If it is a new motherboard, then yes it must be initialized first by the correct Canon software (Note Canon no longer provides service for this model) If it is a used working MB, then it will work and operate the camera, but the adjustments were for a different unit, so color and white balance might be off as well as the CMOS data will be different, Autofocus can be effected.. This can cause color issues, digital noise in the image. So short answer is if it is a new board, it will not work unless initialized by Canon software, if used it will work but may not yield good results.