really confused about which way to go Camera wise..Pleae give opinions

Cris_L

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Ok so I've decided to upgrade to full frame. I mainly shoot portraits.

The plan was to get a 5Dmk2 but I see the second hand price isnt much less than what i can get new - about £1500.

The alternative is a 1Ds Mk2 which can be had for around £1000 these days second hand.

Each camera has some benefits over the other one, the main thing I dont like about the 1Ds is lack of sensor cleaning and the smaller screen.

That said, £500 is a significant amount of money to pay extra for a bigger screen on the back of the camera!

I'd really really value as many opinions as possible.

thank you
 
You don't need me to tell you that either of those will be a great upgrade.

I don't know much about either but I always thought the 5D 2 was the portrait/wedding favourite, and the 21mp will give great cropping opportunities (although you probably won't need to if you're shooting organised portraits).

I think you get a wider ISO range and video on the 5D as well? Depends if you're using the camera for anything other than portraiture.
 
Personally I would go with the 5DMk2 unless you really need the weather sealing and 100% viewfinder, other than that the 5DMk2 is a no brainer.

I have a 1DsMk3 and the IQ is slightly better at base ISO than the 5DMk2 but over ISO 400 the 5DMk2 is better.

Some of the major Pros and Cons of each to help you decide..

1DsMk2

Pros: Build quality, Weather sealed body, 100% viewfinder, Better AF, 1/250th flash sync, 3 stop exp compensation,

Cons: Less MPs, Lower High ISO performance, Smaller Screen, No Sensor Cleaning, No Micro AF adjust, Heavy, Battery performance not great, Digic 2 processor, 2005 technology,

5DMK2

Pros: Video, All of the cons for the 1DsMk2, Digic 4, 2009 technology, much better screen, 14 bit

Cons: 1/200 flash sync, not 100% viewfinder,
 
Ok so I've decided to upgrade to full frame. I mainly shoot portraits.

The plan was to get a 5Dmk2

The alternative is a 1Ds Mk2 which can be had for around £1000 these days second hand.

That said, £500 is a significant amount of money to pay extra for a bigger screen on the back of the camera!

I'd really really value as many opinions as possible.

thank you

The other alternative, and you might acheive it with your £500 is a 5D Mk1. It's full frame, it's still a cracking camera and unless you need video and you really want to explore FF at this stage, I'm convinced it's the way to go.
 
Be prepared to spend on glass though... The 5D2 deserves L series or similar...

BTW, I went 450D->5D2 and haven't regretted it once (other than it is larger to lug around - I have the grip on it too).
 
I have 1Ds mk2 and I am not rushing to change it to 5D mk2. True, the lack of sensor cleaning on Ds is annoying at best and the batteries are total crap. Otherwise it is great body that will survive any harsh treatment and bad weather. I have heard of too many landscape pros killing their 5DII's - I just can't afford to take that risk. Of course your needs may be different.
'2005 tech' is a rather groundless argument. Most current con/prosumer cameras are a very long way off from 1Ds mkII level. Less MP - but would you really notice that small difference? 14bit is also nice but doesn't seem to make much difference in the real life.
 
:wave:

Let us know your thoughts matey. when you decide which way to go...;)

The screen size on the 1dsmk2 is small and not great for viewing images . but that said when you get the image onto the pc the quality is super. " IMHO"

The 1ds bodies do take some getting used too. But then when you know which buttons to press its like anything else just takes time to learn the system..


Regards


Either will be great on your new 24-105.


Dave:wave:
 
The other alternative, and you might acheive it with your £500 is a 5D Mk1. It's full frame, it's still a cracking camera and unless you need video and you really want to explore FF at this stage, I'm convinced it's the way to go.

This.

Well it's what I just did and I'm very happy. Decided to spend the cash on decent lenses instead of a more expensive body.
 
I think if you shop around you can pick up a 2nd hand 5dmk2 for much less than the £1500 you have been seeing, I know I did. I picked one up for £1175, low shutter count, excellent condition not long ago
 
They are both superb cameras - the 5DmkII is better at higher ISOs but the AF on the 1DsmkII is significantly better. If you need the low light performance then go for the 5D, I will happily shoot at ISO3200 on it and if the exposure is right it won't need any NR (the shots that do clean up easily enough in LR). I don't think that the MP count is an issue, unless you're planning on cropping heavily then the 1DsmkII will give you more than enough.
 
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