p.3 #1 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
I'm not sure about the weight of the 1D series...at least the mk IIIs are preety ok. if you compare something like 5D + 24-70 + 580 Ex, the weight difference is not that huge. The first combo would be about 2.5 Kg and the other one would be 2.9... not a world of a difference. I would prefer any day to use a 1D camera with a fast prime (which is anyway lighter than a 2.8 zoom) than a 5D with a zoom.
And a 5D with a vertical grip is about the same size & weight as the 1D(s) III. So I would not consider weight to be such an issue. YMMV of course.
p.3 #2 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
The 1D III is 50% heavier than the 5D or 5D II without the grip. That's a huge deal to me, as me no like weight.
adimage wrote:
I'm not sure about the weight of the 1D series...at least the mk IIIs are preety ok. if you compare something like 5D + 24-70 + 580 Ex, the weight difference is not that huge. The first combo would be about 2.5 Kg and the other one would be 2.9... not a world of a difference. I would prefer any day to use a 1D camera with a fast prime (which is anyway lighter than a 2.8 zoom) than a 5D with a zoom.
And a 5D with a vertical grip is about the same size & weight as the 1D(s) III. So I would not consider weight to be such an issue. YMMV of course. ...Show more →
p.3 #3 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
I've never seen a difference between center focus on a 1 series vs a xxD or xD series. Then again I don't shoot fulltime and in difficult situations but for the average person I firmly believe it makes little/no difference.
p.3 #5 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
Is it a bad idea using the AF assist of the 580EX/430EX a bad idea for these situations? You still keep some money saved and enjoy the ISO of the 5D mark II.
It is not comfy and it might be intrusive but it solves the problem.
p.3 #6 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
The 5d MarkII does an excellent job in low light using the center point...the 1D-MarkIII which I also own is the best i have ever used in low light but the 5D II is damn close....seems kind of foolish to compare the 1Ds-III to the 5D II since it costs almost 3 times as much..obviously certain sacrifices have to be made in the 5D II relative to the 1 series but the 5D II is a hell of a camera for sure!
p.3 #7 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
One thing I noticed with my 1Ds III is that when focusing with any of the AF points on a blank grey card, it will focus; it is that sensitive.
I have owned the Rebel, 30D and 5D and none could do it even in low light with a 50mm 1.4 at 1.4 with center point.
This is one reason I didn't dump my 1Ds III when I was trying to raise cash and get a 5D II. You simply need to get the focus to get the shot, else, what is the point.
p.3 #8 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
The 5D2's center AF point is very capable in low light (One Shot). Especially with fast glass. Accurate and fast to acquire focus most of the time (indoor lighting without AF assist lamp). I haven't done a direct comparison to my 1Ds3 in similair situations, but my guess is that there isn't much difference in practical terms.
p.3 #9 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
Daan B wrote:
The 5D2's center AF point is very capable in low light (One Shot). Especially with fast glass. Accurate and fast to acquire focus most of the time (indoor lighting without AF assist lamp). I haven't done a direct comparison to my 1Ds3 in similair situations, but my guess is that there isn't much difference in practical terms.
There's isn't much of a real world difference between the center AF point of my 5D2 and the center AF point of my 1D3 with fast glass (24L II, 35L, etc...) with OneShot so I don't imagine it would be any different with the 1Ds3.
p.3 #10 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
thedigitalbean wrote:
There's isn't much of a real world difference between the center AF point of my 5D2 and the center AF point of my 1D3 with fast glass (24L II, 35L, etc...) with OneShot so I don't imagine it would be any different with the 1Ds3.
That is what I am saying
Feb 04, 2009 at 04:19 PM
brainiac Offline [X]
p.3 #11 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
I have sold my 1Ds3 and picked up a pair of 5D2's. I don't like the AF of either camera very much, but there are a couple of ways in which 5D2 focus is _better_ than 1 series mark 3:
- AI Servo is a very useful combination of one shot focus and subject tracking, I was disappointed not to find it on my 1Ds3
- when shooting portraits the 5D focus points are in the right place to pick out eyes and frame correctly whereas 1Ds3 focus points are always in the wrong place and you have to constantly wiggle the camera back and forth
- the left and right 5D2 focus points are nearer the edge of the frame than those on the 1Ds3
- joystick control instantly selects the point at the extreme of the direction you push, whereas on the 1Ds3 you often have to push 4 times to reach the edge position that you want
Now before everyone goes bananas, the joys of the 1Ds3 system aren't lost on me - I have been using one for over a year in anger. But it is still far from perfect, and one of the reasons why I downgraded was that in the end I always resort to manual focus for better accuracy, less full-range hunting, focus bracketing, and reliable adequacy in very low light where even the 1Ds mk3 system will fail you. Neither AF system has points close enough to the corners and edges, and neither system will pull off the clever trick that Nikons will: focussing on eyes instead of nasal hair. Both AF systems play havoc with accurate framing, and dramatically reduce my ability to find balance in the frame. Focus recompose ruins my timing and isn't accurate anyway. The first thing I do with any of these cameras is insert the Canon manual focus screen.
Also, £3500 is an awful lot to pay for a very slight difference in AF performance.
p.3 #12 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
brainiac wrote:
I have sold my 1Ds3 and picked up a pair of 5D2's. I don't like the AF of either camera very much, but there are a couple of ways in which 5D2 focus is _better_ than 1 series mark 3:
- AI Servo is a very useful combination of one shot focus and subject tracking, I was disappointed not to find it on my 1Ds3
- when shooting portraits the 5D focus points are in the right place to pick out eyes and frame correctly whereas 1Ds3 focus points are always in the wrong place and you have to constantly wiggle the camera back and forth
- the left and right 5D2 focus points are nearer the edge of the frame than those on the 1Ds3
- joystick control instantly selects the point at the extreme of the direction you push, whereas on the 1Ds3 you often have to push 4 times to reach the edge position that you want
Now before everyone goes bananas, the joys of the 1Ds3 system aren't lost on me - I have been using one for over a year in anger. But it is still far from perfect, and one of the reasons why I downgraded was that in the end I always resort to manual focus for better accuracy, less full-range hunting, focus bracketing, and reliable adequacy in very low light where even the 1Ds mk3 system will fail you. Neither AF system has points close enough to the corners and edges, and neither system will pull off the clever trick that Nikons will: focussing on eyes instead of nasal hair. Both AF systems play havoc with accurate framing, and dramatically reduce my ability to find balance in the frame. Focus recompose ruins my timing and isn't accurate anyway. The first thing I do with any of these cameras is insert the Canon manual focus screen.
Also, £3500 is an awful lot to pay for a very slight difference in AF performance....Show more →
It depends on what you use AF for... AI Servo tracking across the frame is still way better with the 1Ds3 for example (because you simply have more points that are positioned closer to each other). Also, the outer AF points of the 1Ds3 are more accurate and faster than the ones on the 5D. Especially in low light. The 1Ds3 AF is also more customizable.
I have tried a D300 and D700. Outer AF points on those cameras aren't very accurate or fast. Especially not in low light. On par with the 5D2's outer AF points (probably). The mkIII outer AF points are the most accurate I have ever used in a DSLR. I agree that the spreading isn't perfect for portrait shooting. Still, I trust the outer AF points of the mkIII more than the ones of the 5D2.
Besides that, I don't think the price difference between a 1Ds3 and 5D2 is solely because of the difference in AF. There are other things to consider. The 5D2 is great value though
p.3 #13 · 1Ds mkIII VS 5D mkII Low light, center point focus
I traded 2 5Ds for one one Mk III (at the time the Mk III was cheaper) because my low light action photography meant that, except for center sensor focus and reframe, I had to use MF for critical sharpness and that meant very few keepers. Now I use the 1Ds Mk III with a medium or tele for portraits (top of the frame AI servo sensor AF).
If you are doing posed flash shots I would imagine the 5D Mk II would be just fine. If you are doing low light candids (no flash) then, as Brianiac has alluded, a Nikon D3 with their 24-70 zoom will be the low light action champ (my other camera). The D3 has an uncanny AF focus setting so you just frame and shoot.
