chris_floden

Canon firmware doesn't recognize more than 2G on any card. Return your 4G card for 2-2G. There are no firmware updates for this issue at present.

Of course you need the 24-70L. As a wedding photographer it is my primary lens (on a 1D II N). My assistant also uses one her 30D. I also have the 70-200L on a 1Ds II, but it accounts for less than 10% of overall images. If you're shooting a Canon body, don't cut corners. Go with the 24-70L and keep the 17-40L handy for groups, smaller dressing rooms, etc. I also have a 24-105L (f4 fixed), but optically it doesn't perform as well with the 580 flash as the 24-70. If it weren't for flash characteristics with the lenses, I'd suggest you get the 24-105 (about $1200 street), but flash images seem "weak" (meaning saturation, tone) with the longer lens.

Heliopan makes slim filters with front threads. I've tried Hoya, BW and other "thin" filters, Heliopan is the only one that holds the cap on well. Of course, it is also one of the most expensive.

I have a 20D and the 2G Lexar 80x. There are problems with this combination that are supposed to have been addressed by Lexar, but I routinely run into "err 99" issues from using it in my 20D that I don't receive with the SanDisk cards. Functionally, Canon still has not adopted the WA technology responsible for the 80x speeds, so you won't see that write speed with the Lexar 80x anyway. In short, Sandisk means less money to spend on a card and less problems - especially with the 20D.

I had one of the earlier BG-E2 grips and experienced problems including with electrical supply and fit. I sent it back to Canon who repaired it, free of charge and now I'm very happy that those problems have been corrected. After serial 95000 or so the problems seem to be minimal with this grip.

I had a chance to test 5D vs my 1Ds during a trip to Fairbanks recently. In my opinion, there was no comparison during the extreme conditions. The 1Ds wins hands down. Weather sealing, reliability of shutter response in cold conditions, noise response at ISO 100 - with all the snow, I usually shot 100 - spot metering, auto focus...and these were just the larger differences. The 5D is a high end consumer camera. The 1Ds is a pro camera built to withstand much more extreme use. I see comments from many folks who seem to prefer the 5D, but I suspect that the affordability issue factors strongly into the comments. Best way to know for sure is spend a weekend using them under normal conditions, then draw your own conclusions.

Flash extenders are used primarily to create catchlight in eye of wildlife - birds - at more than 300mm. For landscapes, the sun is your best illumination device.

I've heard many rants about how bad Canon's metering is, but my experience with the spot metering of EOS 1's or 5D is that it is off no more than 1/2 from the reading of my Sekonic 558. I suspect most of the problems concern the evaluative or other metering modes. So if 3.5% spot metering is sufficient for you - which it should definitely be for weddings, etc; as long as you aren't using a lot of very wide lenses, I'd suggest that you live with the built in spot meter and possibly have it checked to make sure that it is working properly. Unless you're a "precision" (1 degree spot required) shooter - which is hard to imagine in wedding photography - I'd encourage you to live with the built in.

Gary Fong, arguably one of the most successful wedding photographers around teaches at his seminars (and say he himself shoots all of his weddings) to shoot JPG, (Large, not fine). A Nikon shooter, he argues that images larger than 6 megapixels are a waste for most weddings shoots. Personally, I shoot 8 megapixel JPG (1D Mk II N) and compress JPG to "7". Shooting about 100 weddings a year, I haven't had a client unhappy with my technique. Of course, when I shoot landscapes, I use my 1Ds Mk II (16.7 MP) and shoot RAW because the dynamic range is larger, but with the flash required for wedding coverage, the JPG format poses no dynamic range limitation IMHO.

EOS 1 series Canon sensors have a sensitivity of 6 stops, or "Zones" if you're an Ansel Adams follower. The 20D is close to 5 stops or Zones.

SEKONIC L358

I had a 5D briefly as a back up to my 1DsMII. It just didn't stack up to the build, shoot and feel characteristics of the EOS 1 series. Granted, I've been spoiled by my 1DMII N and 1Ds MII. For people coming from a 20D, the 5D is great. But the 5D is a step backwards for series 1 owners IMHO. Best way to know for you is rent one for a weekend.

A very easy consistent way to do it is to use Mystical Tint, Tone & Color by AutoFX. It has a multiply darks (charcoal), and metal as well as many other effects. Very easy to use.

Hi. I went to Target and bought one of their generic camera bags for $18 and it is a perfect fit for my 1D MkII with 70-200 IS with the hood on. It has a carry strap which is a great way to carry around this rather heavy camera/lens combination. A quick unzip and it's ready to go.

You're going to need more than 300mm for many bird pics. I'd suggest you look at the 100-400 "L". Often criticized, it remains one of the best wide range zooms available.

Yes, you need a thin filter. Check out Heliopan. They have the front thread that you can attach other filter or lens cap to.

I shoot about 100 weddings a year (104 in 2005!) I upgraded to 1DMkII N's from 20d's in November of 2005 and they are leaps and bounds above the 20d's. Like you, I was thinking about the 5D, but I had a chance to meet with Canon design engineers during a three day class and learned how much more durable the 1DMkII N is engineered to be than the 5D. It is technically stated to have 2x the lifecycle, but in reality is closer to 5x. Since I need a reliable camera for weddings, this was a no brainer for me. I actually like the features of the 1DMkII N better than the 1DsMkII I shoot architectural jobs with. The other thing to think about is that if you intend to shoot 12M images with the 5D, the workflow is going to be slowed down significantly. I've never had a bride unhappy with less than adequate image sizes (at 8.2) from a wedding shoot. Perhaps if you shoot a lot of bridals - where larger portraits are more common - it would make sense to want larger images. Even with the 1DMkII N though, Genuine Fractals can take you to high quality 40M images.

Check out Digital Camera Battery. It has two outlets which can be used to power two separate flashes. In addition to the battery you need the adapter specifically for the Canon 550. I've used this combination very successfully for both press and wedding shoots.

How 'bout just trading in those 4 lenses for a 28-135 IS? If you were shooting a FF 1DsMkII I could see reason for (possibly) shooting with primes, but the 20D isn't going to show much difference between primes and a single zoom. One camera and 4 lenses...sounds like a Chinese fire drill no matter what method you use to swap them out IMHO.

Hey, check out the Canon 17-40L. Half the price of the 16-35 and one of Canon's best values.

I don't have any stock in this place and I'm not affiliated in any

way with it. I used a "Lens Pen" (www.lenspen.com) for the first

time on my lenses and cleaned them shiny clean quickly and easily.

Prone to cynicism, I'm thinking that there must be something wrong

with this product. Will it hurt my lenses. I never thought lens

cleaning could be so quick and effective. I'd appreciate any

thoughts.

You're an engineer? From the sounds of it, you'd better stick to your day job and keep the train running. :-)

I use the 17-40 on my 1DsMkII without having any problems worth mentioning.

You might Google "K" factor in regard to the underexposure. Nearly all digital camera manufacturers calibrate "level" at a point that is actually .85 (or 15% under 18% gray). The "K" factor has been present for a number of years, but as the digital quality increases, it becomes more apparent.

24-70 f2.8 is the lens I use 90+ percent of the time for general wedding shooting. Fixed length primes are inconvenient, and on any camera less than the 1DsMkII, you won't distinguish any difference in prime v. zoom. I'd also give the nod to the 70-200 f2.8 IS as a second lens, but we use it much less often than originally anticipated.