1ds mach II or 5d

Paul_jayson · #1 03-20-2006, 11:04 PM

I am looking for my best choice in a digital camera for my weddings. Is the 16.8 1ds mach II much better then the 5d. Or how about the 1d mach II?

Thanks PAul

MarkBothwell · #2 03-21-2006, 06:25 AM

Hi there,

No contest, go for the 1dsMk2 - superior RAW file and best 35mm on the market.

The 5D is simply Canon's way to squeeze more money out of the initial period of 100% viewfinder cameras, in 3 years everybody will be on 16+ megapixel bodies.

Just my thought though, of course it depends on your budget.

All the best,

Mark

KenDoo · #3 03-21-2006, 08:48 AM

For your altar returns or any portrait shots that you anticipate printing large, The 1Ds Mark II's extra megapixels will always be a bonus---but the 5D is also capable of producing simply outstanding large prtraits as well. For what its worth, I think the 1Ds files will be too large and unwieldy to shoot an entire wedding with----and the workflow can be slowed down tremendously because of it. The reality is that not every image will need that kind of resolution. For that reason, I'd opt for the 5D (get two 5Ds for the price of the 1Ds). For speed or PJ style shooting, it's hard to beat the 1D Mark II.

A great combination would be both the 1D and 1Ds mark II's---since both bodies are similar, built like tanks, etc. I use the 1D Mark II and the 5D---and sometimes it takes a few seconds just to get the brain moving when switching from two very different cameras, with very different layouts/controls. The image quality from the 5D is excellent, but there is absolutely no question that the Mark II series camera bodies are much better built. All are great tools----you can't go "too wrong" with any of these Canon camera bodies for wedding work.

ken

MarkBothwell · #4 03-21-2006, 09:09 AM

Yes, that's a decent point about the 1dsMk2 slowing your workflow if that's a concern for your storage, etc. But I think you need the best you can get, period. The pixel detail on the dsMk2 is cutting-edge.

However, say you get the 5D. What happens if a guest at a wedding that you're shooting gets talking to you, just happens to be somebody in the commercial world, knows his stuff, and needs a guy to shoot some stuff for a job. He's going to see you've a certain type of kit and wonder why another (better) spec body is on the market and you don't use it.

Yes, I know it's unlikely, but it happens. At every wedding there's a few people who also have a wedding to plan, and they're scanning the scene for ideas, suppliers, etc. You simply never know. Just a thought.

Having said that - I do agree though with the previous comment, either will deliver great files .... excellent point.

Mark

David_Buzzard · #5 03-21-2006, 01:59 PM

If it were me, I'd go with the 1D, not the 1Ds. It takes beautiful pics, and has more than enough resolution for 99.9% of wedding work. Using a 5.5MP Nikon D1x, almost all of the resizing I do is down, not up. The 5D is a also a fine camera, but very slow, which depending on your style of shooting might be an issue. File size is a big issue as well. It's not only extra flash cards, but your computer needs to handle a large volume of images is going to increase dramically as well with 16MB files.

As far as being judged by your equipment at a wedding, I wouldn't worry too much. You're much more likely to be judged on your work, especially now that images are on the web within days or weeks of the wedding.

David Buzzard

#6 03-21-2006, 02:45 PM

If you regularly shoot at ISO 800/1600 like I do at weddings, I think the 5D is the way to go. Also, think to yourself, will your clients see a difference between the 5D and the 1Ds Mark II? Maybe 1 in 100 clients, IMHO. Buy 2 5Ds or 1 5D and some great glass to stick on the front of that 5D ;-)
YMMV

MarkBothwell · #7 03-21-2006, 05:35 PM

Hi,

I understand the point about being judged on work being far (FAR!!) more imprtant than being judged on gear, but unfortunately that isn't the way everyone operates.

The point I made about somebody judging you on-event regarding equipment was, I admit, not something which happens everyday, but I'll give you an example. A commercial shooter colleague of mine recently did a wedding job and a highly placed exec from Getty was present. They got talking, but it came to nothing on the basis that Getty have recently restricted their stock on the basis of suppliers who use certain bodies, not the work. In 35mm terms they will now only accept 3 Canon and 1 Nikon as "approved" gear from a digital supplier.

But I'm digressing on the original point which started this thread about what camera to use. I still think the 1dsMK2, or 1ds - in my opinion the 1D was great for sport, but does a 12MB file cut it? However, everybody is different.

Mark