2 5d3's or 1d x

[KKCFamilyman]

I am getting my camera (5d3) replaced and have the opportunity to sell the replacement and get factory refurbed 1d x for $3900 or spend $1600 more to have 2 5d3's so I will have a backup. Just not sure if I should jump on the 1d x since I have lived this long with 1 body or get the 2 5d3's. My main want is stop better iso performance, customizable ae adjustments, more accurate metering. Just looking for people who have both to give some insight. I do like the smaller size, silent shutter, lower weight but want a tool thats best for the job. So far events and portraits are all I have done. Also landscapes and macro.

 

[Jim Saunders]

If a 5D3 does everything you need I'd go with a second one; Relying on one of something is asking for trouble.

Jim

 

[dave]

The 1D X is a great camera. However, from your previous posts, I don't think it is worth the extra for what you are shooting.

I also think that you need to be less preoccupied with shuffling your gear around and keep improving your use of it. You seem to have been constantly changing or considering changing for ages now. There is absolutely no reason that you couldn't be a successful photographer with the gear you have. Yes, the 1D X is a better camera but unless you do sports or wildlife for a living is probably not going to help that much.

If you want to have a photography business, changing gear is not likely to make much of a contribution.

I am sorry if this sounds harsh but over the past year I get the impression that your mindset is focused too much on the gear and you think that if you keep changing you will eventually make it as a photographer.

If you are going to change your gear just make sure you do it for the right reasons. There is not some magic dust in the 1D X that makes you better just by holding it. if you don't believe me have a look at the 1D X and 5D3 image galleries on this forum. The image quality is basically equivalent. You may just find the subject matter in the 1D X gallery to be slightly different, but quality wise, hardly any difference.

 

[Eldar]

I have both the 5DIII and 1DX. And the 1DX can do all the things a 5DIII can do, except HDR, and some.

But! If you don't do fast sports, BIF etc. and you don't need the extra ruggedness of the body, you may as well stay with the 5DIII. It is cheaper, it is smaller, it is lighter, it has more pixles, it has a better silent mode, which I use a lot and it is very close in AF and high ISO performance.

The $3900 price tag was mighty tempting though ...

A cheaper alternative could be a 5DIII/6D combo. Most photographers would envy you that too.

 

[Marsu42]

to have 2 5d3's so I will have a backup.

Do you do mission critical shootings all the time like weddings where you need a 1:1 instant backup, not once in a while where you could rent or borrow another eos camera? This type of gear isn't very prone to failure anyway, you know

My main want is stop better iso performance, customizable ae adjustments, more accurate metering.

Sure, seeing you enjoy juggling with gear and have the cashflow to back your preference, just get the 1dx!

You then will have the absolute top of the line gear which surely will be fun, I'd like to play around with it too. My point is: This will help you to realize what gear can do and cannot do, i.e. what you need to learn for yourself (unless you wait for the 1dx2 ) and might make you enjoy photography even more, even if someone shout ever put a 550d + 50/1.8 in your hand.

So far events and portraits are all I have done. Also landscapes and macro.

So what *didn't* you do :-> ?

 

[danski0224]

Please, do tell where the factory refurb 1DX for $3900.00 is available.

 

[KKCFamilyman]

Please, do tell where the factory refurb 1DX for $3900.00 is available.

Its a canon factory refurb.

 

[Dylan777]

If you need EXTRA speed 1d X is the camera. Otherwise, shooting with x2 5D III is so much easier. I thought I mentioned this in your prev post.

I still don't understand your approach getting 24-70 f4, when you already have 24-70 II :-\ :-\ :-\

 

[KKCFamilyman]

If you need EXTRA speed 1d X is the camera. Otherwise, shooting with x2 5D III is so much easier. I thought I mentioned this in your prev post.

I still don't understand your approach getting 24-70 f4, when you already have 24-70 II :-\ :-\ :-\

I got the 24-70 for $430 and need a video lens plus thought I could play with the macro to decide if I want a dedicated macro.

 

[RLPhoto]

Unless your parachuting into warzones, marching through wet jungles, shooting Pro Sports or extremely clumsy, you don't need a 1Dx.

 

[danski0224]

I am getting my camera (5d3) replaced and have the opportunity to sell the replacement and get factory refurbed 1d x for $3900 or spend $1600 more to have 2 5d3's so I will have a backup. Just not sure if I should jump on the 1d x since I have lived this long with 1 body or get the 2 5d3's. My main want is stop better iso performance, customizable ae adjustments, more accurate metering. Just looking for people who have both to give some insight. I do like the smaller size, silent shutter, lower weight but want a tool thats best for the job. So far events and portraits are all I have done. Also landscapes and macro.

There are lots of threads here and elsewhere on this.

What I have found, of importance to me, is this:

At/below 1600 ISO, 5D3 = 1DX. Above 1600 ISO, 1DX > 5D3

Metering: 1DX > 5D3

f/2.8 AF Points: 1DX > 5D3

Viewfinder face detection: 1DX

Numerous comments about the superior quality of 1DX files and the ability to manipulate them in post.

At low ISO's, given a properly executed image, the 5D3 seems to have more detail due to more MP.

The quieter shutter (not even in silent mode) of the 5D3 should not be underestimated for things like weddings. This comes up again and again.

Not an easy choice. It isn't just build quality.

 

[sdsr]

I am getting my camera (5d3) replaced and have the opportunity to sell the replacement and get factory refurbed 1d x for $3900 or spend $1600 more to have 2 5d3's so I will have a backup. Just not sure if I should jump on the 1d x since I have lived this long with 1 body or get the 2 5d3's. My main want is stop better iso performance, customizable ae adjustments, more accurate metering. Just looking for people who have both to give some insight. I do like the smaller size, silent shutter, lower weight but want a tool thats best for the job. So far events and portraits are all I have done. Also landscapes and macro.

A few questions: Best for what job? What do you shoot that would benefit from a stop better high ISO performance? Do the photos you take now suffer in some visible way from inaccurate metering? Also, while you say you have done macro, in a later post in this thread you say you bought a 24-70 f/4 (which I believe offers only 0.7 magnification) to find out if you need a "dedicated" macro lens; what sort of macro have you done, and in what way(s) would a 1dx help there?

 

[curtisnull]

Unless you are shooting sports get a second 5D3. I would rather have two cameras than only one 1Dx.

 

[expatinasia]

What do you need a second 5D Mark III for?

If I were you, I would keep the one 5D Mark III and put that extra money in your pocket to a holiday (or two) to take pictures on, or possibly a lens you do not have.

 

[dave]

Unless your parachuting into warzones, marching through wet jungles, shooting Pro Sports or extremely clumsy, you don't need a 1Dx.

Actually, if you are super clumsy get the 5d3. Drop a 1D X on concrete from a reasonable height and it still bites the dust. Then, no camera!

 

[dave]

What do you need a second 5D Mark III for?

If I were you, I would keep the one 5D Mark III and put that extra money in your pocket to a holiday (or two) to take pictures on, or possibly a lens you do not have.

With the lenses he has, the photo holiday sees like a top suggestion.

 

[Famateur]

As much as it would be awesome to have a 1DX, I'd lean towards either:

[list type=decimal]
[*]Two 5DIIIs
[*]One 5DIII and one 6D
[*]One 5DIII and new lens
[/list]

The decision would hinge on which lenses I already had and what the gear would be used for. With option 2, you might even have some left over to still get another lens, depending on the lens. That would give you a great primary body, a capable backup AND another lens.

Either way, I like the idea of having a capable backup to a great camera should one camera fail (and if it does, it will be at the worst possible time). As is often said in my other "shooting" hobby, "Two is one, one is none." Redundancy is a good thing if you're earning your living with your gear.

Of course, if your gear isn't mission-critical, that 1DX would be awfully fun to play with!

 

[mackguyver]

Unless you plan to constantly use the second body (i.e. as an event shooter), and just want a backup, I'd go for a cheapo Rebel or something. Many of us with 2 or more bodies rarely use the second body and it's crazy to tie up that kind of cash in a body you rarely use. Just give it some thought - $500 on a Rebel or $1000 on a 7D and the rest for a 1-2 week trip to some amazing place to get dream photos as others have suggested.

 

[Famateur]

Unless you plan to constantly use the second body (i.e. as an event shooter), and just want a backup, I'd go for a cheapo Rebel or something. Many of us with 2 or more bodies rarely use the second body and it's crazy to tie up that kind of cash in a body you rarely use. Just give it some thought - $500 on a Rebel or $1000 on a 7D and the rest for a 1-2 week trip to some amazing place to get dream photos as others have suggested.

Definitely hard to argue with that!

Maybe the other reason would be to have a zoom on one body and a prime on the other to have focal length flexibility without having to swap lenses, but I guess you could still do that with a crop backup. Taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip with a 5DIII and a good crop sounds really nice. I'd love to be in KKCFamilyman's predicament!

 

[Hobby Shooter]

Unless your parachuting into warzones, marching through wet jungles, shooting Pro Sports or extremely clumsy, you don't need a 1Dx.

I walked through the Vietnamese highland djungle, in the rain, with my 5D3 and it did well shooting a long video take. No parachuting though.