For a while I've been shooting a 5D2 as my primary camera (and a 5D before that), and enjoyed it very much.
As I felt the need for a better AF system, I recently sold the 5D2 for a 1Ds3, and enjoy the camera very much.
I absolutely love
+ The AF system
+ The viewfinder
+ The viewfinder blackout
+ The shutter lag
+ General responsiveness and speed of the camera
+ Battery life (minor)
I miss the 5D2's
- Size & weight
- Option for Magic Lantern firmware
- Screen (minor)
- Video (minor)
As the price of the 5D3 has been going down, I've been considering if the 5D3 would be an even better choice for me. The price difference doesn't matter that much.
I know the AF system of the 5D3 is probably even better than the 1Ds, but for people that have shot both, how does it compare on the rest of the + points on my list?
I'm primarily shooting people, portraits, family stuff and landscape, so IQ-wise both are more than enough for my needs.
Thanks for the stats - though I feel there must be something more to it. The shutter button of the 5D2 feels far less responsive than the 1Ds3 and is more "mushy" than the numbers indicate. How is the 5D3 in this regard?
I had two 5DII: now I have two 5DIII. I don't remember much difference in the shutter button, so if you prefer the 1Ds3 shutter, that opinion won't change.
I had the 1Ds3 and 5D2; then I got the 5D3 and sold the 1Ds3 just in time to get $4500 for it. One week later it was worth about half as much, once people discovered the 5D3's capabilities. Unless you need to hammer in nails or work a lot outside in Scotland or Florida, the 5D3 will be the better choice.
stanj wrote:
I had the 1Ds3 and 5D2; then I got the 5D3 and sold the 1Ds3 just in time to get $4500 for it. One week later it was worth about half as much....
I sold my 1DsIII after getting a 1DX. Too bad the 1DX weren't delivered sooner.
stanj wrote:
...Unless you need to hammer in nails or work a lot outside in Scotland or Florida, the 5D3 will be the better choice.
...or live in Nova Scotia, which is Latin for "New Scotland". Aye.
stanj wrote:
I had the 1Ds3 and 5D2; then I got the 5D3 and sold the 1Ds3 just in time to get $4500 for it. One week later it was worth about half as much, once people discovered the 5D3's capabilities. Unless you need to hammer in nails or work a lot outside in Scotland or Florida, the 5D3 will be the better choice.
Thanks - not planning on building houses with either Weather sealing is nice, but quite low in my priorities ATM. How does the responsiveness, shutter, etc. compare in your opinion?
+ The AF system (5D3 better than 1DS3)
+ The viewfinder (same)
+ The viewfinder blackout ("practically" same)
+ The shutter lag ("practically" same)
+ General responsiveness and speed of the camera (5D3 writes to CF card faster, other things "practically" the same)
+ Battery life (minor) (1DS3 better than 5D3)
A couple other things you might not have considered:
- 5D3 LCD much better than 1DS3
- 5D3 can do fairly clean images above ISO 1600
- 5D3 has Auto ISO (maybe you don't use this, but some people do)
- 5D3 can do silent shutter (very useful in some situations)
- 5D3 has many different AF modes and settings for different shooting situations
+ The AF system (5D3 better than 1DS3)
+ The viewfinder (same)
+ The viewfinder blackout ("practically" same)
+ The shutter lag ("practically" same)
+ General responsiveness and speed of the camera (5D3 writes to CF card faster, other things "practically" the same)
+ Battery life (minor) (1DS3 better than 5D3)
A couple other things you might not have considered:
- 5D3 LCD much better than 1DS3
- 5D3 can do fairly clean images above ISO 1600
- 5D3 has Auto ISO (maybe you don't use this, but some people do)
- 5D3 can do silent shutter (very useful in some situations)
- 5D3 has many different AF modes and settings for different shooting situations...Show more →
+ The AF system (5D3 better than 1DS3)
+ The viewfinder (same)
+ The viewfinder blackout ("practically" same)
+ The shutter lag ("practically" same)
+ General responsiveness and speed of the camera (5D3 writes to CF card faster, other things "practically" the same)
+ Battery life (minor) (1DS3 better than 5D3)
A couple other things you might not have considered:
- 5D3 LCD much better than 1DS3
- 5D3 can do fairly clean images above ISO 1600
- 5D3 has Auto ISO (maybe you don't use this, but some people do)
- 5D3 can do silent shutter (very useful in some situations)
- 5D3 has many different AF modes and settings for different shooting situations...Show more →
These are all good points.
I have a 1Ds3, a 5D2 and a 5D3 and honestly I hardly pick up the 1Ds3 now.
The 5D3 is a phenomenally good camera and it's LCD and high ISO are so superior to the 1Ds3, plus all the other features that appeal to me, like the two way level that's viewable either on the LCD or through the VF, essentially noise free 6400 ISO and more up to date features just mean the 1Ds3 is redundant, great camera though it was
I sold my 1DS3 and got a 5d3. It was a great move for the following reasons.
Live view focus is not available on the 1DS3, what a major plus for a dim sighted guy shooting landscapes.
The files are nearly identical but seem cleaner and a big surprise I never need to do dust removal when shooting at f8. The 1DS3 always had at least 6-10 dust bunnies even after being cleaned at Canon.
The AF is more consistent, but this is less important now that I sold my 500f4. The 1DS3 was no slouch.
Battery life is not as good and I miss the 1DS3. Same for the viewfinder light shutter.
I never thought much about weight but the the lower weight is nice.
Its a great camera and overall better than the 1ds3.
"Live view focus is not available on the 1DS3, what a major plus for a dim sighted guy shooting landscapes."
That's funny because I used LV focus for so many of my 1DsIII shots. And all you had to do was program the SET button to LV and you were there. In some ways more intuitive than the 5DIII, and even though the newer screen is sharper, I never ever had a problem LV focusing the older camera. It was still way easier than focusing corner of a ground glass with a Super Angulon.
^^ I believe what he meant to say is that it's much harder to do that than with the 5D3, as the 5D3's screen is higher resolution, thus making the job easier.
I don't own the 5D3, but I have had the opportunity to use it for over a week via CPS loaner.
When I wanted to upgrade from my 5D2 and 1Ds2 combination last fall, I had to decide between the 1Ds3 and 5D3. The 1Ds3 has certain shortcomings that show from its older vintage, but as an upgrade from 1Ds2, it is substantial. The 5D3 is what everyone here has said -- all positives -- but the negative being it was about $800 more than getting a 1Ds3. Being honest, even with the 5D3 improvements, for my use there wasn't a huge benefit compared to the 5D2 -- I still had great video if needed and a terrific 21MP sensor.
I opted to skip a generation in the 5 series, and get the 1Ds3. I am very happy with it, and find some lenses work better for rez and IQ on the 1Ds3 (the 100-400L, including 1.4X II) and some work better on the 5D2 (24-105L is significantly better here). Both bodies have high enough MP IQ to get me by for a year or two.
I love the 1D-series form factor with its tough-ass build and would hate to be without one. Even though the 1DX would do most of what I want right now, I think I'll hold off until Canon comes out with an improved higher MP sensor with better DR. Until then, I'm covered with what I have and get more than adequate IQ. I used the original 5D for the longest time and got a lot of great shots, so both the 5D2 and 1Ds3 outperform that!
So, for me it's the 1Ds3 over the 5D3 at the moment based on cost and practicalities.
It might be interesting for you to start a thread asking people who have a 1DsIII why they haven't replaced it with a 5DIII. That way you'd getting the views of people who haven't made the financial and psychological commitment to the 5D3.
I've owned a 5D and a 5DII in addition to my 1DsIII. I looked very closely at the 5DIII and decided that it wasn't worth it for me to replace my 1DsIII. I don't need the higher ISO, 400 is the maximum I use except for snapshots. I don't care about faster FPS, I use single shot mode exclusively. Autofocus in my 1DsIII is spot on every time all the time. If the 5DIII autofocus is better it must be in some way that isn't important to me. I have no problem with dust, I had the sensor cleaned at a workshop about 6 months ago and haven't needed to clean it since (though I do take a great deal of care to avoid dust on the sensor, maybe more than others typically do). When I replaced my 5DII with the 1DsIII I missed the brighter screen of the 5D2 but only for a couple minutes.
I can certainly see why some would prefer the 5DIII, I'm just not one of them.
Weather sealing is nice, but quite low in my priorities ATM. How does the responsiveness, shutter, etc. compare in your opinion?