Canon EOS 1DS Mark II

Superb all round, the best out there. The Canon EOS 1DS Mark II is simply a superb pro machine.

With all that is happening in the digital SLR world, it's reassuring to see some things remain static and at the time of writing this review there were no immediate signs from Canon that this is likely to change in the next six months. The Canon EOS 1Ds Mk II is a professional camera, designed to meet the needs of those that want reliable and dependable kit.

Its release date from Canon was November 2004, so within the next year it is rumoured that Canon are going to release a 1Ds Mk III which will be closer to the 1D Mk III in physical design but will sport a larger 22mp CMOS sensor.

Personal Impressions.

My first introduction into the Digital SLR world was in December 2006 with the purchase of a Canon EOS 400D, this gave me a taster of the things I had missed with all the digital compacts that did most of the hand holding. Pretty soon I found the obvious limitations with this design, that meant that as soon as I could, I would progress to the full frame equivalent. I found myself running around in all the most unusual places looking at things in a totally different light. Then with a change in my circumstances I managed to acquire a Canon EOS 1Ds Mk II.

First Impressions

When you hold the camera in the shop, or the first time you get it out the box the first thing that hits you is the sheer size and weight of it. The official weight of the body without battery is 1.2 kg, add a battery and it puts 330 grams on top, making it about as heavy as a house brick. This would make the average weight of the camera with lens about 2.5kg, so not only do I get to take the highest resolution pictures on a full frame 35mm hand held SLR under £4.5k, I get a work out as well.

For all the photography Rambos out there, one shiny silver lining to the obvious dent in your wallet is, "You can look the PART", and people will admire your nice shiny lenses as well. Not only does this camera make a statement about your hobby/profession, but it also stamps on any photography snobs who would normally denigrate someone else's kit.

Things only get better as you start to experiment with the functions in the camera, trying different things and seeing the results. One thing I will say is that you need to start simple, the camera is not entirely forgiving of button pushers who like to mess with too many functions at once; the KISS principle is more than evident here. Ease yourself into the camera trying small changes, watching the results and work with it, pretty soon you will understand how to manipulate the camera and then the fun really begins. When you first start taking pictures the delete button on the back will get used more than most, as you mess around bending the rules and seeing what does work and what is rubbish.

One thing I found strange is that having come from the environment of EOS 400D you really notice the difference, not all of them are immediately apparent. The 1Ds Mk II needs to use multiple buttons to achieve something, i.e., you have to press the magnify button then either the Plus or Minus buttons to zoom in or out of the on-screen preview. The 400D just uses the plus or minus buttons.

Another thing I found hard to adapt to was the 400D provides information on the back LCD, where as the 1Ds Mk II splits this between two LCD displays on the camera. Not a major problem, but it would have been nice to see this function on the 1Ds Mk II. I am aware however that some of the innovations that are in the 400D have come about because Canon has been listening to its customers since the release of the 1Ds Mk II in November 2004.

Functions and features

The camera has a large selection of buttons that allow you to access many of the features without needing to go into the menu on the back LCD, again the use of two buttons is present here, but in some ways a professional product needs more safe-guards against changing by accident, so this is most likely by design than a desire to annoy. I especially like the metering functions, my favourite being the eight memory spot meter, much like the Olympus OM4 I used to use.

When you first pick up the camera, you will find that almost instinctively the index finger of your right hand will land on the shutter button, which also has a function dial and spot meter button within easy reach. As with all professional camera bodies these functions are replicated on the battery grip so if you choose to turn the camera 90 degrees for a portrait orientation, you don't need to be a contortionist to take the shot. The simple layout of the LCD on the top of the camera, provides a quick glance at all the pertinent information needed by the photographer to determine the condition of the camera before or after a shot is taken.

Down the left hand side at the back of the camera are a series of buttons that provide basic functions associated with image and files stored on the flash disks in the camera. A central dial on the back allows you to further select options available whilst looking at the LCD.

One of the nice touches that shows how much the Canon engineers were thinking when they designed the camera, is a eyepiece shutter to block off light that may enter the view finder on long exposures. Due to the size of the view finder, which I would estimate is about 30% larger than the one on the 400D, it is possible for stray light to enter the imaging area and affect the image.

The camera has the ability to take SD cards up to 2Gb and the larger SDHC cards which currently run up to 8Gb. Additionally the camera accepts compact flash cards which currently go up at 16Gb. This means it is possible to have upwards of 24Gb of storage space in the camera. To take cards larger than 2Gb you will need to have firmware 1.16 installed in the camera, otherwise the 2Gb limit is in operation on SD and it is hit and miss with CF.

The battery is a NIMH cell, which increases the weight somewhat. The main problem with NIMH cells is that they have a rather nasty habit of retaining a memory, which is almost none existent with the modern Lithium Polymer batteries used in most other electronics products today. That point aside I have been able to get between 700 and 900 shots per charge on the camera, so this is not as big a problem as it would at first seem. For those in a studio that don't mind being tethered to a power outlet, this is not a problem as a DC coupler is included that slots in and powers the camera from a mains adapter.

The Flash options for this camera are well catered for as well, with the inclusion of both a hot shoe and PC sync socket on the side. The PC socket is mainly used in studio situations, but could be needed with underwater housings and external strobes.

Communication with the camera is done by either USB or Firewire. It is recommended that all data communication with the camera, including the downloading of any images stored on the cards be done with the Firewire, IEEE 1394 as this is much faster than the USB 1.1 option. If you wish to remotely control the camera, this can either be achieved with Canon's wired or Infra red remotes. It is also possible to control the camera using either a PC or an Apple Mac by Firewire cable and the Canon software.

For full specifications of the camera please visit the Canon Website.

Design and ergonomics

As I hinted earlier the feel of the camera is very organic. Both holding and shooting feeling very relaxed, no straining to reach a button or function. The camera never feels unbalanced with either large or small lenses. Thinking back it is evident that a great deal of effort went into the design of the camera.

When I first purchased the EOS 400D I was unaware of what a good solid grip felt like. To me the 400D was fine, but that all changed when I purchased the battery grip for the base of the camera, this is more reminiscent of the 1Ds Mk II. Every time I return to the 400D I feel that it would have been nice for the hand grip to be more like the 1Ds Mk II, which feels large and solid.

Everything about the levers and latches feels as though someone thought about the position and made numerous changes to make sure it was not in the way. All too often the balance between design and ergonomics gets lost in the mire as a company concentrates on how to make it look good at the expense of the product functionality, this is not the case with most Canon designs, especially the 1Ds Mk II. I have read in other reviews how people who work in cold climates have had problems with other cameras when wearing thick gloves, but have commented on how much better the Canon design is in comparison. Again this is something I would agree with, nothing feels like it is too much to do, and nothing needs excessive pressure to make it work.

Overall I would rate the design very highly, the ergonomics and function being well balanced and part of the well thought out design. With all aspects of the camera in easy reach, it explains why so many professionals like Canon cameras and have stuck with them over the last few decades.

Exterior construction

What can I say here other than this camera is built like a tank. With its magnesium alloy casing and its weatherproof seals, it is designed to work in very rough weather, like the photographer taking the shots. The only down side to this is that in order for the system to work as a whole, the lenses need to be weatherproofed as well. As far as I am aware the only lenses that Canon make that are weatherproofed are the equally expensive L series lenses.

This does not stop you using the non weatherproofed lenses, but be aware that the increased likely hood of dust invasion into the system is greater, making dark spots on the images a distinct possibility.

The whole product reeks of quality but then at this price it bloody well should do.

Image quality and colour balance

Image quality is a mixed bag at the best of times. Some people, myself included have mistakenly believed that increased sensor size instantly means better, sharper images, but this is not always the case.

There are many reasons why an image can look crap, and not all of them are down to the sensor or the lens. Problems can occur in the processing of the images as they arrive on the PC, blown out images causing focus problems etc... The list could easily dwarf this review, but in the end an image is only as good as the components that took it in the first place.

Canon cameras have a habit of being a bit conservative with sharpening, possibly because you can add sharpening, but taking it away is always a problem. So it is entirely possible that this was done to satisfy the purists, the rest of us can just modify the settings or do some post processing on the images afterwards.

With a good lens, the results are nothing short of staggering. The EOS 1Ds Mk II however has one problem, and that is that it will not forgive a cheap lens. The biggest problem is that if you have a lens that is reasonable on something like the 400D, you should forget about thinking it will be the same on the 1Ds MK II. Due to the nature of the full frame sensor it will use all the lens, showing up all the problems that smaller APS-C sized sensors wont necessarily pick up. Due to the smaller sensor size it is more likely to use the 'Sweet Spot', this is an area of the lens in the centre that is less likely to show up limits in the material or lens design.

But with a good lens, like the 24-70mm F2.8 L series or the equally impressive, 70-200mm F2.8 L IS lens you can expect to get images that compare with cameras costing 5 times as much. The question is, who would want to buy a camera body costing about £4.5k and then only spend £200 on a cheap lens, in the end you get what you pay for.

Conclusion

What can I say that I have not already said, this camera is nothing short of incredible. With a piece of software like Photoshop, and the addition of one or two high quality lenses, the results are simple stunning. It is no longer whether or not Canon will exceed this camera, that would be na ve and stupid. No, the real question is how good is the camera and will it still be good in a few years time, and continue to take good shots long after it has been surpassed?

My answer is that the camera is only as good as the photographer, and it does not matter if there is another product better, this one is fantastic and worth every penny. I can whole heartedly recommend this to anyone thinking of buying a good SLR built to withstand almost anything and allow you to take good shots.