canon 1ds

[jerrythesnake]

Hi Guys, can anyone advise, i use a 20d and a 100 2.8 macro lens , i photograph snakes in the wild also insects etc, would i benefit by upgrading to a 1ds, i have read apparantly the colours are superior, thanks for any info , Jerry :) ps great forum by the way

[Belmondo]

IMHO, the primary benefit would be the resolution of 16.7MP versus 8. Beyond that, I don't think color is a huge issue. If there is any difference, it can easily be compensated for in post-processing.

[jerrythesnake]

the camera i was after was the 11 million pixel one, would i see a difference in terms of quality before any processing, thanks

[Belmondo]

I once read that the 1Ds was optimized for recording flesh tones (human, I presume). Frankly, I doubt it, but even if true, that design is a couple years old. Chances are, enough design improvements have been built into the 20D to negate any advantage the early 1Ds might have in color interpretation.

Besides, what color(s) do you find in the typical snake? :lol:

The only other consideration might be the overall ruggedness of the 1-series bodies. They are a much more substantially built piece of equipment than the D30, D60, 10D, and 20D.

[Andy_T]

You might also consider that with the 1 series body you will have to move closer to the snake :lol:

I think that you would maybe benefit more from knowing how to use your current equipment (exposure, white balance etc.) than from getting new equipment.

Canon cameras in general have a reputation for giving very true colour representations. My guess is that the 20D will have better low light performance (usable ISO 1600 and 3200), as 2 years of research went into it on top of the 1Ds. This might or might not be important for you, if you shoot in badly lit conditions (which I would expect quite possible for photographing snakes)

Best regards,
Andy

[Henry Low]

Color-wise, you may not see a huge difference between the 20D and the 1DS if any. The only difference if the amount of resolution you get and of course build quality. As mentioned above, you will have to move closer to the subject (snakes in this case) because the canon 20D has a 1.6x crop factor where as the 1DS has 1.3x i believe.



I think you should stick with your 20D, the extra cost is not worth the improvements.

[SnJPhoto]

IMHO (have both 1Ds, 1Dmk2 and 20D) you won't really benefit much from it. As was stated, you will have to get a bit more lens to make the same shots (1Ds has full frame sensor..ie no crop/mag factor). If you were looking at upgrading because of a good deal etc, that may be different. The 1 series are superior quality machines (built for daily abuse). But you have to remember you are comparing dissimilar items, so don't expect a one for one benefit explanation. Also, remember there are no preset modes (can't remember what Canon calls the ones with pictures on the dials of pro-sumer bodies). Therefore you need to really know the functions and affects of them.

The 20D is a great body. For what you are doing I'd say stick with it. It will suite any kind of shooting very well. Anytime you question that, go take a look at some of the work produced by other photogs on sites like www.photosig.com . Many of the shots there are exceptional, so I know the body and equipment can do it. The other variable is the person behind the equipment.

[Deckyon]

The 20D has the 1.6x CROP, the 1D (Mark II) has the 1.3x CROP and the 1Ds (Mark II) has no crop factor as it is a full-frame (35mm) chip. BTW, CROP is not MAGNIFICATION, it is FIELD OF VIEW. One plus point to the CROP is that you use more of the "sweet spot" on the lenses, so in the wide angle especially, you get a lot less edge distortion. Please do not rehash this debate as it is more than covered already... ;)