Getting the perfect balance........

Mr Pid

Mr Pid

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Apologies if this has been covered, I did do a search but couldnt find anything.....

I currently own a 7D mkii and 5D mkiii - previously owning a 1D mkii and 5D mkii combo but im not convinced these are the best for what I use.

I shoot mostly airshows with planes at around 700mph but also wildlife which means crawling about before first light where high ISO is required.

I am looking to replace one of the bodies and have narrowed things down to the 1DX or the 5D mkiv but I'm stuck....

The 7D is ok, but i find results inconsistent with the big whites, especially on burst mode. the 5d mkiii is amazing all round, even if it doesn't have the speed. Noise is rubbish on the 7D and fixing it in lightroom can compromise the image. Its great if you shoot in full daylight with fast shutter speeds.

My friend uses the 1DX and swears by it. He shoots much higher ISO than I do with cleaner images which I am envious of.

The 1DX is also very home at an airshow but coming home with 3000+ photos with the 7D I'm mindful to be a bit more selective on shots taken rather than spray and pray.

So, the dilemma is with the 1DX being better at high ISO than the 5D mkiv? or is the new 5D king? vs the lower resolution of the 1DX worth the better autofocus capabilities.

I know airshows and wildlife are poles apart but any advice appreciated. I need something that is excellent in low light,with good autofocus and can also keep up with planes.

I will keep one body of the 7d and 5d mkiii, again not sure which. If I get a 1DX then the 7D will go, if I get a 5D mkiv then the mkiii would be a bit redundant.

I mostly use the 100-400 4/5.6 IS ii and the 400mm DO IS ii (sometimes with extender).

One other scenario that has crossed my mind is the 1D mkiv...... (bear with)... with the 1.3 crop sensor that will give me extra reach on the telephoto's without the need for extenders and 16mp isn't too bad either.

I'd like to keep two bodies, especially for air shows, as the zoom ability is very handy and a super sharp prime is highly valued.

Sorry for the ramblings - I hope this makes sense.
 
Just my thoughts.

Currently I am using the 1DX and 7D2, primarily for wildlife. Previously I used the 1D4. Lenses are the 100-400 L IS Mk2, 300 F2.8 L IS, 800 F5.6 L IS and 1.4 + 2 x Mk3 extenders.

Firstly I find that the 1DX has more reach than the 1D4 had. Yes that is counter intuitive but nevertheless it is the case. Even my 7D2 (with it's high pixel density) only slightly exceeds the 1DX under ideal conditions and is not as good under many (most?) conditions as far as reach is concerned. Unfortunately I do not have much experience of the 5D4, but my impressions were certainly positive and it would probably be my choice for an all-round camera.

My vote is the 1DX simply because of it's rock solid AF (high frame rate can be handy too), after all if you want sharp detailed shots then it starts with focus! These days a 1DX with 100/200K clicks on it is quite reasonable and still has more theoretical life left than a new 5D4. Unless you really need the extra MP and a little more DR then the 1DX is very tempting at the moment.

I should say that I am biased in my opinions - simply because I have a 1DX! :banana:
 
Thanks for your input John,

I had pretty much settled on getting the 5D mkiv after tons and tons of research. I hadn't thought of having the 1DX and the 7D mkii as to me they seem quite evenly matched, do you run both bodies together?

After doing some research on the 1D mkiv i've decided that the 7D fits what I need better.

Its a shame the 7D is so hit and miss, perhaps its user error but its the only camera I've ever been inconsistent with the results.

On doing a bit of research, the 7D mkii has dropped massively in price since the imminent release of the 7D mkiii now in the pipeline. Even with mine under 10k shutters I will lose 50% of its value if I sell now and its only three months old. My business head says to keep it at least another year and get some decent use out of it.

Everyone says the 5D mkiv auto focus is on par with the 1DX and the ISO likewise, but its so difficult to know whether stats add up in the real world.

Ideally I'd like the 1DX and a 5D mkiv side by side but sadly my mrs would kill me if I spent that much.... so I'm toying which to "upgrade" first.

I think I may have to hire each body and run some field tests to see which performs better.....
 
Hi Mr Pid, I'm shooting a whole range of stuff including wildlife and yesterday my first air show with 1DXMii with 600mm on a tripod and 5DM4 with a 300. My daughter was shooting with the 5DM3 and 100-400. We came back with 1000 pics per camera body and both very happy with the results. Only 2 problems we had were 5DM3 buffer filling fairly quickly and a few AF difficulties on all camera bodies I think caused by heat haze. I don't think you will go wrong with either of the options you are thinking of, depends a bit on what is most important for the types of pics you want to get. If I was choosing only one it would be the 1DXM2. But you may prefer the extra MP of the 5DM4 so hiring and testing sounds like a great plan.
 
For what it's worth I've had a 7D2, 1DX, 1DX MkII, 5D4

For a while I shot the 7D2 and 1DX together. For my photography, which is wildlife, I regarded the 7D2 as a good light camera. As in it needed good light to get the best out of it. Once the ISO went above 1600, 2000 at a push it was at its limit. I ended up not using it very much, preferring to crop my 1DX instead.

The 7D2 went and I bought a 1DX MkII. Noticably better sensor and enough of an improvement that the 1DX stayed in the bag a lot unless I wanted to use two different lenses.

Sold the 1DX and bought a 5D MkIV. Great camera, better noise handling than the 1DX although it's pretty close. The 1DX MkII might shade the 5D4 on noise handling but given the extra MP of the 5D4 there's little in it.

If I don't need the frame rate I stick the 5D4 on my 500 and enjoy the ability to crop into the frame a bit more, if I need the spray and pray approach then the 1DX MkII does on.

If you're keeping the 7D2 then I would go for the 5D4.
 
Thanks for all the advice.

The 5D4 has now arrived and I must say I am very happy with it. Its beautiful and a stella performer! The image quality is exceptional and the touch screen and wifi is so handy.

I think I will now sell the 7D2 and continue to play with the 5D4 and keep an eye out for a second hand 1DX ready for next year's air show season.
 
Mr Pid said:
Thanks for your input John,

I had pretty much settled on getting the 5D mkiv after tons and tons of research. I hadn't thought of having the 1DX and the 7D mkii as to me they seem quite evenly matched, do you run both bodies together?

After doing some research on the 1D mkiv i've decided that the 7D fits what I need better.

Its a shame the 7D is so hit and miss, perhaps its user error but its the only camera I've ever been inconsistent with the results.

On doing a bit of research, the 7D mkii has dropped massively in price since the imminent release of the 7D mkiii now in the pipeline. Even with mine under 10k shutters I will lose 50% of its value if I sell now and its only three months old. My business head says to keep it at least another year and get some decent use out of it.

Everyone says the 5D mkiv auto focus is on par with the 1DX and the ISO likewise, but its so difficult to know whether stats add up in the real world.

Ideally I'd like the 1DX and a 5D mkiv side by side but sadly my mrs would kill me if I spent that much.... so I'm toying which to "upgrade" first.

I think I may have to hire each body and run some field tests to see which performs better.....
Click to expand...

Sounds like you went for the extra MP and DR! Well I think you will be happy for most uses.

My priorities are different to most and, perhaps a little specialised? However the Canon 5D4 seems to be the best "All Round" camera on the market to me + it takes EF Lenses!

Happy new camera - I suspect that you will be very happy:banana:
 
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