I am getting ready to place my order for the Canon EOS 5D. And as this is my first digital outfit I would like recommendations with respect to accessories or other gotta-haves (ie: portable hard drive, sensor cleaning etc.) that any of you can recommend for the digital camera bag.
Also, can someone explain the difference in memory cards to me? Which ones are best which ones to avoid?
I have not bought an extensive digital outfit from B+H (just mid range point and shoot), but I have bought all my medium format gear through them. I have never had an issue and everything has always been very well packaged, shipped quickly, etc.
I was a little leery of the NYC Camera shops at first, but I would highly recommend B+H.
Michael
Posted by Gary Megrenne on March 7, 2006 at 10:20 AM
Hi Rich,
I'd also recommend B&H. It's one of the few mail order places that I do trust. As far as other equipment recommendations, I'll leave that to the experts.
That's a good idea Scott. I have bought gear from Jim before and met him once at the View Camera Conference. I forgot that they offer digital stuff too.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on March 7, 2006 at 10:30 AM
B&H was reliable for me on several purchases. I had some ink and paper get delivered to my neighbor by accident, but that was UPS's fault, not B&H. I ordered my Rebel XT overnight, and it was in fact there the next day. (Of course getting overnight packages on time in Memphis via FedEx is pretty reliable)
I'd look at the faster Sandisk cards (Extreme II or III) or Lexar's 80X cards. This means that the card is able to read and write faster, which means that it will clear your camera's memory buffer faster and allow you to take more pictures. The cost difference is generally minor. Lexar cards did have some issues with Canon camera's at one point, but I think that has been resolved.
Portable hard drives just depend on the time you intend to be out in the field, away from your computer or a laptop. If you will have enough memory, then I don't think that you'll need to worry about it. My 1GB cards get 75 pics in Raw + JPG, 100 Raw only and 250 JPG on my Rebel XT.
Mel-
Posted by Mel Ladewig on March 7, 2006 at 10:32 AM
FYI, I found out that B&H is closed alot of days in October for religious holidays.
Posted by Todd Caudle on March 7, 2006 at 11:00 AM
Extra battery(s). Grid focusing screen. SanDisc Extreme-III cards. L-bracket from Kirk or RRS.
Posted by Nathan Buck on March 7, 2006 at 11:28 AM
I bought a used Nikon D70 that came to me with a transferable extended warranty. It was through a company called Mack Camera. My D70 had a problem that many D70's have had, and Mack wanted something like 6-8 weeks to fix it. Plus, they told me just 'box it up and send it...' I was not very impressed with their customer service. I doubt that many extended warranties are worth what you pay for them. (I actually elected to pay to have my D70 fixed locally and that guy took forever to get to it, but in the mean time Nikon offered to fix it for free - but that is a different story).
I use at least one extra battery. You mention a portable hard drive, but it sounds like you are actually talking about a completely portable image storage device. I have portable hard drives, but they acutally have to be hooked up to a computer to function. Anything from an iPod to specific image devices can be used to download cards in the field, I am just not sure which are best there.
I have Kingston Memory, which have never given me any problems, but they are not the nicest or fastest out there. Check www.robgalbraith.com for his CF memory speed database (though right now I think the site is down). This is a good resource for CF card speeds with certain cameras.
Nathan
Posted by Scott Borger on March 7, 2006 at 12:04 PM
You may consider buying the following:
-at least 2 2GB compact flash cards (always have a backup) STAY AWAY from microdrives, which look like CF cards but have moving parts and break all of the time.
-hot shoe leveler (sometimes called spirit level)
-2 more batteries in addition to the one that comes with the camera
-LCD Screen protector
-a photo bag that has heavily padded section for your camera body
-portable USB Compact Flash card reader (for a laptop if you carry one)
-a 5D for me as well (per your suggestion in the quandary post)
Other thoughts: Rich, do you really need a portable hard drive/viewer?? The 5D has a fairly good size LCD screen as it is. Also, I've gotten some pretty good deals on CF cards. If you were going to buy 4 CF cards I can understand, but in my opinion, it's just one more thing to carry. If you do end up getting one, EPSON makes some really nice ones. Midwest photo exchange was helpful for me, but my stuff had the UPC ripped off of it when it arrived. (and they never mentioned that).
Posted by Scott Borger on March 7, 2006 at 12:05 PM
A few more thoughts: You will definitely want a remote (RC-1?). I think that Sandisk and Kingston are the best CF cards. Even thuogh Lexar is a big name brand, many issues have occured with them. As far as batterys...DO stick with Canon brand batteries. There are many aftermarket versions, and some of the ones made in China (on Ebay, etc) have been known to kill cameras. Finally, you will want to get a ground pod. My wife actually made me one out of some leather and split peas. It is basicly a bean bag to rest your camera on when you want to take a shot that is close to the ground (lake shore, etc). Several companies make them.
I agree with Todd's list as a minimum, but other items can be important depending on your shooting. For my own uses I'd add a strobe and off-camera cable, as well as a remote release. If you do any macro, check out the longer releases at the NPN store.
I'm torn on the extended warranties, but still buy them. When you need them, you REALLY need them- basically just like insurance. I've had to use them a couple of times- once for a computer and once for an expensive lens. In each case, the small investment felt like a really good deal. I'd weigh their small price against the real pain of having something go wrong the week after the standard warranty had elapsed, as happened to us with a large television. Ouch! Got replace the whole rear end on a truck two months after the standard warranty expired, too. Double ouch!
Can anybody tell me if I will see any performance diff with the 5D using Sandisk II compared with III?
Rich
Posted by Les Barstow on March 7, 2006 at 12:17 PM
The 5D is a 12MP camera; get lots of memory! 2GB cards get my D2X about 100 RAW (no JPEG, no compression) shots; 4GB cards are not unusual for people using these cameras. If you plan on being out for a safari, buy lots. If you're like me, not too trigger-happy and don't regularly label pictures 'Day 43', two 2GB cards will do it. Buy the high-end cards so you're not waiting all day for the data transfer.
Extra battery same deal; I don't know how long the 5D batteries last, but if you're out away from a recharger for an extended period of time or burning through frames all day, extra batteries are a must.
Sensor cleaner is up to you; commercial cleaning costs ~$60; with an extended warranty at Mike's, you get one free cleaning per year. Or, a couple of other things I've seen recommended: tips from Luminous Landscape, including reference to a place that sells Sensor Swabs to use with Eclipse fluid, or Visible Dust sells an anti-static brush and other products to clean your sensor.
As to B&H, I trust them with just about everything, though when I bought my D2X I bought it here at Mike's. (No discount from B&H on the D2X at the time, and I like being able to return something that big locally if it doesn't work; besides, B&H was out of stock at the time...) B&H honors Jewish holidays pretty strictly, which is why they have a strange holiday schedule.
Posted by Mark Ferguson on March 7, 2006 at 12:18 PM
I've purchased all of my 20D gear, accessories, lens, etc. from two sources. B&H and Allen's Camera (www.allenscamera.com). Allens is a mom and pop business that serves pros around the country. They are a Canon authorized dealer so all their Canon items are US and not grey market (therefore covered under the Canon US warranty). I would HIGHLY recommend them as their pricing is always at least as good as B&H and often it is better (Allen saved me around $150-200 over B&H when I purchased my 500mm IS last year). Since I started buying from Allen I haven't bought anywhere else. Be sure to visit sites like fredmiranda, etc. to see what others say about Allen's as well.
As for stuff to go with it I would recommend:
- An Upstrap camera strap (www.upstrap.com)
- Sandisk Extreme III cards (at least 2 if not 4)
- Firewire CF reader (if have a Mac) or a USB 2 reader if on a PC laptop
- extra batteries (look for sellers on eBay) - I've bought all my batteries from sellers like accstation...the quality is good, they have more capacity, and are MUCH cheaper than standard Canon batteries
- arca mount from Kirk or Really Right Stuff (get the L bracket version)
- for cleaning I went with a lens cleaner, lens tissue, and a bulb blower (the buld can be used to gently remove dust from the sensor)
- Canon TC80N3 Timer Remote Control (shutter release). This is programmable and its something I use ALL the time for shooting.
Nice to haves....
- battery grip (not for the battery capacity but for the vertical grip)
- 17-40mm L lens
- 70-200mm L IS lens
Excellent advice above. I'll add one more idea - a neoprene camera pouch (mine is from Op/Tech USA but I suspect there's others out there). It's great when you want to carry the camera around your neck while hiking without risking scratches and bumps.
To the 5D (and the 20D since I think they are built the same from what i understand). How "fragile" are these cameras? I keep hearing about wether sealing etc. Is that all a bunch of bunk?
Rich
Posted by Craig Schultz on March 7, 2006 at 12:58 PM
Rich, make sure to check out RobGalbraith for his memory card database. A must see before buying any memory cards when you are concerned with bang for the buck. It doesn't have reliability ratings unfortunately.
The site seems to be down at the moment which is odd, but make sure to check back later.
The 5D isn't a tank like the 1DsMkII, but it's still a pretty good build from what I hear. The weather sealing on the 5D is probably better than the sealing on my Nikon (Canon seems to be good at the sealing thing...), but if you're planning on taking it out in a rainstorm, you still want to get a raincoat for your camera; electronic equipment is not, by default, good in water. I have no recommendations here, and I'd be interested in hearing other peoples' thoughts on the matter.
You asked about differences between Extreme 2 (actually I looked at mine and they're called Ultra 2) and Extreme 3 cards from Sandisk. It has to do with the transfer rate. The Ultra 2 is at 66X Which means that it transfers approximately 9MB per second. The Extreme 3 can transfer at 20MB per second. Alot of the regular cards transfer at 1 to 4 MB/second.
What this does, is affect the amount of time it takes the camera to move pictures from the buffer (the memory built into the camera) to the Compact Flash card. The faster you can write to the card and clear the memory, the faster you can take your next picture.
I can't speak directly for the 5D, but I use Ultra 2 cards with my Rebel XT. If I'm shooting JPG, I cannot fill the buffer (at least not at my patience level). It will write to the card faster than it will take pictures. In Raw + JPG, I can fill the buffer, but it clears very quickly. Once the buffer is full, I can take about 1 shot per second for a few more frames, then it pauses for a little longer. This is a big deal for a sports or certain types of wildlife photog, but probably not the most critical for landscape.
The price difference between the cards is $20 on 2GB at B&H from 90 to 110. Personally, I'd probably opt for half Extreme 3 cards and half Ultra 2. Have the Extreme 3 available when I wanted more speed and use the Ultra 2 the rest of the time.
I have found the Visible Dust brush invaluable... prior to that, I had used blower bulbs and even a foot pump. It's really tough to blow off all the dust.
Using the brush takes just a minute, and it's made a big difference in the amount of dust I see in images.
1. If you buy a Mack Warranty, search EBay and the internet in general. You can save
a large percentage by shopping for it.
2. A Mack Warranty will increase the value of your used Camera 2 years from now when
you want to trade up.
3. If you search the camera vendors and the internet, you can find genuine Canon Warrantys
for a reasonable price.
4. The very best warranty that I know of is the use of some Visa Gold Cards. I have had
2 Visas that would double the original warranty on things bought with the card. I had
the opportunity to test it with a Sony motherboard on a laptop computer. They let
me choose the repair place, and they paid off in about 7 days. Visa also sells further
extension of warrantys. I currently have a Visa issued by REI that offers the warranty
extension benefit.
Art Lund
Posted by Fred Stearns on March 7, 2006 at 9:37 PM
Everyone seems to have covered the accessories pretty completely. I would add that you should have all the filters that you use with film, though they may not give the same results that they do with film. I use the Sandisk Ultra 2 cards, 2 GB. So far, I haven't had any trouble with writing to them. Though I would consider the Extreme 3 if I were to shoot a long series, like an animal in flight.
As for B&H, I was originally a bit hesitant, but I have had no problems with them. Once in a while it takes an extra day to get into UPS. I bought both a 5D and a 20D recently with absolutely no problem. I believe that they are devote Jews and take off all the religious holidays. They do post these on their web page, so there should be no problem. Hunts in Massachussets has a special deal for NANPA members. I have had no problem with them, but I only ordered from them at the NANPA Summit. The P-2000 that they sent was faulty, but they were quick with a RMA for returning it for replacement. There hasn't been time for a turn arount on that yet.
Not much to add to what's already here except that I haven't spend the extra bucks on the faster cards. If you're shooting an image or two at a time, there's really not much advantage. The images get written from the buffer to the card faster than you're filling the buffer with images. If you're planning to run off a lot of shots quickly, you could end up filling the buffer and waiting for it to write to the card; in that case, it may be worth the extra $$ to get a faster cards.
I'll ditto the remote release.
I'm personally not a fan of extended warranties and have never bought one. I realize that eventually I may have to shell out some bucks if a piece of gear dies, but in the long run - given the quality of the type of gear we're talking about and that I have - that's probably less expensive than buying extended warranties for all of that gear. I do have insurance, however. That would help replace a larger collection of equipment should it be stolen.
Please send cash, or you can use paypal. I should have your gear to you in a year or so!
Discussion
30 repliesAlso, can someone explain the difference in memory cards to me? Which ones are best which ones to avoid?
Also, is B&H reliable for these kinds of items?
Thanks in advance.
RichieV
Rich
I have not bought an extensive digital outfit from B+H (just mid range point and shoot), but I have bought all my medium format gear through them. I have never had an issue and everything has always been very well packaged, shipped quickly, etc.
I was a little leery of the NYC Camera shops at first, but I would highly recommend B+H.
Michael
I'd also recommend B&H. It's one of the few mail order places that I do trust. As far as other equipment recommendations, I'll leave that to the experts.
I'd look at the faster Sandisk cards (Extreme II or III) or Lexar's 80X cards. This means that the card is able to read and write faster, which means that it will clear your camera's memory buffer faster and allow you to take more pictures. The cost difference is generally minor. Lexar cards did have some issues with Canon camera's at one point, but I think that has been resolved.
Portable hard drives just depend on the time you intend to be out in the field, away from your computer or a laptop. If you will have enough memory, then I don't think that you'll need to worry about it. My 1GB cards get 75 pics in Raw + JPG, 100 Raw only and 250 JPG on my Rebel XT.
Mel-
I use at least one extra battery. You mention a portable hard drive, but it sounds like you are actually talking about a completely portable image storage device. I have portable hard drives, but they acutally have to be hooked up to a computer to function. Anything from an iPod to specific image devices can be used to download cards in the field, I am just not sure which are best there.
I have Kingston Memory, which have never given me any problems, but they are not the nicest or fastest out there. Check www.robgalbraith.com for his CF memory speed database (though right now I think the site is down). This is a good resource for CF card speeds with certain cameras.
Nathan
-at least 2 2GB compact flash cards (always have a backup) STAY AWAY from microdrives, which look like CF cards but have moving parts and break all of the time.
-hot shoe leveler (sometimes called spirit level)
-2 more batteries in addition to the one that comes with the camera
-LCD Screen protector
-a photo bag that has heavily padded section for your camera body
-portable USB Compact Flash card reader (for a laptop if you carry one)
-a 5D for me as well (per your suggestion in the quandary post)
Other thoughts: Rich, do you really need a portable hard drive/viewer?? The 5D has a fairly good size LCD screen as it is. Also, I've gotten some pretty good deals on CF cards. If you were going to buy 4 CF cards I can understand, but in my opinion, it's just one more thing to carry. If you do end up getting one, EPSON makes some really nice ones. Midwest photo exchange was helpful for me, but my stuff had the UPC ripped off of it when it arrived. (and they never mentioned that).
I'm torn on the extended warranties, but still buy them. When you need them, you REALLY need them- basically just like insurance. I've had to use them a couple of times- once for a computer and once for an expensive lens. In each case, the small investment felt like a really good deal. I'd weigh their small price against the real pain of having something go wrong the week after the standard warranty had elapsed, as happened to us with a large television. Ouch! Got replace the whole rear end on a truck two months after the standard warranty expired, too. Double ouch!
Can anybody tell me if I will see any performance diff with the 5D using Sandisk II compared with III?
Rich
Extra battery same deal; I don't know how long the 5D batteries last, but if you're out away from a recharger for an extended period of time or burning through frames all day, extra batteries are a must.
Sensor cleaner is up to you; commercial cleaning costs ~$60; with an extended warranty at Mike's, you get one free cleaning per year. Or, a couple of other things I've seen recommended: tips from Luminous Landscape, including reference to a place that sells Sensor Swabs to use with Eclipse fluid, or Visible Dust sells an anti-static brush and other products to clean your sensor.
As to B&H, I trust them with just about everything, though when I bought my D2X I bought it here at Mike's. (No discount from B&H on the D2X at the time, and I like being able to return something that big locally if it doesn't work; besides, B&H was out of stock at the time...) B&H honors Jewish holidays pretty strictly, which is why they have a strange holiday schedule.
As for stuff to go with it I would recommend:
- An Upstrap camera strap (www.upstrap.com)
- Sandisk Extreme III cards (at least 2 if not 4)
- Firewire CF reader (if have a Mac) or a USB 2 reader if on a PC laptop
- extra batteries (look for sellers on eBay) - I've bought all my batteries from sellers like accstation...the quality is good, they have more capacity, and are MUCH cheaper than standard Canon batteries
- arca mount from Kirk or Really Right Stuff (get the L bracket version)
- for cleaning I went with a lens cleaner, lens tissue, and a bulb blower (the buld can be used to gently remove dust from the sensor)
- Canon TC80N3 Timer Remote Control (shutter release). This is programmable and its something I use ALL the time for shooting.
Nice to haves....
- battery grip (not for the battery capacity but for the vertical grip)
- 17-40mm L lens
- 70-200mm L IS lens
Welcome to another money pit
Hope this helps!
Mark
Guy
To the 5D (and the 20D since I think they are built the same from what i understand). How "fragile" are these cameras? I keep hearing about wether sealing etc. Is that all a bunch of bunk?
Rich
The site seems to be down at the moment which is odd, but make sure to check back later.
Craig
I definitely second the necessity for the Visible Dust brush. Dust spots will be one of your first gripes about your digital images.
Remote shutter control definitely necessary.
You might want a case to carry your CF cards in; the individual plastic holders are cumbersome in the field.
Polarizers and Cokin system ND filters; warming filters are nice too.
Metz 54-MZ3 or 54-MZ4 flash for Canon.
I am very excited about getting the chance to start to learn and play with initial digital capture. This should be a fun journey.
RichieV
Oh, one other important thing: make sure you have an appropriate RAW converter.
What this does, is affect the amount of time it takes the camera to move pictures from the buffer (the memory built into the camera) to the Compact Flash card. The faster you can write to the card and clear the memory, the faster you can take your next picture.
I can't speak directly for the 5D, but I use Ultra 2 cards with my Rebel XT. If I'm shooting JPG, I cannot fill the buffer (at least not at my patience level). It will write to the card faster than it will take pictures. In Raw + JPG, I can fill the buffer, but it clears very quickly. Once the buffer is full, I can take about 1 shot per second for a few more frames, then it pauses for a little longer. This is a big deal for a sports or certain types of wildlife photog, but probably not the most critical for landscape.
The price difference between the cards is $20 on 2GB at B&H from 90 to 110. Personally, I'd probably opt for half Extreme 3 cards and half Ultra 2. Have the Extreme 3 available when I wanted more speed and use the Ultra 2 the rest of the time.
I have found the Visible Dust brush invaluable... prior to that, I had used blower bulbs and even a foot pump. It's really tough to blow off all the dust.
Using the brush takes just a minute, and it's made a big difference in the amount of dust I see in images.
I use it before every "important" shoot.
I've found it well worth the money.
a large percentage by shopping for it.
2. A Mack Warranty will increase the value of your used Camera 2 years from now when
you want to trade up.
3. If you search the camera vendors and the internet, you can find genuine Canon Warrantys
for a reasonable price.
4. The very best warranty that I know of is the use of some Visa Gold Cards. I have had
2 Visas that would double the original warranty on things bought with the card. I had
the opportunity to test it with a Sony motherboard on a laptop computer. They let
me choose the repair place, and they paid off in about 7 days. Visa also sells further
extension of warrantys. I currently have a Visa issued by REI that offers the warranty
extension benefit.
Art Lund
As for B&H, I was originally a bit hesitant, but I have had no problems with them. Once in a while it takes an extra day to get into UPS. I bought both a 5D and a 20D recently with absolutely no problem. I believe that they are devote Jews and take off all the religious holidays. They do post these on their web page, so there should be no problem. Hunts in Massachussets has a special deal for NANPA members. I have had no problem with them, but I only ordered from them at the NANPA Summit. The P-2000 that they sent was faulty, but they were quick with a RMA for returning it for replacement. There hasn't been time for a turn arount on that yet.
Not much to add to what's already here except that I haven't spend the extra bucks on the faster cards. If you're shooting an image or two at a time, there's really not much advantage. The images get written from the buffer to the card faster than you're filling the buffer with images. If you're planning to run off a lot of shots quickly, you could end up filling the buffer and waiting for it to write to the card; in that case, it may be worth the extra $$ to get a faster cards.
I'll ditto the remote release.
I'm personally not a fan of extended warranties and have never bought one. I realize that eventually I may have to shell out some bucks if a piece of gear dies, but in the long run - given the quality of the type of gear we're talking about and that I have - that's probably less expensive than buying extended warranties for all of that gear. I do have insurance, however. That would help replace a larger collection of equipment should it be stolen.
Please send cash, or you can use paypal. I should have your gear to you in a year or so!