Topic: Second EOS Body (Read 2768 times)

Ed Blagden · « **on:** November 10, 2009, 03:58:41 am »

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a second Canon EOS digital body. Right now, I use a Canon 5D, and I love it. However, not having a backup body makes me nervous, and also there are situations where I want to use two lenses at the same time (eg the ideal wildlife combo for me is my 300mm f/4 + 1.4x TC, plus my 70-200mm f/2.

and I don't want to waste time in the field changing lenses every couple of minutes.

Also, my choice for a second body would have a full frame sensor, just like my 5D - I would prefer this because I want the second body to be completely interchangeable with the first.

I guess the obvious choice would be to buy the latest and greatest, ie the 5D mk2. However, I see that the going rate for a second hand EOS 1Ds mk2 is around GBP1200-1600, which is a bit less than a 5D mk2. My question is, would you advise going for the latest and greatest, or the older pro level body.

I have to say I'm tempted by the 1DsII. I like the heft, and the weather sealing plus general robustness is a major selling point for me (I live in Africa, so robustness is particularly important here). However, if I choose this am I going to pay a big penalty in terms of image quality or responsiveness? The extra megapixels on the 5DII are a nice to have but not a deal-breaker because I never print bigger than A3+. So other than somewhat better resolution, are there any other aspects of IQ or response which would make the 5DII a significantly better choice than the 1Ds?

I would appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

Ed

ps To pre-empt the suggestion of going for a new 1Ds mk3, yes I would love to do that but unfortunately I can't afford one!

Geoff Wittig · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2009, 07:09:24 am »

Quote from: Ed B

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a second Canon EOS digital body. Right now, I use a Canon 5D, and I love it. However, not having a backup body makes me nervous, and also there are situations where I want to use two lenses at the same time (eg the ideal wildlife combo for me is my 300mm f/4 + 1.4x TC, plus my 70-200mm f/2. and I don't want to waste time in the field changing lenses every couple of minutes.

Also, my choice for a second body would have a full frame sensor, just like my 5D - I would prefer this because I want the second body to be completely interchangeable with the first.

I guess the obvious choice would be to buy the latest and greatest, ie the 5D mk2. However, I see that the going rate for a second hand EOS 1Ds mk2 is around GBP1200-1600, which is a bit less than a 5D mk2. My question is, would you advise going for the latest and greatest, or the older pro level body.

I have to say I'm tempted by the 1DsII. I like the heft, and the weather sealing plus general robustness is a major selling point for me (I live in Africa, so robustness is particularly important here). However, if I choose this am I going to pay a big penalty in terms of image quality or responsiveness? The extra megapixels on the 5DII are a nice to have but not a deal-breaker because I never print bigger than A3+. So other than somewhat better resolution, are there any other aspects of IQ or response which would make the 5DII a significantly better choice than the 1Ds?

I would appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

Ed

ps To pre-empt the suggestion of going for a new 1Ds mk3, yes I would love to do that but unfortunately I can't afford one!

I would go for the 5D II, mostly for the much better high ISO performance. This is apparent even with smaller prints. No question the 1Ds II has much better autofocus and weather sealing, though, and it actually feels at least as responsive. I would make sure any 1Ds II you're thinking of buying hasn't been abused and has enough shutter activations left; the 1Ds II also has an issue with shutter failure, where you start getting a bright line along one edge of the frame because it fails to close properly during exposure; mine's starting to do that.

In terms of image quality, the 1Ds II is very good up to ISO 400, though it does get a bit gritty in the shadows. The 5D II looks about the same...at ISO 1600. The resolution improvement won't be obvious unless you're talking about optimally captured images (tripod, mirror lock-up etc.) printed large.

Paulo Bizarro · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2009, 09:45:14 am »

Geoff,

I understand that you want your back-up to be full-frame, given your requirements and photoraphing habits. However, I would like to contribute a different perspective. I have two Canon DSLRs, one full-frame (5D MKII), one APS-C (500D). I am not a wildlife photographer, I shoot more travel, landscape, and nature.

I use my 5D MKII with the 24-105 zoom, and the 500D with the 70-300 DO zoom. The latter combination I find very useful, due to the crop factor I end up with really good telepower when required. With the 5D and 24-105 zoom, I have a very versatile travel combination. This way, I can also avoid to change lenses too often. I also have the 50 1.4 lens for travelling light (when carrying just a shoulder bag or holster bag). I can use this lens in the 5D for a normal perspective, or in the 500D as a short tele lens very useful for portraits.

I see that you require robustness, so if you do consider a crop factor camera, why not taking a look at the new 7D? By all accounts, it looks like a pro camera with a cropped sensor.

stever · « **Reply #3 on:** November 10, 2009, 11:14:08 am »

the choice of a backup should be influenced by what you're shooting with what kind of lenses

if you're primarily shooting wide to short tele, i'd have to recommend the 5DII for it's superior IQ, low light performance, and live view - took me a little while to realize the live view benefit, but now use it just about every time it's on a tripod

if you shoot longer, a crop frame camera seems to make sense, but i've found that a crop from the 5DII is as good as the image from my 40D (tried a 50D and couldn't see a noticeable difference there either -- hope the 7D is better).

i seriously agree with the need for two bodies and suggest the 5DII -- or the 7D if you're shooting longer and/or need a high frame rate

Wayne Fox · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2009, 08:16:12 pm »

Personally I think you might be disappointed in the image quality of the 1DsMark 2 compared with the 5d.

You could wait a while, just to see if Canon follows its normal release cycle, meaning a 1Ds Mark4 not long after the 1D Mark4. The 1DsMark3 used would see a price drop if indeed they ship a mark 4 version,. I haven't shot the 1Ds Mark3 since I bought the 5DMk2 - like some other posters it's the one I would recommend you look at seriously. Image quality is a substantial upgrade from the 5D and the 1DsMark2.

dseelig · « **Reply #5 on:** November 13, 2009, 12:04:09 am »

I thought the 1ds mk 11 was better image quality at low isos, then the first 5d. I would say though get the more modern body you can in that the newer bodies with there sensor cleaning modes are wonderful. The ids mlk111 is much better autofocus then the 5d mk11 so it depends on what you shoot. Do you need great autofocus are you a low light shooter? Do you shoot telephoto alot ? The crop bodies are nice for telephoto work. If you wait for a price drop as wayne suggested the 1ds mk111 is a much nicer camera then the 1ds mk11. It is lighter and faster handling. I am about to sell mine but only because I am at heart a leica shooter and want a 2nd m9. But when the 1ds mk1v comes out next fall I would bet it will drop in price to the 2500 to 3500 dollar range I would guess. David

Sheldon N · « **Reply #6 on:** November 13, 2009, 12:43:06 am »

I recently went from a 5D to a 1Ds II to a 1Ds III. I really liked the build of the 1Ds, the autofocus and the responsiveness. It also had better IQ at lower ISO's. The thing that drove me to the 1Ds III was the so-so high ISO performance, small LCD, and semi-slow buffer speed of the 1Ds II. I'd take a long hard look at those three issues before picking up a 1Ds II. If you don't shoot long bursts, don't need instant display/replay, don't shoot above 800, and don't mind a smaller LCD, then the 1Ds II is a stellar camera.

pschefz · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2009, 01:37:48 am »

the 5DII blows the dsII away...i got rid of my dsIII because i never used it anymore....the 5DII gives much better high iso performance, especially DR and is equal at base iso....only real weakness is the af which is the same as the 5D, so you should be used to it....dsIII is much better....
dIV is around the corner and dsIV won't be far off, 5DIII will be a while...
the 5DII is not a new camera by any means and is the only one i know that still is list price and b&H still sells out....you really can't beat it...when the next software update hits (enabling 24fps) early 2010 it will be hard get..again....

Ed Blagden · « **Reply #8 on:** November 13, 2009, 02:07:38 am »

Thanks guys, that all sounds like great advice. I think what I will do is get a 5Dii, relegate my old 5D to become my backup body, and in a year or so's time I will officially retire my 5D and get a used 1Diii, which should be quite a bit cheaper by then. Does that sound like a plan?

Ed

Author Topic: Second EOS Body (Read 2768 times)