5D MKIII vs 1Ds MKIII

[briansquibb]

I dont think there any problems with the 5D MKIII in terms of specification if anything it is pretty much the perfect camera for me a supercharged 40D. But I will wait until the niggles are ironed out before a purchase. Then I saw the 1DsIII I have found one locally to me with less than 20k actuations for £2500 which is a steal IMO. So thats why I started the thread. Again the 1D4 would be nice but is currently £500 more than the 5D MKIII with the kit lens secondhand and most are pretty used! As I described I dont like the 1.3 crop. I dont really have need for the 10fps 6 is fine for what I do.

I paid £2500 for my 1Ds3 and £2750 for the 1D4 (both secondhand). Both had less than 20k actuations, which on bodies that should make at least 200k makes them nearly new.

I cannot make up my mind whether to buy another 1D4 or a 200 f/2 - it is a tough call.

[Alker]

I cannot make up my mind whether to buy another 1D4 or a 200 f/2 - it is a tough call.

Tough call.......lenses lenses lenses.....
For me easy the 200mm

[briansquibb]

I cannot make up my mind whether to buy another 1D4 or a 200 f/2 - it is a tough call.

Tough call.......lenses lenses lenses.....
For me easy the 200mm

The problem is that my OCD might kick in as I would have the 200/400/600 so the 800 would become an obsession Hard when you are on a pension 

[Alker]

I cannot make up my mind whether to buy another 1D4 or a 200 f/2 - it is a tough call.

Tough call.......lenses lenses lenses.....
For me easy the 200mm

The problem is that my OCD might kick in as I would have the 200/400/600 so the 800 would become an obsession Hard when you are on a pension 

Well 200/400/600 and indeed the 800 must be there

[V8Beast]

I agree with the temptation £500 cheaper for the one im looking at, but the 1Ds III is about the same performance noise and IQ wise as a 5DMKII?

I don't have any first-hand experience comparing those two bodies, but considering the 5DII and 1DsIII share the same sensor, I'd imagine that noise and overall IQ would be pretty darn close between them. I believe brainsquibb has experience with both the 1DsIII and 5DIII, so he can probably offer some better insight.

I would say the only reason I don't get as many shots as I should is by trying to keep the ISO in the lower end of the scale and risking a bit of blur rather than being confident in ISO performance that I can go up higher and not worry.

Been there, done that, and as an old film fart, I can certainly relate That said, although I felt I was always pushing the ISO limit of my 5DC, I never found it lacking in that department. The 1DsIII would be far better. As you can relate, car interiors can be like a cave, and this is usually when I push the ISO the hardest. I know many pro car photogs that are far better than I am that have been shooting with the 1DsIII since it was brand new. I don't think you'll feel that it's lacking in terms of ISO or overall IQ.

At the moment it is the 5D MKIII because of its size and relative usability to be an all round monster. But I always wanted a 1Ds and im sure we've all been there!!

How about purchasing a 5DIII, giving it a go, and if you don't like it, you can always send it back. In the interim, you could always purchase something along the lines of a 1DII just to get the feel for a 1-series body, then sell it without incurring much or any loss of money at all. Of course, if you get spoiled by the 1-series, then it might be a sign to go with a 1DsIII

[briansquibb]

On the 1Ds3:

- 'normal' max iso is 1600, high is 3200 (and that is it)

- 1600 is still very good

- the sensor is NOT the same as the one in the 5DII


Use flash in the interior of cars - why not?

[Kernuak]

I've considered the 1Ds MkIII in the past, as I shoot a combination of wildlife and landscape mainly. However, I was looking for improved low light capability, so that was more important than the better build, AF and frame rate, as the 7D covered 2 of those 3 and sort of covered the third (i.e. build/weatherproofing, although in reality it isn't a contest). Because of that, I went for the 5D MkII then instead. If I hadn't needed the improved low light capability, then I would probably have chosen the 1Ds MkIII. Now it isn't as clear cut, as the 5D MkIII has improved weather proofing, better AF and frame rate than the the 1Ds and better low light capability.
I think the two key factors are how important the build quality is to you (with the lessened gap) and how often you need better low light capability (it sounds like not very much). The you have to balance whether the extra $1000 for the new technology or saving money on the 5D MkII compared to the 1Ds MkIII is worth it to you.

[JR]

I cannot make up my mind whether to buy another 1D4 or a 200 f/2 - it is a tough call.

Tough call.......lenses lenses lenses.....
For me easy the 200mm

The problem is that my OCD might kick in as I would have the 200/400/600 so the 800 would become an obsession Hard when you are on a pension 

Glad to see I am not the only one with OCD around here and sharing the same passion to get every freaking new prime lens I dont yet have!  My advantages is I have yet to play with long telephoto, so it is a bit less expensive for me 

These days my OCD is kicking in to get BOTH the 5DmkIII in addition to me pre-order of the 1DX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[V8Beast]

On the 1Ds3:

- the sensor is NOT the same as the one in the 5DII

I stand corrected.

Use flash in the interior of cars - why not?

Car interiors are a contrast nightmare. Even so, I use flash on interior photos all the time, in just about every shot, actually. It's always a balancing act between ambient light and flash. Personally, I prefer to use flash for fill and accent lighting. Go too crazy with flash and kill the ambient too much, and the images look too moody for my taste. Getting the lighting even with flash in a car interior can get challenging as well, since there tend to be a mix of lots of highly reflective objects (gauge lenses, chrome trim bits), very dark blacks, and uneven surfaces and textures. Get the light soft enough with flash modifiers, and it's easy to get an image that looks too flat.

Of course, some very basic techniques can turn this...


....into this, all with natural light.


This gets you pretty darn close to what you could achieve in a studio with megapower strobes, all while shooting on location.

[pwp]

Interesting question posed by OP.  It's not a cut and dried issue.  1Ds3? It's 1-series qualities ARE compelling.

But looking at the AF, low light capability, video, buffer depth, Digic 5+, monitor, burst and so on, the 5D3 has got to pull ahead of the now aging though very respectable 1Ds3.

If you are a very heavy shooter you'll still be ahead if you need to spend a few hundred $$ on a replacement shutter after the rated 150,000 cycles. But a used 1Ds3 may already have a couple of hundred thousand on it.

(BTW my 5D classic is still on its original shutter at well over 300,000.)

Paul Wright

[smithy]

This is the exact same dilemma I've been facing these past few days... whether to upgrade my 40D to a used 1Ds3 or a 5D3.  To compound the issue, my wife/financial controller said that if I wanted the 1Ds3 I could buy it now, but if I wanted the 5D3 I'd have to wait a few more months (because the 1Ds3 was on auction).  She actually wants me to get the 1Ds - because she knows I won't be satisfied until I have a 1D-series body!

Currently I'm leaning more towards the 5D3, because the used 1Ds3 I was looking at has never been serviced and I don't want to spend such a huge amount of money on something that could have the dreaded 1D AF problem (or the shutter problem, for that matter).  You'd think that anyone who owned such an expensive camera would get it serviced...

Regardless of which body I get, I think I'll have to sell my 10-22mm EF-S lens and replace it with the 17-40mm (can't afford to stretch to the 16-35mm).

[briansquibb]

This is the exact same dilemma I've been facing these past few days... whether to upgrade my 40D to a used 1Ds3 or a 5D3.  To compound the issue, my wife/financial controller said that if I wanted the 1Ds3 I could buy it now, but if I wanted the 5D3 I'd have to wait a few more months (because the 1Ds3 was on auction).  She actually wants me to get the 1Ds - because she knows I won't be satisfied until I have a 1D-series body!

Currently I'm leaning more towards the 5D3, because the used 1Ds3 I was looking at has never been serviced and I don't want to spend such a huge amount of money on something that could have the dreaded 1D AF problem (or the shutter problem, for that matter).  You'd think that anyone who owned such an expensive camera would get it serviced...

Regardless of which body I get, I think I'll have to sell my 10-22mm EF-S lens and replace it with the 17-40mm (can't afford to stretch to the 16-35mm).

The main downside is the max iso at 1600 (or 3200 as H)

Perhaps you are thinking of the 1D3 AF problem - the 1DS3 has always had good AF.

You will need to update to the latest firmware - 1.20 - has a fix to use the joystick to move the focus point.

The 1DS3 is a straightforward stills camera with no video etc - but the IQ is stunning. It has a shutterlife expectancy of 1/4 million so should last a long time.

For a landscape camera it has all the features you want including firstclass weather sealing, it is also pretty good at sports and fast moving subjects. 

[smithy]

Perhaps you are thinking of the 1D3 AF problem - the 1DS3 has always had good AF.

I always knew about this problem with the 1D3, but read in a forum elsewhere that the 1Ds3 also had this problem - it's possible that that person didn't have their facts straight.

The 1DS3 is a straightforward stills camera with no video etc - but the IQ is stunning. It has a shutterlife expectancy of 1/4 million so should last a long time.

For a landscape camera it has all the features you want including firstclass weather sealing, it is also pretty good at sports and fast moving subjects.

Arrghh now I really don't know what to do!   

Useable ISO1600 images are fine for me, and I have NeatImage Pro for anything a bit too noisy.

[4jphotography]

I have the 1ds3, 5d2 and 5d3. The 1ds3 has felt "blah" ever since I got the 5d2. I have to say though that the 5d3 doesn't feel like much of an upgrade from the 2. As someone who mostly uses manual focus, and doesn't venture much above 3200 ISO, it seems a bit gratuitous. Fingers are crossed on the 1dx. 

[smithy]

I have the 1ds3, 5d2 and 5d3. The 1ds3 has felt "blah" ever since I got the 5d2. I have to say though that the 5d3 doesn't feel like much of an upgrade from the 2. As someone who mostly uses manual focus, and doesn't venture much above 3200 ISO, it seems a bit gratuitous. Fingers are crossed on the 1dx.

Just out of curiosity, given that you don't go over ISO3200 and only use manual focus, why did you buy the 5d3?  (Seeing that its two biggest features are its new autofocus and high ISO capability).