# Any good reason not to buy a 1Ds III (asking for purchasing advice).



## Valvebounce (May 11, 2015)

Hi Folks. 
I have been looking to get a FF camera for a while now, I didn't want a body without AFMA ruling out a 5D, I think I heard a few people say the 6D AF is an improvement over the 5D II and I have seen enough complaints about the 6D for action to not bother with that one. 
I have the opportunity to buy a 1Ds III for a good price, is there any good reason other than the 1Dx not to. 
I use both my main bodies with a grip, so size and weight is not a concern, in fact I have large hands and find the smaller bodies uncomfortable to use. Don't do much video, and 7D does that to the level I desire. 
I will have a very short time, a few minutes, to check for any obvious problems, in the pictures it looks nice and clean and unmarked so that is a good start, the serial no is visible in the pictures, on line for 2 weeks and more, so I'm guessing it would have been spotted if it was hot. Anywhere I can check the serial so that I have done due diligence against receiving stolen property. I like to trust people but I also can't afford not to be careful on a purchase like this. 
Will the AF be an improvement over a 7D, or at least as good? 
I shoot cars, planes, people (relatives and friends), pets, birds, all sorts. 
Thanks in advance for the sharing of knowledge almost certain to follow. 

Cheers, Graham.


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## chasinglight (May 11, 2015)

I do not have experience with the 1DS3, but if I may ask, how much are you looking to spend and why not consider a 5D3? The 5d3 has better AF (61 point, same as 1dx vs 45 point) and 6 fps vs 5 fps. Additionally the 5d3 has cleaner high ISO. A grey market 5d3 can be had for about $1999 these days which is an excellent deal. And I can say having bought a grey market 5d3 and even having it inspected by CPS, there is nothing to fear.


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## kennybroh (May 11, 2015)

It is a very fine camera and I have had one I've been meaning to sell for about 6 months and haven't gotten around to it. Very low actuations, all original packaging, etc. If you're interested, email me.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 11, 2015)

Graham. To address your concern about the status of the camera: Talk with the seller, ask where he bought it. If he doesn't know anything about photography, a red flag should start waving. There needs to be a good explanation as to how he got a professional camera. If the charger and accessories are also missing, a 2nd red flag. At that point, I'd leave it unless he has some evidence that it was legally obtained. Get a bill of sale and his id number.

The other consideration is parts and support from Canon. As far as I am aware, it will be supported for at least three to five more years, but there is no guarantee that they won't run out of parts next week. Support for a camera continues until Canon is no longer to supply critical parts. Then they sell off the remaining parts to third party repair shops and stop support. This usually means that many parts will be available for a few more years, but the ones failing most often will be unavailable.

Good luck, I hope it works out.


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## Valvebounce (May 12, 2015)

Hi Mt Spokane. 
I have asked some questions, battery and charger are available but box, manuals, discs and leads are not mentioned and are part of the reason I had flags. I do know people who have thrown out or otherwise lost manuals and leads etc stuff that I still have in the box so kind of understand how it gets overlooked, and thought this might be the reason it was priced so low at £500. (Also thought they might have made the mistake when looking for a price of comparing to a 1D III). 
Another flag was offering to use pay point which has a lot of feedback regarding scams. I'm thinking it is one of those if it looks too good to be true it probably is situations but am awaiting a reply from the seller answering some questions. Also it said the camera was used recently (3 weeks ago) but when my significant other looked at the camera finder site she found that the last picture posted online was 2012, do people stop posting online? ding ding ding! 

Hi chasinglight. 
I do covet the 5D III and the 1Dx (yes I tried one at a show against all the advice given) but they are out of range at the moment, even second hand! 

Cheers, Graham. 



Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Graham. To address your concern about the status of the camera: Talk with the seller, ask where he bought it. If he doesn't know anything about photography, a red flag should start waving. There needs to be a good explanation as to how he got a professional camera. If the charger and accessories are also missing, a 2nd red flag. At that point, I'd leave it unless he has some evidence that it was legally obtained. Get a bill of sale and his id number.
> 
> The other consideration is parts and support from Canon. As far as I am aware, it will be supported for at least three to five more years, but there is no guarantee that they won't run out of parts next week. Support for a camera continues until Canon is no longer to supply critical parts. Then they sell off the remaining parts to third party repair shops and stop support. This usually means that many parts will be available for a few more years, but the ones failing most often will be unavailable.
> 
> Good luck, I hope it works out.


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## chasinglight (May 12, 2015)

that does sound like a great deal, but I would be skeptical as you are. one suggestion, if you plan to make a go for this, only deal in cash in person; there are several scams going round that use online payment services. Additionally as personal safety is paramount in these deals, suggest meeting at or in front of a police station. In the states some police stations now even allow you to request an officer to monitor the deal, check the cash, and check the serial numbers; I think they call them craigslist safe zones. The initial bonus is, that if the guy is trying to scam you, he will be very opposed to meeting anywhere near a police station. good luck.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 12, 2015)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Mt Spokane.
> I have asked some questions, battery and charger are available but box, manuals, discs and leads are not mentioned and are part of the reason I had flags. I do know people who have thrown out or otherwise lost manuals and leads etc stuff that I still have in the box so kind of understand how it gets overlooked, and thought this might be the reason it was priced so low at £500. (Also thought they might have made the mistake when looking for a price of comparing to a 1D III).
> Another flag was offering to use pay point which has a lot of feedback regarding scams. I'm thinking it is one of those if it looks too good to be true it probably is situations but am awaiting a reply from the seller answering some questions. Also it said the camera was used recently (3 weeks ago) but when my significant other looked at the camera finder site she found that the last picture posted online was 2012, do people stop posting online? ding ding ding!



I buy used equipment directly in a face to face meeting, never by mail unless its thru ebay or with a credit card or other means of recovering from fraud.

We do not use Paypoint in the US, but as I understand it, they are a very legitimate payment processor in the UK. Unless they will cover fraud, I'd not do business by mail.


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## Valvebounce (May 13, 2015)

Hi Mt Spokane. 
I was not very clear, it was not the paypoint service I was concerned over, rather the way the seller was "selling the service they provide." He used a phrase which was verbatim one that was considered a scam. 
No response since I asked a few questions. I'd like to always deal in person, but I live on a small island (the Isle of Wight) and the seller put his location as two ferry journeys from me in Ireland!

I think I'm going to lament the small likelihood it was a genuine deal and rejoice the feeling I dodged a scam. 

Thanks to all for your advice. I think I will see if I can save up twice as much dosh and get one from a reputable source with a warranty. 

Cheers, Graham. 



Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I buy used equipment directly in a face to face meeting, never by mail unless its thru ebay or with a credit card or other means of recovering from fraud.
> 
> We do not use Paypoint in the US, but as I understand it, they are a very legitimate payment processor in the UK. Unless they will cover fraud, I'd not do business by mail.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 13, 2015)

There is the old Idiom - If its too good to be true ...

Fraudsters rely on people wanting to believe their story, even if it sounds a little fishy. As soon as someone starts asking the right questions, they disappear.


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## sanj (May 13, 2015)

Graham I think you are better off with 5d3. All round better camera.


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## memoriaphoto (May 13, 2015)

The 1Ds Mark III is one of Canons finest in terms of pure IQ if you stay below ISO 1600 (it maxes out at 3200). In other words - for daylight work it is SUPERB for landscape and portaits and general photography. 

The AF is good and 5 FPS is enough for most people *however * - and this might be an issue since you mention action - the buffer when shooting RAW can be limiting. I believe Canon clocked it at 12 RAWs, but I've never passed 11. And once you hit the roof, it gets really sluggish until the memory clears. I use it on weddings and for portraits so generally no problems there. But make no mistake - it is NOT an actioncamera. Never was.

No other complaints really. Perhaps the lowres LCD but it's not as bad as people say. You get used to it quite quickly. Also, you can't check the number of clicks with any software. For that you need a Canon servicecenter so unless the seller can show official numbers, there's little you can do.

What concerns me is the price of the camera. Box and manuals _should _ not have an impact on the price - at least not like that.


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## chauncey (May 13, 2015)

Call Canon Cust. Support @ 1-800-OKCANON>supply serial number...they keep track of any service.


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## Sporgon (May 13, 2015)

It's being sold for one third of its value. Even a badly knocked about one goes for much more than £500.

I think I read somewhere that the Canon 1DsIII was the most widely scammed camera on e bay. If this camera is genuine at £500 you'd have to assume it's stolen. Will they give you the full serial number ?


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## telemaq76 (May 13, 2015)

i had the 5dmark II and 5d Mark III Then the 1ds3..and i can tell you than the 1ds3 is another level in term of image quality. the colors, the textures are just amazing. At low iso it s just pure wow each time i take a picture, espcially portrait. the 5d3 is just a great camera with bad sensor . The 1ds3 is an old camera with amazing image quality. If u don t need high iso, it s the best canon you can get.


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## Sporgon (May 13, 2015)

telemaq76 said:


> i had the 5dmark II and 5d Mark III Then the 1ds3..and i can tell you than the 1ds3 is another level in term of image quality. the colors, the textures are just amazing. At low iso it s just pure wow each time i take a picture, espcially portrait. the 5d3 is just a great camera with bad sensor . The 1ds3 is an old camera with amazing image quality. If u don t need high iso, it s the best canon you can get.



Interesting... That wouldn't be the opinion of a couple of professional colleagues who have moved from 1DsIII to 5DIII, even at base ISO.


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## AE-1Burnham (May 13, 2015)

Hi Graham,

This price sounds too good to be true. Whether it is damaged, stolen or the owner misunderstands the value of the item, I would say all indicators are negative. There is always that "I was at a yard sale" or "I inherited this camera and don't know what to do with it" scenario but still, you don't know what the camera has been through in those cases.

Today the 1DsIII is a good camera, but lacks many of the last 1-2 generations of tech like sports-level AF and video. Otherwise, it is a solid 1-series body with good AF and with great,-some of the best IQ (in controlled situations). If I was shopping today and had 2K to buy either a 1DsIII (used) or a 5DIII -- its a tough call for me. However, if you've never owned a 1-series body then you'd never know you were missing anything with the 5DIII, but then there's those that have... If you had 3K, buy a 1D IV 

Best of luck and like all others have said, let safety be your first priority!


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## memoriaphoto (May 13, 2015)

Sporgon said:


> telemaq76 said:
> 
> 
> > i had the 5dmark II and 5d Mark III Then the 1ds3..and i can tell you than the 1ds3 is another level in term of image quality. the colors, the textures are just amazing. At low iso it s just pure wow each time i take a picture, espcially portrait. the 5d3 is just a great camera with bad sensor . The 1ds3 is an old camera with amazing image quality. If u don t need high iso, it s the best canon you can get.
> ...



I'm actually with Telemaq on this one. I've also worked with 5D Mark III and yes, on higher ISO it is obviously way better than 1Ds3 and as an allrounder it is superb. But the general IQ in terms tonality and balance in the channels? The 1Ds3 is better than 5D Mark III. I wouldn't go as far as calling the 5D3 sensor bad in comparison - but for my shooting style the rawfiles from 5D3 required much more work in post compared to the 1Ds3. Especially colorwork. Even in good daylight I would get a magenta-ish cast in the shadows and some cyans in the highlights. A custom profile helped a bit but the 1Ds3 very rarely has these problems - the files behave very good. I guess it boils down to Canons newer CFA:s to allow more light on the sensor. Or maybe my 5D3's were melons, not sure


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## PavelR (May 13, 2015)

AE-1Burnham said:


> Hi Graham,
> 
> This price sounds too good to be true. Whether it is damaged, stolen or the owner misunderstands the value of the item, I would say all indicators are negative. There is always that "I was at a yard sale" or "I inherited this camera and don't know what to do with it" scenario but still, you don't know what the camera has been through in those cases.
> 
> ...



I recommend 1Ds3 over 1D4. Owning both, I use 1D4 only if I desperately need longer reach or FPS.


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## jhpeterson (May 13, 2015)

In this case, it likely was too good to be true.
But, it's still worth looking for another one, as seeing what they fetch on the market today, the 1Ds III probably gives the most bang for the buck of any camera. Sure, I bought my first two new and when they were priced close to what one could buy a good used car for, but I've never regretted being a (relatively) early adopter.
The IQ at low ISO is to this day still spectacular and they maintain great color control in almost any situation. But, what I like best about them, besides the way feel in my hand with a long lens, is how they can be put to work under almost any condition and still come back with the shots. There's something reassuring about 1D series cameras that you probably won't find anywhere else.


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## Valvebounce (May 14, 2015)

Hi Folks. 
Thanks for all the input, re the 5D III, I'd like one but the price gap is the problem. If I can't get this real cheap body it will be some time before there are funds for a better camera, probably be on the 1Dx II by then, also I need to leave a little in the pot for a standard FF lens as I only have crop at the short end (apart from the nifty fifty). 
I had been working on the bang for buck element, even at the average price of around £1100 it seems like bang for buck equipment. 
Re the serial no, it is visible in the advert, assuming it is the one the seller has, if I do go ahead and the serial doesn't match I will reject it! We have checked the serial shown against the (a) camera finder site. 
Looking in to the payment service to see if it really is COD, seller says it can be used this way so we are asking a few of the local service providers for info, it seems a that the provider (paypoint) don't want you to know if it is safe as they don't seem to be very forthcoming with info on their web site. 
The seller did get back to me after I asked some questions, so I feel a little more comfortable that they may be genuine as they didn't vanish like a scammer might. At what point did trust become so fleeting? 
With respect to the raw buffer of 12 (11) shots, I think I would be ok it is mostly cars and planes, and a small buffer back to just shy of the 40D and much better than the 300D might instil some shutter button discipline! 
My 300D got me through Tigersplash at a wildlife park in Arizona, though I did curse it as my 40D had just quit on me and I was missing the speed and buffer a bit. 

Again thanks for all advice, caution is being exercised, once bitten twice shy, got caught years ago on a stick of ram, 64mb I think. Drove 250 miles and knocked the door, wouldn't do that now, too risky. 

Cheers, Graham.


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## GMCPhotographics (May 14, 2015)

Compared to a 5DIII and a 1DsIII....get the 5DIII hands down. There's not a single metric on the 1DsIII which the 5DIII looses. The AF is better, metering, auto Iso, frame rate, iso ability...it's all in the 5DIII's favor.
But if you want the bigger body size.... then get a 5DIII and get a battery grip.


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## memoriaphoto (May 14, 2015)

GMCPhotographics said:


> There's not a single metric on the 1DsIII which the 5DIII looses.



Yes there is. IQ in daylight


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## AE-1Burnham (May 15, 2015)

5D III has a quick dial for the win. Hah! (Sarcasm) Build quality: 1DsIII > 5DIII ...Interchangable focus screens, AF linked spot metering, color accuracy (iso limited). 1DsIII is old but it isnt quite irrelevant in my opinion and yes, 5DIII is better in many ways.


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## GMCPhotographics (May 15, 2015)

memoriaphoto said:


> GMCPhotographics said:
> 
> 
> > There's not a single metric on the 1DsIII which the 5DIII looses.
> ...



You'll need to quantify that statement. Image quality in daylight? 
I remember when the 5DII was launched. There were flocks of 1DsIII users selling and buying the 5DII because the image quality was better. That's before we even begin to bring in the better higher iso capability.


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## bdunbar79 (May 15, 2015)

Sorry, gotta step in here. I owned all 3 and from ISO 100-400 the 1Ds3 clearly has better IQ. The CFA is way better.


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## aceflibble (May 15, 2015)

Even the 1Ds2 has the 5D3 beat when you're at ISO 100-200 with very good (read: clear & plentiful) light. The 5D series does do better than the 1Ds line when you step into those higher ISOs—there's a reason why ISO3200 was only ever a boost option on them—and I think if you are going for low key with a lot of shadow detail then the 5D line just about wins, but when you're talking about moderate or high-key, low ISO images, Canon did something to those 1Ds cameras that made them over-deliver. Give them studio lighting on full blast and you're not going to find anything better within the Canon world. Skin tones, especially, have not been bested since the 1Ds2. If you shoot studio portraits and you've never shot a camera with the DIGIC II processor, you're missing out.

In this particular case, it does seem like the deal is a touch too good to be true. The 1Ds cameras are built very solidly, but even the toughest cameras can be broken or wear down. A pro body like that has, most likely, seen a lot of use, and while it's uncommon to see one with the shutter run all the way down or haze in the viewfinder or a coughing mirror or anything like that, it's not totally out of the realm of possiblity. It's also very common for the batteries for the Ds cameras to have been completely worn through, and new batteries cost a helluva lot. The Ds line has definitely lost value quickly over the last year but if it was in good condition it'd still be worth a fair bit. Worth looking into, but not worth taking a blind chance on.


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## docholliday (May 28, 2015)

Gotta add my $.02 here. Owning all of the 1-series cameras (including a 1Dx), the Ds3 is still a better camera under base ISO. Otherwise, the files from the 1Dx smokes everything else.

One thing that nobody's mentioned yet: if you want to shoot at night or in low light, the 1Dx/5D3 finder will drive you up a wall with the non-lit AF point that you have to program extra buttons and stand on your head to get an idea of where your focus point it at with a tiny blink. Or, if you turn on the finder, you get blinded by the pane of red that hits you.

When shooting low light with flash or strobes, I take the Ds3. If I need the higher ISO (no strobes), I'll take the X. If I need to focus quickly, the X does better. If I need to see where I'm focusing in low light quickly, the Ds3/D4 still does better. 

I personally hate the feel of the 5 bodies - too light and flimsy feeling. I can't get my hands to wrap around it comfortably. Adding a grip to it makes it feel cheap and wobbly. Annoying turn dial that you have no idea where you're at unless you look at it. And, battery life that sucks. So, I stay with 1-series bodies. Of course, I come from MF and LF so the weight isn't an issue with me.


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## Valvebounce (May 28, 2015)

Hi docholliday. 
Thanks for your input, I didn't get the cheap camera, I wasn't willing to risk that it was a scam, but I still intend to go this route at some point in the future, on a bang for buck level I'm still convinced that this is a good value camera. Unless my wife feels compelled to buy me a 1Dx at some point! ;D

Cheers, Graham.


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