Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this camera at Amazon: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II 16.7MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Digital Photography Review

Despite the significant jump in resolution from the EOS-1Ds (11 mp) to the EOS-1Ds Mark II (16.7 mp) the camera maintains an impressive four frames per second shooting rate and a buffer large enough for 32 JPEG or 11 RAW images. The EOS-1Ds Mark II’s internal bus throughput of approximately 67 megapixel/sec is virtually identical to the eight megapixel EOS-1D Mark II. The EOS-1Ds Mark II delivers a level of detail unmatched by any other current digital SLR (excluding the more ‘exotic’ medium format backs). … The EOS-1Ds Mark II is a very unforgiving camera when it comes to lenses. That ultra high resolution and full size 35 mm sensor mean that not only does the camera use all of the glass in a lens but it can reproduce it in minute detail, warts and all. … In my opinion both the EOS-1Ds Mark II and D2X represent the ultimate in current digital SLR technology. The EOS-1Ds Mark II’s problem however is its big price tag. READ FULL REVIEW

Other Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II Reviews

Steve’s Digicams

The most touted improvement is the Mark II’s 50% increase in resolution … it produces whopping full frame images of 4992 x 3328 pixels. In addition … the Mark II offers improved responsiveness and a greater range of sensitivity. For the ultimate image quality shoot in the RAW format … If you want to be able to quickly use your images then shoot in standard compressed JPEG format. You can even select the JPEG + RAW mode … The Mark II’s image quality at high ISO is very good. … Make no mistake – the 1Ds Mark II is the new “ultimate digital SLR” in both features and image quality, but Canon has priced it at the same that was asked for the 1Ds when it was released over 2 years ago. The Mark II is an excellent value for the pro who needs its increased resolution and improved performance, and to the extent that the Mark II enables them to earn more income, they will buy it. But to the rest of us mere mortals, justifying a camera plus the necessary upgrades in computer and memory resources is a big stretch … READ FULL REVIEW

CNET

Canon maintains its industry-leading position with the 16.7-megapixel EOS 1Ds Mark II … the 1Ds Mark II sets a new benchmark for performance and image quality. … The only design choice that I found irksome was the dual use of the Delete button for erasing files and for canceling that process. … Canon’s EOS 1Ds Mark II is probably the most feature-laden, capable, and customizable digital camera available today. In addition to five menus, it offers 21 custom functions and 32 personal functions … Expect to spend some time configuring this camera to your taste. A more important change … is the ability to choose an ISO speed of 3,200 … What makes the Mark II shine is its full-frame sensor and its whopping 16.7 megapixels–perfect for jaw-dropping enlargements … The downside of the 1Ds Mark II’s image quality is that your lenses must be up to the task. … Canon’s EOS 1Ds Mark II offers a wealth of features and the highest resolution of any small-format digital SLR, with a price to match. READ FULL REVIEW

Photo.net

The Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, has, as expected, increased the pixel count from 11.1 to 16.7 MP, making it the 35mm DSLR pixel champion – at least for a while! The image buffer is also now larger for JPEG files (32 vs. 11), though the RAW buffer isn’t much bigger (11 frames vs. 10) which is a little disappointing. Frame rate is up slightly (4fps vs 3.3fps), a small but usable improvement. Canon now also provide USB connectivity as well as Firewire (IEEE 1394), though for some reason only the slow USB 1.1 protocol is supported, not the faster USB 2.0, so Firewire is clearly the preferred option for rapid data transfer. An optional wireless adapter which will allow IEEE802.11b/g wireless transfer will be available for the 1Ds Mark II, but no details on the price are currently available. READ FULL REVIEW

Luminous Landscape

For professional and ardent amateur photographers what tells the tale best about a camera is how it handles, along with the subjective image quality observed in prints. On those measures, the 1Ds Mark II scores equally as well as it does on the test bench. This is possibly the most remarkable picture taking machine that I’ve yet used. … Is it perfect? No, far from it. It’s big. It’s heavy, and it’s expensive. It also still infuriatingly requires 4 button presses to turn mirror-lockup on and off. The casual user will find that the user interface also requires a great many button presses to actuate just about every function. But most pros will welcome this, as it makes accidental settings that much less likely. In the end, the 1Ds Mark II stands alone, (for the moment at least), as the camera with the combination of highest image quality and fastest handling available. … for the money, the size, the versatility, and the performance, the Canon 1Ds Mark II is currently king of the hill. READ FULL REVIEW