Posted by Mike Klarich on April 7, 2009 at 1:48 PM
I'd like to get thoughts about which body is better and why. The new 5DMII has the same chip with an upgraded processor Digic 4 Vs. Digic 3) to better handle noise, better live view functionality, and its cheaper (1/2 the price).
The only advantage the 1DsIII has is shutter speed, more durable, and battery life? Is an update coming out soon? Looks like Nikon may have made a small jump ahead with the D3X? The D3X has a minor MP increase to 24.5 and improved LCD resolution (920,000 dot 3").
If (it's a big if) money were no object, which Canon is better for all types of nature photography (Landscape, Wildlife, Macro)?
Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions!
Posted by Scott Fricke on April 7, 2009 at 4:26 PM
A couple other things about the 5D II, it is significantly lighter and the screen on the back has something like 920,000 pixels vs. a third of that on the 1DS III. This helps a lot when doing magnified focus with the Live View. The 1DS III has better moisture seals. The one annoying thing about the 5D II is that the program dial (AV, TV, M, etc) on the top of the camera is easily rotated accidently, you really have to keep an eye on it. Yes the 1DS III battery lasts at least 3 times as long as the 5DII, that is where a bunch of the extra weight is. The charger is also much smaller for the 5D II, probably a quarter of the size, so it makes a difference in total gear weight and size. The 5DII only has a +/- 2 stops of exposure compensation while the 1DS III has 3 stops. The 1DS III has a CF card slot and a SD slot where the 5DII only has one CF slot. I'm sure there are other things but these are the ones I remember off the top of my head. Which is better? My opinion right now is that they are about the same, but if I had to go out and shoot in the rain I would take the 1DS III, if I was going on a long backpacking trip I might favor the 5D II. I'd seriously consider the 5D II and then still be able to buy a nice lens or lenses with the same money you would just spend on the 1DS III.
If you want to do wildlife, frames/second should be considered. The 1DsIII is 5 f/s, the 5dII I believe is 3 f/s, that is a huge difference. For only landscape and macro, the 5DII would be my choice, but if wildlife is important, the 5DII is out of contention, unless portraits are your idea of doing wildlife.
Posted by Scott Fricke on April 8, 2009 at 12:43 PM
The 5DII is 3.9/sec and the 1DS III is 5/sec as Don said.
I should have mentioned in my earlier post I mostly do landscapes, so that is what my my response is based on.
Posted by Mike Klarich on April 9, 2009 at 9:49 PM
I guess if shutter speed is critical its the 1DsIII over the 5DII.
Mike, I struggled with the same questions after the 5dII came out. I shoot landscapes so weight and image quality is most important to me. I haven't done any microscopic comparisons of the images produced by each camera, but to me they seem comparable. I rarely use auto focus. I don't need the higher frame rate. I hike and backpack with all my gear and on extended trips every pound counts. After some thought I sold my 1DsIII and got a 5dII. I have the 5dII for a few weeks now, and so far I don't miss the 1DsIII at all.
For those of you who have the 5dMkII and plan on using it for landscape, please report back to us on how it handles cold, wet weather. Even keeping it out of the pouring rain, it seems to NOT like cool, moist conditions...... I would certainly appreciate hearing how it does. Also, some real-world experience with its batteries.
Posted by Andrew Yip on April 12, 2009 at 10:08 AM
After living with the 5D Mark II for a while, I'm glad I switched. The only thing I really miss is the autofocus speed and number of points. I don't shoot fast action that often, so I'm okay with the tradeoff. But it all depends on what your needs are. For landscape and macro I've found both cameras to be equally capable.
Posted by Scott Fricke on April 13, 2009 at 9:12 PM
Andrew,
Nice comparison, I would agree with you on all your "preferences".
Posted by Mike Spivey on April 14, 2009 at 2:51 PM
I love my 5DII and I agree the mode dial turning accidentally is irritating but you just have to be careful.
The big deal for me is the AF in low light. I upgraded from a 40D and it seems worse, so coming from a 1 series would be a bummer. I can work with it but I don't like it. Otherwise I'm in love.
Can't remember where I read it but someone said something to the effect of "if they are going to make a camera that takes wonderful pictures in the dark, it should focus in the dark."
Discussion
9 repliesThe only advantage the 1DsIII has is shutter speed, more durable, and battery life? Is an update coming out soon? Looks like Nikon may have made a small jump ahead with the D3X? The D3X has a minor MP increase to 24.5 and improved LCD resolution (920,000 dot 3").
If (it's a big if) money were no object, which Canon is better for all types of nature photography (Landscape, Wildlife, Macro)?
Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions!
I should have mentioned in my earlier post I mostly do landscapes, so that is what my my response is based on.
Thanks.
http://www.andrewyip.com/blog/2008/10/26/switching-to-the-5d-mark-ii
After living with the 5D Mark II for a while, I'm glad I switched. The only thing I really miss is the autofocus speed and number of points. I don't shoot fast action that often, so I'm okay with the tradeoff. But it all depends on what your needs are. For landscape and macro I've found both cameras to be equally capable.
Nice comparison, I would agree with you on all your "preferences".
The big deal for me is the AF in low light. I upgraded from a 40D and it seems worse, so coming from a 1 series would be a bummer. I can work with it but I don't like it. Otherwise I'm in love.
Can't remember where I read it but someone said something to the effect of "if they are going to make a camera that takes wonderful pictures in the dark, it should focus in the dark."