Silly question? EOS 5D Mk.I or EOS 1Ds Mk.II?

[HiFiGuy1]

I already have a 40D. I need full frame so that my 17-40 can give me great looking interior architectural shots for work. If I have the option to get a clean used 5D or 1Ds II, and the 1 series is nearly the same price, at least within about $200 or so, which one should I buy? On the surface, the 1 series seems like a no-brainer, but it seemed so obvious that I thought I may be overlooking something. I had a 5D in the past, and it was a great camera, and is still looked upon favorably. What is the smart move here? Right now, my only lenses are a 17-40 L and a 28-135 kit lens. I plan on a 70-200 2.8 II L as the next lens, and any of those will also work fine with my 40D, so there's no decision about buying a body that's right for a lens, or vice versa, if I had EF-S stuff.

[DavidEccleston]

Odd that they're about the same price... 5D1 is often found used (B&H or Adorama) for $600ish-$700ish, while a 1Ds2 is often $1100-$1400.

Both are only going to be good to ISO 1600 (cleaner than crop), but fall apart at ISO 3200. Both are discontinued, and cannot be repaired by Canon.

If you need the 1D series servo capabilities, pay the premium, but I'm not sure there is any other reason to go 1D over 5D... Perhaps weather sealing, assuming it's still working.

For the 1Ds2 you can't change half the settings without outdated software (supposed last verified to run on XP 32-bit) via firewire. I'm not sure if the 5D has that firewire limitation. You'll need to track down older copies of EOS Utility, as the newer ones don't support these cameras.

[DavidEccleston]

If you don't "need" full-frame, consider to 10-22mm EF-S lens too! Perhaps you can find one cheaper than the camera.

[clemmb]

Both are discontinued, and cannot be repaired by Canon.

My 5D was recently repaired by Canon
Check this out

[DavidEccleston]

Hmm. When was your repair?

I'd heard the 1Ds2 was to be completely written off by Canon as of December 2012, and would no longer repaired. I'd heard this just after I had ordered my 1Ds2, which was the day before the 6D was announced, so mid-September 2012. I also saw that Canon dropped support for the 1Ds2 and 5D from EOS Utility at the same time, and just assumed the 5D would be completely written off too. Perhaps that assumption was wrong. Heck, perhaps they're still supporting the 1Ds2 too.

The rule of the day, don't listen to random people on the internet (including me, apparently. )

[PatrickH]

There have been some good deals on the 6D lately, new and refurbished. Depending on the prices that you are seeing for the 1Ds2, I think the newer sensor would be a worthy upgrade for the type of work referenced.

[peety3]

I can't speak for the 1Ds2, but in general I've read that the analog amplifiers that feed pixel readings to the A->D converters are vastly better in the 1 series than in any other line. I'll add that I've rented a 5D1 alongside my 1D3, and felt it to be horribly sluggish, almost to the point of wanting to borrow/swap/steal my wife's 40D.

[clemmb]

Hmm. When was your repair?

July 2013. They repaired the accelerometer, did the recall modification on the mirror and calibrated the focus to my 24-105. I was very happy with the results.
As Patrick said, if you can swing a 6D I think you would like the lower noise and higher pix. Peety said sluggish. Well, compared to my 1DmkIIn, yes it is sluggish but for what you say you want to capture it would be great.
Mark

[Thom Deevers]

I would suggest going with the 5d Mark II. That also may be due to the fact that I have two bodies for sale.......just saying'!