Canon® EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Appendix A. Maintenance Tips for Your 5D Mark II

Canon ships the 5D Mark II with a free software package of several programs to make your digital workflow easier. These include programs to operate the camera from your computer, convert RAW files, update the firmware, and create your own Picture Styles.

Canon has included several software programs with the 5D Mark II to add functionality and organization to your digital files. Along with the drivers that the camera needs to communicate with the computer, Canon includes the ZoomBrowserEX, EOS Utility, Digital Photo Professional, PhotoStitch, and the Picture Style Editor. Most professional photographers have more-powerful software packages to handle many of these same functions, but two of the programs — Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and EOS Utility, which are discussed in this chapter — aid in the shooting, RAW conversion, and management of your digital files.

This chapter also discusses how to clean your CMOS sensor, which is vital for ensuring you're capturing crisp, clean images.

Canon Digital Photo Professional

Although I'm usually not a huge fan of the software supplied with the camera, DPP deserves another look, considering the expense and capabilities of third-party software and the often long stretches of time between updates. Very often, there are delays after a new camera debuts before updates to your favorite programs are available to handle RAW conversion. DPP ships with the camera, and the black, gray, and white interface ...