I have a custom built computer so the process is a little bit different.

1. I plug the 5d mk3 into the computer via USB.

2. EOS Utility imports my raw format photos into a folder by date.

3. EOS Utility kindly rotates images.

4. The speed is more than sufficient, a full 32Gb CF never takes more than 10 minutes.

5. The documents, pictures, music & videos folders on my computer are not Windows 7 x64 “libraries”, those have been changed and mapped to actual 4 folders within a 2TB AES 256 bit encrypted volume that resides on 2x 2TB RE4 Enterprise Class Western Digital SATA 3.0 drives in a raid1 configuration. This raid 1 array resides in the computer as letter A drive and is always a red bar in windows, no empty space because the encrypted volume resides there. I must open the encrypted volume with TrueCrypt and the mounted volume is assigned letter D drive. On mounting, the 4 document folders are seen. Drive A and Drive D are not used, I merely mapped the Windows shortcuts to them as document libraries. Without unencrypting the volume with a 30 character password, the documents are secured and nothing could be imported. The raid array can be broken and either of the two drives unencrypted separately if necessary.

6. Adobe Master Suite CS6 is installed on C drive, consisting of two (2) 64Gb Crucial SSD drives in a RAID0 striped configuration for greater speed and power, within Windows 7 64 bit. I use Photoshop 64 bit for editing, occasionally Adobe Fireworks for batch processing (not raw though) and sometimes Lightroom for tethered shooting unless I want live view, I use EOS Utility. These shoots are done directly to the RAID1 array.

7. Photoshop x64 CS6 is using two (2) 500Gb RE4 Enterprise Class Western Digital Drives in RAID0 Striping as cache. The merging of 50 or more raw images in panoramic generates massive cache files of 50Gb, necessitating a large and efficient cache. These items are worked on within the raid1 array and are obviously simultaneously backed up by nature of a raid1 array. Larger projects are moved to the cache array sometimes, then final products moved back to the 2TB raid 1 array. In these instances, the workflow is not saved, only originals and final product.

8. There is occasional encrypted backup to a “bare drive” that is temporarily housed in the Server Chassis which the computer resides in. Offsite backup is not in place, however, I have considered a high tier DropBox account, which would afford many other tools to make the cost worthwhile. This would be facilitated by 50Mbps down/5Mbps up that time warner cable offers, as a flat rate $100 a month “wideband” internet that merges 8 normal cable signals using a new modem made available a couple years ago and in my experience has had absolute, 100% up time over a period of years without ever dropping below 50Mbps down.

9. This system is facilitated by a Foxconn Bloodrage GTI with an Intel x58 chipset, with only 6GB of 1333 ram, a Core i7 Intel and ATI HD 5870 Graphics displayed on three (3) 23” widescreen Viewsonic monitors on dedicated swivel/reach mounts.

10. CD/DVD drives were pulled and replaced with a Corsair Hydro H50 liquid cooled cpu radiator blowing hot air out of a radiator where you would normally see the 3 slot DVD rack.

11. It is raw processing power and I need to upgrade it to SATA 6.0, at least 24GB of ram, better processor, larger drives, etc. but it is performing and backing up well, even as I type these words.


*Sometimes I shoot RAW+Jpeg but it really annoys me to have duplicates when importing. Usually, I work completely in Raw viewing folders and raw images with Adobe Bridge and do not create Jpeg until the end. When I use my Core i3 Asus X54 laptop to shoot tethered or to travel, it is a challenge to open up all network security so I can transfer files from the laptop to the main pc.

I'm not sure but I thought I saw an Apple "computer" back there trying to keep up. lol @ the little beach ball. roflmao.