Okay – is there a concise conclusion or not ?

I won’t go into too much philosophizing here – it has been done in the other sections already. I’ll keep my personal summary as simple as possible without going into the weight/size debacle. I’ve not decided if it’s a pro or a con aspect and I guess I never will find it out...

1Ds benefits:
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- Feeling. Not to be ignored, I think. Just listen to the sound of the shutter. Think again – what made you switch (?) to a DSLR in the first place. A Canon S3 IS does a pretty good job as well, doesn't it :)

- "Snappiness" – the 1D2/1Ds are just so amazingly responsive. From focusing to shutter lag to blackout time. Although not perfect, there is certainly some thing specal with the 45-point AF sensor that makes it lock so spot-on every time.

- Durability and ruggedness. If you're out in harsh conditions (anyone experienced heavy rain during photography?) – the weather sealing really makes sense. Further – the tough design really makes this beast last, even when punished hard out in the field.

1Ds shortcomings:
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- Battery life – let’s be honest and admit that it sucks big time. The 1Ds eats battery capacity - the large NP-E3 batteries last just about 150-200 shots at best. OTOH, Ni-Mh batteries are more predictable at low temperatures.

- LCD screen. It’s crap. As simple as that.

- CF write speed. Don’t spend any money on an Exreme IV card – it doesn’t pay off as the 1Ds writes all cards at the same low speed. A 8-10 MB RAW file takes about 6-8 seconds to write.

- Flash metering. The E-TTL system is not really dependable, but once you learn its shortcomings, it’s easy to compensate.

5D benefits:
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- Full frame, decent resolution and resolving power at a reasonable price. No doubt about it. Comparing with a MF back or the 1Ds2, it’s a bargain. No doubt about it.

- Noise performance. It’s probably best in the class or maybe best among all DSLRs when taking shadow noise into account.

- LCD screen – although not pivotal in any decision making IMHO, the 5D 2.5” display is really good.

5D shortcomings:
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- Value for money. Don’t get me wrong here - it’s really a great camera independent on its price tag. However, despite some significant price dropping, it’s stuck somewhere in an intermediate void between the objectively less capable cameras and the subjectively more durable/professional ones.

- Build quality. Although above normal comparing with most DSLRs on the market, Canon must either slash the price by some additional 25% and/or add some more “sense of professionalism” to justify the current price premium.

- Snappiness and responsiveness. The 5D more behaves like a consumer grade DSLR in this respect. Comparing with the 1D series, focus, shutter lag and an overall sense of alertness isn’t there.


Okay – as a closing question: Shall I buy a 5D or not?

Does FF make sense? If not, get yourself a 30D. It gives almost the same feeling (without the bright viewfinder of course) for about half the price.

Not too spoiled by the last advances in speed/flashiness: A used 1Ds is certainly an interesting alternative. It’s a really good camera and provides IMHO excellent value for money. Second-hand value for a decent 1Ds here is Sweden in the $2000-3000 range.

If you can afford it and if you have a fairly recent one and cannot justify the price premium of the 1Ds2 – do like I did: Buy it and enjoy.

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As a little personal addition to all this – some people argue, quite often fairly arrogantly, that “it is not about the camera, it’s about the photographer” etc. etc. Yes – Leonardo Da Vinci could have made that picture with a piece of charcoal etc. etc.

I humbly disagree in this question. Anyone with that level of “photographic professionalism” is free to dump their 1Ds in favor of a HP P&S cam to make the trip lighter as stuff does not matter.

Tech stuff matters to a certain degree and a really good tool adds joy and pleasure every time you use it. The really nice and smooth results from Canon’s CMOS sensors have a certain character and I must say that I really enjoy these fine photographic tools.

I believe the 5D will be a good companion from now and onwards beside my good friend, the 1Ds. Thanks - you've helped me taking some photos with a character I like...