Question for 1D MKIIII Owners

[Dallasphotog]

I'm a wedding and sports photographer with a pretty wide variety of gear. I have the XT, XTi and 1D mkII bodies and a good selection of L glass.


I'd like to hear from 1D mkIII owners, especially those that shoot sports. How do you like the body and what is it like in the real world? I've read every thread and review available about the mkIII and I've followed the AF issue from day one inclding reading every inch of Rob Galbraith's extensive testing report. However, I have no close friend or associate using the body and I'd like a real field report.

[peety3]

I have a 1D3 and an XTi. My girlfriend has a 40D. (And we have a G9...) That means we have all three 2007-vintage 10MP bodies. Neither of us shoot professionally. My 1D3 has current firmware, and went to Canon for the mirror box fix. We've done some wedding work as gratis alternate shooters, and we both shoot some sports as well as touristy stuff.


The 1D3 is by far my favorite camera. The "odd" crop makes lens selection a little odd, but you know that already. The autofocus isn't perfect, but these days I suspect a lot of that is operator error, complicated by my unwillingness to sit down with RG's reports, Canon's white papers, the manual, and the camera so I can learn the implications and best combinations of all of the relevant settings. Lately I've settled on center-point (or at least single-point) AI Servo AF, with AF-ON mapped as option 1 (so it's technically an AF-OFF; I'm not ready for the mindset change of AF-ON, and too many others grab my camera on group events and they'd be lost), surrounding points as assist, tracking at highest sensitivity, and (I think) main focus point priority.


One sample of where I struggled was a cycling event last May. ~3,000 cyclists who all had the option to start the second day of their event with a lap around Texas Motor Speedway. I walked out to turn 3 and tried to find a reasonable stance that would work well (I was on the banked corner). I made the mistake of choosing high-speed drive, drained my buffer, and had to live on buffer management for the next few minutes, shooting about 525 in ~5 minutes. Nonetheless, the odds say I could only get 1 out of 4-5 cyclists at that rate. Trying to "pick out" a cyclist and get AF to select that person then track them was a royal pain.


See http://photos.templin.org/gallery/2008sams08 - all of my shots are filenamed 426C (my girlfriend was in the back of the pickup, shooting the IMG shots). Be sure to browse the additional photos for more samples if interested (top left of first page). I don't know if this is just "state of the art" combined with operator issues, or whether my camera (or the model in general) has these struggles.


That said, it performed exceptionally well two weeks earlier on a trip to San Diego with a visit to SeaWorld and the evening Shamu show. 1D3 and the 85L (known for its slow focusing) at the 7PM (I think) Shamu show. ISO 320 at f/1.6 and 1/400th, which was pushed +1-2 above evaluative metering because of the black whale and the general lighting. Even with the 85L, this was a dream to shoot, and picking the keepers came down to composition and elements, rarely focus issues.


http://photos.templin.org/gallery/sandiego200804d5


It's about time for another camera - we have enough glass that I want to "retire" the XTi as her backup body and put a second body on my shoulder that's somewhere in the league of my main. Based on today's credit markets, I think the 1Ds3 is out, as much as I want it. Contenders are another 1D3, perhaps a 1D3n if it becomes a reality, a 5D2, or a 40D (and more glass!). At the moment, 1D3n is the leading candidate, followed by another 1D3.

[Dallasphotog]

Thanks for the reply. I'm really caught between cameras. I think the 1DmkIII would be a great choice for sports and faster than my 1DmkII or my XTi, but the autofocus issues really have me nervous. I also have to admit that I carry my XTi to most sporting events due to it's lighter weight. With that said, the new 5DmkII looks really appealing for my wedding work, but less than optimal for sports.


I guess I'm still looking for a1DmkIII light. I want 10fps without the weight or cost of a 1 series body.


Any other 1DmkIII owners out there?


Any 5DmkII owners shooting sports? Convince me I can buy the right camera for my weddings and still be happy with the sports results.

[Jeff Lucia]

From everything I've heard and read, and from my modest experience with a friend's 5D, I'd bet that you would find the 5DII disappointing for sports...particularly its autofocus (which I understand is unchanged from the 5D). Coming from a 1D Mark II, the 5D Mark II would probably be a letdown.

[Dallasphotog]

Life is full of compromises. I love the focus performance and fps of the 1DMKII, but it is a bit heavy. It also doesn't allow a lot of cropping before IQ starts to deteriorate. The XTi is light and I can run the 70-200 f/2.8 all night and just crop to the detail I need.


I guess Canon has a perfect solution, I can go out and drop $6,000 on a 1Ds MKIII and get decent fps with the ability to crop to my hearts content. I think Canon ultimately wantsme to own both versions of the MKIII.


Remember when people used torefer to photography as a great inexpensive hobby?

[Keith B]

Remember when people used torefer to photography as a great inexpensive hobby?

No.





When $12,000 (without a pro-body) fits in a tiny backpack and it's not large bills, the term inexpensive does not apply.

[MVers]

I think Canon ultimately wantsme to own both versions of the MKIII.
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That is their marketing strategy--its the same reason they did not update the 5DII's AF system. As for the MKIII I just recently picked mine up and have been shooting around with it for a bit, no actual jobs as of yet rather hobby stuff. The AF system is not perfect, then again what AF system is? It is, however, the best camera I've used let alone owned. AF is very fast and accurate and the general consensus among photographers is that it does, along side the 1DsIII, in fact have the best AF system Canon offers. Since I do not have much experience with the MKII or MKIIN I cannot make any hardened comparrisons. If you're having trouble getting past the initial MKIII AF debacle I'd say buy one for yourself and test it along side your MKII. As for picking up both the MKIII ($3700) and 1DsIII ($6500) why not just invest in longer glass (400/2.8, 500/4 etc) and a 40/50D or perhaps a 5DII (center AF point works OK for sports, frame rate is a killer though)?

[Dallasphotog]

It makes golf look absolutely cheap!

[peety3]

That is their marketing strategy--its the same reason they did not update the 5DII's AF system. As for the MKIII I just recently picked mine up and have been shooting around with it for a bit, no actual jobs as of yet rather hobby stuff. The AF system is not perfect, then again what AF system is? It is, however, the best camera I've used let alone owned. AF is very fast and accurate and the general consensus among photographers is that it does, along side the 1DsIII, in fact have the best AF system Canon offers. Since I do not have much experience with the MKII or MKIIN I cannot make any hardened comparrisons. If you're having trouble getting past the initial MKIII AF debacle I'd say buy one for yourself and test it along side your MKII. As for picking up both the MKIII ($3700) and 1DsIII ($6500) why not just invest in longer glass (400/2.8, 500/4 etc) and a 40/50D or perhaps a 5DII (center AF point works OK for sports, frame rate is a killer though)?
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Repeat after me: "I meant to say 1DIII, 1DII, 1DIIn, etc., not MKIII". Thank you. (There are two Canon "Mark III" models today, most likely with more to follow later - referring to one camera as a series leads to great confusion.)


OK, regarding "picking up both the 1D3 and the 1Ds3, why not just invest in longer glass...", the 1Ds3 (and 5D2, for that matter) actually yields a tighter picture after the outer 11.1 megapixels are cropped away, compared to a native 1D3 exposure on the same lens. As long as one doesn't mind cropping, having the two models yields options that longer glass might not.

[Keith B]

just incase this is still valid for this thread; 5D mk2 shutter lag is a bit of an obstacle for sports too.