someone wants to sell me their 1d mark ii...please help me decide

hi guys. seeing as how fellow potn members helped me decide on buying a used lens not so long ago, i've decided to enlist your help again this time for a used camera body.

i currently shoot with a xsi (with 50mm 1.8 or 24-70l) and am really enjoying it. my only gripe with it is when i shoot indoor at night. i like to shoot indoor family gatherings alot and i need something that will perform well in that situation. an external flash will probably do, but i dont want to deal with that right now. will the 1d2 be a vast improvement over my xsi for something like that? i've done a little research on the 1d2 but i need opinions and comments from people who have used the camera extensively.

oh yeah, here is a little history behind the camera that is up for sale. here is what the seller emailed to me. "The previous owner was a professional wildlife photographer and used it a bunch.....I used it very little. the last photo was 57165 on the shutter actuations. Wear in some areas and a ding on the viewer on the back." i saw the pictures and the camera actually looks pretty good. the ding is barely visible and there are a couple of minor scratches on the body.

i was able to haggle him a little bit and got the price down from 825 to 725. what do you guys think? is this a good deal? with that many actuations, do i have to worry about it getting serviced soon? the guy lives out of town so i cant really check it out in person yet. any advice will help. thanks in advance guys.

Your still going to need an external flash for the 1dm2, I'd have a look at the t2i/550d for something in the comparative price range. 6 years is a lot of time for technological development.

Looking at ISO performance, as you are interested in this. Up to iso 1600 the sensors are pretty equal when it comes to noise, after iso 1600 the T2i produces less noise up to it's max of 12800, while the 1dm2 finishes at 3200. The performance of the T2i is on a 18m pixel sensor, compared to the 8.2m of the 1dm2. Even your XSI has less noise at 1600 when compared to the 1dm2,

You'll need to weigh up what features are more important to you, eg. low noise performance of the t2i or the pro build of the 1dm2 etc.

Here are some reviews if you haven't already seen them.
http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/canoneos1dmk​ii/
http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/canoneos550d​/

Wait, a Mk2 for $725? What are you wasting your time in the forum for? Assuming it's not a complete scam, it's a great deal.

canonloader wrote in post #9918850
Wait, a Mk2 for $725? What are you wasting your time in the forum for? Assuming it's not a complete scam, it's a great deal.

+1

As for noise, it's fine at 1600, slightly better than the 450D and it's also capable of A4 easy at 1600 with a quick run of Noise Ninja (especially if you use the proper profiles). At 3200 it's fine so long as you expose to the right about a third of a stop and then bring it down in PP, then your clean at web size, slightly noisy at A4, almost noiseless at 10x8. Just remember to use Noise Ninja and expose slightly to the right.

1DII's are rated for 200k actuations, I just get the sensor cleaned professionally every 25K.

canonloader wrote in post #9918850
Wait, a Mk2 for $725? What are you wasting your time in the forum for? Assuming it's not a complete scam, it's a great deal.

This.

If I saw one for that cheap, I would have picked it up in a heartbeat.

ok, lets say i end up getting an external flash too, which i'll probably have to get anyways because of the lack of built in flash on the 1d2. with the same flash mounted on both bodies (xsi and 1d2) will i yield better results with the newer, more technologically advanced xsi or the older 1d2?

will the build of the 1d2 withstand environments such as the beach with a breeze? i'm just thinking of different scenarios i'll be caught in when i'm out with family and friends.

PNGUY wrote in post #9919313
ok, lets say i end up getting an external flash too, which i'll probably have to get anyways because of the lack of built in flash on the 1d2. with the same flash mounted on both bodies (xsi and 1d2) will i yield better results with the newer, more technologically advanced xsi or the older 1d2?

will the build of the 1d2 withstand environments such as the beach with a breeze? i'm just thinking of different scenarios i'll be caught in when i'm out with family and friends.

You'll get the best results with whatever you feel more comfortable, however I reckon the metering in the viewfinder and extra buttons would probably make it easier to use the flash on the 1D. But I don't know because I'm a fan of primes, natural light and high ISO. You'll also get shallower DOF with a 1d (for the same framing).

As for the issue of rain and windy beaches - if the 1-series can't take it no other body will. They are built like bricks, once you hold a 1D and pick your rebel up, you'll wonder if you ever actually used that 'little dinky thing.'

My 1DII went out for a play in the rain yesterday (we also went for a tumble down a little brook, slipped on the wet rocks)...

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oh wow! thats good to know jemerson. i've always wanted to take pictures in the harsher environments but was really scared to take the xsi out in something like that. did you protect the camera and lens with a rainhood or plastic bag of any sorts or did you just expose both to the elements with no protection?

i like primes as well, unfortunately i only have the nifty fifty right now, but i'll definitely expand my collection in the future. the 24-70 was too good of deal to pass up and will be the lens i carry when i dont feel like packing more than one lens. will my current two lenses be happier and perform better mated to the 1d2 and give me better results than the xsi? is there a website out there that allows me to look at comparison shots of different cameras with different lenses attached?

gotta love weather sealing...

but I bet my 50D can easily be warped up in plastic...

This site allows you to compare images from different cameras, unfortunately the don't have the 1dm2

http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/CO​MPS01.HTM

PNGUY wrote in post #9919515
oh wow! thats good to know jemerson. i've always wanted to take pictures in the harsher environments but was really scared to take the xsi out in something like that. did you protect the camera and lens with a rainhood or plastic bag of any sorts or did you just expose both to the elements with no protection?

i like primes as well, unfortunately i only have the nifty fifty right now, but i'll definitely expand my collection in the future. the 24-70 was too good of deal to pass up and will be the lens i carry when i dont feel like packing more than one lens. will my current two lenses be happier and perform better mated to the 1d2 and give me better results than the xsi? is there a website out there that allows me to look at comparison shots of different cameras with different lenses attached?

I believe the 24-70mm was actually designed with the 1.3x crop factor in mind (previously the 28-70mm was fine on FF but a little narrow on the crop cameras. So it should go well.

No plastic coverings just me, lens and camera (ironically I gave up and came back home well before the camera considered dying.)

The 50mm f/1.8 has a much nicer focal length on the 1D, but you really notice the long MFD.

Some shots with the 50mm

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Just do it.

You can buy a bottle of red wine for UK£3.99, you can buy a bottle of red wine for UK£13.99. Both are red wine but you're going to know every inch of the difference in quality between the two. It's the same with 1D bodies and, frankly, the rest. I have a 1DII and, okay, it's not this year's technology but it's still a body built for heavy professional use.

Quality, in spades. Buy it.

lannes wrote in post #9919962
This site allows you to compare images from different cameras, unfortunately the don't have the 1dm2

http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/CO​MPS01.HTM

that was one of the first places i looked when i was searching around for comparisons of the two bodies. thanks for the help so far lannes.

After playing around with mine for an hour that I just got today, get it. I like it so much more than my 50D (and the rebel feels like a toy compared to it) and I really liked the 50D. It might take some getting used to, but if you just play around with it for a bit and read the manual over, it's no problem.

I wouldn't except a huge leap in IQ in any way shape or form. It won't be a magic bullet for low light situations. Fast glass and/or flash is still what will give you more impact.

The 1DMKII is definitely built tons better than the DRebel, that's for sure and to me, that's the biggest difference you'll see/feel. There will probably be a little bit of a learning curve as far as operation coming from a DRebel, but that's a non issue IMO.

Up to you.