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Canon 1d Mark 2 or Mark 3 (1 Viewer)

S

SheffBirdingSam

Active member
Hello.

I am planning on buying a Canon 1D Body but am stuck with which one to get.

I would like to get the Mark 2N version because it is cheaper, but am willing to save longer to get a Mark 3 version. Or what about the Mark 2 (not N version)

The question that i am asking is that is there much difference between the Mark 2N and Mark 3 models. Is it work paying almost £800 pound more for the Mark 3 version, i have seen on some posts that the Mark 3 has some auto focusing problems?

Regards,
Sam Winslow.
 
Sam

I was wrestling with the same problem. I decided that you could not go wrong with a mark ii for price, but that the mark iii was worth the extra for, e.g. better AF (most owners have got their's fixed by Canon and have the letter to prove it), only need one hand to operate buttons, higher MP count etc. I have had no regrets. But, whichever one you choose, it will be a good decision!
 
The 1d2 bodies are falling down in price at the moment but JCL isn't wrong. I was tempted down the 1D route for shooting horses in indoor arenas and it's simply a stunning camera - AF is simply the best I've used (as it should be!) the higher ISO work is very good (even better with Lighroom 3's 2010 processing algorithms) and coupled with a 70-200 2.8 it's great for what I use it for.

When it comes to birds, you'll be told that the 7D may be a better body due to its 18MP hence croppability for smaller subjects but using the 1D with the 100-400 I can now get stuff that is almost as sharp with this lens as it is with the 70-200 2.8 and Microadjust is a great little tool for honing the AF of the camera if it's not 100% accurate in the first place and it knows which lenses you've got on and will automatically apply the MA AF settings if you've set for more than 1 lens.

A blue dot normally signifies the sub-mirror fix having taken place on a 1d3 - if not, Canon will still do it free of charge.

HTH
Dave.
 
I own a mark ii n and it's a super camera. I can't comment on the auto focus compared to the mark iii but on the mark ii it's fast and tracks very well. With all mark i's the benefit of AF at f8 is also a real bonus. I doubt the extra two MP of the mark iii really increase detail capture noticeably but will give you a little extra latitude to crop.
One area the mark iii will trump the mark ii is in the screen size that extra half inch on the screen does make a difference and I believe you get live view too.
I'm sure you'll be happy with either body the 1 series are great cameras just wait till you experience the hair trigger like shutter button, it's so responsive.
 
Thank you very much.

I think i am going to get a mark II then, they are going on eBay cheap at the moment so might grab one.

Thank you for all you help, been brilliant.

Regards,
Sam Winslow.
 
SheffBirdingSam said:
Thank you very much.

I think i am going to get a mark II then, they are going on eBay cheap at the moment so might grab one.

Thank you for all you help, been brilliant.

Regards,
Sam Winslow.
Click to expand...

I had the same issue earlier this year - 1D2N, 1D3 or 7D? In the end I went mad and got a 1D4 instead. I had a loan of a 1D2N (thanks a lot Gary!) so had a chance to test a 1D series body before I took the plunge.

The 1D4 has come down in price recently (c.£3400) and is fantastic! Far superior AF to the 1D2N. I have also heard friends say they a little disappointed with the performance of their 7D, which is the hobby version of the 1D4 (esp noise at higher ISO settings) when faced with the same conundrum. I wouldn't have anything less than a 1D body now and Gary rightly reminded me of how many lovely photos have been taken with the 1D2N - just check recent Bird Photograph of the year results in British Birds for instance. So, which one?

I recommend finding the extra cash somehow and getting a 1D4, you will probably not regret it (depending on how you get your hands on the extra cash that is!). The AF, 10fps and lower noise at higher ISO are great. Sorry that this may not be the answer you want to hear but it will also be more 'future proof' than the 1D2N, which is already old technology in comparison.

Good luck!

Br, Mike
 
£3400 is a lot of money to find and Sam, in a separate thread on the Canon forum, has said he's only 16 and doing a paper round. It'll take a lot of paper rounds to pay for a 1D Mk IV! ;)

A 1D Mk II may be 'old technology' but it's still a very capable camera and worth looking for second-hand. I'd like a 1D-series camera myself and I'd be happy with a Mk II or a Mk III.
 
The Mk III without doubt: not only does it have AF every bit the equal of the Mk II bodies (assuming a "fettled" Mk III) but the IQ of 3200 ISO images compares favourably with 400 ISO from the Mk II - that alone opens up a world of possibilities.

Having said all that, the 7D is a stunning camera, and "disappointed" 7D owners generally need to look to themselves rather than the
camera.

As is often the case, you see a lot of "expert" recommendations of one camera over another on here without anything to back them up - no "user gallery" for example - but I've got a gallery here which includes 7D images, which images I think speak for themselves...
 
Last edited:
If thats the case Keith then you may wanna upload a few more shots taken with your 7D than you have done, not really that many if you wanna illustrate your point effectively. ;)
 
Thank very much for your replies back.

Dont think i am going to get a Mark II anymore, bit old technology these days.

Thank you for your help.

Regards,
Sam Winslow.
 
I wrestled with the same decision some time ago, and came down in favour of the MkIII. My near mint copy came with a letter from Canon for the 1st. recall, and when the 2nd. recall came about, they couldn't have been more efficient.

I like its slightly lower weight, and AF MicroAdjust feature so that I can optimise sharpness for my long lenses in the way I use them - largely at grazing incidence for wildfowl. The battery seems to last forever!

I also use it for sports such as cycling and running. Good results when shooting competition cyclists, and less so when shooting runners! Am beginning to think that some of my L prime lenses are simply too old now, and that the USM motors may be in need of replacement. (Very good results using a near new EF 70-400 F4L IS and these seem better and more consistent than when using my ancient (but externally mint) EF 200 F2.8L original - i.e. no benefit from the f2.8 aperture.)
 
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