1D X - Few Questions

[expatinasia]

Finally bought the 1D X, and will be putting it to the test later today. I just wanted to ask those that have one (or more) a few quick questions:

1) How long do you find the battery lasts when shooting sports with frequent long bursts etc. (shooting RAW only)?

2) Are there any smaller battery rechargers available? (makes no difference if you do not travel, but it is pretty big if you do - though thankfully it is not heavy).

3) Has anyone run into any problems regarding the noise the camera makes when using it at sporting events, where noise is frowned upon?

4) How long did it take you to get used to the different AF system/options? I will be testing it on the job later today and will probably keep changing settings though have decided to start with AF Point Expansion (Manual selection, surrounding points) and then switch between cases 1, 4 and 6.

5) Is it the fine tuning of those Cases that takes the most time to learn and perfect?

6) What CF card - in terms of read/write speeds - do you recommend? I have Lexar Pro 400Xs. Should I get faster to make the most out of the 1DX.

Really appreciate all your feedback. Thank you.

[ppix]

Finally bought the 1D X, and will be putting it to the test later today. I just wanted to ask those that have one (or more) a few quick questions:

1) How long do you find the battery lasts when shooting sports with frequent long bursts etc. (shooting RAW only)?
Not sure about Raw, but shooting JPG the battery lasts 8000-10000 clicks going through most of the images on the preview screen.  I only shoot bursts of 2 or 3, and shoot a lot of single click as well.  But I preview almost every shot rather quickly in between competitors. This battery performance is similar to what I get on my Mark IV. 


2) Are there any smaller battery rechargers available? (makes no difference if you do not travel, but it is pretty big if you do - though thankfully it is not heavy).
Not that I've heard of.

3) Has anyone run into any problems regarding the noise the camera makes when using it at sporting events, where noise is frowned upon?
I have used "Silent" mode on my Mark IV at Dance Competition during solos to a quiet song with success, but not yet on my 1DX.  Try it (silent mode) out, and see what you think.  At the expense of frame rate, silent mode dampens the shutter sound but does not elimiate it. I think I read the 5D Mark III is more silent in slient mode.


4) How long did it take you to get used to the different AF system/options? I will be testing it on the job later today and will probably keep changing settings though have decided to start with AF Point Expansion (Manual selection, surrounding points) and then switch between cases 1, 4 and 6.

I have a quarter of a million clicks on my 1DX and I'm still fine tuning.  The AF is really really good.  I never had complaints with my Mark IV but back to back the 1DX AF is very superior to the Mark IV.  The 45 auto select works really good if your subject is not moving too fast.  This never worked for me with any previous body.

5) Is it the fine tuning of those Cases that takes the most time to learn and perfect?
Yes, I use AF Point Expansion most of the time, and tweek the "Gymnastics/Dance" case settings along the way.


6) What CF card - in terms of read/write speeds - do you recommend? I have Lexar Pro 400Xs. Should I get faster to make the most out of the 1DX.
I've never run out of buffer with Sandisk 60x cards, but I'm shooting JPG, not RAW.


Really appreciate all your feedback. Thank you.

[charlesa]

Finally bought the 1D X, and will be putting it to the test later today. I just wanted to ask those that have one (or more) a few quick questions:

1) How long do you find the battery lasts when shooting sports with frequent long bursts etc. (shooting RAW only)?
I shoot RAW+JPG, battery manages to hold for one whole soccer match shooting in long bursts.

2) Are there any smaller battery rechargers available? (makes no difference if you do not travel, but it is pretty big if you do - though thankfully it is not heavy).
Not really!

3) Has anyone run into any problems regarding the noise the camera makes when using it at sporting events, where noise is frowned upon?
Some sports sound is absolutely a no no (tennis comes to mind), and this is not a quiet camera unfortunately.

4) How long did it take you to get used to the different AF system/options? I will be testing it on the job later today and will probably keep changing settings though have decided to start with AF Point Expansion (Manual selection, surrounding points) and then switch between cases 1, 4 and 6.
AF is impressive but you wll need to take your own time to fine tune it to your own particular needs.

5) Is it the fine tuning of those Cases that takes the most time to learn and perfect?

6) What CF card - in terms of read/write speeds - do you recommend? I have Lexar Pro 400Xs. Should I get faster to make the most out of the 1DX.
I use Sandisk and Lexar cards, never really had issues with buffer.

Really appreciate all your feedback. Thank you.

[expatinasia]

Thanks for your replies ppix and charlesa. Appreciated, cheers.

[Chris Burch]

I have shot a local tennis tournament with the 1DX and the sound is pretty substantial.  Silent mode on the 1DX is a joke...sad really.  However, silent on the 5D3 is pretty extraordinary.  You get the same AF on the 5D3, but you lose frame rate by a lot -- may be worthwhile if sound really is an issue.  You can buy a "sound blimp" to pretty much eliminate audible noise, but that adds expense and bulk.

[eli72]

You might want to read this article by Peter Read Miller about settings for the 1Dx: http://www.sportsshooter.com/news_story.html?id=2678

[tomscott]

Bit silly using it on a job if you dont know the camera.

I would use your previous camera that you know well and experiment with the 1DX until you are confident with it.

[untitled10]

Bit silly using it on a job if you dont know the camera.

I would use your previous camera that you know well and experiment with the 1DX until you are confident with it.

+10

[Studio1930]

I shoot sports in RAW and have to change the battery in the middle of the day (~20K+ per weekend of shooting) since it slows down (below 12 fps) after the 1/2 point of a charge.  Not a big deal though.

I use the Lexar 1000x cards and yes, they do make a big difference when shooting RAW bursts.

[expatinasia]

I have shot a local tennis tournament with the 1DX and the sound is pretty substantial.  Silent mode on the 1DX is a joke...sad really.

Have to agree with that. There is a difference between the normal mode and silent mode but it is not that great, and definitely not silent. Plus what it does to the fps is not good!

You might want to read this article by Peter Read Miller about settings for the 1Dx: http://www.sportsshooter.com/news_story.html?id=2678

Will do, thanks.

Bit silly using it on a job if you dont know the camera. I would use your previous camera that you know well and experiment with the 1DX until you are confident with it.

I agree, and if it were a 90-minute game of football,l or 80-minute game of rugby I was shooting, I would not dare. But, the event I am doing gives me more than ample space and time to make errors and still get a decent shot. Plus I have two cameras with me so if I feel I am loosing my way with the 1D X AF system, I can always revert to what I know best.

I shoot sports in RAW and have to change the battery in the middle of the day (~20K+ per weekend of shooting) since it slows down (below 12 fps) after the 1/2 point of a charge.  Not a big deal though. I use the Lexar 1000x cards and yes, they do make a big difference when shooting RAW bursts.

I learned very quickly yesterday, that I will definitely need some new (bigger) memory cards.   

Thanks for your replies everyone. I have to say, I am very, very impressed with the 1D X. It is going to take some getting used to (especially the AF system) and the one thing I do wish I had changed before taking 2,000 pics is the file name system it uses as default. My mistake, as I forgot, and ended up with CODEAAXXXX instead of IMG_XXXX which is what I prefer.

The sound is something else, and quite a few people around the photographer's area commented on it. A couple even said it sounds like a machine gun! I am happy I am not shooting any tennis on Monday as I am not sure what I would have done. 

[expatinasia]

I have to say I am very impressed with the 1D X. I knew I would be, but I was still amazed.

What do you guys (and gals) think of this:

Color Space (Red1): Although most conventional wisdom has been to shoot sRGB to avoid out of gamut colors. This is based on the color gamut that could be achieved with old style “wet” color printing. Jerry points out that modern printers like the Canon Pixma PRO-1 can reproduce a wider gamut of colors than in the past, so Adobe RGB is the way to go. I don’t pretend to be a color space expert so I will defer to Jerry on this one.

From:

You might want to read this article by Peter Read Miller about settings for the 1Dx: http://www.sportsshooter.com/news_story.html?id=2678

I have always shot sRGB but this article makes me think. What do you shoot with in-camera?

I guess if you change to Adobe RGB in-camera, should you also change the export option in LR to Adobe RGB as well?

[neuroanatomist]

I have always shot sRGB but this article makes me think. What do you shoot with in-camera?

I shoot RAW.  I can specify a color space appropriate for the intended output when I convert to JPG.