1d help please people.

Gary Kinghorn

Gary Kinghorn

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Ok, so here it is ....

I have a hankering for a 1d. I posted a similar thread to this a couple of weeks back when I was looking at a 1ds mk11 but I was just toooooo slow and missed it, damn.

Currently I do a bit of everything with my photography, other than landscapes and macro. So portraits, family, motorsport, holidays, weddings. You name it, I will gladly have a crack at it.

My main camera is a 5d mkII that I am very very happy with. My back up is a 50d which is a really nice camera, but very little used, infact it hardly ever comes out of the bag.

Right now I have a hankering for a 1d.

I tried a mkII a year or so back (just before I bought the 5d) and although I enjoyed taking shots with it for a day or two, I needed a bigger jump from the 50d - which was my main body at the time, so I didn't buy it and picked up the 5d instead.

Now I'm in the position where I know how good the 5d is and fancy something different to use alongside it.

I use pretty much solely 'L' glass and expect quality images - even with a crop.

The way I see it from my very limited research

1d Mk11 - A bit low on megapixels, I took some nice shots with the one I had for a couple of days, but I'm concerned if I crop the way I normally do that I might struggle a bit???

1d mkIIN - the same as the mkII but with a better screen?

1d mk11 ds - Now these float my boat. I fancy one, but there dosn't seem to be too many of them about for reasonable money in nice condition.

1d mk111 - At the top of my budget - and beyond. I don't know too much about these.


So what do I do?

Would I be happy with a cheaper mkII or mkIIn? What's the image quality like in comparison to a 50d with good glass?

Do I continue to hold out for a mkII ds.

How does the mkIII (non ds) compare to a mkII ds? Which would you prefer and why?

I just fancy a new toy and an entry to 1d photography.


I look forward to hearing what you guys and gals think on the subject.
 
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Gary Kinghorn said:
How does the mkIII (non ds) compare to a mkII ds? Which would you prefer and why?
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10mp vs 16mp; faster vs better IQ in very simple terms. I'm happy to use both, but for non-action I'll always pick the Ds.
 
The 1D v 1Ds are 2 completely different beasts. 1 full frame, the other a 1.3x crop. One very much similar to your 5D, really for landscapes and studio work, the others a sports body, hence the autofocus system.

So if its primarily for motorsport then either the 1D MKII(n) (screen and buffer) or MKIII. If its more landscapes and portraits then the 1Ds MKII which is comparable to your 5D MKII

In terms of the 1D MKII(n) v the 50D, no competition in the autofocus stakes, ok a 15 mp sensor over an 8mp sensor and probably slightly improved ISO capabilities, but Its never disadvantaged me with my photography. Although the 1D MKII old tech nearly 7 years old but its still a great camera, built like a tank.

As for the 1D MKIII, had a few issues around its release with autofocus, but a step up in tech over the 1D MKII and compared to the 50D, well the 50D not even in the same ball park, still in the minor leagues.

Depends if you want a sports camera or another full frame camera?
 
Hello Gary

Your 5D2 will cope with most of what you shoot. A frame rate of 3.9 fps would not be the best option for sport though. A 1D3 will be just the ticket for that. It will also cope with shooting just about everything else. Great for portraits and family shots. A leading photographer I know of in this field relied on the 1D3 before the 1D4 and 1Ds3 came on the market. The build quality and weather-sealing of the 1D series also makes it the choice body for many situations too. A single body option to take on holiday will have me reaching for the 1D3 ahead of a 5D2. You can take along a P&S for video. While the 5D2 has an extra stop of light and FF returns great IQ, I dare say the 1D3 does produce images that will grace any screen or frame.

I used to rely on the 1D3 and 5D2 as my two body option and this combination covered all my bases. If you get a 1Ds2, you won't have that added frame rate for sport. A 1Ds2 will offer wonderful IQ for portraits and landscape but you already have the 5D2 for that. The 1Ds2 is weather-sealed of course but I still think a 1D3 widens your options and meets all your needs especially when paired with the 5D2.


My 2c and your cash ;)

Happy hunting
 
I've got both 1d Mkii and 1Ds Mkii, if it helps.

I use my 1Ds Mkii for landscapes, it is fantastic, good low light capabilities, a lovely quality image, bright viewfinder, lenses that are as wide as they should be etc

My 1D Mkii I use for motorsport (rallying and Le Mans) and airshows. The files are much better quality than the megapixels would suggest but you don't have a huge file to crop down.

Either way once you get your head around the weight, control system (two buttons for everything) and size they're a great thing to use.
 
markmullen said:
..... Either way once you get your head around the weight, control system (two buttons for everything) and size they're a great thing to use.
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Thanks for your input Mark. That's another thing Gary, the 1D series is a bonus to use. Having got my head round the 5D2 as well, it too is great but the 1D has ( to me ) better ergonomics and more AF points, indeed a better AF system. I wish the 5D2 had the latter two characteristics. 9 AF points is something Canon could improve upon with the 5D3, whenever that appears.
 
Thanks for the comments on this chaps, really very much appreciated.

I will have a look out for a MkII N, MkII ds, or cheap MkIII and whichever comes up first at the right price and the right condition I will get my hands on it. Worst that happens is I buy the wrong one of the 3 and punt it on. At least I will have given it a go.

Thanks again for your comments and if anyone has one of these for sale feel free to give me a shout.
 
A second vote for the 1D mk2n

It might "only" be 8 MP, but you can still get very high quality A3 prints even with a bit of cropping. It is very well built, has very good AF and has a nice high frame rate for sports.

Downsides; if you shoot raw you can fill the buffer, and the maximum capacity SD card it can use is 2GB.
 
If you update the firmware on the MkIIN to the latest available then you can use the larger SDHC cards. Mine normally has either a 16gig SDHC or my Eye-fi card in it when shooting events and I'm printing on site with RAW written to the CF card and JPEG to the SD.
 
Gary Kinghorn said:
Thanks for the comments on this chaps, really very much appreciated.

I will have a look out for a MkII N, MkII ds, or cheap MkIII and whichever comes up first at the right price and the right condition I will get my hands on it. Worst that happens is I buy the wrong one of the 3 and punt it on. At least I will have given it a go.

Thanks again for your comments and if anyone has one of these for sale feel free to give me a shout.
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A good pre-loved 1D3 on that place by the sea will set you back anything between £970 to £1170. MPB lists it from from £999 to just under £1400. Hopefully this gives you an idea of outlay.

If you buy privately at around £1100, you should be in for a good deal. Anything less would display obvious signs of abuse. The 1d series is built to take this of course. That said, I like to baby my gear ;)
 
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