How do I edit RAW files from my EOS 5D Mark II in Adobe Photoshop CS 3?

EOS magazine: Adobe’s Photoshop CS3 doesn’t recognise the RAW (.CR2) files from the EOS 5D Mark II or 500D. The reason for this is that the latest releases of Adobe’s RAW file converter Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) only work with Photoshop CS4. This leaves you with three options:

1. Convert the RAW files from your EOS 5D Mark II using Digital Photo Professional into a TIFF file (16 bit is best) and edit it in Photoshop CS3.

2. Download Adobe’s Digital Negative (DNG) converter and use it to convert the .CR2 RAW file into Adobe’s Digital Negative (.dng) format, which can then be edited…

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I own an EOS 5D and I’m wondering whether I should upgrade to the EOS 5D Mark II? What do you think?

EOS magazine: The EOS 5D Mark II is an excellent camera, but then again so is the EOS 5D. We suspect the question that you should ask yourself is do you really need the extra features of the EOS 5D Mark II, such as the 21.1 megapixel sensor, the integrated sensor cleaning system, the high definition (HD) video, the enhanced LCD screen and so on? The EOS 5D Mark II is an expensive camera – maybe you’d be better off spending the money on some new lenses, a faster computer or  a trip to an exotic and photogenic location…

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Is Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software a better RAW converter than Adobe Camera RAW? Which do you recommend?

EOS magazine: Digital Photo Professional (DPP) comes free with Canon EOS cameras and is therefore much cheaper than buying Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom or Photoshop Elements. It’s a very capable RAW processor and we’re very happy with the images that we’ve processed with it. However, Adobe Camera RAW has a LOT more features than DPP, including much greater control over brightness and contrast and sophisticated tools for extracting shadow detail and interpolating images. Adobe Camera RAW is a much better product than DPP, but then again, it should be as it costs more. DPP isn’t designed to match the features of Adobe Camera RAW…

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How often should I clean the sensor of my Canon EOS 350D?

EOS magazine: The Canon EOS 350D was the last model released by Canon without the integral cleaning system. Any dust that falls on the sensor has to be cleaned manually. Use the correct equipment and technique and the chances of scratching the sensor are very low. As to how often the camera’s sensor NEEDS cleaning – that’s up to you. How much dust gets on your sensor depends on a lot of things. Do you shoot in a dusty environment? Or change lenses a lot? When we change our cameras’ lenses we turn the camera off (the electrical currents running through the mirror and sensor can attract…

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I have a 450D with the 17-85mm IS USM kit lens. I’m thinking of buying a new telephoto lens and I’d like to know if the L series lenses are worth the extra money?

EOS magazine: Canon L series (the ‘L’ stands for Luxury) lenses are the best lenses that Canon make. A good telephoto lens for your camera would be a 70-200mm zoom and Canon make four L series lenses of that focal length: the 70-200mm f4 L USM, the 70-200mm f4 L IS USM, the 70-200 f2.8L USM and the 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM. What do all those letters stand for? USM = Ultrasonic Motor. Canon lenses fitted with an ultrasonic motor have a very quiet, virtually…

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Why does the EOS 500D only have a 20 frame per second (fps) shooting speed in full High Definition (HD) mode (when the EOS 5D Mark II has 30fps)?

EOS magazine: We asked Canon this question and they replied that the reason for the 20 fps rate in the high definition movie recording mode of the EOS 500D is because of the sensor. Canon designs its sensors from scratch for the model in which they’ll be used. A sensor capable of recording at 30fps in 1080p would be much more expensive – and the 500D would no longer be a consumer model. We should point out that the 500D records at 30 fps at a resolution of…

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