EOS-1D Mark II
EOS-1D Mark II N
EOS-1Ds Mark II

???

1DS has full frame sensor....and cost a bunch of $$$
1D MKII and 1D MKII N are 1.3 crop factor bodies. The N has larger LCD screen, larger buffer 48 frames compared to 40. There are other differences as well but I forget what they are.

Having both the original 1D and the MKII N I was very glad I upgraded, the old 1D was huge jump, but the MKII N was even bigger in terms of speed and quality. Granted the MKII/MKII N are not cheap, but the DS is $3000 more and it's not worth that for full sixe sensor IMHO.

One thing kellybean.....the 1D bodies weigh a lot more than the DRebel, many do not like the weight. It's well balanced though with the L lenses and if you do any panning type photos you will find it much easier to pan.

JS

Hey Kelly,

If you go to B&H's site, you can do a side by side compairison of all three. By looking at them, I would say that the biggest differances are, price, resolution and speed.

The 1Ds has a full frame 16.7mp sensor. The other two both have 8.2mp sensors and a 1.3x focal length multiplier. No multiplier on the 1Ds because it's full frame. The Mark II N may have a little bit bigger sensor than the other 1D Mark II, but I'm not possitive on that.

Price:
1D Mark II - $3500
1D Mark II N - $4000
1Ds Mark II - $7150

ISO settings are:
1D Mark II: 100-1600 (expandable to 50-3200)
1D Mark II N: 100-1600
1Ds Mark II: (expandable to 50-3200)

I would check the reviews to see what the noise levels for each are like.

Shutter speeds are the same for all three models as is the max flash sync speed.

Shutter lag:
1D Mark II: 0.001 second
1D Mark II N: 0.055 second
1Ds Mark II: 0.055 second

Burst Capacity:
1D Mark II: low speed - 3fps up to 40 frames / high speed - 8.5fps up to 40 frames
1D Mark II N: low speed - 3fps up to 40 frames / high speed - 8.5fps up to 40 frames
1Ds Mark II: 4fps up to 32 shots in larg jpeg, or 11 shots in RAW

The Mark II N has a 2.5" LCD dispaly and the others both have a 2" display.

Those are the biggest differances, on paper anyway.

Thanks. I did go to the B&H site and looked at them all, thank you. I like the speed of the 1D Mark II N, but I like the idea of the full-frame sensor and added resolution of the 1Ds. I don't like the loss of speed though. And of course I hate the price.

I do realize they are heavy; all the reviews talk about its weight, but with the 70-200 L lens I had planned on getting a monopod anyway. And I am 100% sold on the idea of their rugged durability.

I'm planning on getting the lens right away and holding off on a camera purchase till the end of the year. That way I'll get a better idea of how much quality the lens adds before I decide how much more camera I need. Besides, I figure this is the year for another Canon model release (wasn't the last model released in 2004?) and either I'll get a better price on an older model or I'll discover I really want the new model. :D OR, I'll decide I don't need that much camera and will settle for the 20D.

Is the 5D just as durable? I really haven't researched it at all. It certainly does sound like an option.


--edit--
this post belongs UNDER the following post. :p

There always the EOS 5d! It is considerably slower fps wise, but it does have a full sized sensor. You won't get any more dynamic range than the 1D MkII even with the full frame sensor because of pixel pitch/spacing. They are the same between the two cameras.

This is a camera sizewise that is more comfortable for a lot of people. Size is far closer to a 20d. Only slightly larger. Big 2.5" LCD as well. Shares this with the Mark II N.

Big files, good images mostly reported, very good finder (something everyone notices on the full frame Canon cameras) and the build is much better than anything other than the '1's'.

About 13 megapixels. Certainly an option.

Is the 5D just as durable? I really haven't researched it at all. It certainly does sound like an option.
Not nearly. 5D is not dissimilar from the 20D buildwise, and lacks weather sealing.
Remember MP isn't everything, and if you want speed and durability, the 1DMkII/1DmkIIN are your best bets. 8.2mp on a 1.3x sensor is plenty.

>> 8.2mp on a 1.3x sensor is plenty.
For me, yes. But tell that to the stock agencies that want 50MB files for print work.
I can't upscale my 20D or 1DmkIIN to meet their needs - you can't invent detail that doesn't exist :(
But 1DSmkII JPEG files would be acceptable.
Or of course high resolution scans from film or slide.
Digital sensors are not the only way to provide digital files :D

Is the 5D just as durable? I really haven't researched it at all. It certainly does sound like an option...

Kelly, you really have to decide what's most important for YOU before you can sift through other people's advice.

I already use a a 1DmkII, and it is a pro body in every sense of the word. Large resolution sensor, smaller conversion factor, and supreme processing speed in an extremely durable chasis.

I got it as a quantum leap up from my original 10D, mostly for the shooting speed when I want to capture fast sequences (about as close as you can get to my film EOS-1 VHS).

On friday I got my new 5D, and I'm very excited about that camera, too. But the reasons are slightly different.

For me, the main selling point (other than of course, the 12.8meg resolution) is the FULL FRAME sensor. This is extremely important, allowing me to get what I expect out of my super wide and fisheye lenses.

So, I plan to use the two as a system, chosing a body depending on what is more important to the shot, fps speed or angle of view.

mjs

The MKII N has the same shutter lag as the MKII 55ms, but the MKII N turns on and ready to shoot in .2 seconds. Also the MKII N ISO IS expandable from 50-3200. Only the 1D original was 100-3200

Kellybean,
The 5D has zero weather/dust sealing, and if I am going to spend over $1000 for a body it's going t o have weather sealing!

JS