Any good reason not to buy a 1Ds III (asking for purchasing advice).

[GMCPhotographics]

Compared to a 5DIII and a 1DsIII....get the 5DIII hands down. There's not a single metric on the 1DsIII which the 5DIII looses. The AF is better, metering, auto Iso, frame rate, iso ability...it's all in the 5DIII's favor.
But if you want the bigger body size.... then get a 5DIII and get a battery grip.

 

[memoriaphoto]

There's not a single metric on the 1DsIII which the 5DIII looses.

Yes there is. IQ in daylight

 

[AE-1Burnham]

5D III has a quick dial for the win. Hah! (Sarcasm) Build quality: 1DsIII > 5DIII ...Interchangable focus screens, AF linked spot metering, color accuracy (iso limited). 1DsIII is old but it isnt quite irrelevant in my opinion and yes, 5DIII is better in many ways.

 

[GMCPhotographics]

There's not a single metric on the 1DsIII which the 5DIII looses.

Yes there is. IQ in daylight

You'll need to quantify that statement. Image quality in daylight?
I remember when the 5DII was launched. There were flocks of 1DsIII users selling and buying the 5DII because the image quality was better. That's before we even begin to bring in the better higher iso capability.

 

[bdunbar79]

Sorry, gotta step in here. I owned all 3 and from ISO 100-400 the 1Ds3 clearly has better IQ. The CFA is way better.

 

[aceflibble]

Even the 1Ds2 has the 5D3 beat when you're at ISO 100-200 with very good (read: clear & plentiful) light. The 5D series does do better than the 1Ds line when you step into those higher ISOs—there's a reason why ISO3200 was only ever a boost option on them—and I think if you are going for low key with a lot of shadow detail then the 5D line just about wins, but when you're talking about moderate or high-key, low ISO images, Canon did something to those 1Ds cameras that made them over-deliver. Give them studio lighting on full blast and you're not going to find anything better within the Canon world. Skin tones, especially, have not been bested since the 1Ds2. If you shoot studio portraits and you've never shot a camera with the DIGIC II processor, you're missing out.

In this particular case, it does seem like the deal is a touch too good to be true. The 1Ds cameras are built very solidly, but even the toughest cameras can be broken or wear down. A pro body like that has, most likely, seen a lot of use, and while it's uncommon to see one with the shutter run all the way down or haze in the viewfinder or a coughing mirror or anything like that, it's not totally out of the realm of possiblity. It's also very common for the batteries for the Ds cameras to have been completely worn through, and new batteries cost a helluva lot. The Ds line has definitely lost value quickly over the last year but if it was in good condition it'd still be worth a fair bit. Worth looking into, but not worth taking a blind chance on.

 

[docholliday]

Gotta add my $.02 here. Owning all of the 1-series cameras (including a 1Dx), the Ds3 is still a better camera under base ISO. Otherwise, the files from the 1Dx smokes everything else.

One thing that nobody's mentioned yet: if you want to shoot at night or in low light, the 1Dx/5D3 finder will drive you up a wall with the non-lit AF point that you have to program extra buttons and stand on your head to get an idea of where your focus point it at with a tiny blink. Or, if you turn on the finder, you get blinded by the pane of red that hits you.

When shooting low light with flash or strobes, I take the Ds3. If I need the higher ISO (no strobes), I'll take the X. If I need to focus quickly, the X does better. If I need to see where I'm focusing in low light quickly, the Ds3/D4 still does better.

I personally hate the feel of the 5 bodies - too light and flimsy feeling. I can't get my hands to wrap around it comfortably. Adding a grip to it makes it feel cheap and wobbly. Annoying turn dial that you have no idea where you're at unless you look at it. And, battery life that sucks. So, I stay with 1-series bodies. Of course, I come from MF and LF so the weight isn't an issue with me.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi docholliday.
Thanks for your input, I didn't get the cheap camera, I wasn't willing to risk that it was a scam, but I still intend to go this route at some point in the future, on a bang for buck level I'm still convinced that this is a good value camera. Unless my wife feels compelled to buy me a 1Dx at some point! ;D

Cheers, Graham.