5D MKII & Photoshop CS4 >>> computer choice?

[amoergosum]

I need your help guys.
I plan to use the new 5D MKII & Photoshop CS4. I will edit pictures
and video.
I'm still undecided whether to go for PC or Mac by the way... .
Either/or....what has to be included in order to work smoothly
with the 5D MKII and Photoshop CS4?
best,
Ben

[chmod]

I'm pretty sure you'll find many posts on similar topics using the Search function. Having said that, I can generalize a bit.

I have Mac, Linux and Windows computers. Mac and Windows, in particular, can be used efficiently and easily for what you seek. It would be impossible for anyone to tell you which is better for you without imparting some undefined bias. Linux can be amazingly efficient but it is not as commercial and is slightly more geeky. Again, not knowing you and what you know, makes it impossible to assert what is best for you.

In general - and if you are talking 1080p video, you need massive amounts of disk. Then you need as much RAM and CPU as you can afford. If you are talking only photos then the disk requirements are less but not trivial since the RAW images will be in the range of ~30mb each.

Whatever you purchase, you will need disk and RAM to the degree you can afford.

CS4 is a RAM hog, and it also will make use of multiple cores so again, purchase as much CPU and RAM as you can afford and it'll run nicely. If you are truly using the 1080p video, you will likely need a few TB of external storage in addition to whatever internal storage. The storage requirements of 1080p video are staggering.

But I think it would serve you to actually touch the gear. Live near an Apple store? I am not aware of any stores with similar hands-on featuring Windows but others may know. A Linux store? ha ha ha.

regards,

chmod

[MaxxuM]

I do video and I have about 3TB storage all combined... hard drive space is cheap. As computers, look at the top of the line quad core system, move two steps back and then buy that one. The top computer is over priced, the one below the top is getting better and the third best is usually the best option for power users. And go Apple if you want to do video and photo. Final Cut Studio is currently top of the heap though Avid and Adobe products are no slouches either. It comes to personal preference, but I have used all of them and Apple's just wins IMO.

[amfoto1]

Good points.

I'd also like to add that you should plan on a multi-hard disk system for a couple reasons.

One is that Photoshop needs a "scratch disk" to run well. This can be a partition or separate disk, but give it plenty of space. This is in addition to the RAM and CPU needs.

The other reason for multiple hard drives you might already know: Backup. Here you should do some additional research because there are a number of strategies. I'd just comment that due to the size of the image files 5D M2 will produce, I'd probably avoid external drives unless they were network connected (wired or wireless). I think Firewire and USB would be too slow data transfer to be practical, if you do any kind of volume work with the camera. eSata might be okay. Consider RAID (mirroring) and hot-swappable drives as other possibilities that can help make backup fast and efficient.

I don't really want to get into a Mac vs. PC debate. I use Windows based PCs for one primary reason... I build, reconfigure as needed and service them myself. That's just not so easily done with Macs, but they bring some other advantages and great features.

[Moppie]

I need your help guys.
I plan to use the new 5D MKII & Photoshop CS4. I will edit pictures
and video.
I'm still undecided whether to go for PC or Mac by the way... .
Either/or....what has to be included in order to work smoothly
with the 5D MKII and Photoshop CS4?
best,
Ben



You do all you ask on anything from a base model iMac, to an 8 core PC running Vista Ultimate 64bit.
How quickly you will be able to perform tasks of course is a different matter.


We can offer more detailed advice if you can give us some indication as to your budget, what software you want to use, Operating systems you are familiar with, how often will you use the machine, and how many photos and videos will your process each time you use it.
Knowing if it is for a business, or personal use would also be helpful, as would knowing something about your level of computer knowledge. :cool:

[amoergosum]

We can offer more detailed advice if you can give us some indication as to your budget, what software you want to use, Operating systems you are familiar with, how often will you use the machine, and how many photos and videos will your process each time you use it.
Knowing if it is for a business, or personal use would also be helpful, as would knowing something about your level of computer knowledge. :cool:

You're right....I should have added that information.
Budget for the computer >>> around 2500 Euro
Software I want to use >>> Photoshop CS4, video editing software like Sony Vegas or Final Cut Pro
Operating systems I'm familiar with >>> OSX and WinXP
How often will I use the machine? >>> every day
I'm just starting out as a freelance photographer.
The fact that the 5D MKII is able to record video is a feature I would like to
use also. I'm new to video editing so that's something I have to get into.

[OdiN1701]

As much of a fan of Windows as I am, I always hear great things about Final Cut Pro.

I have used Sony's Vegas Video, and while it works, it seems to be a bit clunky. Adobe Premier has a higher learning curve than most stuff also. Final Cut Pro may be a good choice for you - just depends on how much experience with editing you have and what software you've used and like.

I don't really do video editing at all, so Vegas works fine for me since I just do some basic stuff here and there making tutorials and such.

[MaxxuM]

You're right....I should have added that information.
Budget for the computer >>> around 2500 Euro
Software I want to use >>> Photoshop CS4, video editing software like Sony Vegas or Final Cut Pro
Operating systems I'm familiar with >>> OSX and WinXP
How often will I use the machine? >>> every day
I'm just starting out as a freelance photographer.
The fact that the 5D MKII is able to record video is a feature I would like to
use also. I'm new to video editing so that's something I have to get into.

*Sony Vegas is for PC only

It still looks like you are 50/50 on Mac or PC. Final Cut Studio and Adobe Photoshop CS4 are both expensive so you should pick your direction very carefully. I personally use both platforms more for necessity than choice and I do use Sony Vegas Pro for simple work. I would not recommend Final Cut Studio for someone like yourself that is just getting into video work - it is pretty complex and overkill for most people. Sony Vegas Studio and Apple Final Cut Express are what you should be looking at right now to get your feet wet.

I would personally go with a Mac Pro 8-core, but not from Apple if possible. I'm not sure what is available in Germany as far as vendors go, but 2500 euros will get you a Mac Pro w/ third-party monitor, CS4 at education price (I'm sure you know a student somewhere), Final Cut Express, Apple Aperture 2 and VM Ware.

If you go the PC route you'll save about 500 euros and instead of Apple Final Cut Express you'll want Sony Vegas Studio 9 instead. In both cases you'll want to try to get an education price for CS4 or even try Elements which is a very good alternative. Elements has one major drawback for me else I would use it for most of my work - it does not have true masking.

[amoergosum]

It still looks like you are 50/50 on Mac or PC.

This is very true...

[Pioneer61]

Remember CS4 is ONLY 64-bit capabile on Windows platforms, not Macs. Given the 5D MKII has HUGE files, I'd opt for Windows Vista home premium 64-bit with 8G of memory and quad core processor.

CS3 with my 5D RAW photos really bogs down when processing panorama files which suck up a huge amount of memory.

[pendulum15]

I recommend a hi-res 17 inch macbook pro (with the top cpu and such) and final cut express for editing video, pretty damn fast, and you can use it on location

[AdamJL]

As much of a fan of Windows as I am, I always hear great things about Final Cut Pro.

I have used Sony's Vegas Video, and while it works, it seems to be a bit clunky. Adobe Premier has a higher learning curve than most stuff also. Final Cut Pro may be a good choice for you - just depends on how much experience with editing you have and what software you've used and like.

I don't really do video editing at all, so Vegas works fine for me since I just do some basic stuff here and there making tutorials and such.

I've done some editing work in Premier (my ex did some videography), and let me vouch for just how true this statement is.
But, once you master it, it's incredibly powerful.

Remember CS4 is ONLY 64-bit capabile on Windows platforms, not Macs. Given the 5D MKII has HUGE files, I'd opt for Windows Vista home premium 64-bit with 8G of memory and quad core processor.

CS3 with my 5D RAW photos really bogs down when processing panorama files which suck up a huge amount of memory.

Very, very good point. As the OP will need loads of RAM, A 64-bit OS with 8GB of RAM will be required at least.

[Zepher]

Quad Core Processor , 8GB Ram, 64bit OS, 24" or larger monitor (minimum native screen resolution 1920x1200) dual monitors won't hurt either.

Photoshop Extended doesn't edit videos, it can apply effects to video clips, so you would still need a video editing program like Premiere Pro. Upgrade to the suite that includes Photoshop Extended and Premiere Pro.

[Bobster]

as a side note the EULA outside of the US forbids the use of the Educational Version of Adobe Products for anything but that..