5D III or 1D IV for sports!

[Crapking]

Another factor not yet mentioned-any need to shoot video?  I use all three bodies, 1D-X, 1DIV and 5d3 with the 5d3 being used for video (less aliasing, easier controls).
As for strict comparison, there are actually pro/con for each, but overall user friendly of 1D body is hard to beat. Post -production wise, in my hands, MP/color rendering/DOF of FF 5d is slightly better, but reach/FPS trump those minimal advantages.
When on assignment alone with choice of bodies, I obviously take 1D-X and then the 1DIV....

[RMC33]

5d3 works just fine for sports. I keep a wider lens on it and have no tracking/focus issues at all. 1Dx is nice (I get to use one now and again and plan on buying) but my 7D does just fine for 95% of my shots. The only reason I want a 1Dx is night skiing/snowboarding is a pain with the 7D as is any indoor. I keep a 8-15 f4 fish or 16-35 UWA on my 5dMK3 and on high speed have yet to miss a shot I want. Usually have a 70-200 2.8 on my 7d or longer depending on my location.

The most important thing.. rather then body or lens .. is knowing your sport inside and out. Where your subject will be at what time and the best location to get the shot. Knowing what base the play will be in baseball, seeing any advantage during a power play, sitting under the net on one end of a basketball court and using a UWA or Fish to capture that game changing dunk or that one point in the course that everyone has had trouble with but you know one skier is going to nail the turn and give you "that shot".

[bdunbar79]

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.

What?  The 1D4 is way better in ISO performance than the 1Ds Mark III.  Where in the world did you get this?

[bdunbar79]

For sports, I'd definitely use the 1D4 over the 5D3. 

[zrz2005101]

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!!!

I had the 1DIV in 2010 but I switched to landscape so it was sold to fund my 1DsMK3, but I am coming back to sports and there are two new cameras out there that I have not yet used. 5D3 and 1Dx. I tried the 1Dx and it was fantastic, but the price of it is keeping me away now. Because I want to upgrade my lenses as well.

[zrz2005101]

Another factor not yet mentioned-any need to shoot video?  I use all three bodies, 1D-X, 1DIV and 5d3 with the 5d3 being used for video (less aliasing, easier controls).
As for strict comparison, there are actually pro/con for each, but overall user friendly of 1D body is hard to beat. Post -production wise, in my hands, MP/color rendering/DOF of FF 5d is slightly better, but reach/FPS trump those minimal advantages.
When on assignment alone with choice of bodies, I obviously take 1D-X and then the 1DIV....

NO I do not do any video, if at all it will probably just be recording names of performers if I go to shoot performances

[zrz2005101]

5d3 works just fine for sports. I keep a wider lens on it and have no tracking/focus issues at all. 1Dx is nice (I get to use one now and again and plan on buying) but my 7D does just fine for 95% of my shots. The only reason I want a 1Dx is night skiing/snowboarding is a pain with the 7D as is any indoor. I keep a 8-15 f4 fish or 16-35 UWA on my 5dMK3 and on high speed have yet to miss a shot I want. Usually have a 70-200 2.8 on my 7d or longer depending on my location.

The most important thing.. rather then body or lens .. is knowing your sport inside and out. Where your subject will be at what time and the best location to get the shot. Knowing what base the play will be in baseball, seeing any advantage during a power play, sitting under the net on one end of a basketball court and using a UWA or Fish to capture that game changing dunk or that one point in the course that everyone has had trouble with but you know one skier is going to nail the turn and give you "that shot".

Note on the 7D... I have the 7D and I've heard some people say it's AF is better than even the 1DMK3, that is simply not true. I tried basically every AF combination on it and it just does not give as much keepers as 1DMK3. So if I were to go down the 1 and 5series to a 7, the MKII better be damn good in its AF area. Also the high ISO is just a pain to deal with. I know that knowing the sport I am shooting does benefit me;however, I do like AI servo and track players rather than focus trap at a given point.

[RMC33]

5d3 works just fine for sports. I keep a wider lens on it and have no tracking/focus issues at all. 1Dx is nice (I get to use one now and again and plan on buying) but my 7D does just fine for 95% of my shots. The only reason I want a 1Dx is night skiing/snowboarding is a pain with the 7D as is any indoor. I keep a 8-15 f4 fish or 16-35 UWA on my 5dMK3 and on high speed have yet to miss a shot I want. Usually have a 70-200 2.8 on my 7d or longer depending on my location.

The most important thing.. rather then body or lens .. is knowing your sport inside and out. Where your subject will be at what time and the best location to get the shot. Knowing what base the play will be in baseball, seeing any advantage during a power play, sitting under the net on one end of a basketball court and using a UWA or Fish to capture that game changing dunk or that one point in the course that everyone has had trouble with but you know one skier is going to nail the turn and give you "that shot".

Note on the 7D... I have the 7D and I've heard some people say it's AF is better than even the 1DMK3, that is simply not true. I tried basically every AF combination on it and it just does not give as much keepers as 1DMK3. So if I were to go down the 1 and 5series to a 7, the MKII better be damn good in its AF area. Also the high ISO is just a pain to deal with. I know that knowing the sport I am shooting does benefit me;however, I do like AI servo and track players rather than focus trap at a given point.

I get a 80% keep rate with my 7D shooting skiing/snowboarding, Kayaking, Kiteboarding and some College Level Baseball/Basketball/Football. Not having used a 1DMK3 I can't compare but will say the noise on the 7D past a point makes it useless which is where I swap in a 5DMK3. I had the same issue before I sat down and learned how the tracking and servo mode worked on my 7D for different types of motion and subject matter. Now that I know I have custom profiles saved to my C1/2/3 on the dial for specific situations for easy changing on the fly and can go from keeping focus on a subject for half-pipe events to almost instant focus subject change for boarder/skier cross. My lens selection is a huge part what I do as well, since I am usually static. I use the focus preset a lot on my 200 f/2 and 400 f/2.8 MKII too when I know my subjects will be in two locations that I can get the images I want and will work for my client.

[rlarsen]

I've never used a 1-DMK lV but my 5D MK lll bodies are great for sports. Great image quality and very impressive high ISO.

For me 6 frames per second is fine. Over the years I've used slower motordrives and still got the job done. Think about pros using strobes for basketball and hockey. Three second recycle time.

If you have piles of money get the 1 DX.  Rent or borrow cameras and do your own tests.

The 5D MK lll is a very sweet camera. The best I've ever used.

[nicku]

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.

Hmmm, you know something that we don't ??

[bdunbar79]

5d3 works just fine for sports. I keep a wider lens on it and have no tracking/focus issues at all. 1Dx is nice (I get to use one now and again and plan on buying) but my 7D does just fine for 95% of my shots. The only reason I want a 1Dx is night skiing/snowboarding is a pain with the 7D as is any indoor. I keep a 8-15 f4 fish or 16-35 UWA on my 5dMK3 and on high speed have yet to miss a shot I want. Usually have a 70-200 2.8 on my 7d or longer depending on my location.

The most important thing.. rather then body or lens .. is knowing your sport inside and out. Where your subject will be at what time and the best location to get the shot. Knowing what base the play will be in baseball, seeing any advantage during a power play, sitting under the net on one end of a basketball court and using a UWA or Fish to capture that game changing dunk or that one point in the course that everyone has had trouble with but you know one skier is going to nail the turn and give you "that shot".

Note on the 7D... I have the 7D and I've heard some people say it's AF is better than even the 1DMK3, that is simply not true. I tried basically every AF combination on it and it just does not give as much keepers as 1DMK3. So if I were to go down the 1 and 5series to a 7, the MKII better be damn good in its AF area. Also the high ISO is just a pain to deal with. I know that knowing the sport I am shooting does benefit me;however, I do like AI servo and track players rather than focus trap at a given point.

Yep.  If you are going to shoot a variety of sports, including indoor, the 7D is disappointing.  The ISO performance just isn't there for great indoor basketball, swimming, etc.  The two choices mentioned, 5D Mark III and 1D Mark IV are the clear winners.  I shoot a lot of basketball at 1/500, f/2.2, ISO 5000, so the 7D wouldn't even be an option at these games.  The 1D Mark IV is good through ISO 6400 (and I mean pretty darn good), the 5D Mark III you're probably safe up to 8000 or 10000. 

[RMC33]

5d3 works just fine for sports. I keep a wider lens on it and have no tracking/focus issues at all. 1Dx is nice (I get to use one now and again and plan on buying) but my 7D does just fine for 95% of my shots. The only reason I want a 1Dx is night skiing/snowboarding is a pain with the 7D as is any indoor. I keep a 8-15 f4 fish or 16-35 UWA on my 5dMK3 and on high speed have yet to miss a shot I want. Usually have a 70-200 2.8 on my 7d or longer depending on my location.

The most important thing.. rather then body or lens .. is knowing your sport inside and out. Where your subject will be at what time and the best location to get the shot. Knowing what base the play will be in baseball, seeing any advantage during a power play, sitting under the net on one end of a basketball court and using a UWA or Fish to capture that game changing dunk or that one point in the course that everyone has had trouble with but you know one skier is going to nail the turn and give you "that shot".

Note on the 7D... I have the 7D and I've heard some people say it's AF is better than even the 1DMK3, that is simply not true. I tried basically every AF combination on it and it just does not give as much keepers as 1DMK3. So if I were to go down the 1 and 5series to a 7, the MKII better be damn good in its AF area. Also the high ISO is just a pain to deal with. I know that knowing the sport I am shooting does benefit me;however, I do like AI servo and track players rather than focus trap at a given point.

Yep.  If you are going to shoot a variety of sports, including indoor, the 7D is disappointing.  The ISO performance just isn't there for great indoor basketball, swimming, etc.  The two choices mentioned, 5D Mark III and 1D Mark IV are the clear winners.  I shoot a lot of basketball at 1/500, f/2.2, ISO 5000, so the 7D wouldn't even be an option at these games.  The 1D Mark IV is good through ISO 6400 (and I mean pretty darn good), the 5D Mark III you're probably safe up to 8000 or 10000.

Great advice!

Most of my 7d shots are outdoors so it works great.

I am seriously considering a 1Dx/1DIV at the moment to replace my (now broken) 7d instead of waiting for a 7D replacement. For the price is the Mk4 still that good?

[DanoPhoto]

1D4 is a monstrous upgrade from the 7D.  There is a large quantity of them available in the used market, just be cautious of the shutter count.  Many are high usage from pros and serious amatuers that have move to the 1DX.


IMO, if a low mile body (<100k shutter) could be found in the $3k ~ $3.5k range, then well worth the money.

[MARKOE PHOTOE]

I used a 7D for two seasons for sports and it was great.  I've got a 5D3 but haven't used that and don't intend to.  I bought a used 1D4 last year that had 100K clicks.  The shutter has a 300K life but two months after my purchase, it crashed. 

I'm a CPS member, so I had it replaced out of warranty in 3 days for $300.  To me, its now like a new camera even with the extra $300 paid for the new shutter.  Honestly, the body is a bit beat up but the end result is whats really important to me and my viewers.

The 1D4 iso performance and fps is so much better than the 7D imho.  I wouldn't go back to the 7D however I might consider adding the new 7D2? when it gets released depending on spex. in addition to the 1D4.  Would love to have the 1DX but its not really in the budget yet.

As you know the 1D4 has a 1.3 crop and the 7D has a 1.6 crop so you lose a little distance with the 1D4.  1D4 batteries are still very expensive.

[RMC33]

1D4 is a monstrous upgrade from the 7D.  There is a large quantity of them available in the used market, just be cautious of the shutter count.  Many are high usage from pros and serious amatuers that have move to the 1DX.


IMO, if a low mile body (<100k shutter) could be found in the $3k ~ $3.5k range, then well worth the money.

That has been my biggest issue so far is a low mileage body which is why I am considering a 1Dx (insurance paid out $1100 for the 7D +grip). I bought the 7D used with about 10k shutter and I think when it broke the other day was close to 100k.