I had been waiting 3 years for any manufacturer to market a camera similar in specification to the Canon EOS1. As exploration Health, Safety & Environment advisor, work takes me to middle of the desert or the oceans. The wait was for 35mm film quality, with speed of picture taking (5 frames per second is barely enough to capture dolphins - hence the 8 + fps of the EOS 1 was desired). There was a parallel wait for an Image Stabilised 28-300 zoom lens.

Let's cut the story short. If I want a camera to bring on holiday, it would not be this one - the battery and charger are too heavy and bulky; instead I would choose the EOS20D without hesitation.

But having hundreds of failed 35mm film frames I decided not to wait any longer but to buy the EOS1D Mark II because the 1Ds Mark II is not fast enough at 4 frames a second.

With 35mm cameras, after a few seconds on the shooting, I would have to run back inside to the cabin (of a ship) to change film. If there is large enough memory card in the EOS1DII, there is no need. This camera is built with seals against the environment (and so does the 28-300mm lens). Instead of being scared of running out of film, now it is easy to keep the shutter button pressed while panning (and hoping) the dolphins do their jumps into the air.

With the 28-300mm lens attached, there is no need to change lenses either. Dolphins riding the bow wave of the ship could be captured at 28mm while those further away could be caught with 300mm setting.

It is a disappointment that the battery is not LiOn but the older NiMH. But as with any photo gear requiring a battery it is wise to have a spare, whatever the substance. I just wish Canon package a small travel size charger instead of the standard one which is very bulky. It has connections for two batteries (yet it could only charge one following the other) but most people would be happy using one battery while the other one is being charged. You just try to convince some airport officials to let you on the plane with the above kit, binoculars, laptop, mobile phone, GPS.......ext. hard disk....as hand luggage.

For work, I am committed and therefore bear the weight and troubles of hauling the hardware. But for holidays, I would choose the EOS20D with built-in flash because who would want to lug around 3 kilos all day plus flash gun and possibly a tripod?

The camera gets 4.5 stars but the battery and charger lets it down. Why just 4.5 stars ? One of the beauties I had thought with digital SLR was not having to do anything in processing, just transfer the images to the computer. Wrong. The .jpg straight out of the camera is not sharp enough. Post processing is required. Why ? Why is that necessary when the Canon S60 (which I use for different assignments (with underwater housing)) doesn't need to ? That defeats the point of having a .jpg file at 5.5 Meg when the 1.5 Meg of the S60 looks sharper straight out of the camera ? Still, there is RAW if the standard output is not suficient.

Incidentally, the EOS1DsII also produces 5.5 Meg .jpg and those also require post processing. For those of us who are not interested in working longer than necessary (me) 16.7 Million Pixels would seem a bit wasted.

I am still waiting for the camera which produces sharp .jpg files in-camera without having to post process, and can shoot at 8+ fps with a sensor size equivalent to 35mm film. Meantime I shall have to learn to shoot with RAW files and post process.

Also incidentally, the sensor size of the EOS20D is smaller, which means although itself is lighter than the EOS1D series camera, having to carry around an extrawide lens is not my idea of fun on holiday. The magnification ratio for the EOS1DII is 1.3 whereas the EOS20D is 1.6. This means I could still travel reasonably light (compromise) with the 1DII and 28-135mm IS lens attached. Sure it is possible to use stitching but that is more time spent at the computer and time is precious.

Any regrets ? None what-so-ever. It is state of the technology at the moment. Another benefit of using digital is that, it doesn't matter if you had been shooting ISO 100 all day. come the night if you want to shoot the rig with a moon as backdrop, just change to ISO 1600 without having to bother about "pushing2 the film in developing. It's a beauty when an IS L lens is attached. You'd need IS when there is machinery vibrations and the ship is moving with the swell ! Good job Canon. Now you need to shoe horn in a more capable CPU (to process the images in-camera), fit the 1DsII sensor into this one or this motordrive into the 1DsII and you may persuade me to part with more cash.

I just upgraded from a 20D, and the speed just blows the 20D out of the way!! Image quality runs about the same for both cameras since they're both 8.2MP, but how the camera gets you those images is simply amazing. Fastest shutter out there, low noise, consistent color, spot metering, multiple spot metering, weather sealing, the list goes on and on!! This camera demands the best glass, but you won't be sorry.

If your serious about photography in any field, this camera won't disappoint!! A bit pricey, but believe me, it's worth every penny!!!!

eos-1d mark II digital this camera i use two months a little hard to use because it has a lot of things.
i am not a proffecianal but i liked very much
the pictures is the best like any camera i had.

I'm a recreational photographer, and I love this camera. This is my 7th month with the beast -- since I pre-ordered it early from Amazon by MISTAKE. (Long story)

Before buying the 1D Mii, you should know a few things:

1. It's easy to overlook the spec that the camera's USB connection is 1.1 not 2.0. This is 40 times slower, and Canon clearly intended the Mark II to be connected via firewire. That said, I occasionally use it with my laptop on the road, which only has a USB connection. It's convenient that the port is there, but my 1GB CF card takes a good half hour to empty.

2. By the time you've attached a solid L series or comparable lens to this camera, it weighs enough that lugging it around on your shoulder, even without a camera bag full of tricks, is quite a burden. Also, I was talking to a professional photographer who wouldn't buy the model just because cameras this heavy give her wrist trouble. If you've NEVER held a camera this size in your hand, I recommend borrowing one first or checking our your local camera store, even if you do ultimately buy from Amazon.

3. The camera conveniently supports both SD and CF cards. Unfortunately there's no way to copy between the two cards using the camera. It's not a gigantic deal, but there were times I had to wait to get home from a trip to free up the SD card when I didn't have a camera cable, but just an external CF reader.

Those are really the only 3 things I wish I'd known before I bought the camera...but would they have affected my purchase? Probably not! As I said, I bought the camera by mistake. Has it been loads of fun? Definitely. I have prints almost as good as medium format - at 100 times the convenience.

I cannot say enough about this camera! From the moment you pick up the box, you know you have quality. The construction and materials used is top notched. Contents of the box can be found elsewhere, so I won't bother with the details.

Charging of the battery to full takes 2hrs. If you have memory on the battery from repeated charges without complete depletion, you can recondition the battery with the included charger. It just takes 8hrs. While many lament the fact that no Li-ion battery was included, Canon seems to have anticipated the needs of professionals in the field.

One also has the option of being plugged into the AC outlet and not dependent on batteries.

Reading the manual takes a bit of time. The camera has endless customizable functions which can be overwhelming at times. Not that it should deter you, but one will rarely need all those functions anyway.

Using the camera did not seem too difficult. Many functions need the use of two buttons, which may take some getting used to. Navigating through the menu was confusing initally, but improved as time goes on.

Autofocus speed is responsive and sharp. Shooting at high ISO's (>1000) had minimal noise. Looking at some of my pictures taken with 1 fluorescent light in the room and an ISO of 1600, appeared as if a flash was used. Photos of my black lab was incredible considering the ambient light and high ISO.

The camera is always ready to go. If you are in the manipulating within the depths of the menu heirarchy, and want to suddenly take a shot, just press on the shutter button, compose, focus, and shoot. Its quick and responsive. Incredible...!

Some may be wondering the sizes of the pictures. JPEG's have 4 sizes and range from 1 - 2.8 MB; RAW files are 8.4MB.

One can take an average of 800 - 1200 shots on a full battery charge--assuming one has the capacity to hold it.

Prints on my i9900 are outstanding.

Cost is a pretty penny and then some. Also consider that Amazon is an authorized Canon reseller. Many of the rebates require that you purchase from an authorized reseller to be eligible for the rebates. Also, some of the internet deals for the camera are not from authorized resellers.

Overall, a very impressive camera. The cost for many may be prohibitive for many. The EOS 20D may be a more cost effective alternative, but I do NOT regret my decision one bit.

This camera looks amazing, not that I will ever have the money for it.

I am impressed that this camera was the choice to shoot a feature film! It was used to shoot Tim Burton's Corpse Bride!