sports photography, which Canon body to upgrade to?

Twizzel

Twizzel

Suspended / Banned
Messages
712
Name
Rach
Edit My Images
No
Possibly looking at upgrading to a better body this season, I currently use a 40D which is fine but I need a 2nd body anyway so could upgrade and keep the 40d as a 2nd body.

Not fussed about full frame, needs to have better fps and cope well in low light situations (will be used with canon 70-200 2.8 non IS). Primarily for equine sports.

Will have to buy 2nd hand.

I've heard good things about the 1Dmk3 but is it worth considering a 5d or 7d? I was told not to touch a 7d for sports but not sure why. Or would a 1Dmk2 suffice?

Any advice appreciated, I have a budget of up to about £600 maybe slightly more once the season gets going...
 
Last edited:
£600 isn't going to get you a MkIII.

You might be able to get a MkII for that price but it's a little long in the tooth now though and I think the 7D is probably a better bet. I can't see how it wouldn't be perfect for what you are looking for? It mightn't be the best indoors due to to poor high ISO handling but it will still be a big step up from your 40D. I don't think you will get one for £600 either!
 
7d is perfect for sports assuming your not a pro. highest fps for a non-pro body, crop body so longer reach, best autofocus on the canon range apart from the 1D's. and £1100 new. You won't get a mk3 used for that money.
 
I've used my 5D2 for sports and wildlife and got some great results, but I get more consistant results from my 7D, for equine sports it's brilliant. I did a showjumping shoot with a stables, indoors with low lights and even with the 70-200 f4 L I got some great photos. Can't see why anybody would advise you not to touch a 7D. You might need to add to the money you have to spend at the moment to get a good 7D though. Most 7D's seem to be going for around £800.
 
I currently use a 7D and the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 non IS lens for my football photography. The A/F is cracking and the issue of noise can be addressed with software if required.
 
1dmk2 plus some money aside for a new shutter at some point if needs be. Big bullit proof body, built in grip for the large battery, amazing AF and Fps, environment proof and a 1.3 crop, what more could you want. I love mine and it loves me :)
Some say the 1d3 isnt much of an improvement in terms of IQ/Af over the mk2 or if you can a mk2N.

Matt
 
The 7D would suit your needs perfectly, don't know why a 7D isn't good enough for a pro? my mate used a 7D for a while and he's a pro. I use a 7D and have done paid work with no problems, its a belter of a camera.

i am looking for a 1d3 and will then keep the 7D as a backup.

for sport the crop sensor would be better to give you that little bit more reach, also you would struggle to get a FF for your budget.

Edit - i use my 7D with a 400mm f2.8 and a 28-300 f3.5-5.6 and even when its a bit dark and horrid outside it still produces the goods with the 28-300 on
 
Last edited:
I went from 40d to 1DmkII and was delighted. I then went to a mkIII and struggled to see much gain so I dropped back to a 7D and couldn't get along with it. Now i am back with a MkII and am pretty happy. I am sure the 7D is fine but you can throw anything at the 1 series and it doesn't faze them. And I don't think there is better value out there than a low use mkII as long as you don't need to crop lots or blow up too large.
 
I know a couple of pros who use the 7D on occasion. No experience of the 1D2 but if you are patient you can get a 1D3 from that place by the sea for around £1000. A sale concluded two nights ago at £980. It looked fine to me. Again if you are prepared to wait, one may come along here for around £1100. I sold mine a week ago at that price and another went a week or so ago a shade under that. A 7D will be in the region of £800 while a 60D may set you back around £600. Fellow member JohnN had a 60D for sale recently. If interested you may wish to look him up to see if it is still available.
 
Save up a bit more, sell the 40D for £280ish and you can get a 1D mkIII, it's focusing system is a real weapon and superb IQ, just made this upgrade myself.

Note that a 1D is a serious camera, you need to know what you are doing IMO, i.e know all about using the manual modes, not trying to patronise you just letting you know. the focus system will take some learning to get the most from it as it has a fair few settings, but should be massively effective once mastered.

It is a huge jump up but worth it, the 7D is meant to be good but (puts flame suit on) nobody ever raves about it's IQ.

Shame you are miles away otherwise you could have a play with my 1D.
 
Unlike the 1D3, the 1D2 is very different in terms of buttons and menus to your 40D (I have both) and can be a bit of a fiddle till you get used to it. The AF of the 1D2 is in a different league and ISO in low light slighty better but not by much.

I tried a 7D but found (at the time) it wasn't worth my while spending the extra money over what my 1D2 already gave me.

Where the 1D2 will struggle compared to the 7D is resolution if your cropping from the 1.3 sensor.

7D or 1D3 would be my pick if I just had the 40D.
 
Last edited:
MatBin said:
1dmk2 plus some money aside for a new shutter at some point if needs be. Big bullit proof body, built in grip for the large battery, amazing AF and Fps, environment proof and a 1.3 crop, what more could you want. I love mine and it loves me :)
Some say the 1d3 isnt much of an improvement in terms of IQ/Af over the mk2 or if you can a mk2N.

Matt
Click to expand...

Im with you on this one! I love my MKII, it is an awesome camera. Only thing that the mark III is better on is high ISO, but the MKII isnt toooo bad.
 
The screen is alot better too on the mkIII over the mkII?

3200 ISO on the mkIII seems fine to me, was unseable on the 40D.
 
shabba said:
The screen is alot better too on the mkIII over the mkII?

3200 ISO on the mkIII seems fine to me, was unseable on the 40D.
Click to expand...

Yea that is true, screen is rubbish, screen on the IIN is abit better than the II also, but essentially the same cam.
 
I would discount the 5D for sports, if I'm shooting sport I go back to my 20D.

I used to have a 1D2 when I shot a lot of sport and with the 70-200f2.8 the AF speed and performance was amazing! As mentioned above you could probably get one for £500 and get it serviced/shutter replaced when needed.
 
MOD Edit : If you want to sell Equipment, post in the Classifieds section...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For equestrian I'd take the 7D over a 1DII, and possibly a 1DIII, almost any day of the week.

The only exception being indoor arenas, where I'd be looking at a 5DII for it's ISO capacity.

Seeing as all of those are outside of your budget at the moment, I'd wait until later in the year when you've got more cash rather than dash in now.
 
Lots of advice being offered. Whilst I have a 1D Mk iiN, I am not fussed if I sell it or not. What I would say is that in terms of build quality, speed of focusing and FPS the ID is superior to the 7D. My wife and I shoot equine events and she uses a 7D as she finds the ID too heavy. You will know from your experience when photographing equine events it is not always possible to get a clear view of a horse and rider approaching so that you have a chance to track and lock on focus. You will also know that there is "one" shot which shows horse and rider at their best. Hence, speed of focus and FPS are crucial in getting that "one" image. I wish my wife could handle the 1D as she would achieve better images, but short of developing her arm muscles - and I quite like them the way they are - she is stuck with th 7D.
 
Does the 7D have the advanced settings on the AF? Tracking sensitivity and the other options?
 
barrypriddis said:
...she is stuck with th 7D.
Click to expand...

Stuck?

The 7D's AF has orientation linked FP's, and if you set it up properly the ability to instantly switch between separate FP's linked to the AFon and * buttons. Not even the 1DIV offers that, more's the pity.

If you are having problems with the 7's AF system, then you haven't set it up properly!

Likewise it has the same FPS capacity (within 0.5 of a frame).

I can't think of a single way that the 1DII/n is better than the 7 apart from a slight debatable edge in IQ, which is more than compensated for by the ability to crop in.
 
You are obviously delighted with your 7D. It is an excellent camera, and I was not trying to infer anything else.
I will back out now.
Incidentally, I did not question your expertise. I find it unhelpful that you question mine.
I will not respond again.
 
I use the 1D iii for motorcycle racing and its the dogs dangles !!!
 
barrypriddis said:
You are obviously delighted with your 7D. It is an excellent camera, and I was not trying to infer anything else.
I will back out now.
Incidentally, I did not question your expertise. I find it unhelpful that you question mine.
I will not respond again.
Click to expand...

Ok, well let me put it another way then.

If you can't get a 7D to focus accurately on a mass as large as a horse, moving in a relatively predictable direction, in equestrian (not equine) sport, then either your camera needs servicing, your lens does, or as I said the settings that you are using are incorrect for the job.

I'm questioning your self declared problems with the camera focusing, not your expertise.

Likewise, it's not a question of being delighted with a camera that quite honestly I probably haven't used in 6 or 7 months, it is a matter of recommending the right tool given the job requirements and the budget. Not based on what I have to flog.
 
Why is it that every thread I go in seems to have some sort of bitching going on...is this forum getting worse ??? :(
 
Not sure but feel free to comment on my 'what wide angle for 1D mkIII' thread a few posts down :)

Play nicely children. x
 
shabba said:
Not sure but feel free to comment on my 'what wide angle for 1D mkIII' thread a few posts down :)

Play nicely children. x
Click to expand...

As per a couple of other answers - Canon 17-40mm, although as you are after a UWA (slightly different beast) a Sig 12-24 might be better suited! :)
 
Rach - Mark (DemiLion) is your man for horsey things.

Look no further than his advice in this matter IMO.
 
DemiLion said:
I can't think of a single way that the 1DII/n is better than the 7 apart from a slight debatable edge in IQ, which is more than compensated for by the ability to crop in.
Click to expand...

Shutter Lag...... The 1D MKIIn still knock the socks off the 7D... :D and I like the fact its only a 1.3x crop. But it is showing it age now and yes in other aspects, ISO and cropping ability the 7D is on top, but then again, there's an age of technology difference between the 2 camera's.

If I was to upgrade, it wouldn't be the 7D I would pick though :shrug:, 1D MKIII or IV would be my weapon of choice, but no $$$ :'( so the 1D MKIIn stay put :thumbs:
 
pete.rush said:
Shutter Lag...... The 1D MKIIn still knock the socks off the 7D... :D and I like the fact its only a 1.3x crop.
Click to expand...

:p I wouldn't call 5-10ms knocking the socks off, but I'll give you that one! :D

Personally I prefer APS-H as well, but in this case I'd say that the APS-C would do just as well! :)
 
Thankyou everyone your advice has been great.

I am reluctant to sell the 40D as then I still don't have a second body something which as you all know is vital for pro work. For what it's worth I might as well keep it, it's been a work horse and I hate to think the amount of exposures it's had even since I bought it 2 years ago 2nd hand. I had a look at the 7D in london camera exchange yesterday and we've decided it will be the best buy for me, I just need to sell a very expensive flute that I no longer play and that's over half the money, then by the time the event season has started I should be able to afford it.

Many thanks on helping me to spend my (non existent) money!
 
Last edited:
There seems to be some discussion as to whether a 7d or 1d mk3 is better for equestrian showjumping.

I currently use a 50d but feel I need to upgrade as I hope to be doing some professional work this summer. 50d served me well so far though.

Ideally I would go for a 1d mk4 but I am finding it hard to justify the price at the moment.

One thing to bear in mind is that my 50d stopped working in a heavy rain storm, so water protection needs to be considered and 1d is probably better in that respect.

I know professionals who use both cameras, so which is best for my purpose.
 
I suppose that as you plan to keep your 40D, then why not go for the 1D3. That way you have a pro body for a any where you might be going when the conditions are less than favourable.

And you also have your 40D for holidays & parties etc when the 1D3 might be a PITA.
 
Just for info, a gripped 40D is the same size/weight as a 1D mkIII - sesms it to me anyway.
 
If I had the money a 1dmk3 would be more appealing but I have a very very limited budget so that is partly why I'm leaning towards the 7d.

niv2 I have used my 40d in very heavy torrential rain, I made a waterproof cover for it out of a plastic bag and carried on shooting on more than 1 occasion and have used my 40d professionally for 2 seasons now :) as I said its been a workhorse!
 
Twizzel said:
niv2 I have used my 40d in very heavy torrential rain, I made a waterproof cover for it out of a plastic bag and carried on shooting on more than 1 occasion and have used my 40d professionally for 2 seasons now :) as I said its been a workhorse!
Click to expand...

I had cover on mine too in rain....only problem was that I think rainwater was being transferred to the camera shutter button each time I used it by my fingers and water seeped in that way.....it really was chucking down at the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top