Thinking of swapping a 5d3 for a 1D4.....

[can0nfan2379]

Just wanted to get some thoughts from people who have had both cameras.

I shoot a lot of varied stuff from portraits to events, landscape, nature and wildlife (this is where my main interest lies). I upgraded from a 7D to a 5DIII mostly for the better noise handling and full frame sensor despite losing the crop factor advantage. I have been very happy with my 5D3 and I would absolutely love a 1DX for the integrated grip, better weather sealing, FPS and deeper buffer.

The 1DX however is currently not in my budget so I have been kicking around the idea of going from my 5D3 to a 1D4. The only issues that I have run into with my 5D3 are having to wait for the buffer to clear from some action sequences I've taken and the lack of interchangeable focusing screens when I've been using some of my Zeiss lenses and manually focusing large aperture lenses.

Anyone have any thoughts on this crazy idea?

 

[can0nfan2379]

The other thing that crossed my mind is that if Canon introduces a high megapixel 1 series camera in the next 6 months, it might drive the 1DX into a slightly more affordable range.......

 

[cdn_photog]

When I upgraded from a 7D to a 5D3 I ran into buffer delays with my UDMA 6 CF cards, but getting a new UDMA 7 CF card made a big difference in how many shots I could take in a row. When researching 5D3 buffer speed I read that if you had a SD card in your 5D3, even if it is not being written to, it can slow down the write speed to the CF card as well.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

The 1D MK IV is a great camera, I had mine alongside my Nikon D800 and 5D MK III. It was superior to the D800, and pretty much equal to the 5D MK III. I had to sell it due to my Carpal Tunnel and the need to use a lighter camera.

I think its just a matter of personal preference, both a excellent. I had no issues using the MK IV at ISO 12800.

 

[Grumbaki]

Does 1d4 as the spot metering on AF point? That's an awesome feature too often overlooked IMHO (and actually my only draw to 1Dx from 5D3) that you could had on the plus side of your list.

 

[can0nfan2379]

I've read that too but I never use SD cards so I haven't run into that issue.

I am using Lexar 600X cards which I believe are UDMA 6 so that may help with the buffer clearing if I go up to 1000X or UDMA 7 cards.

When I upgraded from a 7D to a 5D3 I ran into buffer delays with my UDMA 6 CF cards, but getting a new UDMA 7 CF card made a big difference in how many shots I could take in a row. When researching 5D3 buffer speed I read that if you had a SD card in your 5D3, even if it is not being written to, it can slow down the write speed to the CF card as well.

 

[can0nfan2379]

What do you think of the servo performance of the 1D4 vs the 5D3? I assume the lens drive speed and acquisition is faster with the 1D4 due to the greater battery voltage but is it as accurate as the 5D3?

The 1D MK IV is a great camera, I had mine alongside my Nikon D800 and 5D MK III. It was superior to the D800, and pretty much equal to the 5D MK III. I had to sell it due to my Carpal Tunnel and the need to use a lighter camera.

I think its just a matter of personal preference, both a excellent. I had no issues using the MK IV at ISO 12800.

 

[charlesbanke]

I have fallen in love with the 1d series bodies, you will be very happy with the ergonomics, much more solid in the hand than the 5diii, the integrated vertical grip is a huge plus and comes in handy very often. Your buffer issues may be due to your memory cards, but I would imagine the 1d iv would have a deeper buffer. Burst rate and autofocus acquisition is another added bonus

 

[can0nfan2379]

On both the 7D and 5D3 I currently own, I've always used the Canon vertical grips for those models. Once you get used to having the vertical controls it feels awkward to go back to bodies that lack those. The only thing I wish the 1D4 had was the vertical thumb joystick for AF point selection. I use that a lot no matter which orientation I'm shooting in. The 1Dx has the vertical joystick where it should be whereas the 5D3 grip has it placed in a weird spot and I always have to reach down for it which I find really annoying.

I have fallen in love with the 1d series bodies, you will be very happy with the ergonomics, much more solid in the hand than the 5diii, the integrated vertical grip is a huge plus and comes in handy very often. Your buffer issues may be due to your memory cards, but I would imagine the 1d iv would have a deeper buffer. Burst rate and autofocus acquisition is another added bonus

 

[Canon1]

I used to own a 1D4 and shot with it for a long time. When I sold my 5DII and bought a 5DIII I was really blown away by how much more detail is captured by the 5DIII. I shot with these two cameras side by side for several months and at the end of the day the 5DIII just produces cleaner images.

I find that I get usable images with my 5DIII up to ISO 6400 and 12800, while I would hate to push the ISO over 2000 on the Mark 4.

The noise is very different with the 5DIII. It is more of a Luminance noise that is very easy to clean up in post and does not rob details from an image. The 1DIV noise is much more difficult to clean up and details are lost at high ISO no matter what you do.

I ended up selling my 1D4 and bought a second 5DIII. The only thing I miss is the FPS. Sometimes when shooting fast action wildlife I miss shots with the slower FPS on the 5D that I would not have missed on the 1D.

I'm hoping that the 7DII (If it ever comes out) does well at high ISO. If so it would be a great match to the 5DIII.

Bottom line, both are great cameras. If FPS is your main concern then i'd go for the Mark 4. If IQ is your main concern then the 5DIII wins hands down....

 

[bdunbar79]

Unfortunately the 7D2 will not likely perform well at high ISO...

I had the 1D4 and 5D3 both. I could use images from the 1D4 easily as high as ISO 6400. The 1D4's color accuracy was much better than the 5D3. The 5D3 loves reds and pinks. I thought the 1D4 was more accurate and the RAW files I thought could be dealt with much better than the 5D3. One thing not mentioned here is the 1/300s flash sync speed on the 1D4 vs. 1/250s for the 5D3.

On the other hand, the resolution difference is actually noticeable in RAW files. I preferred my 5D3 over the 1D4 in most general situations, but then I sold them both to get another 1Dx. Because the 1Dx spanked both of them

 

[can0nfan2379]

Image quality is a priority. Maybe I'll just wait a while longer for the 1DX to drop below 4K

Bottom line, both are great cameras. If FPS is your main concern then i'd go for the Mark 4. If IQ is your main concern then the 5DIII wins hands down....

 

[pwp]

I'm shooting almost daily with 1D4 & 5D3. They're a pretty good matched pair with different strengths. My go-to body for any type of action shooting is the 1D4, it's much better than the 5D3 in this regard. Give both bodies their best chance of delivering their highest buffer clearing performance with the fastest cards you can afford. They make an instantly tangible difference. I'm also a great fan of the x1.3 crop APS-H sensor found in the Mk4. Depending what your client wants to do with the shots, pushing the 1D4 to 6400-8000 iso is very do-able provided your exposures are perfect. A modest dose of NR in Lightroom will be all they need for good, usable output.

I love both cameras, they're both first class pieces of kit either of which will deliver the goods in most situations. For more extreme conditions or output requirements, each camera will have it's day. On the level of handling and ergonomics of any 1-Series body will leave the rest gasping for respectability. A minority of shooters will challenge this position, but 1-Series users don't tend to use these superior bodies to look cool, they just know from experience that they just can't be beaten. The loudest 1-Series critics probably haven't used them in prolonged demanding conditions, or maybe not at all.

Get the 1D4! $3k should get you a beauty.

-pw

 

[mwh1964]

Crazy idea. Go for the 1Dx or stay w. 5D3. Just my 2c of course.

 

[can0nfan2379]

I think you're absolutely right that a 5D3 and 1D4 compliment each other perfectly but if I were to go to the 1D4 I'd have to sell the 5D3 since I can't afford to have both (I might as well have a 1DX then if I've got 6K in bodies).

There is a guy in the area who is looking to trade his 1D4 for a 5D3 so if I traded straight across for my 5D3 I wouldn't need to put up any cash -- simple straight swap.

I think what I'm going to do for now is upgrade my CF cards. The last cards I bought for my 7D (which I'm still using were Lexar 16GB 600x UDMA6). What are you guys shooting for 1000x UDMA7 cards -- Lexar or Sandisk??? I've heard of some people having issues with the Lexar 32GB cards.

I can live with 6FPS for the time being and hold out for the 1DX to get more affordable. The thing that really kills me is the lack of interchangeable focusing screens on the 5D3 and yet you can swap the screens on the 1DX (expected) AND on the 6D (really Canon.....you didn't include this feature on the 5D3 semi-pro body?? )

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

Get the 1D4! $3k should get you a beauty.
-pw

 

[Eldar]

When I upgraded from a 7D to a 5D3 I ran into buffer delays with my UDMA 6 CF cards, but getting a new UDMA 7 CF card made a big difference in how many shots I could take in a row. When researching 5D3 buffer speed I read that if you had a SD card in your 5D3, even if it is not being written to, it can slow down the write speed to the CF card as well.

I also thought you would improve speed by removing the SD card, but I just tested mine and it seems to be same same.
At 6 fps, with a 90MB/s CF 16GB Sandisk, I got bursts of 18 full size RAW images both with and without the SD card inserted. Swapping to a 150MB/S CF 64GB Lexar I got 24 full size RAW, both with and without the SD card.
To compare, I got 34 full size RAW with the 1DX at 12fps with the 150MB/s card. And on top of that, the buffer is emptied much faster for follow on shots.
I have sold my 1DIV, so I cannot do a direct comparison, but it sure outperforms the 5DIII on fps and buffer handling. But having the 1DX, I think the 5DIII is the best complement at the moment.

 

[suburbia]

http://blog.willshootphotography.com/2012/06/udma-7-cf-card-performance-on-canon-5d-mark-iii-and-1d-mark-iv-soooo-worth-it.html

Seems that switching to UDMA 7 has more dramatic impact on the 5d Mk III performance:

RAW shots

Camera........... Card ........Shots till full.....Buffer empty in
5D Mark III......UDMA 6.... 15....................15.2 sec
.......................UDMA 7.....26....................3.5 sec

1D Mark IV......UDMA 6.....27.....................24.5 sec
.......................UDMA 7*...31.....................6.1 sec

* Requires Firmware Upgrade

 

[danski0224]

Just wanted to get some thoughts from people who have had both cameras.

I shoot a lot of varied stuff from portraits to events, landscape, nature and wildlife (this is where my main interest lies). I upgraded from a 7D to a 5DIII mostly for the better noise handling and full frame sensor despite losing the crop factor advantage. I have been very happy with my 5D3 and I would absolutely love a 1DX for the integrated grip, better weather sealing, FPS and deeper buffer.

The 1DX however is currently not in my budget so I have been kicking around the idea of going from my 5D3 to a 1D4. The only issues that I have run into with my 5D3 are having to wait for the buffer to clear from some action sequences I've taken and the lack of interchangeable focusing screens when I've been using some of my Zeiss lenses and manually focusing large aperture lenses.

Anyone have any thoughts on this crazy idea?

I noticed landscapes in your post above.

If you use wide angle lenses, there is a difference between the 5DIII and 1DIV.

There is the option of a Canon Refurb 1DX. The CPW price alerts work.

I wouldn't expect the retail price of a 1DX to come down anytime soon, nor would I wait in anticipation of this rumored big megapixel body. If the "studio" body materializes, it is aimed at a different segment than the 1DX, so it isn't really a replacement of the 1DX, therefore, the anticipated 1DX price drop may not happen.

Also note that the 1DX does not support the Ec-S screen, and I don't recall seeing anything on this in the upcoming firmware update. That said, I can see a difference looking through 5D series and 1DX viewfinders. The 1DX appears clearer to me and where manual focus was maddening in a 5DII, I can do it through a 1DX (yes, diopter was adjusted in both instances).

There are many posts claiming similarity between the 5DIII and 1DX cameras, and I think they are further apart than what meets the eye or spec sheet. I suspect that a comparison between exploded parts diagram views with part numbers of both cameras would confirm this.

The 1DIV does NOT have the same spot focus feature found on the 7D, 5DIII or 1DX. The 1DIV spot focus feature only works with the supertele lenses with a focus button.

The 5DIII focuses better in low light than the 1DIV. "Low light" is kind of vague, but you may want to try it out if you can with both cameras.

It is hard not to recommend the 1DX.

It is possible that the 1DIV will retain more value over time than the 5DIII, so switching now may not be a bad move.

 

[pdirestajr]

Image quality is a priority. Maybe I'll just wait a while longer for the 1DX to drop below 4K

Bottom line, both are great cameras. If FPS is your main concern then i'd go for the Mark 4. If IQ is your main concern then the 5DIII wins hands down....

Be prepared to wait years and a couple more camera body generations to find it used at <4k... That's a lot of missed moments.

 

[Canon1]

When I upgraded from a 7D to a 5D3 I ran into buffer delays with my UDMA 6 CF cards, but getting a new UDMA 7 CF card made a big difference in how many shots I could take in a row. When researching 5D3 buffer speed I read that if you had a SD card in your 5D3, even if it is not being written to, it can slow down the write speed to the CF card as well.

I also thought you would improve speed by removing the SD card, but I just tested mine and it seems to be same same.
At 6 fps, with a 90MB/s CF 16GB Sandisk, I got bursts of 18 full size RAW images both with and without the SD card inserted. Swapping to a 150MB/S CF 64GB Lexar I got 24 full size RAW, both with and without the SD card.
To compare, I got 34 full size RAW with the 1DX at 12fps with the 150MB/s card. And on top of that, the buffer is emptied much faster for follow on shots.
I have sold my 1DIV, so I cannot do a direct comparison, but it sure outperforms the 5DIII on fps and buffer handling. But having the 1DX, I think the 5DIII is the best complement at the moment.

From what I understand the presence of an SD card will only affect the write speed to the CF when you are writing to both cards simultaneously.