For the same price should I go for a 1DS MKIII or a 6D?

Hello,
How are you?
So, the title pretty much says it all...
I found a very good condition 1DS MKIII with around 35000 shutter actuations with no dents, marks or scratches for the same price of a new 6D.
So, which is the best option?
I know the 6D has a super sensitive centre AF sensor, but the 1DS has more points and more cross-type points. It also has the built in vertical controls (I am not a fan of batter grips as add-ons). I know the 1DS is bigger and heavier but it also has better build quality.
The 1DS also has a better viewfinder but the 6D is newer tech...
My question is in regard to IQ. Is the 6D very much ahead?
My only canon lens at the moment is a 24-105 F4L I got for a steal. But when I sell some Nikon gear I would add some more lenses, like a 70-200 II, a 16-35 II, a sigma 50 and maybe an 85L.
So, if it were you, which body would you choose and why?

Thank you for your help.
Cheers!

6D for better IQ and lighter.

These are TOTALLY different cameras. The 1DsIII is a beast. Remarkable, but a beast nonetheless. Fantastic image quality, fantastic focus performance, fantastic speed... all in a package built and sized like a Kenworth truck! I love them!

The 6D is a marvel. It's a BREEZE to work with, with a quiet shutter, effortlessly amazing image quality, and cutting edge technology.

I'll take five each!

Ultimately, it's your call alone as to which one you like better. Both terrific, both the same price, both completely different. Not an easy choice.

But there is ONE thing that might make it easy for you. I know it would for me.

How important is low light/ high ISO photography for you?

This is the one thing which the 6D is absolutely, without question or compromise, 100% superior... and vastly so, at that.

All my life, going back to a Yashica Electra 35 from 1975, it seemed as if I was always having to battle the issue of "not enough light". My dad had a studio and retail business that lasted for 53 years. I remember when 400-speed color film came out... it was exotic... and only to be used when necessary. Then 800 speed. Then 1000 speed Kodacolor. Boy, was that grainy stuff! Even 4x6 prints challenged it! In college, I played around with TriX pushed to 1600. TMax was the first high speed film for me that actually looked pretty good. With digital, I could finally shoot at 1000 ISO without worry, and 1600 if I really needed to.

The 6D has pretty much re-written the rule book for me. I played around at a recent wedding, using a long lens during the reception to get candids indoors in low light. ISO 6400 and 12,800 was pretty much standard... 6400 looked great and 12,8K was absolutely useable.

As I said, you don't have an easy decision. But the issue of low-light performance could be the decider. If anything more than ISO 1600 isn't necessary, I would personally love the 1Ds III. Otherwise, 6D all the way.

The IDsIII is a pretty awesome camera for its time, and it has quite a few features, like AF combinations, to customize its response.

However there are a few features that make it out of date:

The LCD is first generation, 230kdots VS current Canon dSLRs (including Rebels) have 1030kdots. This makes a really big difference for manual focus via LCD or looking at detail upon image review. I use Live View 5-10X a lot, so this would be a deal breaker for me.

The 1DsIII will have a better, brighter viewfinder,

The video performance on 5DIII/6D: as the 1DsIII does not have it.

high ISO noise on the 6D is probably a bit better.

6D is a heck of lot lighter FWIW. 770g Vs 1400g However I am a 1DII owner as well and always liked the feel of the 1D style.

Mike K

Mike K said:

Mike K wrote:

The IDsIII is a pretty awesome camera for its time, and it has quite a few features, like AF combinations, to customize its response.

However there are a few features that make it out of date:

The LCD is first generation, 230kdots VS current Canon dSLRs (including Rebels) have 1030kdots. This makes a really big difference for manual focus via LCD or looking at detail upon image review. I use Live View 5-10X a lot, so this would be a deal breaker for me.

The 1DsIII will have a better, brighter viewfinder,

The video performance on 5DIII/6D: as the 1DsIII does not have it.

high ISO noise on the 6D is probably a bit better.

6D is a heck of lot lighter FWIW. 770g Vs 1400g However I am a 1DII owner as well and always liked the feel of the 1D style.

Mike K

Click to expand...

The 1DsIII will hold it's value better if that's important.

I have the 1DsII & III and now the X. The sII or sIII was not great in low light, I'm sure the 6 is an improvement there. Other than that image quality on the sIII is very good. I've sold images today taken with the sIII. I used it yesterday on a job along with the X.

I would probably go for the 6, weight and low light performance would make it more versatile if you shoot whatever when ever.

Given the choice I would get the X!

Kevin.

I bought the 1.3 crop 1DS (can't remember which version, but it was the one that had the focus issues that Canon repaired) about 4 or 5 years ago and sold it. I just didn't need a camera that "large" and I had the 30D or 40D and a 5D1. Now I still have 40D but use 7D and 6D most of the time. The 6D is absolutely the best high ISO body I've ever used and it is the latest Canon technology. The only weak point I can think of is that it may not be that good for action sports and a fast FPS.

It's a great camera. I'd probably get the 17-40 unless you need 2.8 with the 16-35. Save money.

Kent

The 1dsIII can keep the AF point lit during ai-servo, none of the modern (post 1dIV) Canons can, (except the 1dx)



IdsIII can take a lot bigger hit than the 6d if you're going to be someplace violent.

1/8000th


Shorter shutter lag for sports (not that either are ideal sports cameras)

Buy both. one main and one spare. You get the best of both world.

Wait for canon buy 1 get 1 free. This promotion comes once every 1000 years.

I ordered 1D + 5D the last time... Somehow they gave me a 6D.

Just clarify, the original 1Ds was the first full frame Canon 1series digital camera. If you had a 1.3x crop then you had a 1D series not a 1Ds.