How many memory cards and batterys do you normally bring to a photo event?

i am new to photography (the boss knows this) and i got a gig to take photos of people at a MMA event. ill have my canon 5d and canon 40d, ill be shooting in RAW on the 5d, and S-RAW on the 40d. how much storage and battiers would you bring to a 5 hour event?

How many memory cards and batterys do you normally bring to a photo event?
BATTERY: If you're using your onboard flash (versus external flash) then battery needs will increase.





For the gig's I've done that are that long, I've elected to use an external flash w/ 2-3 sets of NiMH AA's and 3 camera batteries although I've only used 2 for any event I've done.





I've also used an external flash battery system (in addition to the standard flash unit) which has 2 main benefits.. faster flash cycle times and longer life but it is bulkier to have strapped to your body when shooting. Depending on your shooting needs you may want to consider this.





MEMORY: I bring 16GB worth of Sandisk Ultra II / Extreme III cards. I only shoot raw.





I agree that unless you need a 2nd lens, only use 1 camera.





HTH.
Reply:My canon has two batteries in the battery grip so that would easily cover the five hour event.





In terms of memory cards it really depends on how many photos you think will tell the story of the day.





My one gig cards hold about 60 photos in RAW format. My estimation is that you will take somewhere between 200 and 250 photos for this event so you might need as many as four- 1gig cards.
Reply:Depends upon how much you click.





Carry as much as you can.
Reply:1 main battery and 1 backup battery for each camera (4 batteries total, or 2 for each camera).





Memory cards: Every one you have. They are small and easy to carry, and it's always better to have cards and not use them than to run out of memory cards. You need the memory if you're shooting RAW. I would bring at least 6 GB and probably at least 10 to be safe. Figuring that a 5D RAW+jpeg file is around 15 megabytes, 6 GB would put you at around 400 shots over a 5 hour event.
Reply:The batteries will last the whole time (use a battery grip if unsure or you don't have your energy managment fine tuned)





I always carry an extra 6 2GB cards ... I start with 4GB's in my cameras. Unless I am shooting wih two different lens lengths, I only use one camera ... much easier to manage.