Canon 1D MKII opinions/reviews please

shepthedog

I am hoping to pick up the MKII or MKIIn over next few weeks... Would be interested to hear peoples views on how it works for them or even any advice as to where to pick one up..
I know should get it in the US but dont have the time to go over at the minute.

I have tried all the bricks and mortar stores here in Ireland...

Thanks

Ricky91t

Go for it,Wider than an XXD with grip and far heavier but well worth it,I'm delighted with and could never see myself going back to an XXD or XXXD series after using it.

One thing which is a tad annoying in the sensor size as lenses are quite alot shorter,Like a 70-200 on my canon eos 20D was good on my 1D was very very short and i needed 1.4tc

Buying used is not a bad thing but one down side on mine was the scratched plastic over the LCD you can buy a replacement from here:
Colchester Camera Repair Service

6 Kings Court | Newcomen Way | Severalls Business Park | Colchester | CO4 9RA

Phone: 01206 84-33-22
Fax: 01206 84-33-23
Email: enquiries@camera-repair.co.uk
Web: www.camera-repair.co.uk

for £20 inc p&p I have tried the Irish canon service specialist and they referred me too these

I also notice my sigma 20-40 f/2.8 was quite a bit sharper on my 1D MKII but that could of been down to my 20D having a focus issue

I got mine from here, http://www.mifsuds.com/shprices.htm#canondigi and it was a top notch service arriving in 2 days with DPD couriers and the packaging was great

If you've got any other q's just ask i'd be happy to help and i'm sure others will too

shepthedog

Cheers for that Ricky, exactly the type of info I was looking for... The more I think about it the more I am encouraged to get it..

AnimalRights

From what I've read on dpreview forums they're a much loved camera and have superb focus....a lot of people were not happy with the Mk III focus, especially with the problems it had at launch and since.

Ricky91t

Also just to add,I'm not 100% sure if these are on the 40D or 50D but there are some great CFN's on it,One in particular is focus speed,Which may seem odd but if you're at an event and shooting something in the background,and something happens near you the focus speeds makes a huge difference,I did tests on slowest and fastest and it was a great improvement

Though that might be of interest to you as things like that might pop up in a photojournalists typical day!

AnimalRights

Ricky91t wrote: »

Also just to add,I'm not 100% sure if these are on the 40D or 50D but there are some great CFN's on it,One in particular is focus speed,Which may seem odd but if you're at an event and shooting something in the background,and something happens near you the focus speeds makes a huge difference,I did tests on slowest and fastest and it was a great improvement

mmm I know the 5D II has lots of CFNs but not really got to grips with them, I could and need to learn some of them as I've had trouble lately getting my focus quick enough on that very subject you mentioned.

Paulw

AnimalRights wrote: »

From what I've read on dpreview forums they're a much loved camera and have superb focus....a lot of people were not happy with the Mk III focus, especially with the problems it had at launch and since.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the MkIII focus issues. From anyone I know (and there are a good few) who use the MkIII, the focus is superb, and as good, if not better, than the MkII.

I've never used a 1D MkII, but the 1D body feels good. Strong, reliable, and sturdy.

AnimalRights

Canon admitted eventually to the AF issues did they not?
While not every copy of the lens it was a sizeable amount by all accounts.

Paulw

AnimalRights wrote: »

Canon admitted eventually to the AF issues did they not?

There WERE AF issues, mostly with the first batch of cameras, and when used under certain circumstances, but that was corrected with a hardware replacement. Subsequently there were a number of firmware updates to improve the AF.

I still don't personally know a single Canon user who had an AF problem with the camera, and from the sports events that I attend, the majority of users have 1D MkIII cameras.

AnimalRights

I shall stick to part 1 of your reply.

Valentia

From what I have read on Rob Galbraith there are still, what he considers serious, focusing issues. He is comparing directly with the MkII. He has updated his tests very recently.

AnimalRights

I read that very story too.
Not that I'd be probably be able to tell the difference....but just saying like.