1DsIII or 6D?

Thanks!

PDAF should work even at F8 with the center point with a non canon lens/tc, since they don't follow official Canon spec. At least Kenko TCs work fine, you can read tons about it online

The 1DsIII has 230k pixels vs 1.04m for the 6D. I used to use a 1D Mark II N (2.5", 230K px) and it was essentially useless for checking if focus was spot on or a bit off. 1Ds Mark III is even less pixel dense (3").

The newer LCDs are also more color accurate and brighter, with better viewing angles

Regarding batteries, the cheapest generic LPE4 on ebay with shipping included is ~$20 and the cheapest LPE6 is ~$5. B&H price for a genuine LPE6N is $65 and $165 for LPE4N.

I'd rather get the 1DsIII to be honest. 6D is a great camera, very capable, with remarkable sensor and trusty AF system, but the worst part, for me, is durability, after 80K shots it's not in the best shape, i'm wondering when i'll need to replace a shutter in it. My friend in the other hand, have 1DsIII for a few years, it's old and have flaws (high iso, screen, weight), but besides that, no problems.

I'm planning to get some old 1-series body to simply make photos and don't care about my equipment, i don't have enough to buy the 1DsIII, but mark II seems to be a camera that can survive years of usage.

I have owned my 1Ds3 for over 4 years, would I swap it for a new 6D......NO NEVER. It has never limited me in my many uses and many area's off photography.

Overall the 6D is a better camera, especially the high ISO capabilities....there are functions on the 6d I would never use.

Why would I want to keep the 1DS3 over the swap of a new 6d?????
1 - 19 all high-precision, cross-type points, the 6d has 1. The 63 zone metering sensor is linked to each of the 19 AF points
2 - The AF system is highly customizable through Custom Functions. Subjects just snap into focus so quickly. I never miss a shot with this camera. Subsequently I have a very high keeper rate.
3 - The Battery life is incredible, I have just come back from a 2 week holiday where the camera was used every day. I took over 1500 shots. Yet there is still plenty of life in the battery.
4 - Weather sealing is important to me as I live by a long sandy beach and often attend beach events. I'm also often out and about in the rain. The weather sealing on this body is unbeatable. The comfort of not worrying about conditions is nice. I live in the UK , it nearly always rains.
5 - It is very rugged/solid and ultra reliable and built like a tank, it just feels right in the hands. The controls and buttons feel strong and positive.. other cameras I've used just feel like a toy in comparison. When used in conjunction with Canon L glass it feels well balanced.
6 - Dual Memory Card slots. I shoot both JPEG and Raw at the same time. Takes CF and an SD, also accepts SDHC, I have had a memory card fail on me before, I like to know that I have the security of a back-up.
7 - This camera has a great dynamic range. The picture quality/colours are vibrant and rich and the images it produces are just amazing.
8 - I enjoy long exposure photography as well as HDR photography and I particularly like the fact that you have an eyepiece shutter lever that prevents stray light from entering the eyepiece. Also by holding down the Mode button and AF-Drive button at the same time sets the Auto Exposure Bracketing for 7 shots at different exposures. This also can be changed to 3 as well as 5 shots.

I pair this camera with my 1d4 crop body. There layout and functions are almost identical. I'm perfectly content with the camera and do not feel it constrains me in any way. Now this body represents superb 2nd hand value at a very good price.

Please note.......DPP4 is available for 1Ds3 now

My 1DS III with 85mm L f/1.2 II

Photo from PCousins's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (706177)

Photo from PCousins's gallery.

_igi wrote in post #17992181
I'd rather get the 1DsIII to be honest. 6D is a great camera, very capable, with remarkable sensor and trusty AF system, but the worst part, for me, is durability, after 80K shots it's not in the best shape, i'm wondering when i'll need to replace a shutter in it. My friend in the other hand, have 1DsIII for a few years, it's old and have flaws (high iso, screen, weight), but besides that, no problems.

I'm planning to get some old 1-series body to simply make photos and don't care about my equipment, i don't have enough to buy the 1DsIII, but mark II seems to be a camera that can survive years of usage.

I have four 1-series mk2 bodies and they're worth nothing now. A 1Dmk2,1Dsmk2,1Dmk2N and a second-hand 1Dmk2. Quite honestly the 1-series takes a serious beating, it's weatherproof, impact proof and if all else fails we hammer in a few nails with it. Dead 1-series make incrediblely stable door stops.

Later I added 2 mk4's and a mk5 or 1DX as most call it and for durability you can't beat them. I have bought a 5Dmk3 recently which I'm pleased with image-wise but it wouldn't stand being thrown down the stairs (as my friends 1Dsmk2 did).

The 1-series just go on and on.

My last Canon body before switching to Nikon was the 1DsMIII and I loved it and hated parting with it.

Now that I see the prices on that body dipping below $1500 I am so tempted to pick another one up to pair with an 85L.

How about D750 or D810 ?

It depends on a shooting style, mostly. I've choosen 6D, but after 80-90.000 clicks, quite regret it. It's a stellar body, don't get me wrong, during night it works better than 5D3, it's quite robust, lightweight, excellent battery (2500-3000 clicks on one battery), very good dynamic range, colors and ISO, you can easily shoot at 6400-12800, in terms of processing, ISO3200 is like ISO800 on 5D2, you can do alot with it. BUT, if you plan to do alot of photos, you should rather think about 1Ds, it's not as sensitive as 6D, but if you have good light, it can produce some magic, and after all, it can shoot a lot more than 6D (300K vs 100K). After three years, overall i think that 1Ds makes more sence as an investment.

My 1ds3 has also out lived my friends 6d, his shutter went at 97K actuations and my brothers 5d3 packed up at 111k.

That's just lens porn!

Nice camera too by the way.

Owned several 1D bodies of varying denominations including a 1Ds3. I kept my 5D2 over the 1Ds3. Would never buy another body of that size - far too big and heavy.

1DsIII is a fantastic amazing camera and was my main camera since 2009....but for aviation photography I found myself always using the 7D Mkii not because of focusing or ISO performance but because of buffer speed. My only criticism of the 1DsIII was its inability to do more than 5 RAW shots in a row without out lengthy buffer catch-up pauses....so ended up missing lots of shots where the 7dMKII does not. I suspect you will have the same problem with the 6D.