Help me out here: 5d classic vs 1dmkII

ok guys here's my situation, my next camera purchase is about to happen, I am soon getting rid of my 30d and a couple of things so, I will end up with some cash that I want to use towards a body.

5d or 1dmkII? that is what I have narrowed it to.

what do I shoot? portraits, I have a membership to the zoo(I go a lot) some city and some sports of my little nephews(7-9yr olds) bball mostly. of course the family pictures.

any suggestions?

I have both and it can be a hard call sometimes. Obviously, if you ever plan on shooting sports or anything fast moving, the AF on the 1D series is unmatched by any other Canon camera. BUT, if you only plan on shooting sports 5% of the time, I would opt for the 5D for the full frame sensor and better image quality that in the end will give you better results for portraits and zoo shots. JMO

Plus, if you are holding onto your 40D, that should cover your sports quite well. Get the 5D.

I was thinking that, I don't use my 40d that much, my wife is the one that uses it the most. I can still use it of course. do you guys think that If I shoot sports for maybe a little, the 5d will be up to the task?

of course my main camera use will be portraits, city and zoo shots, I know the 5d can do them.

Well if you're going to be shooting sports the AF of the 5D and 1DII are worlds apart. Although like suggested above, if you're rarely shooting sports, then relegate that task to your 40D, and pick up a 5D for your portraiture and family use.

k_wakasugi wrote in post #9353227
Well if you're going to be shooting sports the AF of the 5D and 1DII are worlds apart. Although like suggested above, if you're rarely shooting sports, then relegate that task to your 40D, and pick up a 5D for your portraiture and family use.

+1 That's what I would do. I mean, I have shot a college football game with me 1D MKII and it was definitely amazing, but out of the 80,000+ pictures I had taken in 2009, sports were about 500 of those.

I think i am settled with a 1dmk2 but one more question I do have, I know the 5d is pretty good with high iso, how does the 1dmk2 compare to it? sometimes when I do shoot indoors i have to use iso1600

I jsut traded my 5D for a 1D MK II N (I recomend the N)
it is awesome!
HUGE upgrade in camera features options that are meaningful, not just bells and whistles, and I feel it has even better IQ, same sensor just cropped a little. If you want a run down on the feature differences their is a LONG list in favore of the 1D series.

If you have plenty of time to take a shot and like FF sensors the 5D is a winner! To me the 1D MK II is a huge step up even for stills though.

I tried to use my 5D for chasing kids and dogs around the living room and yard and it was near impossible I only kepts about 30% of my phtotos. With my 1D MKII I take the same shots and keep 80%.
My 5D forced me at times to use 1/1000+ and mirror lock up to get in motion shots like I wanted, I take the same shots at 1/250+ with the 1D due to camer lag reduction.

I have not had mine long enough to guarentee iso will be the same, but I know iso 1600 and 3200 can be noisy on the 1D MKII but not much if any diff form the 5D, they have the same DIGIC II processor. But the 1D has 2 of them!

Skin tones and photos have a 3D look on the 1D bodies that all other's dont have.

that right there makes the 1dmk2 the winner for me. I forgot to mention I have a 2 yr old

crowflyawa wrote in post #9355996
I tried to use my 5D for chasing kids and dogs around the living room and yard and it was near impossible I only kepts about 30% of my phtotos. With my 1D MKII I take the same shots and keep 80%.

caiguar wrote in post #9356381
that right there makes the 1dmk2 the winner for me. I forgot to mention I have a 2 yr old

for a moving trarget the 5d blows, in all honesty it is possible to use but not what it's made for. It's like taking a rifle to a 10 yard pistol range; using a 5D for moving targets sports like photography is the wrong tool.

yup, thats why I decided to go with the 1D so my 30 along with other things is getting sold, I jsut sold some things jsut need to get my paycheck for this week to get my new 1D MK2, wish me luck, thi is my first 1D camera

Not trying to move away from the topic but I'd suggest the 5d classic, 1dsmkII or a 1dmkIII.

I'm not quite sure if the IQ will be dramatically better going with a 1dmkII from your current 40D body.

There may be some benefits in purchasing more quality lenses rather than a body.

Going from your 40D to a 5D classic you'll see a dramatic IQ difference. You'll need to spend some more money on EF lenses or compatible. 5D Tracking will be slower than your 40D but for family/slow moving subjects you'll love the quality of the images.

If I were in your shoes I would go 1DsmkII in a heartbeat for a 1D pro body with equivalent IQ of a 5d classic.

yea I tought about it but for the little sports that I do the 5d wont do me any good and it's not my 40d getting sold, its my 30d. My 40d will be my backup.

The 1D can AF so sharp and it's method of processing is elevated significantly out of the camera, you can 2X double images without much enough loss of IQ on a 1DMKII and the 5D is slightly larger image since the sensor isn't cropped, but the AF and camera reaction time is so slow that moving targets almost never come out clean or in focus; so it's a waste of effort. For stills the 5D would still be below the 1DMKII to me, it's larger sensor still don’t make up for all the awesome in camera processing the 1D MKII does, I rarely have to PP my photos since leaving the 5D. The iso on the 1D MKII is noisier, but not up to iso 800, and 800-1600 compared to the 5D are less good; the 5D has slight advantage at iso 1600 but not enough to offset anything else it does slow/wrong.

Photos were simply impossible for me to take with the 5D and the 1DMKII does it effortlessly.
I don’t rattle the shutter off, I just take the 2 or 3 I want; click click click and they all rock. I take 3fps hold down trigger with the 5D and all would be out of focus. lol.

caiguar wrote in post #9362233
yea I tought about it but for the little sports that I do the 5d wont do me any good and it's not my 40d getting sold, its my 30d. My 40d will be my backup.

The 40D will track no problems for your "sports" needs.

I urge you to borrow/test out a 5d classic for IQ. There's a noticeable difference compared to your current crop body.

What does your current gearlist lack? IQ? AF speed?

I would say if your really wanting to upgrade I'd go 5D classic or a 1dsmkII. Going 40D to 1dmkII(n) is not a lateral move but going to a 1dsmkII (FF) will open your eyes. 1dsmkII will cover your needs easily.

I sold my 50D because IMO it lacks IQ compared to my 5d classic. This is one reason why I will not buy a 7D since many former 50D owners see very little difference in IQ. I feel I lack AF speed so the 1dmkIII or perhaps a new canon body (5dmkIII??)will have high IQ with fast AF. I dont care for HD video option.