Warning : Wall of Text with technical jargon.
I know i wasn't the only one deciding between both, so i thought i'd share my experiences with the two bodies having recently made the switch. again.
I was getting a bit frustrated with some issues on my 5d, and thought it was about time for a change.
Needless to say, i got it sold, and found a great deal on a used 1ds Mk2.
Which i loved, to a point. Let me give you some of the differences in between the 5d mk2 and the 1ds mk2.
Things that were/are great on the 1ds (that i miss on the 5dmk2):
-The body, i need to hold the camera for hours on end, so this does actually matter to some! The portrait grip that is part of the 1ds, makes the battery grip model a joke, its so much more natural to hold and switch in between. I will not bother getting the grip for portraits on the 5dmk2 anymore, having held the real thing its too annoying.
-The VF, is much better designed, not having the black focus squares of the 5d mk2, made for a cleaner view, not to mention bigger and brighter, also having a 6ev scale was quite useful in extreme backlight conditions. A pleasure to look through, and looking through it for long periods of time is definitely more comfortable then a 5d.
-The shutter sound, you may think this silly, but the shutter inspires alot more confidence with your subject, especially during close portraits. The extra confidence in your equipment translates into more confidence in you, and thus a more relaxed subject, and thats priceless.
-1/250th flash sync. Nice.
-Outer AF points, are quite usable and definitely worth getting accustomed to, especially with the previously mention memory AF of your choice.
-Overall the amount of small custom options available made the camera much more personal to handle.
-Changing WB Number, was quite easy on the back LCD, Press a button to switch then roll the wheel for specific number, no need for Menu access. Very useful for studio shoots.
-Custom memory recalled AF point. I would set it to the portrait AF on the outer part, and would just need to hold a button to have it on, take my shot, let go and back to center AF i was. This saved Alot of focus and recompose time. *Looking back on it, this has to be my favorite feature, and the one i miss the most on my 5d2.
Things that i did not like on the 1ds mk2 that made me actually switch :
-Not having the Iso in the VF, this meant having to look at the top lcd each time. *apparently, this can be set in cfunctions to actually display in the VF, so this one might not really apply.*
-While I'm at it, the Iso overall is not great, its comparable to the 5dmk1, slightly noisier with slightly more detail, this was a key factor in the switch because i shoot events ambient only, and did not like the iso 1600 on the 1ds. I wanted an upgrade not a side-surf.
-Firewire cable, god i hated this.
-Horrible LCD screen, unusable for anything other then viewing histogram.
-Slow LCD screen, takes longer then one might think to get that histogram preview, not very practical during the shoot.
-Shallow buffer, quick easy to get that buffer full message, one work-around was to limit my fps with one of the cfunctions... a workaround.
-pfunctions being locked to tethered... Why? Very annoying. On/Off is do-able in the camera, at least, but to edit them... tether... that means if your on location and want to go from 7aeb because you were doing HDR last night, to 2 to use during the event, well too bad. Work-around is to turn it off and get stuck with 3. That can add up to alot of extra (somewhat) unwanted images and excessive battery drainage on your flash/etc.
-Batteries themselfs, these are old-school by now, and are big, heavy, and don't last anywhere near aslong as the new models. If i was to compare size/weight, it takes Two 5d2 Batteries to take as much space and weight as 1 ds2 battery, but it takes about 2, ds2 batteries to match the life of 1 5d2. Think about it. Thats a serious drawback.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, i was not displeased with the 1dsmk2, but i put it up for sale at a good enough price so i could get a 5d mk2. There is a bit of regret, but i'll live with it. Now i love the IQ and MicroAdjust. But miss the AF/Build/VF of the 1ds.
I am glad i made the change, and having the 1dsmk2 for a while proved to be a learning experience. I plan on experimenting with the HD video of the 5dmk2 and have some help from professional video guys to teach me the ways, if i find that video is not at all for me, i will definitely be looking at a 1ds mk3 when their prices drop due to the 1ds mk4.
That is, if the 1dsmk3 iso holds up as well, which i am not sure of.
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