Jonathan_Wienke
Member
I'm shot 25,000 frames with this camera, and overall, I would say it is definitely the best overall camera you can buy in the DSLR class. If you want better image quality, you need a medium format camera with a digital back of at least 16 megapixels, and you are going to spend a LOT of cash. Color is very good, image noise is much lower than you will get with scanned film, very manageable until you go past ISO 800. Images from this camera sharpen very well, and no upsizing is necessary until you start printing 16x20 or larger. 12x18 prints are simply beautiful. The build quality is excellent, everything is ruggedly designed and weather sealed. Ergonomics are excellent; the buttons and controls are laid out in a well thought out manner. This camera just feels right in the hand. And the viewfinder is excellent--it VERY closely matches the composition of the image, and it is bright and sharp.
The only drawbacks to this camera are cost (It's the Rolls-Royce of DSLRs, and is priced accordingly), high ISO performance (going past ISO 800 greaty increases sensor noise), shooting speed (3.3 frames per second maximum, 10 frame buffer). And cleaning dust off the sensor is kind of a pain in the rear, do yourself a favor and get Eclipse and Sensor Swabs or PEC Pads for sensor cleaning. Anything else will likely make the problem worse, not better. And since the 1Ds is full-frame and high resolution, you will discover all of the shortcomings of your lenses. Don't buy cheap glass for this camera, you will regret it.
Overall, I highly recommend this camera. The shooting speed may seem a little pokey compared to a 1D or a film body with a high-speed film winder, but when you consider that the image quality of the 1Ds is favorably comparable to drum-scanned medium format film and completely outclasses 35mm film, the 1Ds is definitely faster than medium format film cameras. The 1Ds will still outshoot any flash unit that doesn't have an external power supply. If you can afford it, get it.
Problems:
I've had minor banding on a very few frames with a low-key, monochromatic background. If you do a lot of astronomical photography, you may run into this. But it's like dust spots; it shows up the most in areas with little or no detail where cloning it out is easy.
The only drawbacks to this camera are cost (It's the Rolls-Royce of DSLRs, and is priced accordingly), high ISO performance (going past ISO 800 greaty increases sensor noise), shooting speed (3.3 frames per second maximum, 10 frame buffer). And cleaning dust off the sensor is kind of a pain in the rear, do yourself a favor and get Eclipse and Sensor Swabs or PEC Pads for sensor cleaning. Anything else will likely make the problem worse, not better. And since the 1Ds is full-frame and high resolution, you will discover all of the shortcomings of your lenses. Don't buy cheap glass for this camera, you will regret it.
Overall, I highly recommend this camera. The shooting speed may seem a little pokey compared to a 1D or a film body with a high-speed film winder, but when you consider that the image quality of the 1Ds is favorably comparable to drum-scanned medium format film and completely outclasses 35mm film, the 1Ds is definitely faster than medium format film cameras. The 1Ds will still outshoot any flash unit that doesn't have an external power supply. If you can afford it, get it.
Problems:
I've had minor banding on a very few frames with a low-key, monochromatic background. If you do a lot of astronomical photography, you may run into this. But it's like dust spots; it shows up the most in areas with little or no detail where cloning it out is easy.