Is a 1Ds MkII for me?

I plan on picking up a third body this year to use as my second body during weddings. To clarify: I shoot the 5D11 in my signature; my husband shoots the 50D. Because I shoot primes, I want to carry 2 bodies.

I'd been turning over the "usual' options (5D Classic, 5DII, 7D) but I'm really curious about this camera, especially now that I've looked into pricing on the used market. I really like the idea of having a FF camera with faster AF. Plus I've used a 1D MkIIn and I loved the way it felt and shot. I think my biggest hesitation is that for the money, I could get a new 7D or a 1-2 year old 5D2, and it looks like the 1Ds MkII bodies will be at least 3-5 years old. I'm not opposed to that, just wondering if it's a smart use of funds as we're trying to grow a business.

Looking at the lens line-up below, what should I add as the 3rd body? We also plan to add the 17-55IS and the 70-200 F4 IS this year.

In my opinion going from a 5DII to a 1Ds Mark II you'll only be disappointed with the IQ/featureset. The AF isn't even that much better on the DsII, and the only other benefit is the dualcard slots/pro build.

Sp1207 wrote in post #11654738
The AF isn't even that much better on the DsII

Is that a joke??

I have a 1ds classic. I can't comment on other models but this is what I'll say. I used to shoot (and still have as a second body) a 400D. The 400D is good, but sometimes it would miss focus etc. What I find with the 1Ds is that the AF is so accurate, nearly everything (using primes) is 100% sharp amd focus is achieved where I've told it to focus. So I put a lot more energy now into framing and capturing the shot than worrying about how good my camera is.

And believe me, this is invaluable, becasue 98% of the people that look at my photos don't give a second look at 'technical' things - they're far more interested in facial expressions, situations etc. I get so frustrated with people when they look at other people's photos and say 'Oh, that's a lovely one'. I'm sitting there wanting to burst with 'IT'S BLURRED'!.

adamo99 wrote in post #11654934
Is that a joke??

hope so...

thinking about upgrade from my T1i to a 5D classic or 1ds Mark II so piggy backing off this thread for info, thanks!

I chose a 1ds mkii as my first full frame camera a couple of months ago. I could probably have got a second hand 5d mkii for the same price. Having travelled and used it a fair bit since then these are my pros and cons. My other camera is a 60D.

CONS

- Heavy
- Batteries, you'll probably need to buy new ones, the Delkins seem to be fine and cheap.
- 'Only' 16.7 megapixels
- The screen is small, good enough to check composition but not exact focus

PROS

- Heavy, but not unwieldy. I've never had a camera feel so solid, it gives a lot of confidence
- The viewfinder is big and bright
- The image quality is superb. Even at high ISOs I find it perfectly usable and noise reduction has come a long way.
- Damn fine autofocus

Even though I have a lightweight modern body in the 60D I find myself carrying the 1ds mkii and 50 1.4 as my everyday camera. I would make the same choice without a hesitation.

And there's that sound the shutter makes ...

http://snapsort.com …I-vs-Canon_EOS_5D_Mark_II

I currently have a 1Ds Mark II, and have shot with the 5D Mark II for 4 days (my friend let me borrow his 70-200 2.8 as well). Comparing AF between the two bodies the 5D Mark II was superior in it's predictive AF. The 1Ds II will AF faster when presented with a new scene but I found the 5D more accurate for BIF and fast children.

The buffer on the 5D is also much larger,which I found nice as well.

Sp1207 wrote in post #11654738
In my opinion going from a 5DII to a 1Ds Mark II you'll only be disappointed with the IQ/featureset. The AF isn't even that much better on the DsII, and the only other benefit is the dualcard slots/pro build.

I respect your comments but i have to disagree. I shot weddings with a 5d2, and a 1dsmk2 and in low light situation and moving subjects, my own findings was that 1dsmk2 focused much better than 5d2. The Af in the most outer points isnt that fast but it locks more reliably than my 5d2.

IQ wise, at low ISO, I cant really spot a difference. But once ISO performance is concerned, 5d2 shines. After getting used to the camera, i got more keepers than 5d2 and eventually sold 5d2.

My 2 cents...

I have the 5D II and the 1D IIn, which has the same AF system as the 1Ds II.

The trouble is that only the vertical-center section of AF points are cross type - similar to the 5D II, only having the one center point being cross type. There may be more AF points, but that doesn't mean they're better.

I DO notice that my 1D II locks focus MUCH faster than the 5D II in most situations, but the 5D II seems to double, and sometimes tripple check to ensure the one-shot AF is very accurate.

Interesting discussion here - lots to think about. Thanks guys!

^^ If you find that the 5DII AF is fast enough for you, buy a second 5DII.

That way, the batteries, controls, etc. will be the same for both bodies that you're carrying. This is a huge advantage, not having to switch between two completely different bodies and interfaces. My 1-series bodies also meter flash completely different than the 5DII- this is not something you want to be tinkering with during a wedding reception.

IMO, the only practical advantage of the 5DII is the high-ISO noise performance, but it looks like you have a decent lineup of fast primes, so you shouldn't be up near the ceiling of either camera.

I used both 1Ds Mk II and 5D Mk II.
You can argue all other aspects about the differences between the two cameras, but, as far as AF system is concerned, 5D Mk II is a no match to 1Ds Mk II in that arena ....
1Ds Mk II, along with 1D Mk II(N), has one of the most reliable AF system among Canon DSLR.

nuff said.

adamo99 wrote in post #11658516
^^ If you find that the 5DII AF is fast enough for you, buy a second 5DII.

That way, the batteries, controls, etc. will be the same for both bodies that you're carrying. This is a huge advantage, not having to switch between two completely different bodies and interfaces. My 1-series bodies also meter flash completely different than the 5DII- this is not something you want to be tinkering with during a wedding reception.

This is the best argument I've heard in favor of just saving up for a second 5D2. Excellent point. Thanks.

TheMaggedy wrote in post #11661218
This is the best argument I've heard in favor of just saving up for a second 5D2. Excellent point. Thanks.

is anyone here know how to get an actuation count for 1Ds 2?
besides opanda and myshuttercount.com.