5D III or 1D IV for sports!

[zrz2005101]

First of all, THE important thing is this is mainly for sports (hockey-often, basketball and volley ball- sometimes, football and soccer-rarely) Will use 2470, 70200 and new Sigma 120-300 when it comes out. Currently I use the 1Dmk3 and 1Dsmk3 with the 2470 and 70200 and find the ISO fairly hard to push over 3200, even at 3200 they are not great. Previously I had a 1D4 but it was sold so I'm looking to get the 5D3 (never used it before) or the 1D4 back, advices?

[verysimplejason]

5DMK3 since you don't have any problem regarding the lens focal length but is having problem with ISO.  5D3 is better in ISO performance than 1DSMK3 by at least one or two stops.  1D4 is much worse than 1DSMK3 in ISO performance.

[expatinasia]

You really need to think about your need for high ISO vs your need for FPS.

I have a friend who has the 1DX and 5D Mark III and he won't touch sports with the 5D Mark III.

You may want to consider saving a bit and getting the 1D X or waiting to see if announcement about the 7D Mark II comes out.

The 1D Mark IV does have a lot of benefits over the 5D Mark III.

How important is weather sealing and FPS to you?

[zrz2005101]

Well with 70200 on the 1DMK3 it is fairly hard to get to the goalkeeper on the opposite team and it is equivalent to 260mm. If I use the new 120-300 on the 5DMK3 I would expect to have  the same problem(but since it has twice the MP on the 1DMK3 I think cropping could come into play). FPS is another concern I should have mentioned because the 5 FPS on the 1DsMK3 is not great, and I often find the need to have a higher FPS. I can sometimes manage it, but I find an increase of FPS a big +

[zrz2005101]

You really need to think about your need for high ISO vs your need for FPS.

I have a friend who has the 1DX and 5D Mark III and he won't touch sports with the 5D Mark III.

You may want to consider saving a bit and getting the 1D X or waiting to see if announcement about the 7D Mark II comes out.

The 1D Mark IV does have a lot of benefits over the 5D Mark III.

How important is weather sealing and FPS to you?

Weather seal not too much, as I rarely shoot football and soccer, which are outdoor sports. FPS as I have mentioned is nice to have. AF is the most important thing as I find the 1DMK4 overpowers the 1D/sMK3 but I have not yet tried the 5D3 so it's blank there. The 1Dx is the way to go but I am really in need to replace the 1DsMK3 as the buffer is horrible, it runs out after like 10 shoots causing me to sometimes miss the moment, and I use an Extreme 90MB/s card on that.

[M.ST]

The 5D Mark III is to slow, but the AF system is a step over the 1D Mark IV AF system. Sometimes in AI Servo mode under komplex lightining conditions the 5D Mark III AF can´t track the subject.

I highly recommend the 1D X for sports.

If you want go a cheaper way buy the 1D Mark IV (for professional use) instead or wait for the 7D Mark II. The 7D Mark II prototype in the field is very fast, but the AF system can´t reach the 1D X AF-system.

[rpt]

I agree with folks here. 1DX or wait for 7D2. Like you and expat said, you will need more than 6fps that the 5D3 gives you. Also the number of shots the buffer holds depends on whether you are shooting RAW or JPG. I am guessing RAW... The 1DX has both slots as CF so that helps - unlike the 5D3.

[smithy]

Between the 5D3 and the 1D4, with the usage being purely sports, I'd suggest the 1D4.  I own the 5D3, and I'd say it's pretty average for sports.  I've used it to shoot triathlons and the autofocus sometimes seems to struggle a bit, even after tweaking the AF modes.  I actually think my 40D may have been a little bit better, although nothing on paper would support this observation.

The 1D4 was built for sports.  While it would be nice to go out and buy a 1DX, I realise that there may be financial reasons restricting this option (there certainly are for me), and you could probably pick up two used 1D4 bodies for the price of a new 1DX.

[pwp]

I have 1D4 bodies plus a 5D3. And I shoot sports. Utterly without a moments hesitation, leave the 5D3 at home and trust your 1D4. It's a fabulous sports camera, bettered by only one other, the remarkable 1DX.

I also have a semi-retired 1D Mk2n which I very occasionally wheel out if the conditions are suitable (= bright...) and relish it's legendary servo AF and great handling. I'd even use this lovely old brick ahead of the 5D3 for sports.

-PW

[ewg963]

You really need to think about your need for high ISO vs your need for FPS.

I have a friend who has the 1DX and 5D Mark III and he won't touch sports with the 5D Mark III.

You may want to consider saving a bit and getting the 1D X or waiting to see if announcement about the 7D Mark II comes out.

The 1D Mark IV does have a lot of benefits over the 5D Mark III.

How important is weather sealing and FPS to you?

+1

[Studio1930]

5D3 for sports?  Not if you can use something better like a 1D4 or 1DX.  I sold my 1Ds3 to buy the 1DX and I still own the 1D4.  I would not use a 5D3 for sports when these other two cameras are out there.  The 1D4 will perform much better than the 5D3 for sports.

[Studio1930]

  1D4 is much worse than 1DSMK3 in ISO performance.

Um, no it is not.  I owned both at the same time and I can tell you that the 1D4 is just a bit better than the 1Ds3 once you get above ISO400.

[RLPhoto]

Nothing touches a 1D camera for sports. Without a doubt the 1D4 is better but the 5D3 can do AF just as good but alas, too slow FPS.

[Apop]

Hi,

I moved from a d800 and 200-400 towards canon for wildlife photography,

I also had a lot of doubts between the 5dIII and 1d mk iv

It started with coming down from 36 mp to something lower and lose the cropping ability i had,
I had asked some questions in the forums online about auto focus performance , mixed opinions on that!

Some say the 5dIII auto focus is MUCH much better, others say the 1dmkiv is better (especially in driving the bigger lenses focus motor), it came from people who all had really nice galleries and owned both bodies..., and I interpreted it as : It will probably be close between the 5dIII and 1D Mkiv , while the 1dx will be in a totally different league,

In the end it was fps ruggedness and price that moved me towards the 1d mkiv.
Also it was pointed out that the 1div can drive lenses ( such as 500 f4 ) faster.
Here it was 2400 for the 1dmkiv in really nice condition, a 5dIII is 2800 and then you need a grip with extra battery, so a price difference of like 600+ euros...

So far i have not regretted it at all, the focus feels snappier then on the d800(and that had great auto focus for my standrds) , and the fps is just insane.... from 4fps (6 with grip and dx mode ) in the d800 to 10 is a huge difference.

The only thing that i dislike about cameras is the buffer (when shooting raw).... , 3-4 seconds and its full
I would like to see the nikon d4 buffer on all cameras ( ram is so cheap?)

Also i am not sure yet on which 19 cross type focus points are used on the 1dmkiv ( I currently testing center focus with surrounding or 45 expansion), not sure how much accuracy is lost in that mode (f4 lenses only utilize 19 cross types vs 39 for 2.8 lenses), but the focus on a f4 lens, even with 1.4 converter seems to be really quick for tracking birds ( only tested it on birds so far)


So in general: I would go for the mkiv, and wait for the price of the 5d to come down more, or a higher megapixel camera from canon in the future

The 5d3 might be better at higher ISO, but some people reviewed the images (cropped the 5dIII) to get the same crop factor, and they were quite close there.... with a bit more detail in the images of the 1d MKIV
( link : http://www.dougbrownphotography.com/2012/04/03/canon-5d-mark-iii-vs-1d-mark-iv-high-iso/ )



I think to someone who shoots sports it should be a 'no brainer' ! , with hindsight I myself don't really understand why i had doubts ( for wildlife) , other then that i came from the nikon camp and didn't know anything about the 1div other then some useless snapshort comparisons:p

10fps+1.3 crop factor , good battery life, a body that feels like you can use it as a hammer ,
Cannot go wrong with it

[enice128]

The main question that i have to ask u is since u shoot sports, why did u sell the 1D IV? I recently traded in my 7D for an excellent 1D IV & i havent looked back since! Canon's 1D series go hand in hand w shooting sports. In fact al the pro shooters like SI photographers were using this camera until the 1DX recently released pushing their ISO way up there. I heard that the 1D III had poor auto focusing which is where the IV shines, as well as high ISO capabilities. Of course the 1DX is the way to go IF u can afford it.....i know i can't. Plus the 1DX is FF so im also tapped out financially when it comes to anything larger than my 70-200 2.8 II. So i still enjoy the crop factor which is 1.3 compared to 1.6 from my old 7D. So im losing a bit of reach but ill take it w the IV's benefits. Either rob a bank & grab the 1DX or get ur old 1D IV back!!!