5D vs 1Ds(mkI) direct comparison.

Looks about the same

Sharpness is about the same, but 5D pulls a little more detail in highlights

All of the above shot @ ISO100(except for noise comparison) in RAW, and converted using Photoshop CS2 Raw converter exactly the same way for both cameras

Well umm, okay?

Go shoot some pictures, maybe?

Hee haa!

Hi,

On one of your pictures the white fence shows CA on both cameras. Does CA occur on white subjects against dark backgrounds? As I often read on here that CA occurs on DARK objects (most common one tree branches) against light backgrounds (Typically the Sky).

Or am I being daft and is the fence not showing CA but something entirely different?

Just trying to learn a bit more on the technical side of things.

Thanks

thanks fo rthe comparison. very Interesting. so which one will you keep?

Sparkie - My 1Ds is already listed in classifieds section.

Vincent - both show about the same small amount of CA, it's easily fixable in photoshop raw converter(I just didn't bother to fix it in this case).

here's the same image with CA ajusted during raw conversion

Ilia, whats your primary reasons for selling the 1DS? -- the extra weight, bulk, more noise? -- as its pros are weather sealing better build and better AF

Very nice job -- very practical -- near real world and straightforward testing. Pixel Peeping reveals a lot, normal image viewing or printing isn't going to show much CA, esp. if you're concenrned about it enough to just fix it in PS anyway. Good work. That 85 1.2L lens must be something too.

3 reasons to replace 1Ds with 5D: battery, high ISO, ETTL-II flash.

2 reasons not to: shooting in a rain, loosing formidable self-defence weapon ;)

Unlike most people, I prefer the size and handling of 1Ds over 5D(I'm 6'3" and have large hands though), but I also don't mind having extra space in my bag. My "street bag" of 1Ds,16-35,70-200IS,1.4xTC,580ex is now 5D, 16-35,70-200IS, 1.4x, flash and 85/50/100macro depending on circumstances.

ok. makes sense. --- but what is wrong with the 1DS batteries?

2nd hand prices on ebay canon outlet are going at almost the same as a new 5D. very tempting to get the 1DS if you already have a 1D series camera for layout consistency. but just realised the 1DS doesnt go up 3200. and would be way too noisey. but good for someone in a studio setting shooting at 100 ISO

Thank you for taking the time to post the interesting comparisons Ilia. I'm surprised at how little difference there is in the ISO 800 noise levels between the two bodies.

Then again, maybe it is a big difference....

Hard to tell on this damn laptop screen.

"...what is wrong with the 1DS batteries..."

Well, 2 batteries and a charger for 1D/1Ds weigh 3 lbs and take more space in the bag than 1Ds body itself. 2 BP-511a batteries and a charger weigh ~0.5 lbs and fit in my pants pocket...

ok. didnt know the 5D batts and charger were signif. smaller. cheers

What's the battery life with the 5D vs. the 1Ds? My 1DII gets WAAaaaay more shots out if its admittedly very large battery than my 10D gets out if two 511-type batteries. Of course, the 1DII isn't the 1Ds, the 10D isn't the 5D, and the 511 batteries I use aren't the 511a batteries in the 5D. Still, it would be good to know how many shots you can get out of a 5D + 2 511a batteries.

I have difficulty drawing any conclusions from a single, pixel-peeping comparison. The tip of the red leaf in the 1Ds shot, bottom right of the blow-up, could be said to have more tonal range, from deep pinkish to almost white, whereas the same area in the 5D shot is a more even pink. The whitish streak at right angles to the leaf tip is thinner in the 1Ds shot implying better resolution.

On the other hand, the background noise is slightly worse in the 1Ds shot. However, I suspect that moving the 'luminance slider' in ACR to 25% or 50% would cause the 1Ds shot to look virtually identical to the 5D shot.

From this one comparison, I would draw a very tentative conclusion that the slightly lower noise of the 5D is achieved by in-camera smoothing or noise reduction to some slight detriment to resolution and tonality.

Perhaps comparison shots at 1600 ISO would have shown significant differences. I see none here.

I wonder if the "exact same" raw conversion perameters might be doing a disservice to one or both cameras? Either one might benefit from fine tuning in ways that the other might not.

"The tip of the red leaf in the 1Ds shot, bottom right of the blow-up, could be said to have more tonal range, from deep pinkish to almost white, whereas the same area in the 5D shot is a more even pink"

To my eye it looks as if the 5D shot is slightly out of focus, which would explain the difference. It makes sense, because it's a hedge photographed on what looks like a windy day over a period of time, and the leaves would be wobbling in the wind. This could be testament to the 1Ds' 45-point focus system vs the simpler focus sensor of the 5D.