Canon 1D v Canon 7D

[John Howell]

Hi,


Can anybody help me with a dilemma I'm having?


I am about to upgrade from my Canon 40D. Please bear in mind that I shoot wildlife and therefore the crop factorwill come into play.


My two options to upgrade to(both costing approximately the same) are as follows:


Canon 1D mark4 and my current 300L F4 lens


Pros and cons: Smaller crop factor. Better image quality (can I crop tighter?). Autofocus will work on the lens with a 2x converter. Less noise, so therefore faster shutter speeds


Canon 7D and a new 300L F2.8 lens


Pros and cons


Faster autofocus with the combination??? Larger crop factor. Better quality images with the lens, (but not necessarilythe camera).


Anycomments on this will be gratefully received,


John

[clemmb]

What other photo gear do you have?

[clemmb]

By the way, welcome to the forum.


Mark

[John Howell]

A sigma 150 mm macro lens, both Canon lens converters and a monopod. Apart from that, not a lot really,


John

[Richard Lane]

Welcome to the Forum!


What type of wildlife do you like to shoot; small birds or larger game?


Do you want to shoot sports too, like slow moving humans?


For smaller birds you may also want to consider the 500mm f/4L.


Rich

[John Howell]

Hi,


Thanks for the welcome.


I mainly shoot smaller birds, although I use a hide (or the car) soIget fairly close to them and find that a 300 lens with one of the converters seems to do the trick.


However,I would love a 500mm F4, but feel that this would be the next stage after this decision. (I have thought about this, but if I brought this lens now I would have to stick with the 40D for a bit longer)


John

[Tom Wertman]

John,


If it were me I would opt for the 7D and 300 f/2.8. Better glass is always the way to go IMO. Cameras change quickly and don't hold resale value like good glass. Also the 2x extender will be better on the 2.8 vs. 4.0 for IQ. I used to own both the 2x and 300 f/4 IS and wasn't crazy about the combination. And with the release of the much more expensive 300 f/2.8 II. now would be a good time to get the original before they are hard to find or the price goes up.


Tom

[clemmb]

Better glass is always the way to go IMO. Cameras change quickly and don't hold resale value like good glass. Also the 2x extender will be better on the 2.8 vs. 4.0 for IQ.
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I agree


Check out the ISO crop with extenders


Mark

[elmo_2006]

John,


If it were me I would opt for the 7D and 300 f/2.8. Better glass is always the way to go IMO. Cameras change quickly and don't hold resale value like good glass. Also the 2x extender will be better on the 2.8 vs. 4.0 for IQ. I used to own both the 2x and 300 f/4 IS and wasn't crazy about the combination. And with the release of the much more expensive 300 f/2.8 II. now would be a good time to get the original before they are hard to find or the price goes up.


Tom
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+1....I like the combination of 7D and 300 2.8L - AWESOME!

[Jon Ruyle]

I'd get the 300 f/2.8 also, pretty much just as everyone else said. In 10 years, that lens will still be awesome, but the either camera will be an antique. (I know the 300 f/2.8 II is arriving soon and that it should surpass the current model in some ways, but progress with cameras is much faster than progress with lenses)


If you're interested in the combo that will give you the best performance now, that depends on what you shoot. For small birds, though, I would still go with the 7D + 300 f/2.8, both for the superior reach of the body and the larger aperture of the lens.