Canon 1Ds v. Canon 1DS MK II reccomendations?

[daniel_dorsa]

<p>Hi all. I'm saving up to buy a new Canon body at the moment. I mainly shoot skateboarding. I've done a little research on both these bodies and what it seems to me is that the mk2 handles better at higher iso's and has some better battery life. For what I shoot, I rarely will be going over 200 iso (400 at the very max). I've been seeing the mk1's go around $1000 and the mk2's go around $2500. Is it actually worth the extra $1500 (keep in mind I am a student so an extra $1500 is a big difference) or will the mk1 do the job fine? Thanks for your help guys!</p>

[zml]

<p>I have a rather limited experience with the original 1Ds but I've used a 1Ds2 extensively and IMO it is a better overall camera. It is also newer, meaning that it shall be repairable for a longer time than the original. 1D/1Ds series is great for action because of its short shutter lag and VF blackout time, and - of course - AF performance. Go for the Mk. II if you can swing it. As a bonus, you can use a really wide angle 14 mm (or the fish eye) lens and get really friggin' close to the 'boarders! Alternatively, if the 8 mpixel resolution is fine with you, the 1D2n is also a great camera and cheaper, too.</p>

[scott_ferris]

<p>Hi Daniel,</p>

<p>You are in a bit of a spot really. The problem I would see for you in the 1Ds series Mk I, II, or III is the frames per second, at 3fps the Mk I really takes some skill to anticipate the action effectively. The better camera would be the 1D series, but they can't utilise really wide angle lenses from Canon very well, and wide angle is a skateboard mainstay.</p>

<p>I think the best option for you would be a 1D MkIIN, and possibly an off brand ultra wide, unless you are very good at action anticipation.</p>

<p>If it really is only between the 1Ds Mk's I and II, then go for the I, they still turn out beautiful images, save the $1,500 for the next camera, there will be one! The MkII really isn't the ideal camera. And the prices are falling all the time, a Mk I 1Ds can be had for comfortably under $1,000 now and the MkII, for closer to $2,000 for a good one. I have posted before that I think the 1Ds MkII is the best second hand value camera in the Canon range, I bought one secondhand about 7 months ago ($2,250 mint in box with low actuations and all accessories) but it got stolen and I replaced it with a MkIII. The 7D and the Canon 10-22 seem like the ideal solution to skateboarding, on paper, but that is just speculation at the moment.</p>

<p>Hope this helps, Scott.</p>

[daniel_dorsa]

<p>Thanks Scott. The FPS for me is not a big deal at all. I have a Classic 1D for all my sequences. I needed a camera with close to 12mp for printing stills in magazines (and yes I am good at timing my tricks. when you skate for 9 years you learn how tricks should look :] ) I think I will save the extra money and save it towards a fisheye for my Hassy which that will be extremely useful for me (I already have a tokina 10-17mm fisheye for my Canon which the glass on it is good and I can use on all different crop cameras). Thanks for all your help guys. I feel like the 1DS will be a good choice for me now.</p>

<p>Daniel</p>

[scott_ferris]

<p>Daniel,</p>

<p>You are very welcome. I still use my original 1D for some of my surfing, they are still great cameras and at $500 an AF and fps bargain.</p>

<p>I got a Canon 15mm fisheye this summer, again at $570 a bit of a bargain (certainly not Hasselblad money), it works well on the 1.3 crop and the effects on the FF can be very creative, I was surprised at how well the distortion can be corrected too, it gives the 1.3 crop a much better wide, even with straightening it gives a better fov than a 14.</p>

<p>Take care, Scott.</p>

[alonzo_e]

<p>The EOS-1 older cameras can have some other issues like battery life, and what already mentioned here, a slower shutter speed. I would imagine you would do better getting something like a 50d or even a 5d classic. You will probably find more support at that end then on the older EOS-1 end.. Also, what type of printing are you trying to do in order to target the 12 mp range as needed? Have you considered shooting in raw? There's quite a lot of detail to be had when shooting in raw..<br>

YMMV, tho..</p>

[symple]

<p>I skateboarded for fifteen years, and have been using Canon gear for skateboarding images for longer. I have owned the 1Ds 11.1, along with several other canon digital slrs and can say with some conviction that you really want a 1D mkII or 1D mkIIn. The 1Ds is an exceptional camera, but it is very slow in operation compared to the MkII/n version of the 1D, and you will get less than half the number of images from the exact same battery pack on the 1Ds compared to 1D II/n. I ended up selling my 1Ds simply because I found I always went to the IIn, and the extra FOV allowed by the sensor size wasn't that big of a deal. The 1DmkII has been selling for around $800 Canadian, so even less USD and there are many out there in great condition. I would spend the extra money on an ultra-wide zoom from sigma used, and get a vivitar flash and an inexpensive wireless slave to trigger it off camera. This way you can set up the flash under the action for low light work, and you have the flexibility to do fast action stopping for flippy tricks. There isn't enough difference to justify the IIn over the II if you are on a budget, and the money really should go to the lens(es) and your off camera strobe(s) for skate photography. Other lenses that you might consider instead would be the sigma rectilinear fisheye, the canon 15mm, the sigma 15-30 if you can find one for under $250, or even one of the european fisheyes retrofitted to EOS mount.<br>

Good luck with your photography and schooling, and get the 1D MKII not the the Ds series, I have owned/own both and skateboarded forever, and want the best quality for the least money too.</p>