Adam photographing Landon as he is taking a picture to show dust.

The five different technologies it takes for Adam to do this are: Eye-Fi SDHC card, Verizon USB727 EVDO modem, Cradlepoint CTR-350 Mobile Router, BixNet 5V Li-Ion battery, and a SmugMug/Flickr account. Larry Gonzales and Jeremiah Njoroge from Eye-Fi were on hand to answer questions and explain how the Eye-Fi technology works. From what Adam was showing us, it seems to be a very cool concept especially when the need of getting images on the web as fast as possible is very, very important. Using his Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II shooting wit small JPEG (4 MP equivalent files of about ~1 MB) he was able to burst off a number of shots and have them appear quite quickly in his SmugMug account. Even at the medium setting, the images took no more than a few seconds to appear. Quite impressive. One thing to note is that the Eye-Fi does not support RAW, only JPEGs will be uploaded. The Eye-Fi SDHC is a very impressive invention. I had, at one time, considered getting one for my 1D bodies and after Adam’s demonstration, I’m tempted again.

Wedding photography was mentioned as a good candidate, but I disagree as you probably don’t want your raw, unedited images available; not the best way to make a good impression. I think the better candidate for this technology would be photojournalist who don’t alter their images at all. This certainly offers a whole new level of live blogging: live photobloging. To read more in-depth on this and Adam’s thoughts, check out his blog posting [link to post]. Check out Adam’s live photoblogging session at COBA on his SmugMug [link]. The only complaint I have about this whole setup is that it is expensive. The equipment alone cost about $200 and the Verizon wi-fi plan is $60 a month, so the cost can add up quickly.

Sensor Cleaning

J.C. Dill and Landon were discussing their favorite method of sensor cleaning: Dust-Aid Sensor Cleaner. They swear that these have produced the best results in their continual endevaor for a clean sensor. This is the product they use exclusively for their Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Canon EOS 1D Mark IIn, Canon EOS 5D, and Canon EOS 20Da. The neat thing about the Dust-Aid Sensor cleaner is that it does not use any cleaning solution so thus won’t leave smear marks. I do have to say I am a bit scared of doing my own sensor cleaning, but after their demonstration and seeing the results, I’m sold. The Dust-Aid also seems to be the least scariest of all the other cleaning methods such as the Artic Butterfly and Visible Dust System. It is also the cheapest at ~$27.

Seem really good, I may end up purchasing one of the Dust-Aid to try since both my 1D bodies have collected some noticeable dust and it is starting to take a lot more time to clean out in Adobe Lightroom.

April K. Tse and Shootsac

Canon EOS 40D with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM in Shootsac.

April brought her Shootsac to show me. An interesting “hip-pack” concept to store/carry your camera and lens without it looking noticeably like a camera/lens bag. The Shootsac is created by wedding photographer extraordinaire Jessica Claire. You can wear it one of two ways: as a purse or around your hip.

It’s designed to carry 3-6 lenses and is quite portable and made of neoprene. It seems you can only carry 3 pro lenses at most or risk breaking the seams or your back from the weight.

I can’t say I’m terribly impressed or would want to get one, but that’s just me. You can also purchase different front flaps so you can change it as often as your mood or outfits. The Shootsac isn’t cheap at $179 and neither are the front flaps costing anywhere from $30-$60 depending on the design.

COBA Pictures

You can see all the pictures from COBA at my SmugMug [link].

Build Quality

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM at f/1.2. Click image to see it in different sizes.

There is no doubt that the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L (purchase from B&H Photo Video here) is built solid like a tank; and weighs nearly as much at 36.2 oz. (1025 grams). If you used any Canon L lenses before, then the 85mm is nothing new, but if this is your first L lens, be in for a real treat. Everything is solidly built with no rattles. The focus ring moves a little too easily because unlike the other L lenses, the 85mm f/1.2 uses a electronic focus manual meaning that the camera must be turned on to be manually focused. I find that it rotates a bit too easily and doesn’t have the same solid feedback feel of the other full-time manual focus lenses. I’ve also noticed something interesting about the electronic focus manual on the 85mm. If you have the default AF/AE Lock setting set for your shutter button, you have to half depress the shutter button to manual focus. But if you switch the setting to AE Lock, AF (or AF-ON), you can use manual focus at anytime the camera is on. It’s a bit odd how that works out, but it does.

While the 85mm is a very well built lens, you do have to be careful as to not damage any of the expensive components such as the front and rear elements. Unlike any of the other lenses, the rear element is very exposed and incorrect mounting can result in costly repair bills. It’s also worth noting that during focusing, the front element extends a tiny bit from the barrel, so care has to be placed when removing and mounting the lens. I would highly recommend that you do not store the lens on the front element when the front element is extended or on the rear element without a rear lens cap locked securely on.

Because of such a large maximum aperture, the minimum aperture of the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens is f/16.

Usage

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM at f/1.8. Click image to see it in different sizes.

In my personal opinion, I don’t find the 85mm f/1.2L as useful on a 1.6x crop body lens, I’m sure many would disagree, but having 136mm (85mm x 1.6) is a little too telephoto when I’m looking for 85mm. If you have a 1.6x crop body, the 50mm might be a bit more useful as it will be 80mm (50mm x 1.6). Another problem I’ve ran into a number of times is the minimum focusing distance of 37.4 inches (3.1 feet), there are times where I find I have to step back further just to acquire focus on my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. Fortunately you can use both the Canon 12mm and 25mm extension tubes.

On a full frame sensor, the 85mm is a wonderful portrait lens and with a maximum aperture of 1.2, subject isolation is very easily attained, but getting what you want in focus is a whole other thing. At the maximum aperture of 1.2, you are working with very razor thin depth-of-field (DOF) [sample picture]. Having 45 auto focus points to select from really helps with large aperture lenses such as the 85mm as the focus-and-recompose technique may lead to some unexpected results due to the DOF.

It’s certainly not a small lens. On a Canon EOS 1D/1Ds body, it’s weight is well balanced, but on a smaller body such as Canon EOS 50D or Canon EOS Rebel XSi, it is very front heavy. As a comparison, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L non-IS USM lens weighs 42.2 oz, or 1210 grams, which is only 6 ounces heavier given the versatility! The 70-200mm IS version weighs 51.9 oz.

One of the biggest things I love about this lens is its large aperture. Shooting at f/1.2 lets me handhold shots at lower ISO settings that I would normally be able to with slower lenses such as f/2.8. Shooting at lower ISO settings mean lower noise especially when shooting in challenging low lighting conditions (see this COBA meeting album which was all shot with the 85mm f/1.2, link). You can also see another example of what you can do with the 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens by checking out this link. This lens excels for wedding photography, low light shooting, and portraits. Because of it’s relatively slow auto focus, I certainly wouldn’t use it for sports shooting.

The colors and contrast of the images taken by lens are very, very nice. I find I have to do very little post processing.

Conclusion

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is a very specialize lens and may not see daily usage given it’s weight, size, minimum focusing distance, somewhat awkward focal length on a 1.6x crop body and price, it never-

© plastereddragon/Found on Flickr.com

the-less is a very valuable lens to have in any collection. The images produced with this lens are nothing less than stunning and the ability to use it in very challenging lighting conditions is nothing short of amazing.

It’s younger brother, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (purchase from B&H Photo Video here), is a more affordable alternative (approximately 1/5th of the price of the f/1.2L version) with image quality that is very similar to the f/1.2L version and is a great alternative for those on a budget. One thing I’ve noticed, but haven’t had much opportunity to test this more thoroughly, but  I’ve noticed that with the 85mm f/1.2L set to f/1.8 and the 85mm f/1.8 at f/1.8, the f/1.2L version had a faster shutter speed despite being at the same aperture. I’ve read in a few places that this is due to the fact that the f/1.2L has larger glass allowing for more light transmission. This same phenomenon has been reported with the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USM and Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM lenses (I’ll post the links once I find it).

The 85mm f/1.2L II USM is very sharp, even at f/1.2 but it is more prone to chromatic aberrations, which is not entirely unexpected given the large aperture. At f/1.8, it’s super sharp and doesn’t get any sharper even when stepped down.

So is this lens worth the $1,800 price tag? I definitely think so. The 85mm f/1.8 USM comes very close and does auto focus much faster, so why the f/1.2L version? The f/1.2L is the sharpest of the two, is faster, and the colors & contrast are better. This lens is certainly on my list of next lenses to acquire for good reason.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Sample Images

You can see other images taken with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM at these links:

• 2008-12-10 – Camera Owners of the Bay Area meeting
• 2008-12-06 – Bay Area Car Meet (Images taken with 85mm are scattered throughout)
• 2008-11-28 – Random Photography

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Let’s answer the big question on everyone’s mind:

This is the best camera Canon has every built. Jim Rose

I got the opportunity to play with the 5D Mark II and photograph with it. Long story short: it is very much worth the wait. It may seem arrogant and perhaps even premature to say, but I do believe the new 5D Mark II will reestablish Canon as the market leader. This couldn’t have come at a better time after the focus issues with the 1D Mark III and 1Ds Mark III has caused a lot of headache and bad blood between Canon and Canon loyalists, but the 5D Mark II brings some light to what has been a very dark tunnel of despair.

On paper, the 5D Mark II sounds very impressive: 21.1 MP, UDMA support, 1080p HD video, ISO up to 25,600, a 3 inch LCD with 922,000 pixel resolution for about the same price as the 5D Mark I when it was first introduced. In my hands, it is very well constructed and feels quite solid, but not quite the same build quality and durability as the 1D/1Ds series bodies as others have mentioned.

Jim Rose was discussing how low noise is at ISO 6400 and when the staff photographers at San Francisco Chronicle (they have two on order BTW) saw the images at ISO 6400, their jaws dropped. Jim was discussing how even George Lepp (of the famous Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging) was very impressed and said that ISO 6400 on the 5D Mark II is very usable. That’s a very nice seal of approval. At ISO 12,800 things start getting a bit noisy, but not terribly bad. By ISO 25,600, things are quite noticeable noisy, but if this is the only way to get a shot, it is still usable. According to Jim (not Canon’s official stance), ISO 3200 on the 5D Mark II is comparable to ISO 800 on the 5D. I was allowed to fire off some shots on my memory card with the 5D Mark II and the images are very nice with very low noise. Unfortunately, despite being a production camera and not a prototype, I am not able to publicly post the pictures at the time (they are posted but password protected but I’ll remove the password after the 5D Mark II starts shipping).

The 1080p HD video feature of the 5D Mark II is very, very nice. You can record up to 12 minutes of video and take stills while recording. How that works is while you are recording, you just press the shutter button as you would if you were taking a picture and it will pause the recording, take the picture (or pictures) and then resume recording. You lose half a second of video for each photo taken during recording. So if you are recording a video and three minutes into recording, you snap a picture, half a second later the recording will resume resulting in a single file, and not split video files with the thirty second skip where the photograph was taken. Very cool! Also Canon recommends that you prefocus before you start recording although you can auto focus while recording (by pressing the AF-On button), it is very slow because it uses the Live View contrast detection auto focus. Another thing to note is that you can only record videos in Aperture priority mode. You select the aperture, the camera will select a shutter speed and auto set the ISO to maintain a constant consistent shutter speed. You can also dial exposure two stops up or down. You also need a UDMA card to take full advantage of the HD video recording.

The back LCD is stunning and breath taking. At 3.0 inches with 922,000 pixel resolution, checking for sharpness has become so much easier. The images displayed on the LCD are very stunning. Also the viewfinder has been redesigned and is definitely brighter than my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II viewfinder.

Jim has been with Canon for more than eight years, since the start of megapixels (i.e. Canon D30) and this is the first camera that he is really excited about and believes that it is “going to re-energize Canon”. Jim also speculated on the 1D/1Ds line as it was asked about it’s future considering that Nikon has moved in full frame, which I won’t post as it is all speculation. Jim also mentioned the 5D Mark II should sell very, very well considering how many people want the ultimate in megapixels but couldn’t afford or justify the cost of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. This is certainly a good thing because I think the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, while is a spectacular SLR, it is not worth $8,000. It’s worth $5,000 and that is where they are selling used for now (and in some cases even less). Once the new Nikon D3x is released and priced around $5,000, I’m sure Canon will no longer be able to justify pricing the 1Ds at $8,000.

So is it worth it? Yes. Am I getting one? No. I’m waiting for the the new Canon EOS 1Ds Mark IV. I love the ruggedness, durability, and auto focus. Adam Tow is thinking of downgrading from his Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II and Canon EOS 1D Mark II to two Canon EOS 5D Mark II because of the size and the HD video options.

Other little tidbits: there are seventy eight Explorers of Light and Printmasters, of which Vincent LaForet, Joe Buissink and George Lepp are members. Jim Rose does in fact read DPReview.com.

I also forgot to mention:

Adobe CS3 DOES NOT support Canon EOS 5D Mark II RAW files. It also appears that there will NOT be an update for CS3 to fix this and you have to either buy CS4 or convert the Canon RAW to DNG.

The shutter on the 5D Mark II is very, very quiet. I was quite shocked, it sounded almost 25% quieter than my 1Ds Mark II.

Political Photography Part II: Jared Polis

Adam and his wife, Rae, went to Colorado to photograph the last week of his high school friend’s campaign for Congressional seat in Colorado District 2 before the elections. Jared Polis is an internet entrepreneur having started Blue Mountain, ProFlowers, and Fuser which he sold all off during the height of the dot com boom making millions. Jared is also founder of the New America Charter Schools. Jared has been campaigning for a year and half for this two year term. Adam spent a week following Jared around as he campaigned at Park-N-Rides, Honk and Waves, Meetings, Halloween and Farmer’s Market, Canvassing, and finally Election Day.

Adam packed his Canon EOS 1D Mark II and Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II with the following other items: Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM, Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L USM, Canon 1.4x Extender, Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, Canon Speedlite 550EX, and a Gary Fong Lightsphere. He found he was primarily using the 28-70mm on his 1Ds Mark II and 135mm on his 1D Mark II.

Adam’s daily workflow:

1. Shoot in the morning
2. Select, rate, process in Apple Aperture 2 and upload photos to SmugMug
3. Recharge batteries
4. Shoot in the evening
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3

Reason Adam does the post processing in the afternoon rather than the evening is he figured he wouldn’t do it in the evening.

Jared Polis won the Congressional District 2 seat with 60% of the vote. To see Adam’s pictures, you can visit his SmugMug here.

Gallery

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Political Photography

Mona T. Brooks had a lot of interesting stories about her recent photojournalism work: photographing the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) and being DNC CEO of the DNC Committee Leah D. Daughtry’s personal photographer.

She discussed about the importance of being “pinned” (very specific press credentials), her run in with the Secret Service, ethics of photographing a sleeping politician (Howard Dean), and her experience overall.

It was pretty cool to hear her story.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

We had a lot of new people show up at COBA in anticipation of seeing a pre-production 5D Mark II. Unfortunately, one wasn’t available, but we did have an interesting discussion and watched the now infamous Reverie video by Vincent Laforet and the behind the scenes making.

The video is fantastic and I think the 5D Mark II will be a step towards restoring Canon’s damaged reputation.

2008 Photokina Wrapup

A lot of new products were introduced at the 2008 Photokina trade show and so Adam Tow kindly put together a nice slide show showing all the latest released cameras and some previews of what the new Adobe Photoshop CS4 has in store.

COBA Pictures

For a $4,000 difference between the 1D, the 1Ds emblems are gold plated

Sooo, if you’ve been following me on Twitter, you may have noticed my mention of a “new toy”. Well, the wait’s over, my new toy is a camera. Not any camera, but Canon’s top-top of the line, the much sought after and highly desired Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. Up until August 2007, it had been the highest megapixel camera for a full frame (or even cropped sensors) 35mm digital sensor. Introduced in September 2004, it took the photography world by storm offering the most megapixel at the time in a full frame sensor. The Canon EOS 1Ds (mark I) was the first dSLR to feature a full frame sensor with the Kodak DCN-14n following suite.

All this for only eight thousand dollars ($8,000). So, yea. Quite out of reach even for many professionals photographers.

I already currently own a Canon EOS 1D Mark II, which up to this point served as my primary body with a Canon EOS 5D as my secondary/backup body. I’ve been itching for another 1D body, as it makes sense to have identical bodies when shooting fast paced events such as wedding because all the controls, menu layout, and functionality are identical. So when an opportunity arose, I jumped, and now I’m a proud owner of a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II.

Canon EOS 1D Mark II versus Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II

There are more similarities than differences between the 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II. Here’s a quick comparison:

The biggest differences are: sensor size, resolution/megapixels, crop factor, and continous drive. You can’t really compare these two SLRs to each other because they serve two entirely different functions. Obviously from the specs, the Canon EOS 1D Mark II is a sport/photojournalist photographer’s camera. At the sacrifice of resolution (8.2 MP versus 16.7 MP), the Canon EOS 1D Mark II can burst up to 8.5 frames-per-second, which was the fastest dSLR until the Nikon D3 and Canon EOS 1D Mark III were introduced. The 1D Mark II also can store more images in it’s buffer (40 versus 32), most likely due to the resolution differences. On the issue of crop factor, it has been my experience, that sport and to some degree, most photojournalists, enjoy the crop factor because of the perceived “reach”. But on the other hand, having a full frame sensor allows all lenses attached to the 1Ds Mark II to utilize it’s native focal length, so 16mm is really 16mm and not an equivalent to 20mm.

So if the 1D Mark II is primarily for sports and photojournalism, then what is the 1Ds Mark II’s primary role? Obviously photojournalism is one area where you need the use of wide angle and super wide angle lenses. That’s one of the reasons why the Nikon D3 is popular among photojournalist: speed, full frame, high ISO capabilities, and in my opinion the Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED N lens (the sharpest wide angle lens currently). Landscape photography is another great use. Although the Canon EOS 5D is used by a lot of landscape photographers and cost considerably less, there are a number of landscape photographers who need or want the extra four million megapixels along with superior weather sealing. But I think one of the biggest selling point for the 1Ds Mark II is portrait photography. The images produced by the 1Ds Mark II when used in portrait photography is nothing less than spectacular. Just look at the images on Flickr taken by the 1Ds Mark II. This isn’t to say you can’t use a 1Ds Mark II for sports photography, but it’s like you wouldn’t use a chain saw to cut carrots. It works, but not quite exactly the right tool for the job.

Conclusion

So how will the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II serve me? Well for wedding photography, the Canon EOS 1D Mark II will be for fast paced action scenes such as bouquet toss, garter toss, first kiss, ring exchange, the dances (father/daughter, mother/son, first dance) and anything else where I might need the 8.5 fps burst speed. The 1Ds Mark II will be for the formal portraits, tender moments, etc. Most likely I’ll be using my Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM on the 1D Mark II because I usually don’t need super wide angle and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM on the 1Ds Mark II because I generally don’t need super reach, but I do like the bokeh produced by using a telephoto zoom lens on a full frame body.

The biggest advantage of shooting with a 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II is that the menu and camera functionality, for the most part, are identical. Switching ISO is the same exact two buttons. Reviewing images are the same buttons, changing focus, etc. Plus both the Mark II’s use the same NP-E3 Ni-MH batteries which mean I only have to lug around one charger. Also both the Mark II’s use dual memory storage for images so I can easily have a backup of all the images I take.

Be on the lookout for my 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II review with pictures coming soon.

The new bag is just perfect. It’s very stylish and able to carry all my necessary equipment such as my 15.4″ MacBook Pro, Canon EOS 1D Mark II with Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM attached, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM with hood reversed, Canon 550EX external flash, Canon CP-E4, extra AA batteries, extra CF cards, and various accessories such as off camera hot-shoe, microfiber towel, extra caps, pens, business cards, etc.

The only complaints I have is that the front of the bag, there isn’t any padding to keep a large dSLR like the 1D from banging against things in the front pockets. It’s not a huge problem, but worth mentioning. The other complaint is that the strap doesn’t sit properly in the “o” rings and thus can cause some discomfort when wearing the bag for long periods of time. This can probably be attributed to how heavy the bag becomes with all the equipment loaded.

It’s also worth mentioning that the NG-2477 comes with 2 enclosed internal pouches versus 1 enclosed internal pouch with the NG-2475. The enclosed internal pouch can’t fit the 1D with a lens mounted, so I only use 1 pouch which holds my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and Canon 550EX external flash.

As I had mentioned in my NG-2475 review, the olive canvas color makes the bag a very stealth camera bag. Also with the abundant pockets, it’s easy to stash and access needed accessories such as a spare Canon NP-E3 battery.

The only complaint I have is that with all my equipment loaded, the shoulder straps at the “O” ring becomes bunched up and looks ugly.

[November 11, 2008 UPDATE: I now carry my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II in the bag and leave my Canon EOS 1D Mark II in my Pelican 1514.]

National Geographic NG-2477 Gallery

So how does something that is 6 years old like the Canon EOS 1Ds compare to the 3 years old Canon EOS 5D? It’s a tough call, but let’s see why anyone would choose an older SLR over a newer model. It’s worth noting that the only reason we can or even should compare the two cameras is because of the full frame sensor. Also you might be wondering why compare the original 1Ds rather than the newer and better Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II? The Mark II’s price (~$4000) is still significantly above the 5D whereas the original 1Ds’ price (~$1800) has fallen to be right on par with the 5D. Other than that, these two cameras are completely different and serve different purposes.

Comparison Chart

It’s clear that in 3 years, Canon has certainly made improvements: bigger and brighter LCD, better buffer, slightly more megapixelage. While the figures of the Canon EOS 5D certainly *look* better than the old outdated Canon EOS 1Ds, don’t discount the later as being useless. During the time I had the opportunity to try out the 1Ds in many various conditions, I’ve found the 1Ds to be quite a formidable camera that holds its own to the newer models as long as the user was aware of the limitations.

Canon EOS 1Ds Limitations

Let’s examine the limitations of the Canon EOS 1Ds in regards to Canon EOS 5D. One of the biggest differences is the LCD screen size and resolution. The 1Ds sports a 2.0 inch LCD screen with 120,000 pixels making it vastly inferior to the 5D’s 2.5 inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels. This makes reviewing images for colors and sharpness very difficult to do. You can also scroll the image and there is 10x only zoom. Likewise, there is no orientation sensor, so any images taken in portrait orientation will appear as shot in the LCD and will not be auto-rotated as it is with the 5D. Of course all this is a relatively small issue, because it matters more how the camera takes and records the pictures rather than how it looks on the back of a little LCD screen.

The max ISO setting on the 1Ds is 1250. Meaning you only want to use 1250 for emergencies because the noise usually present at the max ISO setting tends to make an image pretty unusable unless for cases where you absolutely have no other way to get the shot. The 5D, on the other hand, is capable of images up to ISO 3200 meaning you have more room to up the ISO to get a sharper shot. The noise on the 1Ds at ISO 100-400 is decent. After 400, things start getting really bad. As some photographers may know, the trick to keeping noise to a minimum is to nail the exposure. If you have to photograph at ISO 400 and above, it’s imperative to not underexposure. Underexposure will cause noise in areas like blacks, dark greys, etc and will be become very apparent when you try to raise the exposure in post processing even by 1/3 or more. If you want to keep noise as low as possible when shooting at higher ISO, Expose To The Right (ETTR). Also using noise reduction software such as Noise Ninja can help dramatically reduce the noise, at the cost of some sharpness of course. Here are some 100% crop sample pics of our cat, Stripes, to show the noise on the 1Ds:

• JPEG, AWB, no sharpening or post processing: 1/25th second, f/2.8, 35mm, ISO 1000 with flourescent lighting (Noise Ninja applied)
• JPEG, AWB, no sharpening or post processing: 1/20th second, f/2.8, 26mm, ISO 1000 with flourescent lighting (Noise Ninja applied)

As you can see from the two samples, noise can be a bit problematic, but fortunately the noise produced by the Canon EOS 1Ds has a film like kinda noise. I was a bit put off in the beginning, but grew accustomed to it after long term use of the 1Ds.

The limited buffer of the 1Ds can sometimes be problematic. Having only 10 frames in JPEG or RAW means you have to time your shots and make them count because having a limited buffer is not the only concern, but the slow flush rate also. I’ve tried two different types of compact flash cards: a SanDisk Extreme IV 2GB and a SanDisk Extreme III 8GB, both are slow with the 1Ds. When shooting formal portraits and formal wedding portraits, the buffer isn’t a problem. I found myself running into buffer full when I was shooting fast paced events such as parades and sometimes when shooting our cat, Stripes who moves erractically and fast.

Another huge limitation is the response time, it is slow. From power off to on it takes about 1.2 seconds and review time of JPEG or RAW takes about 3.3-3.4 seconds (figures from DPReview.com). If you’re not prepared, it’s easy (and frustrating) to miss shots. I’ve had this happen multiple of times because the 1Ds was asleep and it takes a bit for it fully wake up to the point where I can fire off shots. You could always disable the sleep mode at the cost of draining the battery. The Canon EOS 5D, in contrast, is near instant from power off to on and from sleep to on. It also takes about 1.2-1.3 for record review of JPEG or RAW (figures from DPReview.com). Huge differences. Obviously the 1Ds uses the first generation DIGIC processor. It wasn’t until the Mark II models did Canon start putting in dual DIGIC processors.

The final major limitation of the 1Ds is ease of use. As anyone who has used a 1D series (prior to the Mark IIIs) will know, it takes a combination of two buttons pressed simultaneously to make setting changes. Want to scroll through images you’ve taken? Hold down the Display button and turn the Quick Control Dial (QCD). Want to change from single shot to continuous shot, hold two buttons down. The 5D certainly is quicker and easier to make changes especially with one handed. Change ISO? Press the ISO button and turn the top dial. While the concept of having to press simultaneous buttons to effect change is a good concept, in practice it is annoying and time consuming.

Canon EOS 5D Limitations

Now let’s see what the 5D limitations are when compared to the 1Ds. First, it’s quite apparent that the build quality isn’t nearly as tough and solid as the larger 1Ds, but it’s no where cheaply assembled either. The Canon EOS 1Ds definitely feels like it can take and give a beating.

While the sensor of the Canon EOS 5D is full frame, the viewfinder view isn’t; it’s only 96% of the frame. This can be frustrating when you are trying to frame a shot, but not quite sure how much or how little to include of a subject or background because you obviously can’t get a visual idea of what will show up in the final picture. Of course you could always crop and some people have learned to adjust to that 4% issue, but there is something about being able to see exactly what you are going to get.

The Canon EOS 5D has the “typical” nine-point AF diamond that the Canon EOS 20D/30D/40D and Canon EOS Rebel 400D/XTi/ and 450D/XSi but slightly modified to include 6 additional “hidden” cross-type sensors in the spot metering circle for better AI Servo tracking. For many cases, 9 AF points is plenty, but it’s certainly a whole new world when you have 45 AF points. 9 AF points becomes in adequate when you are trying to frame a subject in the upper or lower left and right hand corners where there are no AF points. This isn’t a problem is the subject fills the entire left or right hand size, but let’s say you’re trying to get a bird that only fills the upper left hand corner. This is an extreme example that obviously doesn’t happen on a daily basis, but worth noting. It’s kind of like insurance, you don’t really appreciate having it until you need it. Although I should mention that sometimes having too many AF points can be annoying if you just need 1 and not all 45.

One thing I’ve found particularly annoying about the 5D is accidental setting changes. Because I use two cameras when on assignment, I usually have one camera slung over one shoulder while using the other. With the 5D, I experience this more often than I would like is when I had the 5D slung around my shoulder and when I reach to take a quick shot, turns out I’m in Shutter Priority when I had been in Aperture Priority. Or I had set Program Mode but manage to end up in Full Automatic mode. This is certainly a disadvantage of being able to easily change settings.

Conclusion

As you can see, despite being nearly 6 years old, the Canon EOS 1Ds is still a very capable dSLR. On the other hand, is it worth spending ~$1800 for something that old versus something newer? It depends. If you already have a or used a Canon EOS 1D series camera, you can certainly see and feel the appeal. Here are some points of consideration for choosing the 1Ds over the 5D:

• If you already own a Canon 1D/1D Mark II/1Ds Mark II, getting a 1Ds may be beneficial because it uses the same exact batteries meaning you only have to carry 1 set of camera batteries. Same batteries mean same charger and the 1D series battery charger has a dual slot plug.
• The 1Ds is very rugged and built to handle, if what your photographing calls for a camera that handle some abuse, then this might be the choice for you.
• 100% viewfinder view might seem like a small point, but for some people it’s important.
• 45 point AF can’t be beat.

But on the other hand, if you’re looking for something that is small (small being a relative term here) and easier to carry and conceal, then the Canon EOS 5D maybe the better for you. Full frame in a body only slightly larger than the 20D/30D/40D maybe desirable to some. It’s build quality is definitely a bit more superior to the consumer-grade level of the xxD series, but definitely nothing compared to the 1D series.

The 5D is Canon’s lowest noise producing camera next to the new Canon EOS 1D Mark III and is right on par with the Mark III. It’s takes post processing sharpening very, very well and resolves a lot of data and prior to the 1Ds Mark III, was second only to the 1Ds Mark II. Although, noisier, the 1Ds has a certain nostalgic film feel to the images that the newer cameras seem to lack and appear a bit digital.

If I had to choose, because the type of photography I do is very dependent on low light with no flash, I would have go with the 5D. But otherwise, I would probably choose the 1Ds over the 5D.

Canon EOS 1Ds and Canon EOS 5D Gallery Images

Specifications

Released back in 2002, the Canon EOS 1Ds was Canon’s flagship model and first digital full frame sensor (35.8 x 23.8 mm) SLR on the market with a cost of nearly $8,000 (which is about the same price as the new Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III when initially released. So what did you get for $8,000? Here’s a brief preview:

• 11.4 megapixel CMOS sensor (JPEG pixel dimensions: 4,064 x 2,704)
• ISO 100-1250 in 1/3 steps (with ISO 50 as a custom function)
• 4 sRGB settings and 1 Adobe RGB
• 45 AF points
• Evaluative, Partial, Spot (3 modes), and Center Weighted Metering modes
• 2.0″ 120,000 pixel LCD
• 87ms mirror black-out
• 30 to 1/8,000 sec shutter speeds with bulb
• 3 frames-per-second (FPS) for up to 10 JPEGs or RAW

For more in-depth features, you can check out DPReview’s 1Ds specifications page. Even by today’s standards, some of the features are obviously dated (such as the 2.0″ LCD screen), but it can still hold it’s own at 11 MP with 45 AF points (still the same number of AF points on the new Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III). The only other cameras that has more AF points is Nikon’s recently released D3, D300, and just announced D700. Also worth mentioning is that Canon started the full frame digial sensor with the 1Ds whereas the Nikon has just started with the D3 and D700.

Build Quality

Solid like a tank; it is a 1D series after all. The button layouts next to and under the LCD are identical to the Canon EOS 1D Mark I. So are the buttons on top and the LCD readout panels and also the menu layout.

Here is an example of a very well used and still functioning Canon EOS 1D Mark II by humanitarian photojouranlist, Karl Grobl when he accidentally dropped his 1D with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM from about 9 feet while seated on an elephant.

Operation

The Canon 1Ds is certainly not designed to be a sports camera like it’s brother, the Canon EOS 1D; evidenced by the huge difference in frame rates (3 fps versus 8 fps). That is not to say that it can’t be used in sports, it just takes more patience and timing. People who generally purchase the 1Ds are more interested in maximum quality and thus the resolution is hugely different (11 MP versus 4 MP). The 1Ds definitely shines when it comes to landscape photography, studio work, portrait photography, weddings (formal pictures), etc.

From the moment the camera is turned on to when you can actually take a picture, it usually takes about a second; it’s only marginally faster from sleep to wake. This is horrible if you expect to capture shots quickly when the camera is turned off or asleep. But once awake and during operation, it’s much more responsive. Unfortunately for someone who is used to using a Canon EOS 1D Mark II, the 10 image buffer on the 1Ds fills up quickly. The flush time (the amount of time it takes to write the data from the buffer to the compact flash card) is decent, but definitely shows its age when compared to newer cameras like the Canon EOS Rebel XTi/400D and Canon EOS 1D Mark II.

Like the Canon EOS 1D Mark I, the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark I also features an additional external WB sensor. On future 1D/1Ds generations, Canon did away with the external WB sensor. So far I have not noticed any additional benefits of having an additional external white balance sensor or any ill effect, but one person on FredMiranda reports that the external WB sensor can actually have a negative effect:

In my experience, the AWB sensor affected the colors in a bad way as in most cases the light falling on the subject has a different color temperature than that at the camera position. For instance, if you have the sun behind you, the subject is in the sunlight while the sensor is in the shadow. It was a good move from Canon not to continue with it. I find the AWB on my 1Ds2 much better than the 1Ds.
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I wonder if Nikon’s external WB sensor helps on their D2x and D2xs?

Forgot about being able to review images on the LCD right after you take them. It usually takes a few seconds from when you take the picture to when it actually displays on the rear LCD. Also because the LCD is only 130,000 pixels, you can’t really judge sharpness or colors. It’s best to rely on the histograms. Plus another major disadvantage of the 1Ds LCD is lack of zoom. You can’t zoom in on any images you take. One good thing about having a crappy SLR LCD such as this is that it makes you more reliant on reading histograms (a good thing) and learning to better judge your settings. The more I continued to use the Canon EOS 1Ds, the less I found I was relying on the LCD to tell me whether or not I was taking a good picture, but rather checking histograms for blown highlights and good exposure. The camera LCD isn’t the best thing to judge sharpness, exposure, or colors because of many factors. For one, the image that is displayed on the rear LCD isn’t even the actual image you took, but rather a low resolution JPEG that is created in camera for the purposes of LCD viewing. That’s why when you try to check sharpness of an image you took and it looks jagged and not quite sharp but later extracted on a computer, it looks perfectly fine, that’s why. Another reason is the color discrepancies between the different models of the same brand! For example, the Canon EOS 5D has a slightly greenish hue to it’s LCD, making images appear a bit more green than let’s say the Canon EOS 30D. While I’m not saying you shouldn’t use the rear LCD, it’s a great feature, just make sure you’re using it for how it works best.

In The Field

During the couple of weeks I had the Canon EOS 1Ds, I did quite a number of photojournalism work such as our office’s employee appreciation day and most notably, the 2008 SF Pride Parade. For the 2008 SF Pride Parade, I was using the 1Ds with the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM and the 1D Mark II with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. Having full frame on a super wide angle lens like the 16-35mm allowed me to get shots like this.

Having a full frame SLR allows for some great wide shots especially when in tight situations such as close-up crowds, in small rooms, etc. It’s definitely refreshing when a 16mm lens is actually 16mm and not 20.8mm (1.3x crop factor) or 25.6mm (1.6x crop factor), which may not seem much, but when you get to longer focal lengths like 70mm, on a 1.3x and 1.6x crop sensor becomes 91mm and 112mm, respectively. Although on the flip side, having full frame may not always be advantageous such as when photographing birds or birds in flight, wildlife, and so forth. A full frame SLR requires a longer focal length lens than a 1.6x crop sensor to achieve the same crop.

Noise is problematic for the 1Ds. At ISO 400 and above, noise is quite apparent and gets very bad at ISO 1250. Proper exposure is paramount to keeping noise as low as possible. I highly recommend the technique of Exposing To The Right (ETTR). Software can be used to clean up noise quite well, although at a cost of some sharpness. I personally use Noise Ninja, and would highly recommend them. Here is a 100% crop of a shot of Stripes (our cat) with the 1Ds at 1/25th second at ISO 1000. Here is the same image and crop with Noise Ninja applied using the default 1Ds profile. Here is another example at 1/20th second at ISO 1000 and with Noise Ninja applied.

The 1Ds, shooting in JPEG with sharpness set to level 5 is very sharp; more so than my 1D Mark II, the most likely reason is a weaker AA (anti-aliasing) filter which allows for sharper images at the cost of increased moire. I have noticed that moire is more apparent on the 1Ds. The 1Ds produces very pleasing JPEGs that require little post-processing, provided you get the exposure and white balance correctly. I find at sharpness set to level 5, I rarely have to apply Unsharp Mask in Photoshop whereas on the 1D Mark II at the same sharpness level, I do have to apply Unsharp Mask.

After having used the Canon EOS Rebel XTi/400D for more than a year, picking up a full frame camera with its large and bright viewfinder is a revelation of how truly small and inadequate the 1.6x crop factor viewfinders truly are. The 1Ds, unlike the 5D, has a 100% viewfinder (VF) coverage (the 5D has a 96% coverage) meaning that what you see in the viewfinder is what you get. It’s amazing what a difference of a full frame viewfinder compared to a 1.6x crop sensor viewfinder or even a 1.3x crop sensor viewfinder. The best analogy is with a 1.6x crop viewfinder, it looks like your standing at the beginning of a long tunnel and looking towards the end where there is just some light, but mostly darkness. The 1.3x crop viewfinder feels like you’re in the middle, so the end of the tunnel where the light is fill up more of the darkness and with the full frame viewfinder, you’re right at cusp of the exit, so there is hardly any darkness around.

Conclusions

If you don’t mind the weight (1265g or 2.78lbs), the Canon EOS 1Ds is a great SLR, albeit six years old. Any one who has either used or felt a 1D series camera can attest to the rock solid build quality. These are the kind of cameras that photojournalist use in war zones that can (need to) handle abuse. While it may not necessarily survive a drop, in some cases such as Karl Grobl who dropped his 1D Mark II from an elephant, it will take some degree of abuse, not intentional mind you.

When the 1Ds was first introduced, its asking price was $8,000. Today’s market value is about ~$1850 which is about equivalent to a brand new Canon EOS 5D, the prosumer full frame dSLR.

Noise can be problematic at times, but a noise reduction software such as Noise Ninja can do quite a bit to reduce noise. The camera produces very sharp results because of a weaker AA filter like the Canon EOS 1D Mark I. What is interesting is that normally with a larger sensor (full frame) and decent amount of pixels (~12 MP or less), noise is very well controlled. This is the case with the 5D, but for some reason the 1Ds exhibits quite a bit of noise. Fortunately for the most part, the noise appears in no patterns which makes the images from the 1Ds look like film noise.

So given a choice between a Canon EOS 5D or a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark I, which should one choose? We’ll evaluate the differences and similarities in a future post.

Canon EOS 1Ds Gallery Images

The Canon EOS 5D is pretty much about as professional of an digital SLR as you can get. It is one of the few full-frame sensor digital SLRs on the market. It feels very well built and handles like a charm. Plus a CMOS sensor of 12.8 megapixels definitely make for a lot of pixel details, so on paper it sounds quite promising, so how does it shape up in the field and in reality?

First, I must say I’m a bit biased against full-frame SLRs. I know there are a number of people who relish the fact that there are now a couple SLRs (both Canon) that are full-frame sensors similar to the ones found on film cameras. So what are the advantages of a full-frame sensor?

Advantages

1. The focal length of the lens attached to a full-frame slr, such as the Canon EOS 5D, is precise versus the same lens being attached on a smaller sensor that results in a crop factor. So if I was to attach a 24mm focal length lens on a full-frame slr, it is precisely 24mm. But if I was to take that same 24mm focal length lens and attach it to, say an Canon EOS Rebel XTi/400D, the 24mm focal length becomes ~38.4mm because of the 1.6x crop factor.
2. Bigger sensor will resolve higher quality because there is more surface area to gather more light. And in relation to how closely or loosely packed the pixels are on a given sensor, there will be less noise on a full-frame slr versus a non full-frame slr given the same amount of megapixels.
3. Lower noise. This relates to #2, with a bigger sensor that can gather more light because of its larger surface area, less amplification is needed to boost signal thereby producing lower pixel noise.

Disadvantages

1. Cost is considerably higher. More raw materials are needed to produce a larger sensor and a larger body is necessary to house a larger sensor.
2. The weaknesses in cheaper and poorly produced lenses are much more apparent and blaring.
3. Similar issues with the full-frame film sensors: vignetting and softness in the corners.

So what are my thoughts after using the Canon EOS 5D for two weeks so far (which I must warn is no where near enough time to get an accurate feel)?

Weight and Dimension

The Canon EOS 5D is definitely not a light digital SLR. It weighs 810g (892g with the battery), which is about 1.78 pounds. It is quite large in your hands, not quite as large as the Canon EOS 1D line, but definitely bigger than the Canon EOS 20D/30D and hugely bigger than the Canon EOS Digital Rebel line. The exact dimensions are 6.0 x 4.4 x 3.0 inches. Because of the huge grip, it is comfortable to hold and use.

Construction

Much like its younger brothers, the Canon EOS 20D/30D, the entire body is made up of magnesium alloy right down to the EF mount. It is not weather sealed, unlike its bigger brother, the 1D line.

In the tradition of professional level SLR, there is no built on pop-up flash (partly due to the huge viewfinder), so an external flash unit would have to be used. The buttons are slightly different than the Canon EOS 20D/30D. The four buttons (Menu, Info, Jump, and Preview) that are left of the 2.5″ LCD is slightly raised higher than on the Canon EOS 30D. The On/Off switch is also more pronounced. The two buttons on the back upper right hand side is also different than the 30D. The Auto Exposure Lock/Zoom Out button is larger than the Zoom in button whereas on the 30D, it is the reverse being that the Auto Exposure Lock/Zoom Out button is larger and the other is smaller. And the final major difference is the jog dial doesn’t have the Picture Style selection that the 30D has.

Field Test

It’s definitely wild to be able to have a wide angle lens really be a wide angle lens. My walk around lens, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM is amazingly wide allowing me to capture more than I was able to capture before. The catch-22 to having no a full-frame sensor is that while my lenses are all now wider like it should be, I don’t have the same focal crop I had before. At times I am finding the 70mm focal length on my walk around lens to be lacking that extra little field of view I used to have with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D. I find myself switching lenses back and forth more often with my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM.

I also do find that both my lenses are better counter-balanced on the Canon EOS 5D because of its weight than when the two lenses were mounted on my XTi. I don’t find my trigger finger and hand to be as sore because I’m not having to support all the lens weight through the smaller grip. I do find myself garnering more attention these days because everything looks so big now. Before the lens was intimidating for people, but with the 5D now, everyone is just surprised by the sheer size.

Having the extra megapixelage is quite nice. It allows for some amazing crops that I could never have achieved with my Nikon D100. While the Canon EOS 5D only has a 2.8 megapixel advantage over the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D, the differences in the pictures is quite evident. This also further proves that megapixels do not mean everything. I would have personally preferred a faster burst rate (3 frames-per-second), but it has the highest buffer of all the other Canon dSLRs, except for the Canon 1D Mark III, with 60 JPEGs. The XTi could only manage 27 JPEGs at best before slowing down to 1 frame-per-second. The 3fps is quite adequate for most and many occasions, but having an additional 2fps would be great for sports photography.

The ISO noise suppression on the 5D is amazing. When I have to use ISO 800, there is less noise in the pictures than my Canon EOS Rebel XTi/400D at the same ISO level. ISO 800 on the Canon EOS 5D looks equivalent to the XTi/400D’s ISO 400.

Final Thoughts

The Canon EOS 5D is very, very nice, but I wouldn’t buy it. It is three times as much as my XTi/400D and double the price of the Canon EOS 30D, but doesn’t offer enough over the 30D and the XTi/400D to be worth it. But then again the 5D is a very specific niche dslr. It has a full-frame CMOS sensor at about a third the cost of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II with a few less megapixels also. I would rather spend the extra $200 and purchase the Canon EOS 1D Mark IIn or Mark III over the 5D. But if you need full-frame and top notch ISO noise control, then the Canon EOS 5D is your choice. Full-frame is nice, especially when you need wide angle, but I personally need more reach than I need wide and the 1.3x crop factor of the 1D is a good compromise between full-frame and 1.6x crop factor.

[rating:4]