Canon people-advice needed

[Ruffy]

Hi peeps,

Been away from the site for a while, been busy earning some hard earned cash to progress in the world of an expensive hobby.

As some of you are aware, my focus is Motorsport (motorcycle racing) and have now decided to spend some of that cash.

I have just brought a 100-400mm L lens and I am also looking at a new camera but can't decide the best way to go.

My options are this...

A new canon 7d ?

Or

A second hand canon 1d Miii ?

The 1d has about 20k but is good for 300k and is up for £1200 !!!

The question is what to go for and what will work best with the 100-400 ?

Help and advice is very welcome.

Hope everyone is ok

Paul

[Bear]

I use my 100-400 with both a 7D and 5D2 just fine. The 7D would probably be better for motorsport because of the better AF and FPS, but the 1.6 crop factor will give you a 640mm equivalent at 400mm on the 100-400, so while it gives effectively more reach, you will need to watch your shutter speeds, use a monopod or pull back on the 100-400 to 200-300mm for hand held shooting.

[Colin Southern]

I use my 100-400 with both a 7D and 5D2 just fine. The 7D would probably be better for motorsport because of the better AF and FPS, but the 1.6 crop factor will give you a 640mm equivalent at 400mm on the 100-400, so while it gives effectively more reach, you will need to watch your shutter speeds, use a monopod or pull back on the 100-400 to 200-300mm for hand held shooting.

Hi John,

I think Paul is comparing a 7D and a 1D3, not a 7D and a 5D2.

@ Paul ... Hi Paul, I'd take the 1D3 in a heart beat - higher FPS (up to 10) - faster AF - better weather sealing - dual media (if you need it) - far sturdier construction - more firmware options - and on average (if it's only done 20k clicks), it'll still be going a long time after the shutter has failed on the 7D. Not quite the same crop factor advantage as the 7D, but not far behind.

[Bear]

Hi John,

I think Paul is comparing a 7D and a 1D3, not a 7D and a 5D2.

True, however only having used a 1D3 as a CPS loaner I didn't feel I should comment on it.

[Ruffy]

Will I notice a differance in the MP, the 7D has a massive 18mp while the 1d is a mere 10mp ?

I have been informed that the 1D is not one effected with the AF problems so thats good however i am a little worried with the step up due to the many many settings, set up and controls which may become a little confusing however i am aware that once mastered, the 1d will see me through a lot longer than the 7d !

Dont forget, I am going from a 550D so a big jump dont you think ?

[Bear]

Maybe these reviews will help:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ra-Review.aspx

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ra-Review.aspx

[rpcrowe]

Here is a comparison of the 1Diii with the 7D. I am not sure if all the points made are really valid but, here they are:

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EO...s-Canon_EOS_7D

I am not qualified to compare these two cameras since the only one I with which have had experience is the 7D. However from the general specs, I can definitely say that there are some things that I like in each camera:

The 3-user selected modes of the 7D. I have read the specs on the 1Diii and don't think that the 1Diii has this capability but, it is seldom mentioned in reviews even of cameras that incorporate this capability so the 1Diii could have the capability. I use it all the time and love it. Obviously, Canon doesn't think photographers need it or want it because they reduced the capability to a single user selected mode in the 60D which I consider a major step back from the 40D and 50D.

The audio recording capability of the 1Diii. Although I know that video is a selling point these days; I would trade the video capability of my 7D for audio capability of the 1Diii in a heartbeat! The only thing I use my video for is to record information about my still images in low resolution capture and the audio capability of the 1Diii would be superior to that.

Two memory card capability of the 1Diii. That would be nice but, not required.

The 7D is considerably smaller and lighter in weight and this is a very important point for me. Besides sports, I use my 7D paired with a second 1.6x camera (presently a 40D) and the extra weight of the 1Diii would be uncomfortable for a full day of two-camera, two lens walk around shooting.

I think (but am not certain) that the 1Diii can autofocus with a lens of a maximum f/8 aperture, rather than f/5.6 for the 7D. Not for sports but, this would sometimes be an advantage for me because I could use my 400mm f/5.6L lens with a 1.4x TC.

I like the fact that the 7D can use EFS lenses because I absolutely love my 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens. In the EF system; the 24-70L is far heavier and doesn't have IS (which makes the 17-55 a viable low light glass). The 24-105L is a maximum f/4 aperture and the 28-75mm Tamron f/2.8 doesn't have the fast AF or the low light AF capability of the 17-55mm lens.

I have not shot with a 10FPS burst capability but, I wonder just how much of an advantage the extra 2 FPS would be. The greater maximum burst rate of the 1Diii sounds great but, I just wonder if I would ever use the full capability. I don't use the full capability of the 7D as is.

The "wireless" flash capability of the 7D is nice but, I find it problematic when shooting outdoors, especially when shooting in bright sun when my flash is on a Stroboframe bracket and I always use a Canon Off-Camera Sync Cord for outdoor shooting.

NOTE: The 1Diii appears to need a fix from Canon to improve its AF. I would look into that in any 1Diii I expected to purchase. I am not sure what this fix does or if, in fact, it is needed. However, it is something to consider.

Battery life: apparently, the 1Diii has a greater battery capacity but, I always carry 1 or 2 extra batteries for my 7D and battery life has never been a problem for me.

Weather proofing... I "think" that the 1Diii has better weather-proofing than the 7D but, your lens would need to be also weatherproofed to take advantage of that capability. This might or might not be a + for the 1Diii.

[Ruffy]

I thought the 1dIII did take EFS lenses ???

[Ruffy]

oh bugger, Its not is it, guess that kind of makes up my mind

[Colin Southern]

Hi Richard,

Just for the record ...

The 3-user selected modes of the 7D. I have read the specs on the 1Diii and don't think that the 1Diii has this capability

Most of the things that make a difference between different types of shooting are accomplished via custom functions (eg for sports shooting you'd probably want the adjacent AF points turned on for focus assist, whereas for portraiture you probably wouldn't etc). On the 1D3 you can save up to 3 different sets of custom function combinations in-camera, or you can name/write as many different combinations as you like to one of the cards in the camera (or even have someone else setup the camera and eMail you the settings file).

The audio recording capability of the 1Diii. Although I know that video is a selling point these days; I would trade the video capability of my 7D for audio capability of the 1Diii in a heartbeat!

It just saves your mono-aural voice notes as a wave file. It's useful to be able to say "I used the Singh-Ray Vari-ND from this point onwards" etc, but you can't use it for anything much more substantial (like recording a concert). Max 30 seconds per clip off memory.

Two memory card capability of the 1Diii. That would be nice but, not required.

You can send different types of files to each card. I use this all the time in the studio ... I capute full resolution RAW images to the CF Card, but if used for tethered shooting, these each take about 7 seconds to appear on the TV screen, so I feed low-resolution jpegs to the SD card, which appear in about 2 seconds.

I think (but am not certain) that the 1Diii can autofocus with a lens of a maximum f/8 aperture, rather than f/5.6 for the 7D.

Correct.

I have not shot with a 10FPS burst capability but, I wonder just how much of an advantage the extra 2 FPS would be.

Not a lot to be honest Also, people forget that with either camera you need a shutterspeed >1/1000th otherwise things like mirror movement cuts into it too much. And yes, even some can't understand why they can't get 10 FPS when shooting at 1/4 sec ...

NOTE: The 1Diii appears to need a fix from Canon to improve its AF. I would look into that in any 1Diii I expected to purchase. I am not sure what this fix does or if, in fact, it is needed. However, it is something to consider.

The reported 1D3 AF issues was an example of internet hysteria at it's worst - I would shoot F1 speedboats coming at the camera (admittedly at an angle) at approx 100mph and only dropped about a dozen frames out of 400+ (off memory) ... and mine hadn't even been "fixed". Basically, the had an issue where the sub-mirror didn't always return to exactly the same place each time, plus a couple of firmware tweaks, but it wsa blown out of all proportion. the AF on the 1D3/1Ds3 was one of it's greatest assetts, not liabilities.

Battery life: apparently, the 1Diii has a greater battery capacity but, I always carry 1 or 2 extra batteries for my 7D and battery life has never been a problem for me.

About 1700 shots. I don't think I've managed to flatten a 1D3 battery in a single day even once; I've never even owned a spare battery for one. Also, they come with a battery eliminator for studio shooting (if one wants to use it) (I don't) (enough cords to trip over as it is!).

Weather proofing... I "think" that the 1Diii has better weather-proofing than the 7D

It does - considerably better. I've even heard reports of them surviving multiple accidental submergings! Keep in mind too that even with weather sealed lenses (most later revision Canon L-Series), one still needs a front filter to complete the weather sealing (as per Canon's instruction in the manual).

[rpcrowe]

Colin...

Thanks for the update.

What I would use the audio recording for is to ID the image... Jane Doe shot at Botonical Gardens, Muslim Chnese Photographer in Shanghai, etc. That's what I use the video for now. It's quick and easy because it is simple to switch the 7D from stills to video.

Heck, there were some images on my China trip that I had to look at the date shot and cross reference it with my itinerary to identify the city I shot the images in. This happened with one restaurant in Shanghai that I would have sworn was in another city...

"Most of the things that make a difference between different types of shooting are accomplished via custom functions"

I thought that the 1Diii should have a way to save custom settings. That is one of my most favorite innovations of the 40D (that was the first xOD camera with this capability). IMO, it is even more handy on the 7D, since that camera includes so very many wys to adjust the auto focus...

The dual card setup would be neat. I only had one card fail me and it was not in an important shoot. I could see the images on the camera LCD but the computer would not recognize the images. I tried several computers, several download programs (I was shooting in RAW + JPEG at the time when I was not totally sure of RAW (many years ago). I could definitely see that the dual card system would be a blessing if I were earning money with my camera again. What peace of mind...

There are a lot of small to major improvements on the 7D that I would have liked to see rather than the video and print from camera functions. Most of these are already available on the 1D cameras.

O.K.; you say, "you should have purchased a 1D camera from the outset!" My answer would be, too heavy and too expensive. But, like a spoiled kid, I want what I dont have.

Like the Arab saying goes,

I need a house but, I can't afford a house.
I can afford a goat but, I don't want a goat.
I will be happy only when my needs and my wants match

[Ruffy]

Ok, i thought i would keep you posted, I have decided too make the very large jump to the Canon 1D3, I will have to have a rethink on glass now, I am still a little worried about the 10mp v 18mp and the many confusing settings that I will be faced with but hey ho unless of course anyone feels they want to add their spoon to the mix and confuse me anymore then my decsion is made

[Colin Southern]

Ok, i thought i would keep you posted, I have decided too make the very large jump to the Canon 1D3, I will have to have a rethink on glass now, I am still a little worried about the 10mp v 18mp and the many confusing settings that I will be faced with but hey ho unless of course anyone feels they want to add their spoon to the mix and confuse me anymore then my decsion is made

Hi Paul,

Don't worry about the pixel count difference -- it's been pretty much a moot point since cameras flew past 8MP.

Also, don't worry about being confused - you probably will be, but there's NOTHING I can't help you with when it comes to 1D3 / 1Ds3 camera setups (and I can eMail you quite a few Canon white papers on settings for them if you like)

[Ruffy]

Colin,

Thanks for the offer, that will be a great help and I will take you up on it !!

[Colin Southern]

Colin,

Thanks for the offer, that will be a great help and I will take you up on it !!

No worries.

Just be prepared to be a little overwelmed for a few days -- it has a LOT of custom functions, but in many cases (ie for general shooting) there's a big overlap in them -- so often there isn't a right and a wrong for a given situation.

After a while they just become extensions of your body (was shooting in the studio in total darkness a few hours ago for a while -- had to feel the buttons, which isn't a problem!)

[Ruffy]

Well, I am now the proud owner of a canon 1Dmiii, picked it up this morning along with a brand new 100-400 L what a tool !!!!!

Overwhelmed is an understatement Colin !!! So many features and settings when I am use to a 550D, I had trouble turning it on

Think their maybe a few posts coming up with the heading HELP !!!!!

[Colin Southern]

Well, I am now the proud owner of a canon 1Dmiii, picked it up this morning along with a brand new 100-400 L what a tool !!!!!

Overwhelmed is an understatement Colin !!! So many features and settings when I am use to a 550D, I had trouble turning it on

Think their maybe a few posts coming up with the heading HELP !!!!!

No worries Paul, there are not many things in life that I know more thoroughly than the 1D3 / 1Ds3. If you haven't done so already, pop it into manual - high-speed drive - dial in something like 1/2000th and listen to it when you hold the button down!

[Jim B.]

I have the 1DIII and love it.This video helped me learn about setting the camera up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGYNi...eature=related
If you think there is a problem with the AF(as Colin said,it's more hype than a real problem in most cases) Canon will look it over and repair the camera at no cost.