Feedback on 1D X from 1-series users?

[ricker]

neuroanatomist -

I rarely visit forums anymore, the negativity bums me out. But I've owned 4 1D bodies beginning with the 1DII and have also owned the 20D & 7D.  A local pro portrait photographer near me still uses the 1DII so it can still bring the goods if leveraging its strengths. Below is a long winded journey as to how I settled on placing a 1D X order.

Since I carry one body, I'm always looking for one that will satisfy as many of my needs as possible, from sports and landscapes to portraiture. Staying somewhat current also keeps the re-sale value relatively high. My least favorite of the bunch was the 1DII which had very unintuitive controls. Despite the reputation, I LOVED the 1DIII and never had any AF issues with it. When a very affordable 1DsIII came along I gave it a shot and was blown away by the full frame sensor but it was noisy in low light and the buffer filled way too quickly for any type of action photography. Thus, I returned to the 1D IV and have been very happy with it.

Recently I've been forced to replace a Canon 16-35mm lens and have been torn between buying another or getting the new 8-15 fisheye. The 16-35 is so-so on a APS-H sensor, it just doesn't wow me like it should so I've been resistant to pull the trigger.

Along comes the 1D X with the speed and ISO of the 1D and the sensor of the 1Ds, for me it's like a perfect blend of specs. Looking forward to the return of 16mm on full frame. I don't see the X as an incremental improvement like some. The only thing I'll miss is the SD card slot which I normally use with an Eye-Fi card.

Really looking forward to getting my hands on it.



 

[Quackator]

I'm thrilled - this thing does everything I hoped for, provided that reality matches paper form.
Certainly two of these babies will find their way to me.

I am delighted to see it weighs in at 18 MP and not more.

Yes, I would have hoped for a lower price, of course.
But it's a tool and tax deductable. So what....

[kennykodak]

I'm a full time studio owner.  I primarily do weddings, portraits and light commercial.  I'm  going to take a chance on this new camera.  the full frame with low noise appeals to me.  I wish it still had the sdhc slot though.  For a while I was using a digital Hasselblad.  I'm no longer wowed by the number of megapixels, just the quality.  I don' believe that loss of 3 mp's from the 1Ds 3 will be noticable.  Time will tell.  Mine is on order.

[John Thomas]

Have a 1Ds MkII among other Canons. Shooting photojournalism mostly in low light - churches, monastery interiors etc. -- see different works at http://is.gd/spiritual_pic -- I'm very excited about new model.

However, I really wonder if the specs on paper matches the reality without any significant (untold) drawback. Also, I would want to see some real, untouched RAW files from Canon 1D X shot at high ISO.

Waiting to see what the ones which will have hands on experience will say.

[jesrodmar]

...but i am absolutely sure Canon has not ended the 1Ds line up...

I absolutely agree with you.

[pwp]

I shoot 1D IV which for my work is the finest camera I have ever had the pleasure to work with. My first 1-Series was an EOS 1n film body which just knocked my socks off, then the original 1Ds and I've since travelled the upgrade path, though fortunately and kind of accidentally sidestepping the 1D3 along the way.

1-Series cameras just rock. I loved the description of them feeling like they were carved out of a solid lump of Unobtanium. In dynamic shooting situations the performance and handling helps me deliver shots I would have previously thought impossible to achieve. The ultra responsiveness, configurable 45 point AF, weather sealing and highly evolved ergonomics put 1-Series Canons in a class of their own. There is a big price premium but for my style of work it's worth every single penny. The 1D IV just keeps delivering personally satisfying images to very happy clients. It simply wouldn't happen in the same way with a 5DII.

I've test driven 5DII and was extremely impressed with the files, but the handling and performance just didn't cut it for me. If I did slower more considered work, I'd buy a 5DII in a heartbeat.

It's whatever floats your boat. If a 60D delivers the shots you need, then that's the Canon for you.

For me it's 1-Series all the way. My order for the X was placed the day the specs were announced.

Paul Wright

[neuroanatomist]

Well... neuro did ask for those opinions along with a smattering of a slam against those expressing opinions that may not intend to buy one.  He could have left out the whole Ferrari/Camry thing of course it would be less fun if he did.

Which was the point of the analogy, and bear in mind, it was written by someone who drives a 5 year old Subaru Outback, thinks a Camry is just fine but wanted more cargo room, and can't really understand why anyone would need a Ferrrari to get from point A to point B.  But then, I'm perfectly ok with someone 'needing' a 1-series to take pictures. 

Aldvan summed it up rather nicely.  Yes, I'm in the market for a 1D X, and regardless, Canon is getting at least $6.8K of my money one way or another (either a 1D X or a supertele prime), and yes, I'm serious about that and have cash in hand (well, in a safe, to be honest) to cover a 1D X, just waiting for the preorder to go up on B&H.  Yes, I have lots of opinions about the 1D X, as do many people who own 5DII's, 7D's, xxD's, xxxD's, and even P&S cameras - and those opinions are all valid. 

But the point is that if Canon were going to listen to customers' input in designing the next 1-series, they shouldn't be paying much attention to me or anyone else who doesn't own a 1-series body, but rather, to the customers who've demonstrated that they are 1-series customers, unequivocally - i.e. by owning one already.  So, the idea of the thread is to canvas the opinions of those people on how well Canon actual listened, and how well the announced camera will meet their needs.

So far, opinions are split, consistent with the axiom that you can't please all of the people all of the time.  But there are some interesting observations that I haven't read in the other threads on this issue, quite likely because they are issues that may not occur most people who don't have practical experience with 1-series bodies, e.g. ricker's comment on dual CF cards and the loss of Eye-Fi support (but, ricker - would an Eye-Fi-supporting SD to CF adapter solve that issue?).

Thanks to all the 1-series owners who've offered their opinions so far - I appreciate the input, and hope others do as well.  More viewpoints are certainly welcome and appreciated!

[wockawocka]

Until I owned a 1D body I had a 5D2. I always looked at the 1D bodies from the eyes of someone whose camera was amazing as it was and I 'could see' what the benefits were and as such was unfairly critical of that line.

Then I bought one and it made the 5D2 like a toy in comparison.

[macfly]

More viewpoints are certainly welcome and appreciated!

As a 20 year EOS veteran, a published photographer and a CPS member since that program started I can tell you that nobody at Canon ever stepped forward to ask my opinion on what the next OS should be. I have no idea where they get their market research, but it would be nice if they actually asked us what we'd like. I love the EOS form factor, but I won't but a 1Dx simply because it doesn't do what I need or want. I want a ~45mp sensor that has incredible 645 beating quaility as 100iso. I always light my subjects, so don't care about high iso, a useable max 1600 is just fine for me.

[awinphoto]

More viewpoints are certainly welcome and appreciated!

As a 20 year EOS veteran, a published photographer and a CPS member since that program started I can tell you that nobody at Canon ever stepped forward to ask my opinion on what the next OS should be. I have no idea where they get their market research, but it would be nice if they actually asked us what we'd like. I love the EOS form factor, but I won't but a 1Dx simply because it doesn't do what I need or want. I want a ~45mp sensor that has incredible 645 beating quaility as 100iso. I always light my subjects, so don't care about high iso, a useable max 1600 is just fine for me.

I understand where you're coming from... Like you, I've been using the EOS system for almost 15 years or so give or take, published and had my photography shown on TV and the Olympics, and a CPS member.  I have received a few different surveys from canon asking what I was in the market to buy, my opinions or whatever... I get them maybe once ever 6-12 months or so.  I dont know if they come from Canon CPS or some other marketing dept but it is what it is... While I would have liked to see a better (higher MP) sensor in the 1dx, this camera isn't one I'd be buying.  While I like using the best gear I can afford, I'm a minimalist at heart and had beaten into me since young the concept of needing vs wanting... I want to buy a 1dx (or 1d series in general) but I dont need it for my clients and my work so I get by with what I can. 

I second neuros thoughts about those who complain about the 1dx being those who are not really in the market for a 1d camera but worries about what it could mean towards other "lower" cameras... Until I see directly how other cameras get affected (when the 5d3 and 70D and 7D2 comes out), I wont lose one minute of sleep worrying. 

[pwp]

For goodness sake...it's horses for courses.

If your photographic needs are fully satisfied with an iPhone 4S, then that's perfect.

If a 500D gives you that "OMG this is amazing" response then you have bought the right camera.

If like me you value ultra performance in dynamic shooting situations, using high iso's to their practical limits and so on, then 1-Series EOS is a no brainer. My MkIV definately gives me that "OMG this is amazing" response on almost a daily basis, the proceeds of which feed the family, puts the kids through school and gives me a lifestyle that I once only dreamed about.

If you need 40 plus Mp and silky magnificent files at 100iso then look to medium format. There's some brilliant kit out there, and the prices are quickly becoming more competitive.

One Canon body simply cannot be all things to all people, but 1Ds3, 1DMkIV and without doubt the big X dude definitely tick a lot of boxes.

Paul Wright

[rocketdesigner]

I don't think that asking just for opinions from people already owning a 1D series is a matter of elitism. 

...and neither do I, in that context.

But to start a thread that assigns qualifications for contributors based on who can afford high end equipment from those who can't -- which is what this individual did -- is elitist and discriminatory.

[100]

But to start a thread that assigns qualifications for contributors based on who can afford high end equipment from those who can't -- which is what this individual did -- is elitist and discriminatory.

English is not my native language, so maybe I'm missing something, but I just hear someone (neuroanatomist) saying, hey, we heard the crowd and they're in title to their layman opinion, but I like hear what the experts (as far as 1D or 1Ds) are thinking about the new tool.  That’s not “elitist and discriminatory” where I live.

[neuroanatomist]

But to start a thread that assigns qualifications for contributors based on who can afford high end equipment from those who can't -- which is what this individual did -- is elitist and discriminatory.

I'm sorry you feel that way - the intent of the Camry/Ferrari analogy was humor, not elitism, and I apologize for offending you.

But the question was honest and the limitation was intentional. If I was interested in a T3i, would it not be legitimate to ask the opinion of owners of that particular body? Why are some reviews on B&H marked 'verified buyer'?  I presume because that lends credence to the review. Given that the 1D X hasn't been released yet, owners/users of 1-series cameras would seem the closest approximation.

Probably I should have more clearly specified users, not owners, since a camera could as easily be studio owned. 

But hopefully you can appreciate the difference in perspective.  For someone who doesn't own a 1-series, the 1D X is an upgrade almost no matter what (ignoring the obvious 3 MP drop from the 5DII's sensor), so it becomes about how well the 1D X stacks up against an imaginary ideal. For a current 1-series, the perspective, I hope, would be closer to how the 1D X stacks up from a more practical standpoint, compared to current needs met (or not) by the 1-series.

Note that while I've offered opinions on the 1D X in many other threads, I haven't done so here - I don't meet my own qualifications. 

[RexGRP]

What I'd like to see in this impressive 1-DX is a quieter camera. I use 1-D MK ll bodies for newspaper work and I can't get over how freaking LOUD the cameras are. The noise from the shutter is really obnoxious.

I'm thrilled limiting the sensor to 18 mp results in ( hopefully ) clean, very high ISO.  I'm sure Canon will manufacture a super-high mp body for those who don't need speed.

I'll be looking for better flash metering, improved color, and advances in off-center AF tracking.

Sure wish I could order the camera without video for $1000 less. Asking the boss to spend $13,600 on a couple bodies for one photographer is a challenge.