Grant Atkinson said:
Thank you, Grant.
I am shooting mainly birds in flight so on that score I am weighing up my ability to keep a single point on the target (1Dx) vs the AF ability of the camera (5DIV). Your comments certainly help the rationale, but the decision is still based on my priorities which are yet to be confirmed. I am shooting more sports now so the 5DIV is edging up the queue, but I am having frustration with the 7D2 hunting with the 2x/400DOii that are starting to irritate. Having the 7D2 at the moment, any option (5DIV, 1Dx) will have advantages and I just need to work out which are more important.
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Hi Mike, so I have tried to use my 400DO with 2x extender on two different trips for BIF, but my keeper rate was so low of properly sharp images that I chose to not do it any more, because I don't want to miss a shot that may be important to me. That was with the 1DX, even if I was able to keep the AF point on or close to the target. So I use the 2x for static or slow-moving subjects. I know there are highly skilled photographers like Arash H who are using the combination successfully so I might need to work on my own skills more. I use the EF 400 DO ii a lot of time with a 1.4x extender attached, and with that combination, my wife and my 1DX bodies deliver a higher keeper rate of birds in flight, than when I try the same with my 5Dmk4, or 7Dmk2. Whether it is down to pixel pitch or AF or both I am not certain. The keeper rate with the 1dx and 1.4x extender varies between about 20 percent right up to 80 percent, depending on the birds speed, the angle the bird is flying across, or toward the sensor, angle of sun, power of sun, and background structure, plus my own tracking skill or lack of it. Birds in flight also range in size from a kingfisher or hummingbird all the way up to vultures and pelicans, and they are not all equally hard or easy to shoot for me. Typically use Single AF Pt or else Af Expansion (One plus 4Pt) In comparison, when I use the 5d4 with this same combination, keeper rate falls way off for me to around zero to 30 percent. Static or slow-moving subjects the 5D4 does great. I have found the 7D2 to be more similar to the 5Dmk4 when using extenders but each user has their own scenarios, as well as what we find acceptable or not in terms of sharpness. So for now I stick to the 1DX (or 1DX mk2) whenever I am using extenders. We own an EF 500L f4 IS ii which is a better lens for birds that are far away or small in the frame than our EF 400 f4 DO IS ii with a 1.4x extender but the 500 is quite bulky and much harder to travel with. So I give up some of that superior performance with the bare EF 500 but benefit from an easier combination (EF 400 plus 1.4x) to manage and to travel with on airlines.
I was also hoping that I could leave the 1DX at home for some of my photographic trips because of its weight in my bag, airline restrictions, plus the heavy charger, batteries etc but anytime I know I will be using extenders I find it essential. If I leave off the extenders and am working with bare lenses then all three bodies, the 7d2, 5d4 and 1dx offer similarly good AF performance
Cheers
Grant