Canon EOS 1D Mark II N 8.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Body Only

There's A Reason Why All The Pro's Use This

Strengths: 8.2mp, 8.5fps, weather-sealed, very fast AF, built like a tank, bright viewfinder, low-noise at high ISO, fairly customizable, vertical grip & controls, 2.5" bright, clear, sharp LCD.

Weaknesses: Inability to turn off flash when mated to a Canon 580EX, the 30D can do this. Heavy, NiMH instead of LiIon battery, no SMART rotation of images like 30D, poor software & PC connectivity

Summary: There's a reason why this camera is a common favorite among those who make photography their fulltime living. You can read the long list of features but here's my experience as a real-world user. I was deciding between the 5D and this model. Even though the 5D has slightly better image quality when shooting high ISO images and higher megapixels, it only has 9pt AF system w/6 "invisible" helper points. For the way I shoot, this wouldn't do. I react to my shots because if you have to think about it then it's too late. Therefore, I needed a camera that would lock on and focus in an instant so I could capture that moment and not lose it. This actually came in handy in real world use when last weekend, as I shot a wedding, I noticed from the corner of my eye, the uncle of the groom horseplaying w/the groom trying to give him a "noogie," I pulled up the camera to my eye and fired and captured an amazing moment that I probably would've lost with the 5D. When I later looked at the image on a computer display, it was tack sharp! Another big plus are the weather seals. I had to send a 30D back to Canon because I shot in heavy snowfall and even though they were able to fix it, it wasn't something I wanted to go through again. All in all, if you're on the fence about this, just get it and be happy capturing shots you never thought you could.

Also, now is a great time to get it because these are at the end of their product life cycle and it won't get any cheaper than this.

Best Camera Choice If You Take Fast Action Pictures

Strengths: Fast and I mean BLISTERING FAST 8.5 Frames per second shooting, advanced 45 point focusing, really well made - lots of quality in the build, complete weather sealing totally solid all around constrn.

Weaknesses: No REAL weaknesses but, 1.3 crop factor (not that bad actually), not a full frame like 5D or 1DS MKII, doesn't have as much megapixel like the 5D or 1DS MKII

Summary: 2007-03-17 13:16:39 This camera is simply amazing! I started out with a Canon G2, upgraded to a Canon G6, then a Canon 20D, and now this Canon 1D Mark II N. I debated and researched for 3 months between the 1DS Mark II, 5D, and 30D. My decision was primarily narrowed down to the 5D and this 1D Mark II N. Yes, I do wish this camera was full-frame and also shared the 12.8 Megapixels like the 5D, but you know what? It practically killed me trying to weigh the pros and cons. I finally made my decision to go with this one and I’m 110% glad that I did.

For me, this camera is definitely THE ONE to get because of the 45 point Focusing, 8.5 fps, and the 1D Pro Body/Interface/Menu/Layout, etc is what really makes this camera worth it and the deciding factor. Trust me, if you don’t know how seriously fast the 8.5 fps really is, you need to go out to your camera store and try it out before you decide. Because of this 8.5fps alone, I’m actually able to capture a lot of shots that I normally get lucky getting with my 20D. And with a 5D at 3fps, I just said forget it…No way. Too slow for me. I’m not even a professional taking pictures for a living. This is purely a fun hobby for me and stepping up from a 20D to this camera is out of this world. With the phenomenal auto focusing, additional metering, it’s like the training wheels are coming off the bike. This camera and the photos truly help me take pictures like a pro, almost. :)

Also, I don’t shoot action pictures all the time, and I do love portrait photography, landscapes, and printing/blowing up large sized prints of those images. But even with the 1.3 crop factor, there is still a HUGE improved difference going from a 1.6 crop factor and you won’t experience vignetting problems with some lenses that you’ll have on a 5D. With this Canon EOS-1D Mark II N, you can still take wonderful wedding photography, landscapes, etc. As much as I’d like to have 12.8MP like the Canon 5D, 8 Megapixels are really all that we need these days unless you’re going to blow up and print photos that are larger than 8X10’s. If you’re printing extremely large posters and whatnot, you can pretty much do everything with this camera that the 5D can. The resolution and Megapixels are definitely enough. Plus, it’s also invaluable to know that you have the 8.5 fps available and ready to use if you need to and you can also tone it down and use a slower fps if you need to. The extra bonuses with this camera which I look at as a secondary positive, are the weather seals, pro-build high quality construction body, easy to use and navigate menu system, you can see the iso information in the viewfinder as well as the LCD screen at all times, dual memory card capability, you can shoot on 2 memory cards at the same time as one for backup or use 2 separate cards independently, built-in battery grip (you don’t have to shell out extra for this), longer battery life than the other cameras, best customization and most options that you can set to your liking, more than the 5D or the 20D or 30D. I could go on and on but definitely get this camera if you can afford it. Otherwise, the 5D is also a great choice too if you need to save the money, and all you do is take landscape pictures all day long, or never will have a use for fast action or have a need to capture quick moments, and don’t want the fast and most accurate focusing system that’s great especially in Ai Servo mode.

Canon 1D Mark II N

Strengths: Image quality, Fast, Highly Responsive, accurate 45 Focus points, ISO in viewfinder, spot meter, many custom features

Weaknesses: Price, Weight, High ISO > 800

Summary: The Canon 1D Mark IIn is a joy to use. I have gotten use to weight of the camera. It's got more features than I can use.

The camera is constantly ready for the next shot, unlike my previous camera, the canon 10D. The 1D buffer never seems to fill up. With 45 focus points, I have more points to chose from without recomposing.

The image quality is fantastic at ISO 400 and under, better than the 20D. I have found ISO 1600 and above to be a bit noisier than the canon 20D if I had to push it in post processing. If properly exposed, ISO 1600 images can be cleaned up with noise reduction software, which looks comparable to the 20D ISO 1600.

The 1D controls are easy to use and easy to learn, even if you're use to the 10D/20D controls. I much prefer the dedicated buttons to the often used features.

Overall, it's the best camera I own and use daily.

EOS-1d Mark II n

Strengths: Great Quality, Fast Shutter Speed, two memory card slots, for CF and SD

Weaknesses: ummmm.... let me think..... uhhhh... kinda heavy, but you get used to it...

Summary: Probably the best photojournalist camera, IMO, The 1ds mark ii is great, 16.7 MP, but for the newspaper you really don’t need 16.7 MP, 8.2MP is more than enough and it smells nice to boot. Hehe… I get really great shots from Sports to Social pictures…Good stuff.