Which one would you buy ?

<p>5D MK II or 1Ds MK III</p>

<p>If,</p>

<p>1) You are a serious ametuer<br>

2) Money is not an issue<br>

3) You shoot mainly Landscape/Portrait/Macro and some birds and wildlife<br>

4) Previous owner of a 1Ds MK II<br>

5) Use only L series primes and zooms ?</p>

<p>If you want to have a second body, then ?</p>

<p>Will you wait for the 1 Ds MK IV ? Will it ever come out ?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Either one - the 1DS handles better and has much better build and AF. The 5DII is a lot lighter and more portable. If you use long lenses for birds you will find the 1DSIII is the better camera for its AF capabilities. That said it is a lot more expensive!</p>

<p>Philip,<br>

Totally agree with everything you said. One question/concern - which one has a better image quality- the almost 4 yrs. old versus the 1 yr. old ?<br>

Quality is something for which I can compromise a lot ( not going to MF/LF though)</p>

<p>I have been putting both through their paces and can say that you are not going to see a difference in image quality if you shoot RAW and use the same software on each. I have used the same four lenses on both bodies (14mm, 24ts-e II,90ts-e, 200mm) and the results are essentially identical. Having both bodies with L-Plates and spare batteries I ended up choosing one, and only miss the rear LCD from the 5D II since I sold it. The 1Ds III is much more user friendly than the 1Ds II that I owned, with a better menu system and the live-view feature, but image wise it isn't remarkably better than the 1Ds II either. I will be sending in the 1Ds III to have the AA filter replaced next week and am curious how that will affect the resulting RAW data though.</p>

<p>1Ds MkIII without question, it is the the most complete imaging tool I have ever owned. Get one.</p>

<p>For the backup, I'd wait and see what happens with the next 1D series iteration. Well I am.</p>

<p>If money is not an issue I would take the 1DsMk3 easily. I had the opportunity to test shoot one from a local wedding photographer and I honestly considered selling my car to get one. I have never shot with a camera that felt so intuitive and shot and focused like that. <br>

If you have the money to buy a Ferrari why would you buy a Fiat.</p>

<p>1Ds III, definitely. I was faced with the same choice in roughly the same circumstances, and have never regretted it for a minute. Have even shot with some friend's 5D II in the occasional circumstance and was shocked at how much it felt like a toy after getting used to the 1D body.</p>

<p>Weight: 1200 g vs. 800 g.</p>

I only own 1Ds Mk 3's. If you can afford it this is a weather resistant camera with the ability to write to 2 cards. If you have card failure, although uncommon it's a fantastic camera for nature type of photography. The camera is nothing less then a tank as far as build quality goes.

 

I've made prints as large as 40X60" so waiting for the new 1Ds Mk 4 probably shouldn't be of concern regarding quality. However, I would think that the Mark 4 will have video. Would this matter to you? For me I think I will most likely buy one Mk 4 just for video, when needed, and keep the other mark 3 bodies. I'm guessing we will see something around 30 megapixels with the mark 4.

 

Off the subject slightly, I will also take a keen look at the under $10,000 medium format, 40 megapixel, Pentax camera.

<p>I have both, and if money is no object - and the weight and size isn't an issue - I see no reason not to buy the 1Ds Mk III. The main difference for me is the AF, but the 1 Series build and 2nd card slot are appreciated.</p>

<p>However, the IQ is identical and the 5D MkII without the battery pack is a convenient smaller option if you don't want to lug a 1 Series body around. Still, as I said, I'd go for the 1Ds Mk III in your position as the advantages are definitely worth it.</p>

<p><em>If money is not an issue?</em></p>

<p>Dang, I'm envious.</p>

<p>It's not nice to tempt other people into mortal sins.</p>

<p>Thanks everybody.<br /><strong>1DsMK III- it will be</strong>- elected by overwhelming majority</p>

<p>Recently, I had a chance to shoot with a brand new 5D MK II and honestly, I was disappointed with the AF(so used to 1Ds MK II), metering-especially the spot metering and had dust under the top LCD panel after a journey of few miles on a dusty road in India-I was shocked!</p>

<p>Bob, I agree with you. I have run out of wall space in my house with 40 X 60 prints from the MK II. So I know the III will not be worse. AFA MkIV goes, I dont care about the video at all- in fact I wish Canon keeps this without video or gives 2 models, one without and one with ! I cant think of doing HD video with my still camera- I abhorr the idea.<br>

<br />JDM, work like me, 28 days a month, 12 hrs shifts, 130 miles one way driving to work daily and you will know, whether you have the pocket or not, you need toys to survive, at least I do !</p>

<p>Thanks again, everybody.</p>

<p>Money's not an issue with me either. I don't have any.</p>

<p>Guys,</p>

<p>This is strange.</p>

<p><strong>None</strong> of the stores that I buy from-B and H/ Amazon/Adorama/ Canon estore have the 1Ds MK III in stock. I wanted to order one and could not. Stores who have it price it $ 4K so you know these are scams!</p>

<p>Any speculation? MK IV in the horizon ?</p>

<p> 1Ds Mk lll if money is not an issue , for a back up/secondary body 1D Mk IV even with it's 1.3x crop factor.. my 2cents. PC</p>

<p>I think it's a given, and the consensus here, that if money is really not an issue - and it's simply a matter of picking either a 1Ds MkIII or a 5D MkII off the shelf - that it's a no brainer to pick the 1Ds MkIII. It is a more solid camera, has better weather resistance, much better AF, faster drive, bigger buffer and dual card slots. To be honest, in this situation, I'm not really sure why the question even needs asking.</p>

<p>However, money is usually, to some extent, an issue and, playing devil's advocate here, how much extra money is the 1Ds MkIII worth over a 5d MkII (or, for the money, over TWO 5D MkIIs) for the average user?</p>

<p>I would argue not very much. Most people are (or should be) more interested in IQ than prestige, and unless you actually NEED the extra features, that's a brick of a camera to be lugging around. I am not arguing against using 1 series cameras (I have both MkII and MKIII bodies, and on occasion I need the faster AF and/or durability for specific work assignments). I do however realize that in most circumstances I am not limited by the 5D MkII and I like being ale to get equal image quality in a much smaller package.</p>

<p>Also, for a professional, back up and redundancy are of vital importance. If finances meant I had to make a choice between two 5D MkIIs or one 1Ds MkIII I would go for the two 5D MkIIs in a New York minute. Accidents happen, software glitches happen and there is no substitute for being able to switch to an identical image quality, alternate camera immediately. I don't consider a camera with lesser IQ to be a true back up - it is a merely a lower quality fall-back option at that point.</p>

<p>None of this changes the simple answer to the posters question, but it's worth considering.</p>

<p> </p>

Swapan, stores that offer the camera at $4000, don't walk away from them, RUN away.

 

Most stores simply don't have them in stock because very few are sold. Canon usually ships pretty fast, so you can probably be a proud owner within a week or 2.

 

Here in California I buy my gear from Woodland Hills Camera. Ask for Scott. He's a good friend of mine and he will be honest about delivery time. (818) 347-2270. They usually match those big guys in NYC, like B&H.

<p>Admittedly the 5D2 isn't the fastest kid on the block in the AF department but I can't fault its IQ. I tried out a 1Ds2 once, a few years ago. Didn't get a chance to do any printing from it. I was impressed but found it way too bulky. From what I've read the 5D2 is the equal to the 1Ds3 in the IQ department, which makes sense as it is a bit further down the sensor development chain.<br>

 <br>

Money notwithstanding, I would still give this more thought before splashing out $ 7k+. For the price of a 1Ds3, at least last time I checked, you can buy a 5D2 <em>and</em> a 7D which, IMO, is a formidable kit and gives you backup and many more options, methinks. Also, its AF is very very good.<br>

 <br>

About weather sealing. Last year I shot a wedding in which it started pouring heavily just after the ceremony and during the photo session with the couple. I occasionally shot with my trusty 400D in such inclement conditions, taking care to keep it as dry as I could manage (working solo with no assistant to hold an umbrella, etc). So on this occasion I had my 5D2 and thought, what the heck, let me try it out. So I did; went out guns blazing in the almost torrential rain. Not a hiccup. Everything worked perfectly during and after it (and I) got drenched. So yes, it can hold its own in bad weather too.<br>

 <br>

User interface on the 5D2 is very similar to the 7D, and not too far a cry from the 1 series. However, that is a highly subjective matter; if you have been used to the 1 series interface, YMMV :)</p>