5D vs 1D/1Ds af question.

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fulwood

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henry
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Living near to the Ribble estuary up north, I'm wanting to develop my photography to now include the coastal/ overwintering birds that are plentiful here - geese/swans and the like - probably on a tripod in a hide.

I'm wondering about my 5D which, af-wise, has been ok for landscapes and portraits with just the odd stutter, but I've found it's not the best performer for action.

I'm wanting to use a newly acquired 100/400 L, not the best for af I know, but it will have to do. I can now invest a bit on a better af body (no, I'm not a banker, but have had a tax refund!!) before the wife spends it.

I'm wondering about the older model 1D and 1Ds's - will these be better - accuracy and speed-wise than my 5D. Which of the several models available below a 1D/ 1Ds mk 3 do you recommend? I don't go above a3 prints - have printed lovely a3's from my 300D when I had one so not looking for massive megapixels.

I'm wanting to capture large birds landing and taking off on water, also the occasional bif pic.

I'm not keen on a 7D, which will have much better af, but for some reason I just prefer pictures from low density sensors - 30D, 5D etc. - so weight notwithstanding am seriously considering one these older pro bodies.

Comments appreciated.

Thanks
Henry

I'm also posting this on the nature forum.
 
i have never used a 5d but went from a 40d to the 1d series and the af blew me away. i own a mkii and i am very pleased with it. many people can/will point out flaws (2 button menu and weight etc) but one thing they CANNOT fault is the AF....its quick, mighty quick.
 
I know you are considering the 1ds- but one thing you should know is that whilst it produces reply nice photos and has great AF, it is unsuitable for BIF photography because of its non-existant buffer! Its a really slow camera, and it doesn't matter how fast a card you put in. It takes an age to view photos and also to write to the card.
 
travellingcello said:
I know you are considering the 1ds- but one thing you should know is that whilst it produces reply nice photos and has great AF, it is unsuitable for BIF photography because of its non-existant buffer! Its a really slow camera, and it doesn't matter how fast a card you put in. It takes an age to view photos and also to write to the card.
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Thanks Jun

Does that apply to the 1Ds Mk ii as well?
 
fulwood said:
Thanks Jun

Does that apply to the 1Ds Mk ii as well?
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definitely not - the 1Ds mkII is a superb birding camera - super fast and accurate AF coupled with stunning image quality. Personally I would give the original 1D and 1Ds a miss for what you want but either of the mkII's would serve you very well. I don't have any BIF photos taken with a 1DsmkII to hand but here are a couple of perched birds...

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MomentCapture said:
Not sure the level of investment Op has in the Canon system, but what about a D3s?
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If I'd won the lottery then yes!

I can buy f4 L glass for Canon at a reasonable! price, that dictates the choice of body - older pro quality Canon bodies are much more affordable than a relatively recent D3/D700, and I suspect with an older 1D/1Ds I'll get more than acceptable image and af results. The images from my 5D do me nicely!
 
postcardcv said:
definitely not - the 1Ds mkII is a superb birding camera - super fast and accurate AF coupled with stunning image quality. Personally I would give the original 1D and 1Ds a miss for what you want but either of the mkII's would serve you very well. I don't have any BIF photos taken with a 1DsmkII to hand but here are a couple of perched birds...

5582836996_f52b5a2c68_o.jpg


5582247609_639ae27e9f_o.jpg
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Lovely pics, in good clear light the 5D will do as well.

I'm thinking of dusk shots with a beautiful golden light reflecting off the water and swans and geese coming in to land in the water.... need good af to do a scene like that justice.
 
I have a 1D mkii, 1Ds Mk1 and a 1Ds Mkii, for fast moving stuff I reckon your best bet would be a 1D Mkii for £4-600. Great AF, superb build quality and a high frame rate. I use mine for motorsport and it is ideal, I don't think I've missed a shot for not having locked focus. The 1Ds Mk1 produces lovely results but the buffering is very slow, not ideal for fast moving subjects. The 1Ds Mkii is a big step up and works much quicker but with full frame whilst perfect for portraits and for landscapes (which is what I use it for) you'll lose some reach on your lenses and you've already got that covered with your 5d. The 1D Mkii is a 1.3 crop so will give you a bit more reach than your 5d.
 
markmullen said:
I have a 1D mkii, 1Ds Mk1 and a 1Ds Mkii, for fast moving stuff I reckon your best bet would be a 1D Mkii for £4-600. Great AF, superb build quality and a high frame rate. I use mine for motorsport and it is ideal, I don't think I've missed a shot for not having locked focus. The 1Ds Mk1 produces lovely results but the buffering is very slow, not ideal for fast moving subjects. The 1Ds Mkii is a big step up and works much quicker but with full frame whilst perfect for portraits and for landscapes (which is what I use it for) you'll lose some reach on your lenses and you've already got that covered with your 5d. The 1D Mkii is a 1.3 crop so will give you a bit more reach than your 5d.
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The 1D Mk ii sounds good at £400/500 and will complement the 5D nicely. Something that focuses well when conditions are a bit murky and things are moving, otherwise a tripod and manual focus does the job eg for landscapes.

Does the N version have any benefits over the ordinary mk ii apart from LCD, I tend to use the LCD just to check that framing is right, don't expect the LCD to show correct focus, that's for my 24 inch monitor to do!

Wish I could afford a 1D Mk iii - lower weight (ha, ha - cf a mk i or ii!!) means might be able to lug it around for some street photography.

I might post on the wanted forum see what comes up.
 
I've got a 5D (mk1) and a 1D mk2, tbh I havent found the 5d slow in the af dept despite what is common wisdom, true I havent really blasted away at low light fast moving items i.e. BIF, but from my limited experiments of moving the camera around and focusing on different items near and far in very bad light with a fast lens I couldnt perceive any noticeable difference in "lock-on" speed. The pictures may have told a different story if I'd pressed the shutter all the way. BUT I love my 1D in the way it handles and the pictures it produces, the 5D is wonderful but its not that far away from the 1D in terms of IQ etc, so if I were you I'd buy a 1D (the Mk2 is brilliant value for money) and see if the 5D still holds a special place in your heart, I love my 5D for its compact size and the fact the 24/70 on a FF fits my required focal length well as a walk-around combination, 24mm would be just a tad not wide enough on the 1D because of the 1.3 crop. The 1D is the camera I use for other stuff, namely landscapes where I sometimes use a longer lens, poor weather conditions, mass brawls and portraits indoors of my cat cos she moves so fast and I can use the faster frame rate in a desperate bid to get something in focus. :)
I use neither my 1D nor my 5D enough to feel I have come to the limits of what they can do, the limiting factor is me, so despite both being quite old they are more than up to the job required.

Matt
 
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I've got a 5D and used to have a 1Dmk2, there is a big difference in AF speed, and accuracy, with the 1D being much better.

For birding I would go for a 1D rather than a 1Ds as the crop will help with extra reach.
 
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