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Canon 1D MK II N or Canon 50D for birding? (1 Viewer)

websurfer

Well-known member
What would you buy if you were me? My 20D broke down recently and a repair will cost me too much £300 and I was told there might be further hidden errors.

I have also been considering FF, tempted by high IQ, but I realized, that I had to spend a lot of money on very long lenses to compensate for missing crop factor.

So now I have narrowed it down to a choice between a new Canon 50D or an used Canon 1D Mark II N [ in mint condition with only 9000 actuations - from a private seller not far away from my place] What would you go for?
 
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i think 50d is what i would go for its new and gets very good reports and has a great MP count to go with cropping .
Rob.
 
A lot of difference in MP - 8mp vs 15mp - but maybe the better sensor, more accurate and faster AF of the 1D MK II N counterballacance this?

But I get your point GYRob - the cropping posibility is important. And a new camera without any risk at all is also important.
 
Tough choice...the 50D will give you much bigger and slightly higher resolution files, but the 1DII will be more consistent, will focus faster (especially with a TC attached), and will still produce excellent images for many many years to come. It is also weather proof, tough, highly customisable etc etc.

If you buy a 50D now, you will see the second hand value drop fairly quickly as the new price comes down. The value of a 1DII (I personally wouldn't bother paying the extra for the N) will probably stay relatively stable, even when the 1dIV comes out.

Not an easy choice. I am considering getting a 50D in a few months time for a birding trip I am planning to use alongside my 1DII, if the price drops a bit that is.
 
If your considering the 1dMKIIN I would actually reconsider and go with just a 1dmkII. They are identical except that the N has picture modes, bit bigger lcd, buffer. The price difference is huge though! Here in the states a used model in excellent condition with 40K clicks is 2,400 for the 1dmkIIn and 1,400 for the 1dmkII. The nice thing about the 1dII is it is a pro body so it has weather proofing and dependability (200K shutter actuations), You might be able to get away with dropping it, they seem to have much better and more accurate AF on all focus points (24 of them) and will take the 1.4x teleconverter and retain AF with lenses f/5.6 (the focus stays relatively fast and useable although you are constricted to just the center AF point) and above. Hope this helps.

Personally I think the extra pixels and much Quieter shutter actuation (the 1dII would scare birds), lighter weight of the 50D, along with the notably better LCD (definitely can determine sharpness with this bugger) are more what I am after for bird photography.

Oops just realized Robert sort of beat me to it.
 
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I have the 1d2n and love it and would probably remain with it. I agree re 50d and cropability but autofocus on 1d2n is really quick and weatherproofing in our climate has to be a bonus.
 
I'd go with the 50D. Others above have pointed out several reasons to go that way, I'll add another: the old 1 Series cameras have really awkward controls that make you use two hands to do just about anything. On a short lens (<100mm) this is no problem, using big iron on a tripod it isn't too bad either, but the moment you need to quickly alter a setting while you are hand-holding a telephoto lens, you are sunk.

That aside, the 50D has a lot more reach. For birding, I think the choice is clear.
 
One of the most useful questions .. thank you! B :)
I hope many of us will contribute with their own reply .... it helps to consider a choice like that in a different perspective

As an aside, my ol' faithful 20D is playing tricks again .. the time to consider a change is getting closer :smoke: :C :C :C
 
another point is micro ajustment on the 50d, we spend far more on lenses so being able to fine tune them is a massive plus.
Rob.
 
I upgraded from a 20D to a 50D. IMO this is the best birding DSLR there is. These features are worth every penny for me:
15.1 mpx for cropping and fine details
High res 3" LCD
Low noise at high ISO, that corrects well with Noise Ninja
Lens micro adjustment
Very fast AF
 
People in here shooting wildlife with 1D series cameras are recommending the 50D? a bit strange?

My word I am. But that's comparing the old 1D II with the just-released 50D, and the 1D II is very old indeed now as cameras go. If we were comparing with the current-model 1D III it would be a very different question. There, I'd go for the Mark III for sure, though I don't know that the undoubted benefits of the pro model are sufficient to outweigh (a) the vast price difference, and (b) the shorter reach. On balance, the 1D III's better focus, better frame rate, better handling, better customisability via CF, better viewfinder, wonderful colour, weathersealing, and all-round built-like-a-tank class outweigh the 50D's extra reach and better screen. Whether the advantage is enough to justify the cost difference is another matter.

Note, however, that even the 1D III is starting to show is age now, and that it is not unreasonable to expect a replacement model to come out sometime within the next year or so. When that happens, one imagines that the 50D (and indeed the 60D) will be comprehensively outclassed again, just as the (then new) 40D was blown away by the (then fairly new) 1D III.
 
My word I am. But that's comparing the old 1D II with the just-released 50D, and the 1D II is very old indeed now as cameras go. If we were comparing with the current-model 1D III it would be a very different question. There, I'd go for the Mark III for sure, though I don't know that the undoubted benefits of the pro model are sufficient to outweigh (a) the vast price difference, and (b) the shorter reach. On balance, the 1D III's better focus, better frame rate, better handling, better customisability via CF, better viewfinder, wonderful colour, weathersealing, and all-round built-like-a-tank class outweigh the 50D's extra reach and better screen. Whether the advantage is enough to justify the cost difference is another matter.

Note, however, that even the 1D III is starting to show is age now, and that it is not unreasonable to expect a replacement model to come out sometime within the next year or so. When that happens, one imagines that the 50D (and indeed the 60D) will be comprehensively outclassed again, just as the (then new) 40D was blown away by the (then fairly new) 1D III.

Okay - thanks for explaining me.
 
Yea... but beware of becoming a professionnal W A I T E R - one that always waits for the new model to come out and never buys anything. When a new model fits your needs, it is often wise to get it NOW instead of waiting for a new one to come out in the future - that way, you benefit immediately from the upgrade.
 
I placed the same question on POTN - can you guess the advice? almost EVERYBODY did recommend me to go for the Canon 1D MK II N.
??
 
I imagine the ISO performance of the 50D is far superior to the older 1d series bodies and from what people are saying about the 50D the advantage of the 1d's AF might not actually be better.

I suppose only somebody with both models could truly confirm/disprove that.

My meager thoughts anyway.
 
Yea... but beware of becoming a professionnal W A I T E R - one that always waits for the new model to come out and never buys anything. When a new model fits your needs, it is often wise to get it NOW instead of waiting for a new one to come out in the future - that way, you benefit immediately from the upgrade.
This is good advice in lots of ways - perhaps I should get you to persuade my wife... ;)
 
I placed the same question on POTN - can you guess the advice? almost EVERYBODY did recommend me to go for the Canon 1D MK II N.
??

I imagine most of the members there are thinking in terms of all types of photography not just birding. In a lot of cases it might be arguable that the 1dII does outclass the 50D, but I think not so much in the birding arena. You will get the same thing at Fred Miranda as well. In fact here is a thread someone posted a while. Poor bloke took a beating.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/698763/1?keyword=x#6294471

Btw, This thread really shows How much more detail the 40D is able to catch over the 1dII. Check pg 5 and go to the 7 & 8th reply down from the top:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=97134&highlight=crop+factor&page=5

Hope this Helps.
 
Interesting reading - but I was recently on Pbase.com to watch Canon 50D gallery pics - and I must admit, I wasn´t impressed at all.
Have a look: Link
 
Just to add to this, I have both the 1dmkII and a 50D and I just did some AF tests indoors. Only ambient light from the outside. I think this simulates low light/overcast type conditions. I tried using both the outer AF points and the center point. Both were tested using my 1-4 zoom at 400mm. They seem to be on a par as their ability to focus quickly in both one shot and AF on static subjects in all AF points. I made sure to focus on the same object a less then contrasty pen against a dull purple background. I actually think the 50D was a bit faster if only by a bit. Maybe the 1dII has better tracking of moving objects though. Not sure how to test that one.
 
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