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1D III v 5D II

SayCheese

SayCheese

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 14, 2007
1,720
919
Oxfordshire, England
Hi all,
I am doing some studio portraits at the end of the month for my first ever paying customers and I am looking to rent a camera with which to take the images.

I own a 1D Mk II but want something with a higher pixel count to get a better IQ and enable me to crop in if I want to without risking loss of quality.
I have the chance to rent either the 1Ds Mk III or the 5D Mk II. They are both near the same price to rent.

What i'd like to know is given the choice which would you go for and why?

Kind Regards in Advance,
 
IMO (I've used both cameras and own one of them) I'd go with the 5D Mark II. Its perfect for portraiture.

Its hard to describe (and I don't want to sound like Johnny Ives) but they 5D and 5D 2 always had a "magical" quality about the pictures. I'm not sure what it is but many people on the photography forums feel the same way.

You will have plenty of space to crop with the 5D Mark II and its also full frame so if you do any ultra wide shots your pics won't get cropped from the sensor.

I own the 5D2 and like it better then the 1Ds III and 1D III.

The 35 1.4L and 85mm 1.2L are great on that camera too.
 
I would go with the 1Ds3. To me, it is a no brainer. If you need video, than I would use the 5D2, but other than that, 1Ds3 all the way.
 
chrono1081 said:
IMO (I've used both cameras and own one of them) I'd go with the 5D Mark II. Its perfect for portraiture.

Its hard to describe (and I don't want to sound like Johnny Ives) but they 5D and 5D 2 always had a "magical" quality about the pictures. I'm not sure what it is but many people on the photography forums feel the same way.

You will have plenty of space to crop with the 5D Mark II and its also full frame so if you do any ultra wide shots your pics won't get cropped from the sensor.

I own the 5D2 and like it better then the 1Ds III and 1D III.

The 35 1.4L and 85mm 1.2L are great on that camera too.
Click to expand...

You do realize the 1Ds3 is Full Frame?
 
HBOC said:
You do realize the 1Ds3 is Full Frame?
Click to expand...

Yep. The user is thinking of using the 1D 3 though which is cropped.

Side by side the 5D M2 and 1Ds 3 IMO (and several friends of mine including one who sold his 1Ds3 afterwards) I think the 5D2 looks better then the 1Ds3 in noise levels and in fine gradients like the sky.

After testing its why I took the 5D2 over the 1Ds3. I love the autofocus and built in grip of the 1Ds3 but I like the shots out of the 5D2 better.
 
I have the 5D II and love it to death, our school has 1Ds IIs which I think suck in comparison. Here's my advice, if you're shooting in a studio on a tripod, I suggest the 1D because its a beast hahaha If you're moving around a lot and going on location, definitely the 5D II. Especially because the 5D captures amazing colors on and off location.
 
ipodtoucher said:
I have the 5D II and love it to death, our school has 1Ds IIs which I think suck in comparison.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that robust build quality, full weather sealing, amazing IQ, and autofocus system that actually works is sooooo crappy. I mean, how can you LIVE without essential features like dust removal?

:rolleyes:
 
Simple question really:

If they are the same price, why not got with the more expensive body, considering they have nearly identical sensors? If you get more features for the same amount, I'm not sure why this is even an issue.

Even if you were a sports shooter and had a problem with the 1Ds III's weight, the AF system and superior sealing easily make up for its flaws.
 
There are truly only a few differences in these cameras. The 1D III has more AF points, 2 card slots, battery grip built-in, and 10fps. This is a wedding and portrait photographer's camera. Not at all built for sports photographers (big sensor = less lens magnification = baaaad)

I honestly believe the 5D II gives a much better tonal range than the 1D III. I don't care about the 8 or so more focusing points, I shoot food and people so a lot is manual for me. I don't like the heaviness of the 1D personally, I've held a Hasselblad and that was even heavier (but it fit well in the hand).
 
chrono1081 said:
Yep. The user is thinking of using the 1D 3 though which is cropped.

Side by side the 5D M2 and 1Ds 3 IMO (and several friends of mine including one who sold his 1Ds3 afterwards) I think the 5D2 looks better then the 1Ds3 in noise levels and in fine gradients like the sky.

After testing its why I took the 5D2 over the 1Ds3. I love the autofocus and built in grip of the 1Ds3 but I like the shots out of the 5D2 better.
Click to expand...

Well i think the OP is confused, as the title says 1D3 vs 5D2, then in his post, he specifically states 1Ds3...
 
ipodtoucher said:
I honestly believe the 5D II gives a much better tonal range than the 1D III. I don't care about the 8 or so more focusing points, I shoot food and people so a lot is manual for me. I don't like the heaviness of the 1D personally, I've held a Hasselblad and that was even heavier (but it fit well in the hand).
Click to expand...

I think it may have been your imagination playing tricks on you :p

From my use of both, the only discernible difference was noise quality, and even that was minute. The sensors are nearly identical; the differences you saw may have been the result of some data trickery done by the 5D II's internals. With the 85mm f/1.2L on each, I couldn't tell them apart. Maybe it's just me...I need to get back to pixel peeping :rolleyes:;)
 
Get the 5dII, there is less you might fudge up in the settings. You don't need the extra focus speed, build quality, etc for a portrait session and quite honestly if this is with your first paying client ever both cameras will likely be limited by the person pushing the button rather than the hardware.
 
Thanks all for your opinions and views.
Yes I did make a mistake in putting 1D III in the title and 1Ds III in the text. I meant the 1Ds III.

I am still not sure which way I am going but you have all provided some useful insight into which I should get so thanks.
 
I personally would get the 1 series, but that is just me. Someone said to get the 5D2 over the 1Ds3 due to making a mistake with the settings easier. Well to change the settings on the 1 series (all 1 series), you have to hit several buttons at once. For example, to change the ISO, you need to press the "AF" and "ISO" buttons at once. Same goes for changing the "mode" (there is no dial), or even deleting an image. It is basically fool proof.

Both cameras are more than capable. Both are basically the same in MP. People say the 1 series is heavy, but i am used to mine. Just try them out before you rent.
 
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