III cards and they work great, I like the 8GB size. As for lenses you definitely want to get the most out of that 21MP sensor by using the best glass you can afford. The 17-40L performs really well on the 5DII from about 20-30mm range when stopped down to f/8-11. I use a 35mm f/2 lens because it out performs 17-40L by a significant margin and only cost $225 new. Another great lens is the 50mm f/1.4 USM and is only about $325 new. Not sure about how 70-300 IS will stack up, but I know the 70-200 f/4L performs very well and can pick them up used for descent price. Your computer will definitely have harder time with these files, they are large. I don't have a Mac so I can't comment to much, but have 3GB of Ram and it still doesn't seem like enough. Your computer will work, but will be probably a little slow. You are right that this camera will be keeper for years to come, I feel same way with mine. Wait until you see those big beautiful images on your computer when shot with really good glass correctly.</p>

[dansutton]

<p>re the difference in the DX/FX compatibilty in the nikon system, the DX lenses do fit on the FX bodies, but the 'DX' settings on the FX body can be turned off: and the DX lenses don't necessarily black out the corners at all focal lengths. from what i understand, the ef-s lenses would hit the mirror in the full frame cameras, thus vignetting is the least of your concerns.</p>

[PuppyDigs]

<p>It's not clear what a 2MB 4 year old iMac is. Is it the white G5 iMac? If so, it will work fine albeit RAW conversion may be a little poky. PS even with a couple layers will be fine. I have a 5 year old G4 tower (1.25Ghz x 2) with 2MB RAM and RAW conversion of a 15.1MP 50D file in DPP is painfully slow: 40-50 seconds compared to 10-15 sec on my MacBook Pro (2.2GHz CoreDuo 2) and less than 10 sec on my iMac (2.8GHz CoreDuo 2). The 21MP RAW will be much slower...</p>

<p>BAck in the day, I bought a 5D and immediately found it revealed the weaknesses of my consumer zooms in very obviously ways. So I upgraded to L primes and zooms and was happy. The only non-L prime that fared well was my EF 50 2.5 CM (amazingly sharp & contrasty). I assume the 5DII will be even harder on consumer optics.</p>

[matt_needham]

<p>Extra 20D/5D mk I battery = $12, extra 5D mkII battery = $120+.</p>

[ken schwarz]

<p>You can test 5DMK2 RAW files on your computer to see how bad it is. 3GB effective usable RAM is enough on a PC. Probably 2GB would be enough. You will use up hard disk space 3x faster than before, so you might want to get a nice 1Tb disk drive, too. I bought a 32GB Kingston CF card and while not as fast as the Extreme III card, it is fast enough for video and I've yet to run out of buffer in my real-life still work. The reason that the 10-22 lens won't work on the 5D2 is not just that the image circle is too small, it also extends into the camera so far that the mirror will strike the lens assembly. Canon designed the lens this way to give it better performance on the crop body--it exploits the fact that the mirror is smaller. You don't need "L" lenses to get excellent results, but if you look for imperfections in the corners of any lens wide open, you will see them. The "L" lenses are generally faster and have the imperfections under better control by f/2 or f/2.8. I wear glasses and find the accessory extender for the 5D (that gives you even more eye relief but a smaller viewfinder image) helpful. The wide apparent view of the viewfinder is nice, but I think it's harder to see what's going on in the whole frame compared with the 20/30D. So, I think it's worth getting this accessory. What else? Oh, yes, batteries. They cost $100 ea., but two is certainly plenty if two has been enough for you shooting with your 20D.</p>

[teethgator]

<p>Thanks to everyone for their replies. Yes I have the white G5 Mac with 2GB not mb . Mine is humming already with what I do now and since I can't increase to 4GB with this unit, like Giampi said, I will need to do little upgrades at a time-although a new computer won't be little. I have 2 cannon non L primes ( 50mm 1.4 and 100mm 2.8) so I know they will be fine. This is a big leap for me so I guess I just wanted to cover all angles and make sure I wasn't missing something. You all know how it is when you make up your mind you want something bad but your head is saying something else-or in this case my wife. </p>

[chris_clarke3]

<p>I went from 20D to 5D2. A huge leap and wel worth it. The 5D is just a great bit of kit. FF is another dimension. Do it!</p>

[tdigi]

<p>I went from a 40D to a 5D2 and I think it was a huge leap just for the wide angle and amazing ISO performance not to mention the video. I only wish the video could be shot in 720P. the huge high res video files are huge but its an amazing camera and well worth the money.</p>

[digitmstr]

<p>If you are on a budget, get a PC for now. (please, let's not start a Mac VS PC non-sense everyone. I have 2 Macs and 3 four PCs so, I know about both systems).<br>

You can get either an Intel i7 2.66ghz or AMD Phenom X4 II based PCs for under $1,000.00 - that will get you going much cheaper than a new Mac PRO.</p>

 

[teethgator]

<p>I use both too Giampi -work is a PC but home is a Mac and I would have to invest in new software. I would get a 4GB iMac just under $2,000.Throw in a few external hard drives and I should be fine for years. No matter how I look at it I am spending more than I should but if I was really on a budget I shouldn't be swimming in the deep end .</p>

[digitmstr]

<p>Ah - it is deep indeed...!</p>

<p>Again, if you are set on the Mac by all means get it - otherwise, you can get an Intel i7 (4 core) PC for half that much and the i7 CPU is considerably faster than the 'old' Intel used on the iMac. If you want to stay with Apple I'd add the few hundred dollars more and get the Mac PRO 4 core. I just got the 8 core version and it's a fine machine indeed (though enormously overpriced!).</p>

<p>The reason I say that is because one thing we know for sure: applications and processing become increasingly MORE demanding. If you get a 'better' machine now you can keep it longer so, you'd be actually saving money in the long run. If you get a Mac PRO with the i7 2.66 CPU you can find those for around $2,200-2,400 - but, it's well worth the extra investment compared to the iMac, IMO. There is a REAL and very noticeable difference in processing power (speed) between the older Core duo CPUs and the new Intel i7. If you do some reading on it, you'll see for yourself. Especially if you want to edit the HD video from you new 5D MKII. There is no contest between the Core Duo and the i7 Nehalem.</p>

<p>Whatever you do, have fun with it all!</p>

[pbizarro]

<p>Don't forget larger capacity external hard drives for backup.</p>