1Ds mark II v 5D mark II

[whatsthatbeeping]

I'm in the market for a new full frame body and a 16-35mm 2.8L ATM and Iv'e been had my heart on the 5D mII.

My wife has the 5D mII and it is a glorious camera both image and processor wise but it does lack the "pro" build and focusing capabilities of the 1Ds mII.

I have the chance to pick up a well looked after 1Ds mII for around the $2k mark but I am unsure of the 17.2 mp image quality compared to the 5D mII's 21.1 mp.

I normaly shoot wide angle landscape with long exposure time at low ISO as well as interior with flash and some sports photography.

Any thoughts?

[pmack]

Can you wait untill the end of the year? 5D MKIII will no doubt have an improved focussing system if that's what is of most concern.

[Longshots]

I think you mean the 1DS mk3.

I have both and I dont use the 1DS - the 5Dmk2 produces much better files.

I've read many things about focussing issues - but experienced no problem on either the 5D or 1DS models.

And yes you could always wait for the next rumoured upgrade/better camera - but as yet Canon have announced a big fat zero over future models re 5D and 1DS

[Brian500au]

I cannot comment too much on the 5D MKII but I can tell you I have owned and used both a 1ds MKII and 5D MK1. The quality of the 17mp of the 1ds is ledgendary - and I miss mine my dearly. Add the professional feel and for me it would be a bargain. There are a few mod cons not on the 1ds MKII as compared to the 5D MKII but if you can live without them then I would pick the 1Ds every day over a 5D (and version)

[Analog6]

The 1DsMkII is a fantastic body, and you will adore it teamed with the 16-35 zoom, especially for landscapes. I loved mine and if I hadn't moved to med format digital would not have sold it. You will not be sorry if you buy it. $2K seems at the top end of the price ranges I have seen, be sure to check it out well.

[jjphoto]

I've had both 1dsmk2 and 5d2. The 1dsmk2 is IMHO a much better camera then the 5d2 in almost every respect.

The files from the 5d2 are no better than the 1ds2 and possibly a little worse but this probably depends on what you are shooting. Yes, the 5d2 is better for hi ISO performance but that doesn't make it a better camera for night work. I've used both for longish (1-5 min) exposures at night and have found the better hi ISO performance of the 5d2 to be a slight advantage over the 1ds2 but only because I tend to shoot the 5d2 at 200 and the 1ds2 at 100 (although it's also fine at 200). I've seen noise banding with the 5d2 which comes up when you do HDR, never seen it on the 1ds2. I also think the 1ds2 may give better shadow detail but that might just be bacause of the way the 5d2 files behave if you try to lighten them up for underexposed images. I think you need to err on the side of overexposure with the 5d2 files and pull back a bit rather than underexpose. Overall I have no real issue with the files from either camera but if I had to pick I'd probably take the 1ds2 for ISO100 work and the 5ds for any higher ISO work.

The 5d2 is a piece of junk compared to the ids2 where build quality and precision are concerned. I use a large array of "Alt" lenses (non Canon lenses so they need to be focused manualy) on my cameras so accurate focusing is very important to me and this is where the 1ds2 shines and the 5d2 fails miserably. I'm talking about focusing using the focusing screen, NOT AF. The 1ds2 also has a 100% viewfinder so what you see is what you get, no surprises in the final files. The 5d2's viewfinder does not show the entire image area so you often see extra bits in the image that you didn't want. The focusing accuracy of the 5d2 is quite poor even with a focusing screen better suited to it (can't remember the name of the Canon screen) whilst the 1ds2 is quite easy to focus accurately although it always helps to use lenses that are actually sharp wide open.

The 5d2 is quite flimsy in it's feel compared to the 1ds2 however this also makes it much lighter and easier to carry. Weight is the biggest disadvantage of the 1ds2, aside from it's lack of Liveview. The 16.7Mp files are NOT a disadvantage unless you buy into the marketing but of course a 60 or 100 Meg file would be better if you had computers fast enough to use them, it's only a matter of time anyway.

The 5d2 runs out of battery power quite quickly but that surely has to do with the fact that I often use Liveview. I'm sure the batts would last much longer in normal use.

The 5d2 has a slower flash sync than the 1ds2, only a 1/3rd stop difference, but it's enough to be an issue in the real world.

So OK, I really don't like the 5d2. The only reason I sold my 1ds2 is because it does NOT have Liveview. This single difference means that even with the poor focusing accuracy of the 5d2 it still wins out over the 1ds2 in very difficult situations, such as focusing at night, using T/S lenses or other situations where you have time to actually use Liveview.

JJ

[Adrenalin]

Loving my 5d mk2 at moment and have shot landscapes with it

Very very awesome bit of gear