Canon
EOS-1Ds
 vs
Canon EOS
5D Mark II

Updated (March, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

83
"the EOS 5D Mark II has an awful lot to recommend it to the serious photographer."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's overall-performance
"the 5D Mark II is certainly one of the best value for money propositions on the market for image quality - especially in RAW, where you really can see the benefit of all 21 million pixels."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

76
Runner-up

Canon EOS-1Ds

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1Ds

Color depth
 Great color depth
24 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.76x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Focus points
 Many focus points
45
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1Ds
Focus points Significantly more focus points 45 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 19 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.76x vs 0.71x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
 0.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Color depth Better color depth 24 bits vs 23.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.3 more bits of color
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 98%
Help
 Almost the same
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 80.0 vs 79.0
Help
 Almost the same
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 5 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 Around 30% faster continuous shooting
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1Ds

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 1,663 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has a slight edge (0.1 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Size Significantly smaller 152x114x75 mm vs 150x160x80 mm
Help
 More than 30% smaller
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Lowest price Much cheaper $2,130.11 vs $9,135.19
Help
 The best price we've seen is $7,005 cheaper (4.3x less)
Weight Significantly lighter 850 g vs 1,385 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's boost ISO is 3 f-stops better
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Canon EOS-1Ds
76 vs 83
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
EOS-1Ds:1,663 ISO
5D Mark II:1,815 ISO
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
EOS-1Ds:80.0
5D Mark II:79.0
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Color depth Good color depth Help
EOS-1Ds:24 bits
5D Mark II:23.7 bits
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
EOS-1Ds:0.76x
5D Mark II:0.71x
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
21 MP
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Weight Heavy Help
EOS-1Ds:1,385 g
5D Mark II:850 g
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
EOS-1Ds:1,600 ISO
5D Mark II:6,400 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
EOS-1Ds:5 fps
5D Mark II:3.9 fps

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
EOS-1Ds:3,200 ISO
5D Mark II:25,600 ISO
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS-1Ds
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS-1Ds
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1Ds
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,649 body only
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Weight Is slightly heavier
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the D700 vs the EOS-1Ds
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Thickness Is thicker
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS-1Ds
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D800 vs the EOS-1Ds
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS-1Ds
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$7,997 - $8,000 body only
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Compare the D3X vs the EOS-1Ds

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

appearance

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Canon EOS 5D Mark II

discussion

Showing 4 comments

Ssia9 (1:13 PM, February 24, 2012)
1ds mark3 no Weather sealed haha...!?!
 
Avatar for Myname Myname (3:02 PM, July 27, 2011)
why would the mark III cost so much more if the mark II fares better ? 
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (1:31 PM, May 03, 2011)
Our comparisons only take into account the cameras features and not the price.
 
Naccistefano (1:23 PM, May 03, 2011)
ridicolo confrontare una macchina professionale da 6000 euro con una pur buona macchina ma sempre
semi-pro da 2000 euro........ ci sono mille funzioni in piu' che la 1dsmark iii ha...altrimenti alla canon sarebbero impazziti