1D - long exposure noise?

[NathanDana]

I am considering buying a used 1D as an upgrade to my trusty D30 (the alternative being a new 20D), but haven't found much info on long exposures. I fully understand that the 1D isn't designed for this purpose in general, but how does it fare in say 30 second exposures? I'm not so worried about high iso nose, as I don't shoot much below 800 ever, but I would like the option of doing long night exposures.

[Brian_Hamfeldt]

Nathan,

The 1D is not recommended for what you want. I too planned on using my 1D bodies for long exposure with a couple telescopes that I have. However, on the 1D, besides the noise (at high ISO) of 3 year old technology (compared to newer models), exposures longer than about 10 seconds yield electronic noise in two of the corners from components heating up around the CCD. They create a 'fog' that grows from the corners that render those sections of the image not very usable.

To get much better results, you may want to look into a 20D - far greater capabilities in terms of longer exposure - Japan even has a version designed for astrophotography. Otherwise, the AF and performance of the 20D comes close to the 1D and certainly is a huge jump from the D30.

Brian.

[PaulKelm]

Brian is right. For long exposures you'd be hard pressed to beat the latest cameras. The D20 is an excellent example. It's not built to the same specifications as a EOS 1 body, but its technology is, in many cases, superior.

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