Yes, I will get the opportunity to test drive the 5D. It already handles like my 20D so the controls are familiar.
Tony, If I were in your shoes and had the 1D2, 1Ds and 5D it would be a no-brainer to me which one would go. I'd keep the 5D for travel and higher res stuff and keep the 1D2 for the speed, build and newer technology. One of the main reasons I'm leaning towards the 5D is E-TTL2. I noticed that my 20D shoots better flash exposures than my 1Ds and the 5D does as well from the few flash shots that I've tried with it. The 1D2 has E-TTL2 and good high ISO performance, the two things that the 1Ds doesn't do well. If the 1Ds had better high ISO performance and E-TTL2 I'd keep it. But it doesn't, and those are two big features for me. The extra 1.7MP help but isn't a deal breaker for me. The lighter weight and smaller batteries are definitely good for me though. Since I don't typically shoot in inclement weather the sealing isn't really a deal breaker either. I love the 45 point autofocus but have gotten used to the joystick on the 20D and appreciate that feature of the 5D. I wish I could merge the two cameras....
Interesting. I had a 1Ds which I replaced with a 1Ds2 early this year. If the 5D had been available then, would I have bought a 5D instead? Probably yes, because the main reason for replacing the 1Ds was its poor performance at high ISOs. Yes, the 1Ds is a solid, professional camera. But it's now old technology compared to the 5D. It will probably keep going long after you've scrapped the 5D, but then it'll be even older technology. Unless you really need the 1Ds build quality I'd suggest you go with the 5D, especially if you've already got a 20D for compatibility.
Out of interest, have you asked the other FMer why he wants to trade his 5D for your 1Ds? It might be interesting to see his reasoning!
I guess this is a good time to chime in here. I am the FMer with the 5D wanting to trade for Andy's 1Ds. I just flat out like the interface on the 1 series cameras. I do mostly sports and day trips and such. Any night photography will be sports . . I'll use the 1DII for that. Good enough high ISO performance. Day sports will be the 1D unless it is for a poster or something. Other than that, the FF camera will be just for going out and shooting and that will be the most part daytime shooting.
So, my only reason for the trade is having a consistent interface, consistent batteries and consistent look and feel. The heavier cameras do not bother me, I handheld the 1DII with Sigma 120-300 with 1.4x for 3 straight soccer games (about 6000 shots) with the usual breaks at half time and between games, it didn't bother me, you get used to it.
I will not be heartbroken if Andy does not trade but will be happy if he does.
2) I want a camera that stops ticking when it gets a beating.
Seriously folks, cmon. Is the 5D a great camera with all the latest tech and whistles? Yes it is. Is it a 1-series? Definitely not. Some of us need and appreciate the build quality of Canon's pro cameras. My 1Ds lives on my shoulder, not in a case. I had a guy snag the strap on the plane and out it went tumbling into the isle. Yikes! Oh no! How dare I treat my gear this way! 1-series=no problem. 5D, 20D=probably not the best idea. When I can find a good used 1DsII at around 4000.00 I'll buy it, and I'll still have the mark 1 tank as a backup.
azpatrick2000, that is a mighty fine setup. Your reasoning makes total sense.
Eric, I would love to have the 1DsII as well and one day I will, but for now this gets me closer to where I want to be.
The only time I've had a camera hit the ground was when it was tackled on the sidelines of a football game, it started sprinkling and the wife decided to put a trash bag over the 20D and shoot that way, well she took her eye off the action and next thing you know, she was in the play. The 20D + 70-200 went in the dirt but both survived (If she'd had a 1-series, she would not have needed the bag and then would not have been tackled). So go figure.
EZepeda wrote:
I'd consider a 5D for only two reasons:
1) I enjoy taking pictures late at night.
2) I want a camera that stops ticking when it gets a beating.
Seriously folks, cmon. Is the 5D a great camera with all the latest tech and whistles? Yes it is. Is it a 1-series? Definitely not. Some of us need and appreciate the build quality of Canon's pro cameras. My 1Ds lives on my shoulder, not in a case. I had a guy snag the strap on the plane and out it went tumbling into the isle. Yikes! Oh no! How dare I treat my gear this way! 1-series=no problem. 5D, 20D=probably not the best idea. When I can find a good used 1DsII at around 4000.00 I'll buy it, and I'll still have the mark 1 tank as a backup.
azpatrick2000, that is a mighty fine setup. Your reasoning makes total sense....Show more →
Now you're just getting silly.
1) The 5D is AT LEAST as good and better in almost every regard in terms of image quality, shadow detail and resolution in comparison with the 1Ds, at ANY ISO, even more so at higher speeds
2) The 5D build is just as good as the higher end Canon film dslrs, such as my old F1N, considered a pro level camera for decades. No, its not a 1 series, so what, its not built like a tank, so don't drop it, neither was my Blad or RB67. If you want to smash your gear, then yes buy a 1 series.
If you work your gear hard, but care for it like I do, I'm just fine with my 5D
Let's see. Lets spend a whole bunch of extra money so we can drop our camera and not worry about it malfunctioning. Strange logic. Uh, when was the last time you dropped your camera?
Of course since the 1DS and 5D are closely priced then definitely get the 1DS because, well, you just never know when you may drop your camera. I mean, what a little better resolution, lighter weight and better low light performance worth if you can't drop your camera
If you ain't shooting in battle zones and pouring down rain why would you want to buy 3 years ago technology when for about the same price you can get today's. Now if there was a thousand dollar difference I would understand but there is not and so I don't.
Hey, good to see you here Pat! I think I will wind up with the 5D and you'll get the 1Ds you wanted. They are both great cameras but I truly think the 5D would be better for me and my purposes and the 1Ds better for you and your purposes. Continuity with other gear both for me and you will be perfect.
Thank you Andy. If there is one thing to me that sets the 5D apart, believe it or not, is the LCD. I am getting long in the tooth (what is left of them) and man, that big LCD sure is nice, I think I'll miss that more than anything else.
You are still welcome to keep both to shoot your wedding, since the 5D is new to you and you 'trust' the 1Ds, you might want to use both so you do not trust this one-time-event to a new camera. Then you would hate it, and resent the trade.
A year ago I traded a 20D plus grip to a SS member, I sent mine, he inspected then sent the 1D. In the meantime he started having 'traders remorse' and traded the 20D to another guy for a 1D. I ended up with a great camera, a 1D with 4k clicks on it, but the other guy ended up paying shipping twice only to end up with a camera just like his old one but probably not as good. I love the 1D I got from him but felt bad that he did not ask me to trade back.
See guys! This is what makes FM such a great place to be. People like Pat who's willing to go the extra mile to help a guy out! I think we'll both be the better for this trade.
Sorry gang, I was just having a little fun while trying to point out that some of us prefer the 1-series. If you missed that, I apologise. If you also missed me saying that the 5D is a great camera you really weren't paying attention. I didn't mean to ruffle feathers.
I focus with my 20D (and probably the 5D) with the joystick and picking the focus point. When I shoot with the 1Ds I typically use the 45 point autofocus and pick points with the scroll wheel if I need to so the whole process is different. If I'm shooting with extreme low DOF then I usually pick the point myself to make sure the focus is accurate.
Ok, the results are in. I downloaded the files from this Saturday's wedding with the 1Ds, 5D and 20D files. I only used the 1Ds for a few dozen shots at the most. It was a bit unwieldy compared to the 5D and chimping was very slow. I didn't shoot much more than ISO 800 because of the noise issues with this camera and the SM JPEGs out of the camera were not very accuate color wise. I usually shoot RAW + SM JPEG anyways, so this isn't too much of an issue, but I like to use the JPEGS for a quick preview.
Anyways, the 5D handled exceptionally well. I was consistently shooting at ISO 800-1250 in a very dimly lit ballroom at the Disneyland hotel and the noise characteristics of this camera are phenomenal! The flash exposures tended to be a little blown out, but the 1Ds tends to underexpose from my experiences. I'm not sure why this is, but I was able to dial down the flash on the camera. The weight was very nice. Although I am still sore from Saturday's wedding, it's probably much better than if I were shooting with the 1Ds, Newton bracket and 550EX. The 24-105L IS was a perfect fit on this camera as well. If only it had an f2.8 aperture.... Well, my primes filled in the shallow DOF stuff quite nicely. I'm sold! The 5D it is!
edwardkaraa wrote:
Don't forget that the 1Ds like the 1D have a "special" film-like output while the 5D output is in the same league as the newer cameras 1DsII and 20D. I sold my 1Ds and bought a 5D about 10 days ago. At first I hated the new look, now I'm just starting to get used to it. But I'm not sure I'll ever like it.
Might be a bit cynical here but why use a camera "Your not sure you'll ever like it".
In my book this either says pure B/S or "Houston --we have a problem".
If you don't LIKE and TRUST your gear completely you'll never make a photographer --so either start loving your gear / get gear you do like or take up something else instead like Stamp Collecting etc.
Sorry to be a bit harsh but spending a few grand on something "You don't really like" seems IMO to be a real case of brain failure.
Pat, get that 1Ds hunk 'o iron and have fun