5D MKIII vs 1Ds MKIII

[tomscott]

Depends if your shooting in tight spaces you need all the width you can!!

Which is kind of why I like the APC, you can get the length with EF lenses on the 1.6 crop. But you can also use the dedicated awesome lenses like the 10-22mm which offer the width and the quality. Similar to the 17-55mm I use this instead of a 24-70 or 24-105 because it offers a good range, quality, quick aperture and IS.

In hien-sight it would have been better to buy the FF equivalent but that 17-55mm is a cracking lens!

The crop bodies don't offer the quality of the FF but they are a good compromise!

 

[briansquibb]

I have a 8-15 and a 14mm for wa. I dont use the 1D4 for tight spaces or portraits - that is what the 1Ds3 is for.

The 10-22 does not get close in IQ to either of those two lens or to the TS-E24

The 1D4 is the ultimate compromise body, having the best features of the series 1 plus a 1.3 crop

 

[tomscott]

Yes but what im saying is I need an all round camera the 1.3 crop doesnt give me this. For my uses the 1D4 isnt what im after, although if money wasnt a problem I would use one in conjunction. But as I dont a crop would probably be my second camera. IMHO I think the 5D MKIII is a much better compromise than the 1D 4 and the 1D 4 is more specialist and generally used by sports photographers. Im not a sports photographer but do shoot motor sport but have found 6fps fine for this.

Hence why im not looking at the 1D4 but the 5D MKIII and the 1Ds MKIII as the title. That is my compromise between speed and quality.

 

[wockawocka]

The 5D3 is a better camera but still feels very unprofessional in use and ultimately I like to feel at one with my equipment.
I don't feel this with the 5D3, yet put a 1Ds3 or 1D4 in my hands and all is good.

 

[tomscott]

Im used the the XXds so should feel quite at home with it. Probably a learning curve with the 1Ds MKIII.

 

[briansquibb]

Im used the the XXds so should feel quite at home with it. Probably a learning curve with the 1Ds MKIII.

IMHO the 5DIII is a better all round camera

 

[DarkKnightNine]

You guys have some interesting opinions about the 5D Mark III. It was one of the most anticipated camera upgrades ever and now that it's out, people seem to shun it. I've heard people talk about "issues with it". I'm interested to know what issues everyone is talking about because so far (with the exception of native RAW support for Aperture or LR), I haven't had any. Personally I took the plunge and sold my 1D4 to pay for it as I also have (2) 1DXes on order to cover my action photography. I couldn't be happier with the IQ. I was so tired of looking at nasty noise in the shadows of images off my 1D4. That noise is all but gone on my 5DIII images. And the focus is just spot on! About the only things I miss from my 1D4 is the incredible battery life, simplicity with less button clutter and fast fps.


BTW Tom, I love your shots that you posted. Very nice indeed.

 

[V8Beast]

I'm about to plagiarize myself from another post, but here goes.

The 5DIII vs. 1DsIII debate is a tough one. I think I'm committed to the 5DIII at this point, but the 1DsIII is awfully tempting for roughly the same money. I shoot cars, and the highest I pushed the ISO was 3,200 on my last shoot, and most of the time ISO was 400 or less, with the occasional tick up to 800-1,600. That's another way of saying that if the biggest advantage of the 5DIII over the 1DsIII is ISO performance, I didn't push it hard enough on this last shoot to benefit from it. That said, I do have some ideas on how to really push the ISO for creative effect in the future, so perhaps that will change my opinion once I fully utilize the 5DIII's potential.

IQ aside, the 5DIII does handle very well. I still prefer the handling of my 1DII, but the 5DIII's ergonomics and responsiveness are very good. Most the second-hand 1D bodies I've seen for sale are beat to hell, probably since many are used by sports photogs and journalists that are on the go. However, I've seen many 1DsIII's on ebay that are in outstanding condition. Perhaps they've lived a more coddled life inside a studio

 

[briansquibb]

The 1Ds3 is better at iso 100/200 than the 5D2. Native max is 1600 at which point it is still very good.

It wont lead a soft and pampered life with me - it is now my walkabout camera - Sunday was a day at MotorX which it performed very well at - not quite as good as the 1D4 at locking on - but not far behind

This photo was the 1Ds3, iso200, 70-300L, 1/640, f/5 uncropped - looks softer here than on my PC

 

[tomscott]

You guys have some interesting opinions about the 5D Mark III. It was one of the most anticipated camera upgrades ever and now that it's out, people seem to shun it. I've heard people talk about "issues with it". I'm interested to know what issues everyone is talking about because so far (with the exception of native RAW support for Aperture or LR), I haven't had any. Personally I took the plunge and sold my 1D4 to pay for it as I also have (2) 1DXes on order to cover my action photography. I couldn't be happier with the IQ. I was so tired of looking at nasty noise in the shadows of images off my 1D4. That noise is all but gone on my 5DIII images. And the focus is just spot on! About the only things I miss from my 1D4 is the incredible battery life, simplicity with less button clutter and fast fps.


BTW Tom, I love your shots that you posted. Very nice indeed.

Thanks DarkKnightNine, your opinion is very welcome and thanks for the kind words on the images.

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'm about to plagiarize myself from another post, but here goes.

The 5DIII vs. 1DsIII debate is a tough one. I think I'm committed to the 5DIII at this point, but the 1DsIII is awfully tempting for roughly the same money. I shoot cars, and the highest I pushed the ISO was 3,200 on my last shoot, and most of the time ISO was 400 or less, with the occasional tick up to 800-1,600. That's another way of saying that if the biggest advantage of the 5DIII over the 1DsIII is ISO performance, I didn't push it hard enough on this last shoot to benefit from it. That said, I do have some ideas on how to really push the ISO for creative effect in the future, so perhaps that will change my opinion once I fully utilize the 5DIII's potential.

IQ aside, the 5DIII does handle very well. I still prefer the handling of my 1DII, but the 5DIII's ergonomics and responsiveness are very good. Most the second-hand 1D bodies I've seen for sale are beat to hell, probably since many are used by sports photogs and journalists that are on the go. However, I've seen many 1DsIII's on ebay that are in outstanding condition. Perhaps they've lived a more coddled life inside a studio

I also shoot cars so understand the problems. 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? Which would also be a huge upgrade in IQ to my 40D. I do or would like to go up higher in the ISO range but my 40D doesn't really allow me to do this and if I do Noise ninja is my first port of call and it does a pretty good job tbh!

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.

Its not that I will push it hard enough in the high ISO range but to know its there is what is attractive. Like everyone i prefer to shoot in the lower rnage for IQ. I do shoot in a vast amount of situations and generally my shoots are not comparable in terms of light, which is the problem for most of us as photographers so having confidence that the camera will be able to deal with anything I throw at it is the main benefit for me.

Going back a few years the 40D was a game changer and did everything I wanted but now I am much more demanding and so are the clients so either cameras would be great! The 1Ds or the 5D MKIII just deciding which!!! :-\

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!!

 

[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