Camera trade question

[shredmaster]

I'm selling my mint canon 50d with grip and batteries on craigslist for $950 and a guy offered to trade his 1d mark II. Like new condition. I want the money but what do you guys think? Glen?
Ps... Entering this from iPhone. Works well
steve

[jemsite]

the 1DmkII (assuming good condition and under 100k shutter activations -- have him check shuter activations using free utilities) - is EASIER TO SELL AND WORTH MORE than a 50D + grip + accessories in the used market.

The new cost of 50D is so low that it devalues the used body. People don't value batteries when you can buy $9 after market ones.

The more shutter activations (and worse condition) the lower the value of the 1DmkII. Also obviously the more receipts, documentation, box, etc. the better. (i might have a 1DmkII box from my 1DmkII that was stolen if you needed one to sell the whole package).

I'd have put the 50D on e-bay months ago but if for whatever reason you use CL or can't sell it for a good price then do the trade. Then play with the 1D then sell it or a 5D. The 1DmkII is basically the same physical sensor as the 5D basically but cropped 1.25x. (less MP obviously). For outdoor shooting & sports it matches the best bodies of today.

So to recap do the trade (if the body is good, no problems, etc.) , play around but START SELLING DUPLICATE BODIES. ...glen

[shredmaster]

Thanks Glen. I tried selling 50D awhile back. I stopped using evilbay months ago. CL is free and I had luck both times with guitars. I'm cleaning house. My 5d and 5d mkII are all I need. I'll let you know if the guy responds. Not sure who would want to trade a 50d for 1d
Steve

[jemsite]

Originally Posted by shredmaster

Not sure who would want to trade a 50d for 1d

Probably.... someone burned by e-bay wanting a smaller, lighter body with 15MP and more high ISO options

the 1DmkII would have no trouble selling itself with low shutter count... glen

[SirBoye]

That's a fair trade I'd say, for both parties.

[Rotti]

Fair trade as long as there is nothing wrong with the 1D.

[shredmaster]

the guy emailed me back later that day, too busy to post... here it is....

I am the original owner.. it has been a backup body, kept in a wrap most of its life. Just selling because i don't need the full on heavy duty stuff anymore. Condition is excellent, always even had a piece of tape covering the bottom plate of the camera. Comes in matchings serial box, 2 batts, all the stuff (including the blank warranty card)
I do still shoot, just mostly fashion and commercial work now. I have a studio space on halsted in Chicago that i work out of. Its a great camera, and nice for weddings b/c it has the 1.3 crop. Still get a little extra reach, while maintaining the "bigness" of full frame.

I was so busy that day, I did not contact him. He said to give him a call if I was interested. I'm still thinking about it.

[jemsite]

i'd do the trade tonight... no brainer.

two batteries is a bonus. you can play around with it and resell it asap (or maybe dump one of your 5's instead ... glen

[shredmaster]

i think i'll do it Glen. all my cams have battery grips for dual batteries. can't remember the last time i shot without dual batts. on a side note, i picked up a cool canon elf type cam that also shoot HD video. this is for when we are out and about and i want shots of my son. well, i can't quite get used to shooting with something like that. i HATE indoor shooting with it since the only way for things to turn out is with the flash....SO BAD! no bounce flash = nasty! it will have to be used outdoors.

[Rotti]

Sounds like good deal. Only problem is you might want to sell your 5D's once you try the 1D.

[adamcbest]

i don't mean to be like a buzz kill and i don't know canons very well, but isn't a 1d mark ii fairly old technology? low megapixel (doesn't really mean much i know) but old processing, lower iso capability. Aside from durability and frame rate what does a 1dII have over more modern cameras like the 50d.

I'm a nikon guy and to me that seems like it would be like taking a old d2h over a much newer, faster and more intelligent d300.. Again i don't mean to sstep on people's feet and i DON'T want to start a Nikon/Canon war, but just becuase it's a pro model doens't mean it's a better camera. i know that Nikons newer prosumer cameras supercede the last gen pro models. May not be the same with canons. Perhaps old style pro AF still supercedes new style consumer AF in canons. Not really so with the Nikons. just a thought. I don't know, if it were a 1d mark iii or 1ds II. I guess the other thing to consider is you are getting it for essential 950 bucks..

[jemsite]

^ rule of thumb... old nikons (before D3/D300 release) are pretty bad & forgettable dSLRs you want to avoid. Old canon dSLRs (any) are still very, very good

the 1DmkII advantages over 50D are significant. (i sold my 5D soon after picking up a great priced 1DmkII almost 2 years ago now).

* much larger sensor with less crop 1.25:1 vs 1.6:1 crop vs 35mm sensor
* much better (still unrivaled) auto-focus (AI Servo or one-shot)
* more AF points and better placement of them
* much better metering & thus exposure
* ability to lock spot-metering to a non-centered AF point (spot meter any selected AF point).
* ability to lock metering on different point than AF point
* more custom controls
* built in grip
* battery that lasts 4x longer
* 100% viewfinder
* more info in viewfinder including flash compensation & exposure meters
* Raw files hold up better when pushed in photoshop/lightroom
* built like a tank
* you don't look like a tourist in a photoshoot
* high ISO of all these cameras is overrated.
* can use 2x extenders and still AF on slower lenses

The only advantage of the 50D would be when you are zoom challenged in GOOD LIGHT. For birding or safaris where you need long zooms and the 15mp 1.6x crop body would provide a longer zoom and also more crop-ability.

Sure you can buy 1DsmkII (full frame 16.7mp) for under $2k but the 50D Steve won't use e-bay to sell would be lucky to t fetch $500 on craigslist and the grip is equally as worthless to a "craigslist" bargain basement buyers... glen

[shredmaster]

Adam and Glen, great points. I was once into the MORE MEGAPIXELS = BETTER when I was looking for a used 5D, until Glen set me straight. hehe. My argument was...but the 5D is older technology, lower light, etc. The LCD is TERRIBLE! Not till you get home and view the images on your monitor do you see the magic! When I first saw the 5D images, I was shocked...such warmth, almost film-like. I love that camera! Sure, it's not as good in low light but to tell you the truth, I rarely need to shoot in really low light. Church ceremonies are the only time where high ISO is needed and for the most part, 5D is good... mark II is better...but can still have issues. It's the size of the sensors that counts and makes the most difference, and the ones in the 5D are large. I have also heard the 1D mark II has very fast AF, which would be great to have.

Glen, am I correct in thinking the sensors on the 1D mark II are also large? It's like a 5D but faster AF and crop? plus built in battery grip?

This guy and I have been playing email tag this entire time. In my last email I asked that we meet this week sometime and he said ok. Of course I'm a little apprehensive but I will check it out and go from there. Supposedly he's never really used it...kept as backup in bubblewrap and box in his studio.

[Rotti]

The 1DMKII has a crop that is in between the 5D's full frame and the 50D's 1.6x. You should jump on that 1DmkII then sell the two 5D's and buy a full frame 1DsMKIII.

[jemsite]

what Rotti said

Right... faster, etc.

~8.5fps (1DmkII) vs 3fps (5D)

the 1DmkII sensor is the EXACT sensor spec as the 5D (you seem to love) only cropped 1.25x in size. APS-H size is made with one large CMOS wafter instead of two stitched CMOS wafers (required for FF/35mm). Hence less pixels on the 1DmkII vs the 5D. Your 50D for reference has a 1.6x crop and is much smaller than a Full Frame and 1DmkII sensor... glen