I think the big difference would be the quick adjustment you have to make to get the picture exposure. Initially all you will see is a black screen in either and be frantically changing the shutter speed as you pull the cap off. A DSLR you see what you see, but I think you know as well that what you see through the 1D viewfinder is better than what you see in a lesser body. So you will loose site of the sun if you are doing it hand held. What you describe would be great, but the sun moves quickly out of view with the 500 or 600mm. You are talking adjusting, tracking and looking through the binoculars in a period of time less than what it took me to type this.
What would be good to have is a mount for the tripod that can track the sun, have a good idea of the required shutter speed so you can quickly go to it.