Canon 5D Series or 1D Series?

[retronesphoto]

Okay... So i'm looking to get a new body at the moment. I've worked with the Canon XT, XS, 10D, and the 20D. I have some money to spend for some new equipment including maybe one or two L lenses.

I usually just shoot family pictures, pictures of hanging out with friends, social events, and i'm looking forward to doing some commercial work in the future.

I don't really care about how many megapixels the Canon 5D Mark II has or how much the Canon 1D Mark II or II N or III has...

I'm looking at comparing the Canon 5D with the Canon 1D Mark II (N), and the 5D Mark II with the 1D Mark III.

I know that the 1D is APS-H with a 1.3x crop sensor while the 5D is full frame.. Also, the 1D Mark II (N) uses the old Digic II processor, and so does the 5d Mark I. While the new 5d Mark II has the Digic 4 processor, the 1D mark II has a dual digic 3...



So what would you choose? The 1d Mark II N costs about the same used as the 5D Mark I. They both were put in the market in 2005...

As for the 1D Mark III and the 5D Mark II, they were just one year apart...

So what do you guys think? Please give me your thoughts on 1dmk2n/5dmk1 and the 1dmk3/5dmk2..

[SilverBullet07]

Between thhe 1D Mark III and the 5D MK II, I think it would depend if you need 10 fps, 19 AF points and 63-zone TTL full aperture metering. Would that out weigh the full Frame sensor and it's 21 MPs. The extra 1500 would be a factor too.

[OsmosisStudios]

Action: one o the 1D series (or wait a bit to see if people start selling their MKiii models).
Studio, portraits, landscape: 5DMKII

[bearly]

i'd go with the 5DMkII... its amazing, and since it sounds as though action isn't a main priority, the low fps won't matter.

[BCampbell]

The 1D cameras compared to the 5D's you're looking at have some amazing technology for action shots, with high FPS and impressive autofocus capability.

However, for what you want to do, it sounds like 5D has a few bonuses, namely a wider field of view (being full frame) for wide indoor shots and landscapes, and better low-light shooting.

This is not a light investment. You'd be well served finding people who have each model you're looking at who will let you play with them for a bit to see how you the advantages and drawbacks of each.

[jdepould]

5D2 for anything but sports. Especially if you're thinking you want to do commercial work.

[inkista]

Sports, I'd say the 1DIIN wins, sidestepping the MkIII AF issues and price. But basically, just for my personal tastes, I'd go with a 5DMkII over a 1 series because I like my cameras small and I don't use a battery grip, and the 1 series cameras all have that integrated vertical grip. I don't want to have to buy my camera bags all over again.

[Raoul Isidro]

Based on your situation, a 5DMkII would be better. You can be lean and small by not attaching the bulky battery grip. But you can modify with add ons later if you ever have a need for pro requirements. It is a system camera, so parts are supposed to carry over to the next generation (hopefully..)
Cheers!

[LoveDSLR]

Another thing you should consider is the focusing system. I preferred the Canon 1D series focusing system more than the 5D series. That's why I love to shoot with my Nikon D3 more than my Canon 5D & 5D Mk II in grab & shoot situations.

It is so easy and fun to shoot family pictures, pictures of hanging out with friends and social events especially with high fps.