Is it okay to get 1Ds mark ii

[wickidwombat]

How bad are lithium batteries that 1Ds mark II uses?

they arent lithium thats the problem the are NiMH and they get the memory effect
I would work on the basis that most are going to be well worn out and need to be replaced

Im just really torn since its kinda hard to pass on this 1Ds mark II deal. I guess as long as I get to use it within a year then i'll be more than happy to have this camera. I wonder if someone ever came up with a battery tray that can be used in 1D bodies that takes eneelop batteries

to give you an idea I used to have 3 batts which might just last a day IF i did not shoot too much burst (its sucks the juice) 2 were ok and 1 was next to useless
$700 is an ok price not wonderfull enough to jump on though because of the extra cost in getting new batts
also if it doesnt come with the charger then they are like hens teeth and sell for heaps second hand.

its a tough call
my wedding photos were shot with a 1Dsmk2 and a 1Dmk3 which was all top shelf at the time we are very happy with the excellent photos that our photographer gave us from those cameras.

consider looking for a 1Dmk3 for under 1000 they are more advanced, better battery, much better screen many many more features but 1.3 crop so not FF but still an excellent camera if you really want a 1 series body or as i said before hunt around and see if you can get a 5D classic for around $500

[Hillsilly]

Third party batteries are cheap - $30 to $40.  My current batteries were purchased more than twelve months and still going strong.  I typically get between 1500 to 3000 shots on a full charge depending on my use of AF, photo review times etc.  I wouldn't let battery choice affect your decision.  If you can live without video, high ISOs, liveview, microfocus adjustment, small/bad LCD etc, For $700, it sounds like a great buy.  They are very tough camera that can produce spectacular results.  (Although, I'd be a little dubious about the shutter count).

[brad goda]

Each camera body I own I do find what I dont like about it... but you/I can only compare to the previous owned and can only again compare when the newer one is owned... I guess what I am trying to answer is... when I was using the 1DsII it was terrific!  it captured faces art commercial products and crazy friends parties with beautiful results... What my 1DsII did like all 1D series bodies do is "last" they take a beating and deliver... through hard knocks and some extreme weather.
For IQ...I feel when you look at the images... you will swear it looks better than the 5DII and III.

shoot RAW
enjoy.

[al-toidz photography]

if I decided to get the 1D mark iii instead, what would be the positive attribute on this purchase?

[bdunbar79]

if I decided to get the 1D mark iii instead, what would be the positive attribute on this purchase?

I would get a 1Ds Mark II over a 1D Mark III.  The IQ is better, and has 16.2 mp vs 10.  You'll notice that difference.  The skin tones that the 1Ds2 reproduce when shooting portraits or weddings is amazing.  Of course the 1D Mark III was made for sports photogs, so the AF and fps is there.  Remember, the 1D3 is APS-H sensor, 1.3x crop factor.  I would say the ISO performance on the 1D3 is better, as 1Ds2 is best at low ISO.

I guess it depends on what you will be shooting.

[al-toidz photography]

I shoot wedding, portrait, babies anything with people. And I also shoot mostly in daytime and if I do shoot at night time, I use strobes using ISO 1000 at the most.