Yeah, I'm making a Versus post, sorry.

I had decided to buy a Canon 20d, and came across an opportunity to buy a used Canon 1ds at a very, very, very reasonable price locally. So I set about doing my homework comparing the two cameras, versus what I shoot.

From what I find, the Canon 20d seems to be a better camera for me over a 1ds. Realiticaly, the 3mp difference isn't much, and with the EF-S lenses on the 20d, the 0 crop factor on the 1ds isn't a real advantage anymore. The 20d easily beats the 1Ds on shutter speed. (5fps/23 frames vs 3fps/9 frames) This may come in handy for me sometime, but not yet. The 20d also has a higher range of ISO settings, which I feel I might need, and also seems to exhibit less noise than the 1ds too.

The only big advantage the 1Ds seems to have for me, is that I'm starting to shoot more portrait photography, and occasionaly am getting paid for it. If I have a Godzilla camera, I might be able to justify an increase in my rate.

So overall things seem to swing towards the 20d being the camera for me, even over a 1Ds.... Then the testosterone kicks in...
BIG...
BLACK...
ELEVEN MEGAPIXELS OF HOT LOVIN....

How can I say no to the king pimp of all digital SLRs? (ok, except the MkII). There is a lot to be said for bragging rights too (That thing got a 35mm sensor, pardnah?).
Plus, I'm not going to lose any money on it if/when I resell it. I'm not going to state the price because I don't want to hear any "if it's that cheap, just buy it!" I want to get the right camera for my needs. Or the coolest camera.... whichever.... :)

Well? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. Especially advantages that the 1ds has that I haven't thought of.
My photography generaly includes:
Portrait
Landscapes
Sports
Event
and Whatever else....
I usualy use the base mode of the camera I have now, shoot only in manual, and touch up every photo I display in Photoshop.

Thanks!

How used is the 1DS? High mileage would definitely play a large role in my decision between a used 1DS and a new 20D.

That would be a really tough choice but if its just for "cool factor" then I would go for the 20D and add the vertical battery grip. Don't get me wrong as I would love to have the full size 35mm equivalent CMOS sensor but I'm also rather fond of the shot to shot speed of the 20D. You've already mentioned the EF-S lens capability that is absent on the 1DS but then again it won't be too much of a loss considering that wide angle lenses won't be watered down by the multiplier.

Decisions.. Decisions.. I would still lean towards the 20D unless the deal on the 1DS was just too good to pass up and offered either low mileage or some sort of warranty (or both).

I think the 1Ds is about 2 years old.

Another consideration that is leaning me towards the 20d is the 1.5 magnification for telephoto shooting. The EF-S lenses negate the drawbacks to that, but for telephoto shooting, it's a pretty good built in advantage, especially when it comes down to the cost of long lens buying.

Yeah, I think the 20d is still a better choice for me. I'll just put some cool flames and racing stickers on it. OK, case closed.

Dylan,

I believe your needs would be better served with a new 20D than a cool 1Ds. The technology has changed that fast, as you correctly observed. Unless you know the real history on that particular body I would not buy it. The 1Ds is a studio camera or may have been own by an advanced amateur so this may not apply but let me tell you why I advise my friends not to buy used gear from professionals:

1. Age or time frame means nothing; I fired 4000 frames in 5 days last week with my EOS1D MKII, not uncommon for me.
2. I shoot in the rain, snow, and dirt.
3. My sensors get swabbed regularly.
4. My stuff gets thrown around without caps, I have to consider Canon lens filters disposable items, they get hit with, rocks, rubber, and other debris, and I will clean them with my shirt tail or anything else I need to use if I have to.
5. I usually have two bodies hanging off of me, they get knocked around.

My FedEx driver knows the address to Canon Repair by heart I send so much stuff out of here for repair or cleaning, (I wish CPS would service my XL1 too). I know that sounds like ridiculous abuse but it is not uncommon for professional event shooters. I take good care of my stuff when I can but in the heat of the action it takes a beating, and it gets used on a daily or weekly basis. I shoot in all kinds of weather and under some very nasty conditions.

Steve

Although the original 1Ds was a real break-through camera I have to agree with Steven and Tommy on this matter. I can add just a few other comments to further tilt the scale.

- The 1Ds gets a bit (visually) noisy at higher ISO's. Canons more recent image sensor technology, found on the 10D, 20D, 1D Mark II, et.al.) has largely remedied that, as their images are silky smooth at ISO's as high as 1600 (depending on length of exposure, etc.) Remember, as Steven points out, the 1Ds was (is) basically a studio camera best suited to controlled shooting environments.

- It's doubtful that the seller is a little old lady from Pasadena who bought a $7,000+ camera to take snapshots of her grandchildren during the holidays. More probably that shutter has been well pumped. Even if the body appears to be in great shape the old pumper may be on its last pumps. Offhand, I don't recall the exact rated life of the 1Ds shutter but I believe it was somewhere around 100,000 actuations. (The 1D Mk II's is approximately double that.) So that 1Ds may well be nearing its overhaul apointment...probably not an inexpensive proposition.

- The residual value of a 3rd-hand 1Ds will be comparable to that of a 2Mp Elph in 2-3 years when you're ready to upgrade/update. By then the 1D MkII's successor will likely feature 10Mp, perhaps at 10 fps bursts, and the 1Ds Mk II's successor will be spewing silky-smooth 20Mp+ images.

So I, too, vote for the 20D. I have never used one but by every account it's a tremendous value for semi-pro's and serious amateurs.

In the end, remember that many of the most memorable photographs were taken with extremely humble cameras.

Ken wrote,

“In the end, remember that many of the most memorable photographs were taken with extremely humble cameras.”

Boy do I have a big smile on my face, I love profound truth. People see me with all of this technology around my neck and they ask me the same question all of the time “I want to learn photography, which camera should I buy? My answer is, if you want to learn photography buy a camera that does not take batteries. I usually get a puzzled look from them.

Steve