Canon 1Ds II vs. 1Ds ....

[gwelland]

I'm in the market for a 1Ds/1DsII and I'm interesting in hearing peoples experiences of one vs the other. Obviously the 1DsII has more pixels and is updated but is it worth the extra $3-4k vs. pre-owned 1Ds?

Right now I'm shooting with a 20D and a bunch of new L glass. My other system is a Mamiya 645AFD & Kodak DCS 645M 16mp back which I use for landscape work. It's a great system and the results are superb but after having the 20D for a while I've been reminded of how convenient it is to shoot with a 35mm format system again. It's also appealing to have one set of glass with a travel camera body (20D) and a heavier landscape body (1Ds or 1Ds II).

The thing is, is it worth getting the 1Ds II vs. 1Ds? I'm printing up A3/12x19 type of size but I am very sensitive to resolution (which my Kodak has in spades ... ). However, $4k difference is not an insignificant chunk of change. :confused:

Thoughts or experiences?

[Jorge Torralba]

I had both the 1ds and 1dsII. I found the idsII to give better color and much less noise than the 1ds at higher iso. the 16.7 mp really come in handy for nice prints. Very impressive results. If you can afford the extra $'s go for the 1dsII.

Are you not happy with the 20d?

[donagh]

yes jorge adapter is very powerful!!!!!! thanks jorgeeee 21 is fantasticcccc

[gwelland]

I had both the 1ds and 1dsII. I found the idsII to give better color and much less noise than the 1ds at higher iso. the 16.7 mp really come in handy for nice prints. Very impressive results. If you can afford the extra $'s go for the 1dsII.

Are you not happy with the 20d?

It's not really a question of not being happy with the 20d but rather the opposite situation - I'm too happy with it ...

I moved from a series of D1/D1X cameras to my Mamiya 645AFD/Kodak 645M digital back. This produces great 16mp images that are generally pretty stunning - so long as it's ISO 100, mirror lock up, etc. However, it is a big heavy system that isn't without operational quirks - it's slow, metering is mediocre (not a problem for me) and it is limited in terms of wide angle support to a 35mm/2.8. Since I'm always shooing with this from a tripod I use mirror lock up whenever possible which can only be achieved in manual focus/manual exposure mode. (Not really a problem but a lot different to mirror lockup & AE mode). Forget any one step and you're not shooting anything. I'd forgotten the joys of using a fast responsive DSLR where I can shoot mirror lock up with AF/AE as required, I can use a single set of lenses for travel & landscape plus with a more sophisticated metering system.

So, I'm looking at either adding a 1Ds to the arsenal or, if results can justify it, replacing my Mamiya/Kodak setup for a 1DsII.

Issues such as high ISO noise are pretty irrelevant as I typically shoot from a tripod using the lowest camera ISO. Resolution matters though as I've become accustomed to the incredible resolving power of the Kodak with some of the longer Mamiya glass.

If there are a few things that I don't like about the 20D it's that viewfinder is pretty dim and constricted compared to the Mamiya, and that the raw images straight from the camera need a fair amount of capture sharpening compared to any other DSLR that I've had. Otherwise I'm delighted with it generally.

[pchaplo]

Hi, Im paul ...my first post here :)

1Ds prices are now US $2400-2500 for excellent condition, and with PMA around the corner, prices are dropping as the 1Ds is about to become 2 generations old. its a great value, and the image quality at ISO100 is spectacular.

Also, with the 5D here, the 1Ds has another competitor that has higher resolution. A used 5D recently sold for $2500 on another forum.

I think that user 1Ds (with some cosmetic blemishes prices) will be ~$2000 in a year. They are built like tanks, but as always caveat emptor applies - some have more noise than others. Be sure to check for sensor defects, too!

I shoot landscape and architecture with a 1Ds and it works great for me! I dont need high ISO's, fast AF, or high fps shot rate. Nice clean files at ISO100 - thats my ticket. 3 fps RAW? Too fast for me! LOL Focus and exposure - Im a full manual kind of guy :)

Paul

[x-ray]

I totally agree after owning the 1Ds for two years and now the 1DsII for over two. The 1Ds is fantastic but the raw files from the MII require less post processing plus cleaner at high ISO.