Some advice needed please?

Hi All!
After being a Nikon shooter for the better part of 2 decades almost I've finally had it with Nikon. I'm mostly a sports photographer shooting my nieces and nephews sporting events as well as the various high school sports teams that I drive for(I drive school bus and take my camera along to kill the time while I'm waiting) as well as a semi-pro baseball team local to me. I also go to the Pittsburgh zoo and take pictures of the animals as well. I also shoot portraits as well as during our church services I take pictures of the praise band and other things. We have a concert like lighting set up for the church. So I need fast glass and camera bodies that have great low light capability. As much as I would love to go mirrorless and appreciate the technology behind it I've held the R5 and R6 with the grips on and I've held an R3 and they just don't feel right in my hands. I have some friends that have had at various times bodies in the 1 DX line of cameras and they felt great in my hand when I held them. As much as I would love to go out and spend the money on a couple of new or used 1 DX Mark III's that is just not in my budget right now. So my questions are these:

1. Are the 1 DX and 1 DX Mark II still viable today in 2022?
2. Will they offer me the ability to still do what I love to do(sports, zoo wildlife, concert-type pictures, and portraiture)?
3. Are there any cons to going with either of these bodies?
4. Other than a 70-200mm and 24-70mm f2.8 lenses are there any other lenses you would recommend? I was looking at a used 300 f2.8 for football(the 400mm even used is still too rich for my blood) and the 300 f4 is a lens that I love for baseball and zoo wildlife. I've only used Nikon's version though is Canon's comparable?

Any advice you could offer me would be greatly appreciated. I haven't been in the Canon universe since the early digital days and I had a Digital Rebel XT and the days of film so I'm not as up on things as I used to be back then.

Matt aka DevPreach
 
Frankly,
It's not even their photography products I'm upset with. It's their sporting optics that I have a beef with right now(poor product support) and when you contact them to get support or a repair I'm tired of being treated extremely poorly and very unprofessionally. For example I don't have the deepest of voices but I am clearly a male and I have a male's name and I even politely correct them the first time that they refer to me by the wrong gender and they immediately apologize for it, but then continue to refer to me by the wrong gender later on in the same conversation with the same exact person. That is discrimination and border-line sexual harassment in the eyes of the law and I'm just tired of it happening so I'm jumping ship so to speak.
 
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jhpeterson

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Feb 7, 2011
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I've used the 1D series of cameras almost exclusively the last 17 years. If, as you say, they're a fit for you, you probably won't want to go back to anything else.

For most all the past two decade, I've owned or worked with nearly every camera in the line, from the original 1D and 1DS bodies to the latest. From 2008 to 2015, I was using the 1DS Mark III for most everything and what I didn't was taken with either a 1D Mark III or IV. My clients were very happy with the files I delivered.

While every new model was an upgrade over what had come before, where I saw the greatest improvement was when Canon went to the 1DX. The image quality at higher ISOs was most impressive and the higher frame rate and improved focusing performance were additional benefits. I felt when I started working with them the image quality took another big step up.

Currently, I'm using the 1DX Mark II's for almost all my work. I still have an original 1DX as a backup, although it almost never sees daylight. I've had no complaints with the results from either model and a lot of my work gets printed double-page.

Unless you need something with a high-pixel count (say 40 megapixels or more), I have no hesitation in recommending one of the 1DX cameras. Even though the first version produces "only" 18MP files, they still deliver professional results. In fact, since you now buy one in excellent condition for little more than a $1000, there's probably nothing else on the market that give you as much bang for your buck.
 
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1. Are the 1 DX and 1 DX Mark II still viable today in 2022?
IMO, yes. I used a 1D X primarily until getting the R3 late last year. I could have bought a 1D X II or III, but the 1D X met my needs just fine.

I would really suggest considering the R3. The R3 is definitely lighter, but I got used to that pretty quickly and find it's still heavy enough to counterbalance a heavy lens. For me, the silent shooting possible with MILCs is a great feature, and I also quite like 30 fps. Since you're new to Canon, you don't have a collection of lenses to replace. The RF lenses offer some meaningful advantages over their EF counterparts (e.g. I really like the smaller size of the 70-200/2.8, and it's optically better as well). However, the R3 is expensive, and RF lenses are more expensive than their EF counterparts (especially if you're looking at used EF lenses). Eye-AF is also a great feature of current MILCs, and does a great job on people and wildlife.

Having said that, if you're set on a DSLR for budget or ergonomic reasons, I'd agree with @jhpeterson that the 1D X and 1D X II are excellent cameras, I'd be happy using either one today.


2. Will they offer me the ability to still do what I love to do(sports, zoo wildlife, concert-type pictures, and portraiture)?
Absolutely.

3. Are there any cons to going with either of these bodies?
Mainly the opportunity cost of not accessing the newer features of a camera like the R3, particularly autofocus. The 1D X and 1D X II have 61 AF points with relatively limited spread, whereas the R3 can effectively AF anywhere in the frame, and continue tracking subjects anywhere in the frame. As mentioned, eye-AF is excellent. Also nice is that with a MILC, you don't need autofocus microadjustment to fine-tine the AF accuracy of your lenses. On the flip side, Canon MILC's AF systems are all horizontal line sensors, meaning you cannot focus on subjects with only horizontally-oriented contrast (e.g. the louvers on a closet door). That's something many expect the forthcoming R1 to correct (with quad-pixel AF, vs. the current dual-pixel AF).

4. Other than a 70-200mm and 24-70mm f2.8 lenses are there any other lenses you would recommend? I was looking at a used 300 f2.8 for football(the 400mm even used is still too rich for my blood) and the 300 f4 is a lens that I love for baseball and zoo wildlife. I've only used Nikon's version though is Canon's comparable?
Canon's 300/2.8L IS II is a stellar lens, and excellent for sports. Depending on field lighting, the 100-400 may work, as well. The 70-200/2.8 is an excellent portrait lens, but you could also consider the 85/1.4 or 85/1.2 if you shoot in less controlled settings (e.g. outdoors). Depending on what sports you shoot and your level of access, a 16-35 (f/2.8 or f/4) may be useful, e.g. if you shoot basketball, a UWA is often used if you can stand near the backboard).
 
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Because I'm tired of how poorly I'm treated every single time I have to contact them about their products.
As a man who is often called "Mrs." when calling on the phone, I find your reason for switching systems and spending upwards of $10, 000 or more to be very odd. I guess I would be concerned if I had to call customer support that often - are your Nikon's really in such mis-repair that you need to contact support that often? Plus, there is no guarantee that your experience with Canon support will be that different. It is also quite possible (maybe even probable) that the next time you call Nikon suppoirt it will be someone completely differrent on the phone. In all honesty, your reason for switching makes almost no sense. Sorry, that's just the way it looks to me logically. I realize I am not in your shoes.

As Alan mentioned, the Nikon D850 and D500 are top shelf DSLRs and if you decide to go mirrorless, and the Z9 sounds like the best camera for both action and general shooting at the price point of the various flagships, especially as you are already in the Nikon system. The Nikon Z lenses are also a step up.

And don't forget, the Canon lenses focus and zoom rings (as well the mount) rotate in the opposite direction. That alone would prevent me from switching!
 
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@bergstrom I couldn't tell you one way or another if Canon listens to their customers or not, but after being mistreated like I have I feel that it is my responsibility to no longer support that brand in any way. And in my opinion when people see me out and about and read the name "Nikon" on my various products that is still supporting them.
 
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AutoMatters

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Dec 3, 2021
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Hi All!
After being a Nikon shooter for the better part of 2 decades almost I've finally had it with Nikon. I'm mostly a sports photographer shooting my nieces and nephews sporting events as well as the various high school sports teams that I drive for(I drive school bus and take my camera along to kill the time while I'm waiting) as well as a semi-pro baseball team local to me. I also go to the Pittsburgh zoo and take pictures of the animals as well. I also shoot portraits as well as during our church services I take pictures of the praise band and other things. We have a concert like lighting set up for the church. So I need fast glass and camera bodies that have great low light capability. As much as I would love to go mirrorless and appreciate the technology behind it I've held the R5 and R6 with the grips on and I've held an R3 and they just don't feel right in my hands. I have some friends that have had at various times bodies in the 1 DX line of cameras and they felt great in my hand when I held them. As much as I would love to go out and spend the money on a couple of new or used 1 DX Mark III's that is just not in my budget right now. So my questions are these:

1. Are the 1 DX and 1 DX Mark II still viable today in 2022?
2. Will they offer me the ability to still do what I love to do(sports, zoo wildlife, concert-type pictures, and portraiture)?
3. Are there any cons to going with either of these bodies?
4. Other than a 70-200mm and 24-70mm f2.8 lenses are there any other lenses you would recommend? I was looking at a used 300 f2.8 for football(the 400mm even used is still too rich for my blood) and the 300 f4 is a lens that I love for baseball and zoo wildlife. I've only used Nikon's version though is Canon's comparable?

Any advice you could offer me would be greatly appreciated. I haven't been in the Canon universe since the early digital days and I had a Digital Rebel XT and the days of film so I'm not as up on things as I used to be back then.

Matt aka DevPreach
Matt (DevPreach),
I might be especially well situated to offer advice to you. I was a Nikon shooter for 50 years, with my final Nikons being a D5 and a D4S. I switched to the Canon R3 mirrorless.
I will spare you the painful and very expensive details of my switch, and just give you some pros and cons for me. By the way, I shoot a wide variety of subjects for my weekly "AutoMatters & More" columns (746 in the past 20 years — see over 400 of them at AutoMatters.net).

KEY PROS:
1. My favorite subject to shoot is auto racing. For its amazing ability to track racing cars using its 'cars' focus tracking mode, the Canon R3 is the best camera that I have ever used to shoot car racing. It almost never fails to maintain focus on the chosen car(s).
2. Some of the venues that I shoot in require that photographers keep quiet while shooting. I have been told to stop shooting with my old DSLR bodies, due to their shutter noise.
3. The R3 is quite similar in feel to my old Nikon pro DSLRs.

KEY NEGATIVES:
1. It has taken me months of shooting to begin to get used to turning the zoom ring in the opposite direction to that of Nikons. It is really hard to change that habit.
2. Canon's range of RF (mirrorless) L-series (weather sealed, full featured, high quality) lenses is still quite limited. My go-to Nikon lens for my photojournalism needs was Nikon's 28-300mm F-Mount lens. I probably used it for at least 90% of my shots. I used it so much that I thoroughly wore out two, and was on my third when I sold everything. Canon does not make a similar RF L-Series lens. The closest they have is an inferior 24-240mm consumer-grade lens that I am reluctantly using (it is okay, but not great). Buying an EF-RF adapter so that I could then buy Canon's obsolete 28-300mm EF lens that was designed 20 years ago is not an option that I will use.
3. It cost me a small fortune to make the switch from selling all of my old Nikon gear and going to Canon mirrorless, having made the ill-advised intermediate decision to switch to the Sony Alpha Series first. It would rarely track racing cars, although it was great for tracking the hummingbirds in the pre-purchase demo that I got and bought into.

I wish you good luck. Whatever you decide to switch to, try it out thoroughly FIRST.
Jan
 
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Maximilian

The dark side - I've been there
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Nov 7, 2013
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Any advice you could offer me would be greatly appreciated.
...
Hi Matt!

I think a lot of good advice has already been given. So I will try not to repeat too much, but to add some of my thoughts.
I also had some Mr/Mrs issues in the past and can understand your annoyance, even though I haven't met such an unprofessional dispatcher/technician than you have.

So before jumping ship, think about the following:
  • Could Nikon technical support solve your technical problems in a (technically) professional way, or are you also upset on the results?
  • Look at your equipment, at what you love and often use, and how much it will cost when you jump ship.
  • If you come to the decision to change to Canon, rent some equipment first, look if you like or can get used to ergonomics and camera menu.
Good luck with your choice.
And let us know how you decide.

Maximilian
 
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