Since the introduction of the Canon EOS 5D, I’ve been tempted to get one, but since I’ve got my heart with the 1-series bodies, it simply didn’t click when I first got my hands on one. Further – early-bird overpricing, early bugs and other problems including endless threads about back-focus, banding, noise, battery failures, lockups makes you less tempted given that you have a good tool at hand already.

Although I’ve been out for a 1Ds2 since it was introduced, its completely ridiculous price tag has made it a no-no, although I technically could afford it. A 5D can today be bought at 1/3 of the 1Ds2 price, but OTOH it is 2x the price of the 30D, which apart from its 1.6x crop gives more or less the same feeling (which is not bad by any means). But - switching from an 1Ds to a 30D wouldn't make sense... Well - after all, it's a bit like buying a new car - there is a certain amount of complicated decision making apart from the rational parts involved. I just try to be honnest ;-o

I bought a 1D2 back in 2004 and I really liked it. Coming from a 10D, it was a somewhat shocking experience to unpack the box at the first time. Going from a 10D to a 1D2 is like going from a tuk-tuk to a tank, but I instantly started to love this beast and its unparalleled sense of quality and durability. Well, it is not just emotional – the 1D2 followed me through some really tough rides. Water, rain, dust, sand, bumps, scratches – nothing caused it ever to betray me. An amazing companion really...

My only cons regarding the 1D2 is the 8.2M resolution in combination with the relatively strong anti-aliasing filter. Although the image quality in most cases is more than satisfying, the resolution power when it comes to cropped pictures or slightly rotated ones, there was some more to wish for, even after applying sharpening in post-processing.

Secondly, although the 1.3x crop in the 1D2 compared with the 1.6x crop in the 10D gave more FOV, which often is usable. I personally like to be in the 70-200mm range, which gives low perspective distortion. The thought of a FF camera was therefore an interesting option.

Tempted by the 5D, I got an offer of an used 1Ds1 with less than 5000 shots on the meter in mint condition for about 2/3 of the 5D street price. It was more or less a no-brainer and I got it and my old dream of having the combo FF + 24-70 and 1.3x + 70-200 as a general-purpose set with me could be realized.

Well, it lasted a few weeks.

My 1D2 found its Waterloo, mounted on a tripod when hitting a concrete floor when the tripod tripped accidentally. The sound when the top of the camera crashed into the floor still rings in my head. After a week at the service centre my companion was doomed: “damaged beyond practical/economical repair”

I went with the 1Ds, which interestingly was a step backwards chronographically compared with the 1D2. The most noticeable difference in this respect was the terribly slow write to the CF card – a 10D flashback really. From a throughput perspective the reasonable buffer size made this a minor problem, but being an “expose to the right” guy, the histogram is my number one instrument. I always make a few test shots in a new scene to check out the histogram reading – some 4 seconds lag is a problem sometimes when you’re stressed. Waiting 20+ seconds to review "frame 5 in a sequence shot" while the camera is flushing to the CF card is irritating sometimes.

But the resolution, the amazing crispness and smoothness of the weak AA-filter and Canon’s superb CMOS sensors gives the 1Ds pictures a very special touch – not completely different from the 10D, but the 1Ds crispness is in a different league.

Most people borrowing my 1Ds are complaining about the crappy LCD screen and yes – there have been significant developments in color LCD technology the last years. No doubt about that and most sub $200 P&S cameras today have better screens than the 1Ds. But what the heck – the main reason for the screen is the histogram and not reviewing the picture per se. The truth is so simple that the 1Ds focus is so spot-on that if you feel that the shot was right when you shot it, it really is. Sharpness and focus is just amazingly snappy and accurate.

The 1Ds is also a real battery guzzler. Unless you charge your heavy NP-E3s properly, it is unlikely that you get more than 200 shots before being completely exhausted. But again, battery capacity does not affect IQ, so it’s more of an inconvenience kind of thing.

But – new technology is always fun and interesting. Technology matures, bugs get fixed and prices go down as rumours about new models starting to spread. Suddenly it became time to get a 5D as... as, a... er... Well, let’s call it a backup body and a wish to regain the 24-70 + 70-200 combos with shallow DOF and low-light capability.

Most likely, at least one new Canon pro body is imminent at time of writing, but it will take a year before the early price premium is gone and the initial bugs are squished. I don’t need to be the early bird here.

The 5D is a nice machine – no doubt about it is by no means a quantum leap from the 1Ds1. There are some objective refinements and some subjective differences that I’ll try to highlight from my own horizon. I’ve made my own priorities from what matters from my shooting requirements. Real metrics in the sense of "hard evidence" sometimes make sense, but that's not what I've been out for here.

All shots are RAW, processed with C1 3.7.3 and the most recent ETC Hi-Sat Profiles. One could argue that the results could be slightly different with other software or in-camera JPG-processing, but the bottom lines should be reasonably right anyway...
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