1D Mk II or 10D

[MagnusH]

Hi,

I am a complete newbie here, but I have been reading the forums for over a week now, and I am really impressed by the quality of the responses written here.

I have a been a Canon fan since the first EOS cameras came out and I currently own a EOS 10 (not D), 420EZ, a 28-80 3.5-5.6 USM, and an old 70-210 4 (from when I had my first EOS 500). But now I want to go digital. And the question I have for you is wether I should opt for a 1D Mk II or if I should buy the 10D. I know this isn't a very easy question to answer so I will try to be a little more specific. BTW I plan to buy some new lenses as well...

The kind of photos I usually take is at weddings, close-ups (flowers and stuff), portraits, landscapes, and some ordinary snapshots when I am on vacation. I would classify myself as an experienced amature.

Some of the questions I have regarding the choise are:

Is the Mk II to bulky to have on every-day occations? I am not a bodybuilder and the 1.5 kg seems a bit heavy.

Will I miss the extra speed of the Mk II if I go for the 10D?

Is the 1.6 factor of the 10D a huge drawback?

You people who have them both, on what occations do you prefer one over the other?

Will I miss the built in flash on the Mk II? It seems to me that shooting at ISO 1600 gives a pretty high quality photos without to much noise with both cameras, of course the 1D Mk II is a bit better, but is it sufficient to use ISO 1600 in most indoor situations?

I really hope I can get some good input on this so I can decide wether I should starve for one or three months to be able to afford the geer :).

Thanks,

-Magnus.

[SDK^]

I think the 10D will be fine for you.
The 1D MKII is geared towards Sports Journalists with its quick AI focus tracking, ultra fast 8.5fps shooting capability and weather proofing. If you feel you need these features and can afford the extra £2.5k then go for it otherwise you’ll be paying a lot for something you won’t be using.

The built in flash isn't great on the 10D anyway so if you're serious about using Flash then buy an external flash gun.

[defordphoto]

Some of the questions I have regarding the choise are:

Is the Mk II to bulky to have on every-day occations? I am not a bodybuilder and the 1.5 kg seems a bit heavy.

Yes, it is a bit on the heavy side, but extremely well balanced. I have not had any issues with moving from the 10D to the MKII is this area.

Will I miss the extra speed of the Mk II if I go for the 10D?

For weddings? Probably not. Though I could imagine a few moments during a wedding where it would be sweet to have 8.5fps.

Is the 1.6 factor of the 10D a huge drawback?

No. You learn the workarounds. Get a 16-35 or 17-40 and you'll be fine. I did notice quite a bit of difference in my 17-40 when I placed it on the MKII. Nice and w i d e.

You people who have them both, on what occations do you prefer one over the other?

Now that I'm shooting the MKII, I always prefer it over the 10D. It's more robust, better balanced/ergonomics and you have so much control over the camera. I cannot really think of a situation where I would prefer the 10D over the MKII.

Will I miss the built in flash on the Mk II? It seems to me that shooting at ISO 1600 gives a pretty high quality photos without to much noise with both cameras, of course the 1D Mk II is a bit better, but is it sufficient to use ISO 1600 in most indoor situations?

Absolutely not. The built-in flash is cheesy at best. Get the 550EX and be done with it. The MKII is so, so much quieter than the 10D with DIGIC-II processing. MKII at 1600 is like the 10D at 400.

[Persian-Rice]

For your use, I would suggest the 10D.
Don't get me wrong, the MKII is as good as they come, its among the best when it comes to dSLR's. But there is a little bit of a price difference between the two, a little $3400 USD difference........

With that kind of money, you can buy a10D, Grip, batteries, 17-40 L , 24-70 L, 70-200 L, Camera Bag, filters, a 30GB storage device, 550 flash(es), couple Tripods and even squeeze in a mid range AlienBees kit.

Don't forget, the Camera is only as good as the lens you stick in front of it and vice versa. For your budget and particular means use, with the money you will spend on a 1d MKII, you can have the stuff above.............

Just my 2 cents

[Mike H]

I recently transitioned from the 10D to the Mark II, so I might have a few useful observations.

I mostly agree with those who have responded already, but would add this caveat: you mentioned shooting weddings, and wedding photography often calls for flash. The jury is still out on this, but the Mark II is touted as having better flash metering. I was never happy with the flash metering performance of the 10D/550EX. It is usable, but you really have to watch the review screen to make sure that you're getting good exposures.

One nice advantage of the 10D is that without the vertical grip it fits better with some of the flash brackets (such as the Stroboframe camera flip). The Mark II combined with a flash and bracket makes a hefty outfit.

I don't think that you'll regret the 1.6x crop factor; I actually prefer that since the wide zooms (16-35 and 17-40) on a 10D provide a range of coverage that I slightly prefer over that provided by a 1.3x crop factor.

Either camera is a fine piece of equipment. You might be surprised at how much you prefer either over your film cameras. Good luck.

Mike H

[CyberDyneSystems]

I own both,. and I still use the 10D a lot more than I thought I would. I had assumed I would sell the 10D and keep the MkII and my used 1D..

In the end I sold the 1D. I decided I needed a more portable option mor ethan I needed a second "front line battle chassis" :wink:

The size difference is significant.. especially if you use the 10D ~sans battery grip as I do.

My MkII "kit" is a huge bag that fits a bunch of big, mostly white lenses,. batteries,. filters.. cable releases,. angle finders,. CF cards,. X-drive etc...

It weighs a ton and a half.. and takes up a good portion of my trunk.

The 10D I carry in a form fitting SLR case with a single lightweight zoom lens, (or the "thrify fifty") no grip, one spare battery and a CF card. 8)

As you may imagine it is the 10D that comes to work with me every day and the 10D that usually comes along for my walks with the dogs even in the heart of the city.

Not surprisingly, this means it is the 10D that gets a lot of my photos still. :)

I am not a PRO by definition.. but when I am using the MkII I am using it in a way that a pro would. When I do a gig that will pay,. I use the MkII now as well.

In other words when the MkII is in action that is ALL I am doing.. being a photographer, because to my mind this sort of gear virtually requires this sort of attention.

With the 10D I can be anybody,. doing anything, and just happen to have a freaken' awesome camera along with me! :)

Hope this helps.

[Weable]

[quote=MagnusH]The MKII is so, so much quieter than the 10D with DIGIC-II processing.

Is your Mark II really quieter than your 10D. I just got my Mark II a couple of days ago and could not believe how loud the shutter is compared to my almost silent 10D. Is this normal or should I send it back?

[CyberDyneSystems]

Hi Weable,. welcome to the forums! :)

If I may,. I beleive RFM was refering to "digital noise" in the images.. ei: "ISO noise"

In this regrad the MkII has the clear advantage over the 10D...

But yes YOU are correct regarding actual shutter noise :) The MkII's shutter is significantly louder than the 10D's... and if you heard the original 1D shutter then you'd really be shocked.. it is MUCH louder than the MkII's! :shock:

[defordphoto]

[quote=MagnusH]The MKII is so, so much quieter than the 10D with DIGIC-II processing.

Is your Mark II really quieter than your 10D. I just got my Mark II a couple of days ago and could not believe how loud the shutter is compared to my almost silent 10D. Is this normal or should I send it back?

I meant digital noise, not shutter noise.

[Belmondo]

I meant digital noise, not shutter noise.

What a relief! We though maybe you were going deaf. :lol:

[MagnusH]

Thank you for your answers and opinions. Much appreciated!

And you confirmed my gutt feeling, that I should probably go for the 10D.

My problem is that I always want the latest gadgets when I see them. I haven't dared to get myself into digital photography since I know it is going to be expensive ;) Hmm, maybe I should buy both :)

-Magnus.

[Biko]

My problem is that I always want the latest gadgets when I see them.
-Magnus.

In that case just so you are aware there may be an announcement regarding 10D successor, bets on that it is announced at photokina late September. Trying to get hold of one after that date may take some time, if you can wait that long.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Once you get either Digital Body.. you will have plenty of opportunity to blow wads of cash on the "Latest and greatest" lenses.. most of which cost MORE than the 10D alone! :shock:

So don't think your saving a thing by getting the 1/3 the cost 10D over the MkII... all your doing is insuring that you will be able to spend more on lenses up front! :wink: :lol:

[defordphoto]

I meant digital noise, not shutter noise.

What a relief! We though maybe you were going deaf. :lol:

heh! Yeah that baby is louder than the 10D, but oh so sweet sounding. Like I've mentioned before, it's like shutting the door on a Ferrari. 8)