FF - Canon 5D MkII v Canon 1Ds Mk III

ChrisCW

ChrisCW

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Planning on moving to FF shortly, cannot afford a 5d Mk III, so was looking at a used 5D Mk II, but someone else suggested a used 1Ds MkIII? The only other option close to the price tag (1-1.2kish) is a 6D.

I mainly shoot landscape/skyscape(weather) and birds, with landscape being the main usage. I currently have a 60D (and all lenses are EF).

Anyone have any experience of both these cameras or have any other suggestions?

Many thanks

Chris
 
I'm happy with my 5D2 and 7D but if I was buying today with your budget the 6D is likely where my money would go.
 
As above. 6d all the way.
 
The sensors in the 1ds3 and the 5d2 are similar (but not the same), so if you go for the 1ds3 then you're really paying for the better AF and sturdier body. The AF in the 5d2 isn't the best, so although I've seen a few good BIF shots taken with it, if you go down the 5d2 route then you need to be aware that for anything that moves fast you'll be pretty much limited to the centre AF point.

Do you need to buy any extra lenses or are you happy with what you'v got? If you're happy then I'd be tempted to get the newest technology - the 6d. If not, then the 5d2 will be a little bit cheaper and free up a bit of lens cash
 
Out of interest what are the advantages of the 6D over 5DII? I know the 6D has wireless transfer. I persuaded my GF to spend her money on a second hand 5D mark II, hope it was the right thing to do.
 
I get tired of people mentioning that the 5d mk2 is crap at AF etc, it's a bloody good camera and is more than capable of BIF, Motorsport etc, heck, 30 years ago people were doing fine with a roll of film! I was only at good wood a few weeks ago and took my 5D2 as a backup, 5 of the photos have been published, that surely proves that it's a good camera (yes it required my input but nonetheless...)
 
Flightphoto said:
I get tired of people mentioning that the 5d mk2 is crap at AF etc, it's a bloody good camera and is more than capable of BIF, Motorsport etc, heck, 30 years ago people were doing fine with a roll of film! I was only at good wood a few weeks ago and took my 5D2 as a backup, 5 of the photos have been published, that surely proves that it's a good camera (yes it required my input but nonetheless...)
Click to expand...

It's all relative.

5d2 is a lovely camera in fact I'm thinking of going back to one for landscapes. There are just far superior autofocus systems on other cameras.
 
1-series all the way - much better AF than any 5DII or 6D out there. 6D will only win at ridiculous ISO like above 3200. Under normal conditions, the tank comes on top every single time. In fact I will go as far as saying 1Ds mkII is far better than 5DII, the mkIII is another leap forward.
 
The 1Ds MkIII is still a supreme camera and is extremely reliable. If you have a free choice and the wedge - get one, you'll love it.
 
daugirdas said:
1-series all the way - much better AF than any 5DII or 6D out there. 6D will only win at ridiculous ISO like above 3200. Under normal conditions, the tank comes on top every single time. In fact I will go as far as saying 1Ds mkII is far better than 5DII, the mkIII is another leap forward.
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The op said the primary use is for landscapes, I doubt if the more sophisticated AF of the 1d series would be an advantage there.

Nice to see you haven't given up on slating the 5d2 that you've never used at every opportunity. ;)
 
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stu.artd said:
The op said the primary use is for landscapes, I doubt if the more sophisticated AF of the 1d series would be an advantage there.

Nice to see you haven't given up on slating the 5d2 that you've never used at every opportunity. ;)
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never used is a strong statement. I had seen plenty output from both to say the final image is near identical (same noise, same DR, more MP but also much heavier AA filter), but build quality and performance are not. It has to be said 5DII deserves a lot credit for various other reasons, namely video.
 
I had the same budget, looked at the same choices, and bought the 6D :-)
 
For landscapes I'd actually choose a 1DsII. It might have a few mp less than the other two but the low iso files are sooooo lush.
 
One thing that should be mentioned is that the 1DS III is one heavy beast and is really hard to carry around all day. The 6D was designed to be a light weight FF (perhaps in mre ways that just body weight!).
 
Many thanks for all the input and reasoning, I think I am drawn to the 5D MkII for a number of reasons:

1. A used 5D MkII is around £900 - £1k, whereas a used 1ds is currently around £1.4 - 1.5k - nearer to the price of the 6D.
2. IQ alone is about the same for landscapes on both the 5D and 1DS.
3. I like to get up the hills and I try and keep the weight down and as stated the 1ds is a beast.
4. Whilst not on my initial list of uses, I do use the video on my 60D, so it would be useful to retain that.

I think if the used 1DS price was much lower then the decision would be much harder, but for that extra £400 I could get another lens or some decent filters.

Just for info, in case this has any bearing on which body to get (some lenses work better on some bodies?) I currently have:

Canon 16-35 Mk II
Sigma 50-500 OS.
Canon nifty 50
 
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