EOS 1D (original)

Rogan · Jul 22, 2008

Ive been flciking around and came accross this (very old) camera

and how much love people have for it

and i'm considering buying one!

Does anyone have any experience with it?

its only 4 and a bit megapixels but i only publish on the web anyway

and maybe print out some 6x4's
and i rarely shoot above ISO 800 so the noise shouldnt be a problem either!

Thanks

Rogan

Big Mike · Jul 22, 2008

It's a pro body...if you don't have a problem with the size & weight, you will love the feel of it.

Rogan · Jul 22, 2008

Big Mike said:
It's a pro body...if you don't have a problem with the size & weight, you will love the feel of it.

well i held a 1.5KG weight in my hand and was like :| woah that is heavy but i think it'll do me good stabilizing my hands!
and the size is perfect,

my other option was the 30d but the portrait shutter release has cought me.
its roughly the same price as the 30D only downside is no onboard flash but ill pick up an older manual unit

Big Mike · Jul 22, 2008

only downside is no onboard flash

Trust me, that's not a downside

Rogan · Jul 22, 2008

Big Mike said:
Trust me, that's not a downside

ahaha thats what someone else said

i guess it'll give me stricter disipline on lighting and no harsh fill

reg · Jul 22, 2008

I don't think it would be a really good value for your money to get any DSLR that old, because of how fast technology advances but at the same time the Eos 1d is kind of an exception - it's still a really good camera if you're really really sure that it won't limit you.

What does one of those go for now, anyway?

Zansho · Jul 22, 2008

lol, that little flash Canon puts on their flash is pretty much next to useless anyway, it's not very powerful. I would rather they not put it on at all. Grab the 1D (VERY campable camera, I've seen it put some better "higher MP" DSLR's to shame), and a decent flash like a 430 EX and you'll be ready to go. Oh, and a lens would be nice too

.

Rogan · Jul 23, 2008

reg said:
What does one of those go for now, anyway?

depends on the condition it is, in the UK they;re around £250 whereas the other camera i was looking at a 30D is about £300 + however much for a battery grip

usayit · Jul 23, 2008

1D == very old ???

wow... i feel ancient...

As already mentioned, 1D is a pro camera in terms of build quality, features, and an excellent metering system. The disadvantages are the typical obsolescence that occurs rapidly with technology.. as such the 1D doesn't bring much to the table in terms of sensor megapixel count and digi-processor (noise included).

Then again... a lot of those disadvantages area moot point since your final output is web, 4x6 prints, and don't expect to shoot above ISO 800. I can see a few concerns:

1) Pro camera means that it was used professionally. Meaning photographers used it for WORK which means no babying the camera and quite possibly brought in less than ideal working conditions. My 1d-MarkII was a studio camera which gave me confidence in its shape as opposed to... letsay.. a war journalist's former camera.

2) The 1d-markII reported the number of total shutter actuations embedded within the EXIF data of a frame. I'm not sure if the 1d MarkI did the same but you should check the web for information regarding shutter actuations. If the camera has a lot of actuations on the meter, you might want to consider passing. Unless you are willing to repair take on the cost of a replacement shutter (which isn't too bad with Canon bodies).

3) Batteries are awesome in the 1 series cameras... very long life and very long running time. On the other hand, they are expensive. Consider that as part of your purchase. (don't forget to maintain them... recycle charge them occasionally) These batteries are no li-ion they are Ni-MH batteries.

4) Finally... it will spoil you. Once I went to the 1 series film camera, I wanted a 1 series digital camera. hehehe lol. ... G.A.S. is more likely to infect you in the near future.

Which one would I recommend to you? Hmmmm... Unless you are a journalist for a newspaper or web media outlet (build/features/metering) and/or shoot sports (fast AF, fast fps, metering), I'd more likely recommend getting a newer camera such as the 30D. The technological differences between the two in terms of sensor and digiprocessor is going to be more beneficial than getting into a 1 series body. 1D is a very capable camera if leveraged/used correctly in a limited way due to its age.

usayit · Jul 23, 2008

Oh yeh.. .

Here is a "VERY OLD" review of the camera worth reading:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1d/

on board flash = ewe yuck. Get yourself a 550EX or 420EX used if you can afford. Doesn't matter which Canon body you decide.

Rogan · Jul 23, 2008

thanks usayit

you brought up one of my main concerns there that if in the future i want a camera with higher MP count and better high ISO abilities such as a 40D or so im going to be craving after another 1D body which i won't be able to afford

my only other concern is the batteries in the original 1D as it is a 7 year old camera alot of the batteries are going to be HEAVILY used and replacing them isn't cheap

Rogan · Jul 23, 2008

also,

even though my main uses for this camera will be sports, portraits and some live music for publishing on the web

how do you think this camera will fail for general walk around photography for city holidays maybe a landscape shot or to when i have the lenses

someone told me it wasnt too good at long exposures but im not sure to what extent it is bad