Why are you buying the 1D X?

[Chewy734]

My 5D3 went back due to what I think is a short related to the electronic viewfinder.  That being said, I am on the fence and strongly considering getting the 1D X instead.  I'm next in the queue at my local dealer, and if I decide to pull the trigger, I will have one by the end of this week.

So...

For those of you who have purchased a 1D X, I'm curious as to why?  What makes it worth it to you?  Specifically, why would you buy one over the 5D3?  Of course, specifications-wise it's better in almost every way, but it's nearly double the price.  I'm sure many of you guys are pros, who have previously owned a 1D series.  I don't have any experience with the 1D, so is the build quality really that much better than the 5D series?

I would appreciate any input that would help me decide...  I'm either getting another 5D3, or upgrading to the 1D X.  I'm sure I'll keep either body for a long time to come (my last camera was a 20D that I've kept for nearly 7 years).

Thanks for your help!

[bdunbar79]

I have two 5D Mark III's that I use extensively.  I print big pictures for people and I can tell the difference between 22mp and 18mp.  The 5D3 performs superbly at high ISO's, whereas the 1Ds III didn't.  The autofocus is very fast.

I also am buying the 1D X.  Why?  Well, shooting indoor basktball with my 1D Mark IV makes it very difficult to shoot at ISO 3200 and 6400 without a lot of post-processing NR.  I need that feature, because I waste a lot of time applying NR.  Imagine getting pressure to jpeg your photos to your laptop and then send them on.  I can do that hopefully with the 1D X with no or minimal NR processing.  Obviously the shutter lag and fps is superior to the 1D 4. 

So both cameras fit my needs.  I won't use my 1D X at weddings believe it or not; I'll be taking my two 5D Mark III's because it can perform at a high enough ISO for me and has more resolution.  The 1D X is going to all sports/action with 1D 4 for backup.  Why not the 5D3 for backup at sports you may ask?  5D 3 doesn't have spot metering at active AF point which is very, very useful during sports believe it or not.  It can make the difference between a properly exposed player vs. silhoutted player. 

As you can see, they both have strengths and weaknesses.  Is the 1D X really worth $6800?  Well, I don't know, but remember the 1Ds III in 2007 retailed for $7999.  Even worse, so did the 1Ds II in 2005!  So yes it probably is worth it.

BOTH cameras will do AUTO ISO in full manual mode.  I believe the 1D X will let you shoot in Av mode, minimum shutter speed, auto ISO, and access to exposure compensation, all 4.  I've tried that on my 1D Mark IV so there are advantages to 1D bodies. 

[Chewy734]

Thanks for your detailed response.  That's kind of what I was looking for.

[Erik S. Klein]

For those of you who have purchased a 1D X, I'm curious as to why?  What makes it worth it to you? 

For me it was a combination of mild disappointment with the 5D3 spec and the desire (and ability) to have the best I could.

Don't get me wrong, I think the 5D3 is an exceptional machine, but I wanted a bit more from a 5D2 upgrade and the 1Dx fits the bill.  It is a no-compromise system with a pro build, the absolute best AF system available and the best ISO performance as well.

I was saving for the 5D3 and had a bit of a windfall that allowed me to reach a bit higher.  I considered the 5D3 when introduced, but it wasn't enough to sway me.

[gary samples]

My Mark II 1Ds  is ten years Old  I Will be on a whole new planet  With  iso From hell  !!!!!!!

[bdunbar79]

For those of you who have purchased a 1D X, I'm curious as to why?  What makes it worth it to you? 

For me it was a combination of mild disappointment with the 5D3 spec and the desire (and ability) to have the best I could.

Don't get me wrong, I think the 5D3 is an exceptional machine, but I wanted a bit more from a 5D2 upgrade and the 1Dx fits the bill.  It is a no-compromise system with a pro build, the absolute best AF system available and the best ISO performance as well.

I was saving for the 5D3 and had a bit of a windfall that allowed me to reach a bit higher.  I considered the 5D3 when introduced, but it wasn't enough to sway me.

What other upgrades were you looking for when you went away from the 5D II and were considering a 5D III?  For me, the AF improvements (drastic), plus being able to do AUTO ISO in manual mode at all possible ISO values, HDR, and Multi-Exposure, I'm not sure what else there would be as an "upgrade" without completely crossing into a different camera line.  In fact, I don't know how they could have possibly upgraded the 5D Mark II any more than they did.  I wish it had the color rendition of the 1Ds III at low ISO value.  Maybe I'm just wishing there were a 1Ds Mark IV  

[bdunbar79]

My Mark II 1Ds  is ten years Old  I Will be on a whole new planet  With  iso From hell  !!!!!!!

Lord Gary, here this whole time I thought you were still shooting film

[Erik S. Klein]

What other upgrades were you looking for when you went away from the 5D II and were considering a 5D III?

Build/weather sealing, resolution, DR, etc.

The 5D3 is pretty much the same as the 5D2 in those regards with a bit more power in the in-camera noise reduction.

The AF improvemens are worth the camera alone, of course, and I really considered it carefully but, in the end, I decided that I could afford the best and, since you only live once, I didn't want to compromise at this point.

I'm keeping the 5D2 (my wife claimed it) so it's likely that we'll upgrade it for her eventually.

For me, the AF improvements (drastic), plus being able to do AUTO ISO in manual mode at all possible ISO values, HDR, and Multi-Exposure, I'm not sure what else there would be as an "upgrade" without completely crossing into a different camera line.  In fact, I don't know how they could have possibly upgraded the 5D Mark II any more than they did.  I wish it had the color rendition of the 1Ds III at low ISO value.  Maybe I'm just wishing there were a 1Ds Mark IV

For me, it would have been pro-level (1D) weather sealing and higher resolution.  AF point metering would also have been a nice to have.  Auto-ISO is nice, as are the additional multi-exposure modes, better video, etc. but the 1Dx has 'em all and more.

Yeah, I'm basically looking for a 1D lite, but for $3,500 I think that's within reason.

When the 5D2 came out it was a revolutionary jump in DSLRs with the resultion, video and so on.

The 5D3 feels like what the 5D2 should have/could have been if Canon hadn't gimped the AF on it...

[bdunbar79]

Erik,

I'll say one thing.  I deeply wish instead of the 5D3 it had been a 1Ds IV and they didn't "merge" the 1D and 1Ds lines.  I really wish it had been the 1Ds 3 with very high ISO capabilities and auto ISO in manual mode.  Valid points.

Brett

[Erik S. Klein]

I'll say one thing.  I deeply wish instead of the 5D3 it had been a 1Ds IV and they didn't "merge" the 1D and 1Ds lines.  I really wish it had been the 1Ds 3 with very high ISO capabilities and auto ISO in manual mode.  Valid points.

I'm holding out hope for a high-res body, either in the 5D line, the 1D line or somewhere in between.

While I understand the folks lamenting the loss of the 1.3 crop I'm a big fan of full frame and like that Canon is moving there along the whole pro line.

A high res, medium ISO, low frame rate, FF body would do wonders for that line, IMO.  It doesn't have to be a 1Ds, but it does need the IQ of one...

The 5D3 is kind-of a FF 7D so the ultimate lineup could be a 70D (king cropper), 5D3, 3D (high res, FF studio/landscape camera) and the 1Dx...

I guess I'm pretty much agreeing with you using different names for the devices.

[nightbreath]

I won't use my 1D X at weddings believe it or not; I'll be taking my two 5D Mark III's because it can perform at a high enough ISO for me and has more resolution.

So it's only because of resolution? Do you crop much?

In fact, I don't know how they could have possibly upgraded the 5D Mark II any more than they did.  I wish it had the color rendition of the 1Ds III at low ISO value.  Maybe I'm just wishing there were a 1Ds Mark IV

Any chance 1Dx has similar color rendition to 1Ds III?

[bdunbar79]

I won't use my 1D X at weddings believe it or not; I'll be taking my two 5D Mark III's because it can perform at a high enough ISO for me and has more resolution.

So it's only because of resolution? Do you crop much?

In fact, I don't know how they could have possibly upgraded the 5D Mark II any more than they did.  I wish it had the color rendition of the 1Ds III at low ISO value.  Maybe I'm just wishing there were a 1Ds Mark IV

Any chance 1Dx has similar color rendition to 1Ds III?

Hey, good questions.  Yes I do crop a lot.  If I can get 22mp vs. 18mp, I'm going to do it.  Yes I know it's only 4mp, but if the option is there for me, why not?  I don't know if the 1D X has as good of color rendition as the 1Ds III from ISO 50 to 200, but I'm thinking it will.  We'll have to see.  I won't know until I get mine or if someone does the direct comparison.  I doubt there is any reason to directly compare the 1D4 to the 1DX because I'm sure we already know the answer to that.

[Rousey]

I'm getting a pair.  Mainly becuase I'm lusting after them! :-)

Currently shooting with a pair of 5d3's and I've no major complaints, they're brilliant cameras.  As a wedding tog I think the 5d3/ 1dx could probably be used for some time to come.  (Akin to friends who haven't bothered updating their Nikon d3s' as they're more than enough camera vs the latest releases).

I'm planning to hammer these for a few years and when factoring in build quality/ ruggedness plus the undoubtedly small but welcome upgrades (for a wedding tog) over the 5d3's I think it's worth it.

[briansquibb]

I am looking for a high iso version of the 1DS3

[MarkWebbPhoto]

I'm getting the 1DX for:

1) Build quality and reliability. Nothing worse than a camera breaking on the job
2) Full frame sports camera. Bye bye to my 1D4 and no 6 fps is not fast enough for a true sports photog
3) Better low-light AF. 1D4 is terrible in low light as well as my 5D2. The 5D3 will make a good second body later down the road.
4) Instantly record voice memos to files. This only comes with pro bodies, gotta have it sometimes
5) Superb high-ISO capabilities. If I want to shoot indoor action at some high school gyms I need 1/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 12k-25k
6) Dual CF card slots, finally
7) Weather sealing, every time it storms I'm out in the rain shooting it seems

The 5D3 looks like a nice camera but it wasn't enough of an improvement to justify the cost. The 1DX is going to be my sports, action, low-light, and well rounded workhorse and the 5D2 will remain my studio camera.