Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Was looking around to buy a 1d mk ii used and they seem to range around 700-850. I have not used a 1d series before but just wondering APS-H 1.3x seems very appealing to me and seems like fun shooting faster moving objects at around 8.5 fps @ 8MP

Just wondering if anyone wants to share some of their experiences with a 1d mk II or IIN and would it be worth getting it used at the ranges I just mentioned (i hear of mirror box issues under 100k actuations). I'm not looking to get a 7D at 1.6x FOV at this time.

I currently shoot with a 5D2 with its whooping 3.9fps and the focus precision is just "ok".

I got my 1D2 last year from another Ontario resident off of eBay. It cost around $800 with a spare aftermarket battery included.

What can I say? From my 40D it blew it out of the water in just about every way. There's a learning curve for sure as the menus, CFns, and button operations are all unique plus a few new features and buttons to learn. If you shoot a lot and take your time the rewards are well worth it.

A few tidbits:
I can shoot 3200 iso overexposing by 1/3 to 2/3 and do not overly concern myself with noise. It's no 1D4 if you want ultra-high-res prints, but for personal use and low-res web stuff it more than fits the bill.
The aftermarket battery started losing its charge quickly so I've just ordered another one from Amazon. $45.
Two-card operation is not recommended as the SD writing is very slow on the 1D2 bodies. I stick to CF-only.
The LCD screen is tiny and sucks. Deal with it.
Yes, it's big and heavy. Deal with it.
Make sure you get the battery charger and that it works properly. Price out a replacement one and you'll find out why I say this. It's no CG-580.


Hope that helps.

The aftermarket battery at Vistek is more expensive than than the ebay stuff but it has not failed me in cold weather compared to the Canon batteries. Fully charge and discharged 3 times then it's good to go. That will take 3 days at least.

I have both a 1DMK2 and 1DMK4. All the EOS1 cameras have outstanding focus systems (1DMK3 excluded). As you know, you will loose a significant amount of pixels compared to the the 5D2, less useable ISO settings to play with and a LCD thats about the size of a postage stamp.

On the upside you can shoot thousands of images from one battery charge, 8fps burst (was great for its time), full weather sealing and a really smart auto focus system to boot. Have you ever shot RAID to dual cards? Well, its very comforting if your shots are of high importance. For what its worth, the last 3 cards I have purchased for both my 1D's were... drumroll... SD cards. The camera buffers are so big and the cost of the SD is such a deal compared to CF that it just makes sense. I regularly shoot to SD on my MK4 for stills and Video.

Yeah, and the price makes it a steal. The MK2 is an awesome camera and if your not shooting for print or shooting very low light situations I would say its still competitive.

Ehhh, my 1DMKIII has been a solid performer and I haven't noticed the dreaded AF issues.

Sorry, I am not implying that all 1DMK3's are faulty. Some are.

lol

I may be able to get one for around $625 - man I am so tempted!
But that's a cost of a tablet computer - APS-H 1.3x is so nice. Repair is kinda expensive if the mirror box or shutter needs replacing OR I can dream about a 5D3 with a 51 point AF system

I think I may have an addiction to buying camera equipment I don't need... fully.. yet

I'd take the camera over the currently available tablets. Easy choice there.