5Dmk111 dual cards write speed plus quantum blade opinions.

[speirsphoto]

I am using 5D bodies at present & am looking at upgrading to the 5Dmk111 to provide a better viewing screen for checking exposures & better quality files with upgraded digi 5 processor ,even though my 3x 5D are working perfectly& I'm very happy with results.
       Understanding that if I want to use a CF & SD card to record Full RAW files simultaneously for back up purposes for wedding photography & that the write speed is governed by the slower write speed of the SD card internal canon connection. Does anyone know the resulting frame rate available? & is it really aproblem if I'm not shooting multiple frames.
       Also I'm considering purchasing a "quantum blade battery" for those bright Australian summer beach shoots which drain AA batteries quickly so the flash keeps fully charged while being used heavily for fill flash. I think I prefer the blade to clip on & cable styles so the camera remains unattached to me . I have heard the blade causes interference on the 5D & I heard rumors some folks have had flash failures/burnout due to the constant power causing overheating ext, any opinions or experiences would be much welcomed B4 I spend any money. Thanks Pete

[Drizzt321]

For the frame rate, the speed of the flash cards only comes into play if you end up exceeding the size of the memory buffer. So let's say you're shooting full size RAW, and the memory buffer can hold up to 12 images. You can hold up to 12 images before the camera needs to stop taking photos until a photo is flushed to the memory cards. In reality it tends to exceed the memory buffer size some because it writes out to the flash cards while you are still taking photos. So with the fastest cards (which in the 5d3 is the CF UDMA7 cards) you can pretty easily get several extra frames before the camera increases the time between photos.

So, if you are shooting 1-2 frames per second on average, you likely will be fine so long as you get an SD card that will max out the speed that the 5d3 can write to it. Now, for downloads, you may want the faster UHS-1 SD cards, but that's purely a matter of workflow and amount of time it will take.

You speak of "better quality files", but what does that mean? The RAW files on the 5d3 is of course somewhat different than the 5d2. They are different cameras. But both will include proper checksums, preview jpg, meta-data, etc. The Digic5 generally just gives a faster CPU, as well as more memory and possibly more readout line capabilities, but that requires the sensor to be able to handle those as well.

[East Wind Photography]

I agree.  The frame rate on the 5DIII in drive mode is the same whether you use just a fast CF card or the CF and SD card together.  Where the difference is how much of the buffer gets filled storing the images to be written.

I shoot only RAW and do my processing in post.  I use the fastest cards made by Sandisk.  With my CF card only enabled I can get 13 shots before the buffer is full.  Maybe more but I have not really noticed as I lose count after the first 5 or 6 and who counts anyway...  With the CF and SD card enabled and both saving RAW, the buffer will hold only 6 or 7 before it stops to write images to the card.

Use some combination of RAW and JPG and you can get a little better on the buffer.  Hope that helps.

[speirsphoto]

Thankyou for ur reply Drizz, by better files I meant that the increased file size & later model of the CCD of the Mk111 compared to the origional 5D  which I'm currently using. I'm sure I read somewhere the bottle neck for write speed was the canon choice of connection from the SD card to processor or something to that effect. The write speed was 133x which meant 20mb per sec , or something similar & folks were complaining regarding slow shooting due to the buffer overload. But if I can shoot short bursts of 2 fps with no buffer problems writing full RAW to both cards I would be fine.Thanks again Pete

[East Wind Photography]

Forgot the blade part.  Honestly, I use a Canon 580 flash and the batteries last a lot longer than I would have expected.  I would prefer to carry a box of AA's around than spend the money on the quantum.  I just dont think it's worth the money or the risk to the pictures or equipment.

[speirsphoto]

Thanks EWP, much appreciated, yes 6-7 FPS is more than I will require, happy days, best get the $ out the bank.
Cheers Pete

[speirsphoto]

Thanx EWP, I understand, all quantum batteries r expensive.
 The problem I'm having shooting weddings on bright summer cloudless days at some loc is the enormous amount of charge used for fill flash means I have to wait between shots to ensure the AA's have recharged the capacitor, during post production I can see variations of fill flash due to this heavy usage, I was reluctantly thinking the quantum battery would add weight & bulk but would on the plus side keep the exposures more constant. I have heard folks saying that the constant power to the high voltage connection has somehow seriously damaged the flash unit which is another item I don't want to have to replace on a regular basis if this is true. Cheers Pete

[Drizzt321]

Thankyou for ur reply Drizz, by better files I meant that the increased file size & later model of the CCD of the Mk111 compared to the origional 5D  which I'm currently using. I'm sure I read somewhere the bottle neck for write speed was the canon choice of connection from the SD card to processor or something to that effect. The write speed was 133x which meant 20mb per sec , or something similar & folks were complaining regarding slow shooting due to the buffer overload. But if I can shoot short bursts of 2 fps with no buffer problems writing full RAW to both cards I would be fine.Thanks again Pete

First, the sensor type for both cameras is CMOS, not CCD.

Second, increased filesize is not indicative of 'quality', which can be subjective. It is influenced significantly by megapixels, and somewhat by the content of the image which can include the amount of noise and other things which can cause it to not compress as well as a fairly uniform image.

And the bottleneck for writing to the SD card on the 5d3 is the fact that Canon did not use the newer UHS-1 hardware which I personally suspect is partially due to the Digic 5+ only having 1 high speed memory card interface. Although it could simply be that Canon didn't want to put in the necessary hardware interface for UHS-1 since it likely was a bit costlier at the time, and/or they didn't see that the necessary cards would be coming out as soon.

And yes, I suspect you will be fine at ~2 fps shooting, although you likely would eventually hit buffer full. But if you pause for a second here, a second there, you likely will be fine.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I am using 5D bodies at present & am looking at upgrading to the 5Dmk111 to provide a better viewing screen for checking exposures & better quality files with upgraded digi 5 processor ,even though my 3x 5D are working perfectly& I'm very happy with results.
       Understanding that if I want to use a CF & SD card to record Full RAW files simultaneously for back up purposes for wedding photography & that the write speed is governed by the slower write speed of the SD card internal canon connection. Does anyone know the resulting frame rate available? & is it really aproblem if I'm not shooting multiple frames.
       Also I'm considering purchasing a "quantum blade battery" for those bright Australian summer beach shoots which drain AA batteries quickly so the flash keeps fully charged while being used heavily for fill flash. I think I prefer the blade to clip on & cable styles so the camera remains unattached to me . I have heard the blade causes interference on the 5D & I heard rumors some folks have had flash failures/burnout due to the constant power causing overheating ext, any opinions or experiences would be much welcomed B4 I spend any money. Thanks Pete

Don't use the screen to check exposures, use the histogram. 
The frame rate will not suffer until the buffer is filled, then it will take a longer time to empty the buffer.
Unless you are machine gunning everything in site hoping to get a keeper, you should be fine.  One shot usually works for me, but I usually take a second one just to be sure.  Even for sports, you can learn to time things right just as pro photographers did for many many years.

[East Wind Photography]

Interesting.  I think probably what damages it more is just the constant use without letting it cool down.  The xenon tubes are pretty strong but they can weaken and crack at high temps.  I've had some other lesser brands develope cracks and the gas leaks out.  So far hasn't happened with Canon.  I've had pretty consistent fill from the 580 but have not used it as a primary fill for a lot of outdoor work.   I guess you will have to try it and see for yourself...or dont wait for the batteries to go dead.  Once you sense the recharge is taking longer, swap them out immediately.

Thanx EWP, I understand, all quantum batteries r expensive.
 The problem I'm having shooting weddings on bright summer cloudless days at some loc is the enormous amount of charge used for fill flash means I have to wait between shots to ensure the AA's have recharged the capacitor, during post production I can see variations of fill flash due to this heavy usage, I was reluctantly thinking the quantum battery would add weight & bulk but would on the plus side keep the exposures more constant. I have heard folks saying that the constant power to the high voltage connection has somehow seriously damaged the flash unit which is another item I don't want to have to replace on a regular basis if this is true. Cheers Pete

[speirsphoto]

Thanx all for the informative replys , very much appreciated : )

EWP, I expect ur correct, as long as I'm not using high continious FPS with flas (which I fortunately don't) I should be fine Thanx Pete

Mt Spokaine, I also use the histogram 4 exposure but in difficult back or side light even though the exposure falls within the histogram the shadows may not be as filled as I would like & due to the necessary loc of the LCD screen it's often smeared & very difficult to view any accurate detail in sunny conditions even with me leaning over  to provide shade. I use single shot MD but thought if I had a constant power suppy with an external battery suppy to flash I may use the occasional burst to capture those inbetween expressions. All sound good though I think the upgrade will be valuable. Thanx Pete

Drizzt.Thanks for the info ( my appologies, I knew it was cmos but couldn't rember at the time : ) ur exactly right rgarding the SD info, thats evry similar to what I had read. I don't think I will wait until canon changes the specs to upgrade, as you say if I pause here & there I should be fine.

Thanx to all for ur very helpfull & quick resonses, very much appreciated : ) Cheers Pete

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Mt Spokaine, I also use the histogram 4 exposure but in difficult back or side light even though the exposure falls within the histogram the shadows may not be as filled as I would like & due to the necessary loc of the LCD screen it's often smeared & very difficult to view any accurate detail in sunny conditions even with me leaning over  to provide shade.

Pete, I think you know this, but the brightness of the LCD screen will change the apparent exposure, and it changes brightness according to ambient conditions.  Thats why I suggested that you do not use it judge exposure.  Unfortunately, in bright conditions with lots of backlighting, its really tough.  I bought a D800 to try out, and thats one area where the better DR really made a difference, in fact, I was amazed at the ability to properly expose shaded areas and not blow out a bright summer sky.  Unfortunately, its the entire system that does not quite measure up to my expectations.

[speirsphoto]

Mt Spokaine, thanks for ur reply, ru saying the DR on the Nikon was that much better than the canon, keeping highlights when exposing for shadows, but you didn't like the rest of the system of the nikon. Thanx Pete