Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II Used Digital SLR Camera

To say that the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II was a game-changing camera is something of an understatement. At a time when professional photographers were deciding whether to make the move from film photography to digital capture, the EOS-1Ds Mark II persuaded more to migrate than any other DSLR. For the first time, digital photographers could produce prints that were better than those available from 35mm film with a camera that was robust, reliable and offered top-flight specifications.

At the heart of the EOS-1Ds Mark II is a full-frame CMOS sensor packing 16.7 megapixels – a sensational specification for the time – that produces a 47.5MB TIFF file. That’s enough for stock, travel, editorial and even fashion and landscape work. It’s no surprise that the camera became ubiquitous amongst professional photographers very quickly after its introduction.

A 45-point autofocus system is backed up by 4fps continuous shooting (not the fastest in the world, but this was never really aimed at the action photographer). Sensitivity runs from ISO 100 to 1600, and is expandable to an ISO 50-3200 range, again a figure that has been way surpassed in recent years.

Image Quality

Image quality from the EOS-1Ds Mark II still holds up well today for many applications, providing the conditions are kind to you. In terms of resolution, 16.7 megapixels is plenty, especially if you’re working with some of Canon’s top-of-the-range lenses. Progress has been made in the years since the EOS-1Ds Mark II in the areas of dynamic range and noise control at high ISO sensitivity, and here one should not expect this eight-year-old design to be quite up to the performance standards of today’s flagship pro cameras. Having said that, results are not disappointing, but you might not want to shoot at much above ISO 640 if you are looking for images that will be published at a decent size.

You’ll recognize the look and feel of the EOS-1Ds Mark II from the EOS-1 series cameras available today; Canon’s approach to the series has been one of iteration and evolution. Operating the EOS-1Ds Mark II involves lots of holding down one button (or a pair of buttons) and twiddling of separate dials, and this is to ensure that a two-handed approach is required to change the camera’s major functions, which avoids accidental adjustment of settings.

This is a professional camera through and through, and this is further backed up by what you’ll find in the box: a DC adaptor lets you run the camera from the mains, while an included FireWire cable enables very fast tethered shooting via the also included EOS Utility software.

As with any second-hand professional camera, you’ll find examples of the EOS 1Ds Mark II in a variety of conditions. Some may be near mint, having amateur use only, while others will have been to the four corners of the world and taken a battering. Make sure the condition of the camera you are looking at is comparable with the price it’s being sold for.

Pros

• Incredible build quality, weather-proofed, solid
• Ergonomic and comfortable design, even for long hours shooting
• Fantastic image quality, just outstanding all around
• Full frame sensor (is there any other choice?)
• 17MP resolution is more than you will ever need
• Autofocus is incredibly fast and accurate
• Deals with Dynamic Range better than most other digital camera
• Built-in grip makes portraiture more than easy
• Very good battery life (14+hrs non-stop wedding)
• Non-electronic shutter sound
• Comes with DC Coupler for studio work
• Digital noise is decent up to 800ISO

Cons

• 4fps for 11 RAW images
• Quite heavy, especially with L glass. Could be pro or con depending on how you shoot
• Small LCD (by today’s standards at least)

Sample Photos

Very low noise at 1600