Questions about going from G2 to 1Ds

[Jackster]

Hi folks

I currently have a Canon G2 an am seriously thinking of moving up to the Canon 1Ds...I have the money saved up already but I have a question. Since this camera is hard to find, I have never held one or even seen one in person. I am basing my decision sole on reviews, pictures and users opinions on this site. My question is this...on my G2, I use the LCD primarily to compose and take pictures and find it very handy. Is the LCD on the 1ds just for playback of the pictures that were taken....do people use this to compose their pictures or does it not work this way and if not, why not...It seems to be pretty handy and convenient on the G2...am i missing something?

Jack

 

[C Anderson]

Hi folks

I currently have a Canon G2 an am seriously thinking of moving up
to the Canon 1Ds...I have the money saved up already but I have a
question. Since this camera is hard to find, I have never held one
or even seen one in person. I am basing my decision sole on
reviews, pictures and users opinions on this site. My question is
this...on my G2, I use the LCD primarily to compose and take
pictures and find it very handy. Is the LCD on the 1ds just for
playback of the pictures that were taken....do people use this to
compose their pictures or does it not work this way and if not, why
not...It seems to be pretty handy and convenient on the G2...am i
missing something?

Jack

It is for playback only. You will not be disappointed with your upgrade! Good Luck
Chris

 

[Anthony14707]

Hi folks

I currently have a Canon G2 an am seriously thinking of moving up
to the Canon 1Ds...I have the money saved up already but I have a
question. Since this camera is hard to find, I have never held one
or even seen one in person. I am basing my decision sole on
reviews, pictures and users opinions on this site. My question is
this...on my G2, I use the LCD primarily to compose and take
pictures and find it very handy. Is the LCD on the 1ds just for
playback of the pictures that were taken....do people use this to
compose their pictures or does it not work this way and if not, why
not...It seems to be pretty handy and convenient on the G2...am i
missing something?

Jack

Jack;

If you should get the 1Ds, I suggest you remove the words "handy and convenient" from your vocabulary.

The 1Ds is a Photographers' tool. It's bulky, heavy, and not nearly as user friendy as a point and shoot.

There is no LCD preview. A camera like this would not "feel" right if you were to use it that way.

This is a digital SLR....in a league of its own...(for the moment)

 

[JohnM31499]

I agree, I have a 1Ds & my wife has a G2. Both are great cameras but in totally different ways

-John

 

[James Long]

"A fool and his money..."

 

[Scott Larson]

The 1D is almost identical to the 1Ds in size, weight and function. Give a 1D a test drive to see if this is the kind of camera you want. I have a feeling you'll find the 1D/1Ds is a much different camera than what you're used to.

 

[murphy]

Hi folks

I currently have a Canon G2 an am seriously thinking of moving up
to the Canon 1Ds...I have the money saved up already but I have a
question. Since this camera is hard to find, I have never held one
or even seen one in person. I am basing my decision sole on
reviews, pictures and users opinions on this site. My question is
this...on my G2, I use the LCD primarily to compose and take
pictures and find it very handy. Is the LCD on the 1ds just for
playback of the pictures that were taken....do people use this to
compose their pictures or does it not work this way and if not, why
not...It seems to be pretty handy and convenient on the G2...am i
missing something?

Jack

Posting a question like this is very funny.

Im not insulting you but after you buy a 1Ds you will feel foolish.

Saying im thinking about upgrading my G2 and getting a 1Ds is kinda like saying your throwing out your car and getting a private jet.
(the cost ratio is almost the same too.)

A G2 is a very "user friendly" camera. Sorta like Micosoft Windows for computers. Upgrading that G2 to a 1Ds is like upgraiding your windows to a CRAY computer.

If you have the $7K for the camera, dont forget your gonna spend that again in quality lenses for it.

Keep reading here in Dpreview and learn. You may change your mind and decide to upgrade to something better (when its available) or something more practical for your uses.

How about telling us a little about why you want the 1Ds.. Or why you feel your G2 is no longer providing for your current needs? What type of photography are you into? How serious are you about it?

There are lots of questions but your's was the most amusing.

Murphy

 

[Matthew Cromer]

A live LCD preview is for Amateurs!!!!! A true professional photographer will always prefer the pentaprism! ;-)

--
my favorite work: http://www.pbase.com/sdaconsulting/favorite_work

 

[inigo guionnet]

Hi folks

I currently have a Canon G2 an am seriously thinking of moving up
to the Canon 1Ds...I have the money saved up already but I have a
question. Since this camera is hard to find, I have never held one
or even seen one in person. I am basing my decision sole on
reviews, pictures and users opinions on this site. My question is
this...on my G2, I use the LCD primarily to compose and take
pictures and find it very handy. Is the LCD on the 1ds just for
playback of the pictures that were taken....do people use this to
compose their pictures or does it not work this way and if not, why
not...It seems to be pretty handy and convenient on the G2...am i
missing something?

Jack

 

[John White96999]

Having owned a G2 and DSLR (D60) I would agree they are very different. I went from film (MF and 35) with a G2 as a light meter and back up to the DSLR and love it. The D60 is a capable camera but it would depend on your background in photography and computers and what you plan to do with it.

As you probably know the sensor in a DSLR is only exposed to light like any SLR so it isnt possible to view the image to compose before exposure. Maybe Canon have a camera like the 5700 in the pipeline?

A sort of inbetween camera. (Capabilities of a DSLR which maybe what you are looking for)
Cheers from Australia
John

http://www.portfolio.com/johnwhite
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=1599
http://community.webshots.com/user/johnwhite64

 

[Jeffrey Behr]

...to buy a 1Ds, but I suppose some owners are, just as some 1D owners, and some D60 owners, and some Audi owners and some... Get it?

And just because he doesn't know much about DSLRs doesn't mean he's a fool. YOU weren't born with that knowledge, James.

--
http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffreybehr

 

[Jeffrey Behr]

...for lenses.

--
http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffreybehr

 

[John Mason]

so here goes

The G2 and other consumer digicams have sensors derived from the videocamera technology

This type of sensor can display live video but is noisy

A photographic tool like the various DSLR's on the market do not use an interline ccd sensor like the video cameras and digicams

Here is a link for discussions on the various types of sensors

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/digital/ccd/sensorsMain.jhtml

The types of sensors like the 1Ds has requires a shutter and only is exposed to light when the shot is taken just like a film camera.

On the other hand...the optical viewfinder in the 1Ds is a 100% accurate view and bright and clear. I know what you mean though. At a wedding this weekend I was letting people use my d60 as a point and shoot. I can't tell you how many times people held it away from them and asked how to turn on the viewfinder. From my perspective this was pretty funny.

The advice to try out a 1D in a store is a good one. Don't forget, the 1Ds doesn't even have a built in flash or lens. So you need to figure costs for a few 550ex flashes and about 5 to 10 lenses of your choice. Also, since the 1Ds uses prodigious amounts of memory, about 20 1 Gig 16x Lexar CF cards ought to do it.

 

[Cryptnotic]

"A fool and his money..."

He's an enthusiast. A "pro-sumer" as some people call them. He's into high tech gear. He's the type of guy who used to carry a medium format rangefinder on his vacations just to out class other picture takers. Maybe he shoots his home videos with a XL1-S.

Anyway, the companies rely on those people to keep their prices low. We all benefit by having more people buy top grade professional-level gear. The more demand there is for pro-level stuff, the more units Canon produces. This can result in an optimal manufacturing line. There will also be more competition in the high-end digital SLR gear market. That means lower prices for everyone. Anything that shifts people away from the crappy stuff that just brings the entire industry down is good, in my opinion.

Current full frame 24x36mm digital SLR cameras that I know of are the Contax N digital (6mp) and the Canon 1Ds (11mp). Hopefully Nikon will have one to throw into the mix in February or March. That should drive prices down. A 35mm full-frame digital SLR in the price and megapixel range of the current Canon D60 and Nikon D100 ($2000-$2400) is what I'm hoping for.

 

[Jackster]

Wow, I didn't know I would get replies this fast..Thanks for the wonderful replies...I am learning...and to those of you who think I am an AMATEUR photographer, I am offended...I am not an AMATEUR photoghrapher but a SERIOUS AMATEUR photographer ...No but really, I love photography and all the creative things you can do with photography...In my younger days, I used to lug an SLR around all the time taking pictures of sunsets, fall foliage, people, etc etc...then my career took off (not in photography) and I got really busy with working and totally forgot about photography for a couple of decades..Several years ago, I bought my first digicam, it was a Fuji MX 700, then onto a MX 2700, then to the MX 4700 and now the G2. I am beginning to spend more and more time taking pictures and taking more and more pictures (since its digital, it doesn't cost anything to snap away) I have rediscovered my long lost love and now I have my G2 with me all the time whereever I go....Right now, I am at that point in my hobby that I want the ability to change lenses (like I used to be able to do with my SLR)...I want more megapixels...I want to be able to blow my pics up and still have stunningly sharp pictures...I want to go further into digital photography...I want to learn more...I love it....I know a DSLR is going to be a lot heavier than a P & S G2 but I will deal with it....

For those of you wondering why a Canon 1Ds, well here are the reasons...

1. I used to own a Canon F1 and liked that camera (thus no Nikon for me) and I own some Canon FD lenses (do they fit on the 1Ds with an adapter?)

2. With all due respect to the D60 owners, I origially thought about getting the D60, but have been reading alot about the crappy AF problems with it.

3. And with all due respect to the 1D owners, and I think the 1D is a great camera but in my book a Smith and Wesson still beats a royal flush and 11 MP still beats 4 MP's anyday and if your gonna spend $5000.00 on a 1D anyways, whats another $3000.00 for an additional 7MP.

I am glad that I could provide some comic relief to a few of you SERIOUS professionals. Photography is not my profession, I don't do it for a living,its a hobby and I love it. I do something else for a living and I thank god I am VERY WELL compensated in my profession that I can easily afford such a fine professional camera even though I am ONLY a hobbyist.

Just wanted to say thanks to those of you who tried to answer my question...thats what this forum is for....

Jack

 

[tim martin]

I currently have a Canon G2 an am seriously thinking of moving up
to the Canon 1Ds...I have the money saved up already but I have a
question. Since this camera is hard to find, I have never held one
or even seen one in person. I am basing my decision sole on
reviews, pictures and users opinions on this site. My question is
this...on my G2, I use the LCD primarily to compose and take
pictures and find it very handy. Is the LCD on the 1ds just for
playback of the pictures that were taken....do people use this to
compose their pictures or does it not work this way and if not, why
not...It seems to be pretty handy and convenient on the G2...am i
missing something?

I don't doubt that the 1Ds is a great camera, but I would guess
that you will be spending the next 2 years watching prices on
cameras like the 1Ds drop by thousands.

In other words, figure that for the price of 1Ds now, you will be
able to get two 1Ds in another 2 years.

It's super expensive now because they want to milk all the
companies first, while they learn how to make the camera. Newsweek
and Time magazine will buy this camera for their staff photographers,
but you will be one of the few people out there that actually
bought the camera with money from their own personal pocket.

On the other hand, 2 years from now you will have a camera just
as good as the one every professional digital photographer has.
Only difference is, is that they will have paid half of what you paid.

Also, you could by a D60 now... and find out if a DSLR is for you.
Buy a D60 now, for $2200, and you would probably still be able
to sell it on eBay for $1500, 15 months from now.

 

[Scott Larson]

3. And with all due respect to the 1D owners, and I think the 1D is
a great camera but in my book a Smith and Wesson still beats a
royal flush and 11 MP still beats 4 MP's anyday and if your gonna
spend $5000.00 on a 1D anyways, whats another $3000.00 for an
additional 7MP.

$3,000 could be the difference between two VERY good lenses instead of one mediocre lens. Those extra pixels are worthless without a good lens in front of them. I'm not sure you'd want to use those FD lenses on an EOS body.

 

[John Mason]

the FD lenses, if they could be made to work, will not integrate with the full system features of the EOS system of which with 1Ds is a part.

You will, of course, can see how many people see this as odd, going from a G2, which is a good, serious level point and shoot, to the current top of the market DSLR. It's like going from your first beater car in high-school, then jumping right to the ferrari. I think some were trying to keep you from wasting your money.

If you liked the Film Canon system and used the interchangable lenses in the past, the the 1Ds will certainly make you a happy camper. I'm assuming you have an appropriate computer since your already doing this stuff. The Phase One software is a dream piece of software for working with raws, which is the most creative/flexible way to use this camera.

Welcome to the forum. Lots of good people here with lots of good answers.

I too make my money elsewise but love photography. Lots of people have expensive hobbies. Many much more expensive then this one. (sports cars for instance, stamp collecting, coin collecting, etc)

A good lens to start with, 28-70L or 24-70L is a great lens especially since this is a full frame camera.

That's also one of the great things starting out in DSLR land with this camera. You can get one lens that gives you good coverage on both ends of the focal length spectrum. This was hard to do on the 1D and very hard to do on the D60.

The 28-135IS is also a great lens often underated.

Wow, I didn't know I would get replies this fast..Thanks for the
wonderful replies...I am learning...and to those of you who think I
am an AMATEUR photographer, I am offended...I am not an AMATEUR
photoghrapher but a SERIOUS AMATEUR photographer ...No but
really, I love photography and all the creative things you can do
with photography...In my younger days, I used to lug an SLR around
all the time taking pictures of sunsets, fall foliage, people, etc
etc...then my career took off (not in photography) and I got really
busy with working and totally forgot about photography for a couple
of decades..Several years ago, I bought my first digicam, it was a
Fuji MX 700, then onto a MX 2700, then to the MX 4700 and now the
G2. I am beginning to spend more and more time taking pictures and
taking more and more pictures (since its digital, it doesn't cost
anything to snap away) I have rediscovered my long lost love and
now I have my G2 with me all the time whereever I go....Right now,
I am at that point in my hobby that I want the ability to change
lenses (like I used to be able to do with my SLR)...I want more
megapixels...I want to be able to blow my pics up and still have
stunningly sharp pictures...I want to go further into digital
photography...I want to learn more...I love it....I know a DSLR is
going to be a lot heavier than a P & S G2 but I will deal with
it....

For those of you wondering why a Canon 1Ds, well here are the
reasons...

1. I used to own a Canon F1 and liked that camera (thus no Nikon
for me) and I own some Canon FD lenses (do they fit on the 1Ds with
an adapter?)

2. With all due respect to the D60 owners, I origially thought
about getting the D60, but have been reading alot about the crappy
AF problems with it.

3. And with all due respect to the 1D owners, and I think the 1D is
a great camera but in my book a Smith and Wesson still beats a
royal flush and 11 MP still beats 4 MP's anyday and if your gonna
spend $5000.00 on a 1D anyways, whats another $3000.00 for an
additional 7MP.

I am glad that I could provide some comic relief to a few of you
SERIOUS professionals. Photography is not my profession, I don't
do it for a living,its a hobby and I love it. I do something else
for a living and I thank god I am VERY WELL compensated in my
profession that I can easily afford such a fine professional camera
even though I am ONLY a hobbyist.

Just wanted to say thanks to those of you who tried to answer my
question...thats what this forum is for....

Jack

--
John Mason - Lafayette, IN

 

[Rob Martin]

It's obviously not about the price.
Mr. Lam (Jack) is after the best bang for his buck.
The D60 is a great tool, but believe me, it doesn't touch a 1D or 1Ds.

It's always amusing when a question that on the surface, looks silly get's hammered in these forums. Before I bought my first DSLR (D30) I trolled through these forums many times to see what was the best DSLR, what it actually meant, did they do movies etc. (After all, who knows??? Apart from the annointed)

Jack, if you have the dough go for it. I have a 1Ds and it's worth it having it now.

I am a hobby photographer too and it's great having the best gear for it.

If you worry about what you might "lose" then you'll never buy anything.

Try buying a new Jaguar or BMW and then selling it two months later........

But, still makes me smile when I read the post...... and some of the answers....

When you get one, and some nice "L" glass, let us know. Say, 24-70, 16-35, 70-200 IS and a 1.4x TC.... that'd be a good start.....

Know nothing about FD lenses, but I don't know if they'd do a 1Ds justice. Noticable darkness around the edges on a 70-200 2.8 wide open. Untill you experience it you'd never believe it... (hehe). The 1D and D60 never do it to me....

If you go a 1D you can make small movies at 8fps... hehehehe

Rgds,

Rob

--

------------------------------
Live life, it's the only one you've got . . . . .

 

[Rob Martin]

http://www.robgalbraith.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=18&t=002085

these guys do