Canon 1Ds performance in the real world

[*waldo]

:evil: I just purchased a Canon 1Ds and after a tipped trypod broke a 24mm-70mm in half it was a $295 fix but did not have the 3 day tun aroud as promised more like a week and half and "they could give a dam" that this had happened .....so now the best part while hooked up to an ac outlet I set the Camera on my couch back and tripped on the wire Dopping the camer 30" to the rug and guess what? it stopped dead so a week and a half after they recieved it its going to cost me $368 now these are unfortunate things considering that I've been a prof shooter for 35 years and at no toime did I have a Nikon or Bronica stopped dead from such a little fall......What I am saying here is BEWARE 1Ds are delicate as well as expesive and canon USA are totaly misleading the public with there claims of quick turn around and claim to robustness of the1Ds..you can emagine what afool I feel like having dumped a good $8000. on this little Item

[Onyx]

Lesson to be learnt here: take care of your items!

Tripping over and dropping them and expecting them to survive is like expecting your vehicle to survive a collision at 30mph and not have damage beyond scratched bumpers.

[eric s]

But were those Nikon or Bronica cameras digital? There are a lot more sensitive electronics in the digital cameras now adays than even in something as complex as an F5.

If the drop was just off the sofa, and wasn't that hard I would have expected the 1Ds to surivive as well, but you never know. I've seen things fall 6 feet and be find, and the same thing then fall a foot and shatter into shards. A lot depends on what it lands on and what part of the body hits the floor.

Eric

[barthold]

Eric, all true, but I bet that he can tell by just holding the equipment how solid it is. That is experience speaking too.

I dropped my S10 once from 4 feet down on the concrete. It landed on a corner. All it did was dent the magnesium alloy body, but the camera still works fine.

What bothers me more is Canon's supposed fast turn-around time that doesn't come true. If it is your profession that is not a pleasant experience. That seems to force you to own two 1Ds bodies, just in case.

Barthold

[eric s]

Now there is a scary thought. Having to own a 1Ds that isn't doing anything but acting as a backup. Ouch.

The question isn't how solid the outside is, it's how the shock of the impact gets transfered into the innards and how they take that shock. I don't mind denting the outside, or even cracking it... as long as that disapates the shock and it doesn't break anything on the inside (well, ok, I don't want to crack the case, but I'd take that over a broken camera any day.)

Its the same logic that car makers use to protect the people in the car. The force of the imact gets disapated by the outside of the car and therefor the driver doesn't get thrown around as much, and that the innards of the car (engine, whatever) doesn't break but the bumper shadders into a million pieces, the side gets a huge dent....

Eric

[PKchopper]

A helmet (especially a foam core bicyclist type) is a great illustration of energy dissipation. I wonder how big the camera bodies would have to be to incorporate the same effect?

[eric s]

I would hope they incorporate some foam inside to help somewhat, but I truly don't know.

Eric

[SpeedyManiac]

A lot of pro photographers that shoot motocross use the 1Ds and have no complaints. They say it takes the abuse and keeps on ticking.