# Need Help, 1 DsIII vs 5d mark III



## cpsico (Aug 5, 2012)

Some really great condition 1ds III's are coming out for sale about the same price of a new 5 dIII and I wanted some advice on weather its better to get the older pro camera or the newer mid range camera. Does anyone have some good advice?


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## danski0224 (Aug 5, 2012)

Well, if you have followed any of the other numerous posts covering the same ground...

The consensus is that the big drawback on the 1 Ds III vs 5DIII is high ISO performance... and the 1 Ds III is superior at the low end of the scale.

You also have those black focus points on the 5DIII vs 1 Ds III.

No interchangeable focus screen on the 5DIII.

No AF at f/8 on the 5DIII.

I'm sure there are some technical differences between the AF systems. The 1 series will spot meter linked to the AF point while everything else does not.

There are the size and weight differences between the two body styles.

The LCD on the 1 Ds III is nothing like the 5DII or III.

There are no clear-cut answers.

I personally like the nose relief on the 1 series bodies compared to everything else. The integrated grip also makes the camera fit my hands better.


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 5, 2012)

I'm still struggling with this myself. I own both and am going to sell one. I can see the advantages and disadvantages of both, in real life. The 5D3 can shoot relatively well at all ISO's in it's reasonable range. The 1Ds3 cannot. I'd argue it's useless above 800 or 1000. The 5D3 can shoot well into 6400-8000 and look just fine. However, the 1Ds3 is the ultimate landscape camera. You will not get the IQ on landscape shots with a 5D3 that you will with a 1Ds3. I don't know why this is, but it is. The distant background with the 5D3 gets fuzzy/meshy whereas the 1Ds3 is still so clear all the way to the back of the scene, even at f/22. 

Overall, well-rounded camera: Get the 5D Mark III
Landscape, daytime, low ISO shooter only: Get the 1Ds Mark III

The other issue many will face, is that when they purchase the 1DX, that may be able to replace the 5D Mark III's spot. Isn't that interesting? Then you'd have kits consisting of only the 1DX and 1Ds Mark III. This tells me that in all reality, the 5D Mark III is sort of part of the replacement of the 1Ds III. It's much tougher to differentiate the two, even tougher than the 1Ds3 vs. 1Ds2 debate everyone faced. That was a bit easier due to megapickels, but this choice isn't. 

If you are NOT going to get the 1DX and you think at any time that you may need to shoot at higher ISO's, then you have to get the 5D Mark III instead. If you know you will be shooting well-lit studio, outdoor scenes, landscape only, then you can enjoy the IQ of the 1Ds3. If you have the buget to own both, get a 1DX.


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## cpsico (Aug 5, 2012)

I am leaning towards lower ISO's higher quality files, I have a 5 Mark II, its nice does decent up 1600, 3200 requires careful attention to exposure but it leaves me wanting a better ISO 100. Landscapes and portraits are my bigger concern. Color rendition is important also. 
Thank you to the two people that have taken the time to give thoughtful and detailed responses.


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 5, 2012)

cpsico said:


> Some really great condition 1ds III's are coming out for sale about the same price of a new 5 dIII and I wanted some advice on weather its better to get the older pro camera or the newer mid range camera. Does anyone have some good advice?



I wanted to just give you an example that I had to consider. This year I will only be doing Ashland U sports. Period. So I have to follow the law of specificity unfortunately. The 1Ds3 is a very neat toy, but I can't use it. I'll have a 1DX, 1D4, and 5D3 (for tennis and golf) in my kit. I'd love to keep the 1Ds3 and maybe buy Canon's new megapickel camera in two years, but I can't justify it and I have no reason to do so. The other reason, besides a queiter shutter at tennis and golf, I'm keeping the 5D3 is that I will still do weddings. Again, unfortunately, the 1Ds3 will lose out here to the 5D3. So really, I'd consider it's strengths and weaknessed and what you'll be using each for, and what you need, before purchasing. I think Brian uses the 1Ds3 quite a bit indoors but he has a lot of lighting in his kit. My combos will be 1DX/1D4 sports, 5D3 tennis/golf, 1DX/5D3 weddings. I'd love to exploit a few other cameras but I just can't justify it. If someone would only pay me to shoot whatever I wanted................ ;D


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 5, 2012)

cpsico said:


> I am leaning towards lower ISO's higher quality files, I have a 5 Mark II, its nice does decent up 1600, 3200 requires careful attention to exposure but it leaves me wanting a better ISO 100. Landscapes and portraits are my bigger concern. Color rendition is important also.
> Thank you to the two people that have taken the time to give thoughtful and detailed responses.



Ok, I see your situation now. If you keep your 5D Mark II, you'll notice a drastic, and very noticeable improvement in color rendition, accuracy, saturation, at ISO 50-400 in the 1Ds3 over the 5D2. I shoot the 1Ds3 in Portrait mode, and I just absolutely love it. It's pretty magical in those ISO ranges and I have not observed any banding in the shadows yet. So yeah, you'd have your range covered with the 1Ds3/5D2 combo. 

The other thing is the metering accuracy of the 1Ds3 over the 5D2. When I import RAW files the camera got it exactly right, whereas I cannot say this for when I owned the 5D2.


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## briansquibb (Aug 5, 2012)

bdunbar79 said:


> cpsico said:
> 
> 
> > I am leaning towards lower ISO's higher quality files, I have a 5 Mark II, its nice does decent up 1600, 3200 requires careful attention to exposure but it leaves me wanting a better ISO 100. Landscapes and portraits are my bigger concern. Color rendition is important also.
> ...



+1 - 1DS3 is still tops for low iso and particularly good for portrait colour rendition


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## Louis (Aug 5, 2012)

Im telling you straight, I just had a 1DS 3 and now have a 5D3, trust me the 5D3 is way better I mean by miles!


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## briansquibb (Aug 5, 2012)

Louis said:


> Im telling you straight, I just had a 1DS 3 and now have a 5D3, trust me the 5D3 is way better I mean by miles!



In what way do you think it is better?


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## Louis (Aug 5, 2012)

FPS, AF, ISO, Settings, so many of them etc, auto ISO etc, silent Shutter is amazing, Multiple exposures, just the general feel is so nice, I honestly loved the 1DS 3 before I had this in my hands, without a doubt I am so happy I made this choice its the right one, there's just so many options to this camera, its like it has everything you need, 22mps, is way enough generally, even HDR will have its uses and I hate HDR shots, but I know it could help if shooting interiors etc, its a move forward, also buffer time, its quick, the 1DS 3 is terribly slow if you turn on Iso NR, its a great camera..


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 6, 2012)

Louis said:


> FPS, AF, ISO, Settings, so many of them etc, auto ISO etc, silent Shutter is amazing, Multiple exposures, just the general feel is so nice, I honestly loved the 1DS 3 before I had this in my hands, without a doubt I am so happy I made this choice its the right one, there's just so many options to this camera, its like it has everything you need, 22mps, is way enough generally, even HDR will have its uses and I hate HDR shots, but I know it could help if shooting interiors etc, its a move forward, also buffer time, its quick, the 1DS 3 is terribly slow if you turn on Iso NR, its a great camera..



I agree overall. However, go shoot in tungsten lighting and tell me what color your shadows are on the 5D3 and then on the 1Ds3. Then try to change the color in post. It's not too kind. This is a big problem with the 5D3. Incidentally it's the only problem I've found, but quite irritating when the whole f'ing room is GREEN even while shooting in the correct white balance/temp. I couldn't even fix a lot of them, the shadows I could not get rid of the green hue, especially in the folds of people's eyes and arms. The 1DX and 1Ds3 get it right.


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## wickidwombat (Aug 6, 2012)

Its strange that the prices of used 1d mk4 bodies are holding value much better than 1ds3 are considering that the later were much more expensive new too


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## Louis (Aug 6, 2012)

Its just build your paying for, trust me, its just the looks you probably want and so did I, but then I felt I did have a 5 year old camera in my hand, and you really do, it isn't worth it, honest, you need to play with both, I was lucky I did,


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## dr croubie (Aug 6, 2012)

wickidwombat said:


> Its strange that the prices of used 1d mk4 bodies are holding value much better than 1ds3 are considering that the later were much more expensive new too



I've noticed that too.
Probably because the features of the 1Ds3 has been well and truly replaced by either the 1DX, 5D3, or both.
Features like Movie, High ISO, Low ISO, IQ, AF speed, AF Points, Build Quality and Sealing, all of that.

The only feature that hasn't been replaced is the f/8 AF point, which the 1Ds3 and 1D4 both have. But if you really need f/8, and are choosing betwen these two, then you're probably a Birder or otherwise using T/Cs, and you'd appreciate the 1.3x crop too.


As to the OP, everything's pretty much been said. If you can afford a 1DX, get that.
If it's pure 5D3 vs 1Ds3, then it's up to whether you're a Daylight Pro or a Nighttime Amateur or Pro who takes care of their gear...


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 6, 2012)

I think we will also need some example 1DX vs. 1Ds Mark III landscape shots. Can the 1DX match it at landscape photography? If not, I'd have no hesitation keeping a 1Ds3 in my kit, but I'm guessing the 1DX will do pretty well against it.


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## infilm (Aug 6, 2012)

I understand that my post here is off topic, but I'll hope that all here forgive my poor posting manners. I have to say that I'm really happy that I stumbled upon this post, as it helped me make a camera body decision that I have been struggling with. I am a happy owner of both a 7D and more recently at 5D2. I had an old 30D and shot tons of images with it, and it was really what enabled me to fully embraced the digital world, (yes, I was one of those guys that was holding onto the dream of film...)So I got the 7D and was wildly impressed with it, even with the noisy nature of the images that it produced. Super AF, great metering, and 8FPS. Really, a great camera. But I missed the FF of 35mm film. So I found a 5D2 and was wowed at the IQ but the meter was just okay, and the AF sucked... Especially with my longer primes. My struggle has been sell both bodies and go where? Go backwards and grab a 1DsIII or go for the 5D3. After reading the posts here, the 5D3 is the perfect animal for the type of photos I tend to go for.. Thanks


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## briansquibb (Aug 6, 2012)

infilm said:


> I understand that my post here is off topic, but I'll hope that all here forgive my poor posting manners. I have to say that I'm really happy that I stumbled upon this post, as it helped me make a camera body decision that I have been struggling with. I am a happy owner of both a 7D and more recently at 5D2. I had an old 30D and shot tons of images with it, and it was really what enabled me to fully embraced the digital world, (yes, I was one of those guys that was holding onto the dream of film...)So I got the 7D and was wildly impressed with it, even with the noisy nature of the images that it produced. Super AF, great metering, and 8FPS. Really, a great camera. But I missed the FF of 35mm film. So I found a 5D2 and was wowed at the IQ but the meter was just okay, and the AF sucked... Especially with my longer primes. My struggle has been sell both bodies and go where? Go backwards and grab a 1DsIII or go for the 5D3. After reading the posts here, the 5D3 is the perfect animal for the type of photos I tend to go for.. Thanks



If you only plan on one body then I would recommend the 5DIII over the 1DS3

The 1DS3 is brilliant at low iso and portraits, the AF is very good - at least as good as the 7D, plus the AF metering

If you want a 'standard' body with an all-round camera the 5DIII is a better package.


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## RLPhoto (Aug 6, 2012)

5D3 > 1DS3


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## smithy (Aug 8, 2012)

I went through the pain of making the 1DS3 vs 5D3 decision too, which was made harder by the fact that a used 1DS was A LOT cheaper than the 5D3. But I went for the 5D3, and am happy overall with it. I *do* long for AF point-linked metering though. It's a pain having to meter at the centre of the frame, then AE lock (*) and then compose and shoot using the outside AF points. It almost makes it worth going back to the good old centre AF point>focus>recompose method, which I've used on SLRs for the past 16 years... until now...


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 8, 2012)

smithy said:


> I went through the pain of making the 1DS3 vs 5D3 decision too, which was made harder by the fact that a used 1DS was A LOT cheaper than the 5D3. But I went for the 5D3, and am happy overall with it. I *do* long for AF point-linked metering though. It's a pain having to meter at the centre of the frame, then AE lock (*) and then compose and shoot using the outside AF points. It almost makes it worth going back to the good old centre AF point>focus>recompose method, which I've used on SLRs for the past 16 years... until now...



Don't worry about the non-AF linked spot metering. Just set your shutter speed and aperture to what you want, then use auto ISO. The metering you speak of is only for spot metering. The others won't be much different if any from your active AF vs. center.


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## Bosman (Aug 9, 2012)

bdunbar79 has some good experience and insight to the question. Both would be good for what you want other than the tungsten issue he mentions, so it comes down to cost and features.
What are the prices of a 1dsm3 Vs 5dm3?
Do you need bullet proof build?
As far as portraits and landscapes the edge may go to the 1dm3
Do you need new features of the 5dm3?
Is weight an issue?
Given what you want it for high iso isn't needed.
Both have good focus but the edge would go to 5dm3 and its spot focus as well as live view focus for portraits that allow you to see extremely zoomed in on the 5dm3.
You just need to do a checklist of wants and see where things end up.


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 9, 2012)

Bosman said:


> bdunbar79 has some good experience and insight to the question. Both would be good for what you want other than the tungsten issue he mentions, so it comes down to cost and features.
> What are the prices of a 1dm3 Vs 5dm3?
> Do you need bullet proof build?
> As far as portraits and landscapes the edge may go to the 1dm3
> ...



Hey Bosman,

Yeah you're absolutely right. For me, it came down to selling the 1Ds3 or 5D3. (I had 2 x 5D3 and 1Ds3). I automatically selected the 1Ds3 as first to sell. I could have sold both 5D3's and kept 1DX/1Ds3 but I instead chose to go 1DX/5D3 combo. The 5D3 overall is just better. I'm sure you know this as you shoot quite a bit with the 5D3 too. The sale was just an automatic and obvious choice in my head right away for some reason. 1Ds3 images can get ugly above ISO 800 and 1600 and let's be honest, to most people the 5D3 and 1Ds3 images look about the same from ISO 50-400. Only us pixel-peepers can see the difference in color rendition. Landscape shots do look a bit better if examining very closely. But yes, overall the 5D3 wins.


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## briansquibb (Aug 9, 2012)

bdunbar79 said:


> Bosman said:
> 
> 
> > bdunbar79 has some good experience and insight to the question. Both would be good for what you want other than the tungsten issue he mentions, so it comes down to cost and features.
> ...



Even though I love the 1DsIII the 5DIII has to be the better all rounder camera - in my experience th 5D2 was better all round, but the IQ of the 1DsIII at 50-400 is something else. As I have other bodies I can afford to keep the 1DsIII for those moments - especially now it has a new shutter and is pretty much mint.

My 1DX comes next week so it will be interesting to see if it meets up with the Canon claims of 1D4/1DsIII merging.


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## bdunbar79 (Aug 9, 2012)

Brian,

I think you'll find the 1DX will come up short vs. the 1Ds3 at low ISO's, just like the 5D3 did.


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## cpsico (Oct 1, 2012)

I found and purchased a perfect condition 1ds mark III for 2000 dollars from a really nice guy that was simply retiring. He gave me pelican 1620 case and many extras. I couldn't be happier with the camera. If decided to get a 5 d mark III iy will have to drop a lot in price at this point. 
Thanks to every one who responded


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## smithy (Oct 1, 2012)

cpsico said:


> I found and purchased a perfect condition 1ds mark III for 2000 dollars from a really nice guy that was simply retiring. He gave me pelican 1620 case and many extras. I couldn't be happier with the camera. If decided to get a 5 d mark III iy will have to drop a lot in price at this point.
> Thanks to every one who responded


That's a great result! Enjoy your camera and its superior ergonomics. 

I like my 5D3, but it's not as comfortable to use when gripped compared with the 1-series bodies.


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## bdunbar79 (Oct 1, 2012)

Mikael Risedal said:


> bdunbar79 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm still struggling with this myself. I own both and am going to sell one. I can see the advantages and disadvantages of both, in real life. The 5D3 can shoot relatively well at all ISO's in it's reasonable range. The 1Ds3 cannot. I'd argue it's useless above 800 or 1000. The 5D3 can shoot well into 6400-8000 and look just fine. However, the 1Ds3 is the ultimate landscape camera. You will not get the IQ on landscape shots with a 5D3 that you will with a 1Ds3. I don't know why this is, but it is. The distant background with the 5D3 gets fuzzy/meshy whereas the 1Ds3 is still so clear all the way to the back of the scene, even at f/22.
> ...



I can agree with that.


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## 7enderbender (Oct 1, 2012)

cpsico said:


> Some really great condition 1ds III's are coming out for sale about the same price of a new 5 dIII and I wanted some advice on weather its better to get the older pro camera or the newer mid range camera. Does anyone have some good advice?



A brand-new 1DsIII would still be my dream camera is all I can say. Can't afford it though. In your case especially if the 1D is really in great shape and has a low(ish) shutter count I can see how that is a more attractive offer than the 5D. Depends on intended use and few other things obviously. Certainly saves you buying the expensive grip on top of everything else.
The best argument against it I can think of is if you can utilize the new wireless flash system that won't be 100% compatible with the older cameras.


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## bbasiaga (Oct 1, 2012)

I looked at this same decsion just a month ago. I passed on the 1DsIII because of the high iso limitations. The 5D MKIII has since proven to have great IQ at all ends. I'll probably never have a 1series body now, but that's OK as the MKIII rocks.

-Brian


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## Cannon Man (Oct 1, 2012)

I would personally go with the 1Ds III. I am simply addicted to 1D bodies and for landscape and studio shoots i would choose it every time. 

And the chances are you still get a longer shutter life with the 1Ds.

1D bodies are like tall supermodels with the complete package. 5D bodies are girls with pretty faces but the rest is questionable. (Nobody get offended by that) (i mean it)


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## bdunbar79 (Oct 1, 2012)

I sold my 1Ds3 because it SUCKS at ISO's higher than 1600/2000. And in this day and age, I really don't need the burden of having a seperate camera for each and every situation. 1DX/5D3 combo covers everything possible.


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## cpsico (Oct 2, 2012)

bdunbar79 said:


> I sold my 1Ds3 because it SUCKS at ISO's higher than 1600/2000. And in this day and age, I really don't need the burden of having a seperate camera for each and every situation. 1DX/5D3 combo covers everything possible.


I have a 5 d mark II already so high ISP is reasonably covered, of course I would much rather a 1 dx/ 5d3 but I do love the colors from my newly acquired 1ds mark III. I am not crazy about the buffer only holding 10 to 12 raw files, but this is a studio camera.


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## cpsico (Oct 7, 2012)

After a day of testing on a familiar site that i have used a canon 5d mark II, and a 10 megapixel 1 d mark III I can say the 1ds Mark III is a great camera. It takes post processing the best of the 3 cameras, has by far the best color rendition and the multi spot metering is a great advantige over the 5 d mark II. It aslo has far less color noise than the 5d Mark II. 

I love my 5d mark II, when properly exposed it is a wonderful camera, Its the camera I would take first for a day of family photos due to its size and weight. If I needed a camera that could meter quickly and accurately in program mode, take lots of post processing I would pick a camera from the 1d line every time.


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## bdunbar79 (Oct 7, 2012)

One thing you will notice about the 1Ds3, is that when you take portrait shots at very low ISO, it gets the midtones exactly correct and skin tones are often times exactly right.


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## Mick (Oct 7, 2012)

Ive owned a 1DS3 for 5 years and its one amazing bit of kit. Its been in rain, snow, deserts, has been dropped onto rock and tarmak 5 times and still works perfectly. It does what it does and was designed for very well and keeps going where only pro bodies go.Colour renidtion is excellent, autofocus is good. Its used for landscapes and the odd portrait where its not going beyond iso 400. It can go higher but i dont need to. So buy one, its built like a tank, will last a lifetime in all conditions but its slow shooting and limited iso is its achillies heel. And if you loose your hammer you can knock nails in a wall with it.

As for why the 1d4 has kept its value is easy to explain. Its the crop factor. Not wanting to buy bigger lens's as they cost so much to negate the loss of crop is to much for many so the prices are holding up well. People want that crop factor.


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