Canon 1D MK IV or 5D MK III

JPR

JPR

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John
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Hi all,

I've noticed a lot of 2nd hand 1D IV's poping up for sale, and am tempted. I currently shoot with a 5D III. I've used a friends 1D IV once and I loved the slight length advantage (1.3x) with great IQ, but I have not had the opportunity to directly compare it to my 5D.... has anyone else? Is it an upgrade, or just a side step?

Thanks,

John
 
The 5D series are more of a general purpose camera. The 1D series are aimed more at sports and wildlife photographers with the high shooting rates and supposedly better AF.

The 1D series are probably more robustly built.
 
For me the 1D wins every time. I use a 5D mk II so anything else will just blow mine away.
 
I owned both... The 1DMKIV for 3 days and the 5DMKIII for two years! :D

The AF on the 1DMKIV acquires a target faster than the 5DMKIII but the 5D holds lock better than the 1DMKIV (in my own very humble opinion). Weather sealing is better on the 1D but I think the 5D is a much better camera all round. Mine never let me down and it was a painful process when I let it go.
 
Hmmm... so it looks like there are slight advantages and preferences each way! I think i will stick with my 5D... It is fast enough for the wildlife I do, and I don't only do wildlife.

hockeyboy150 said:
I bought a 5d3 and sold my 1d4. The reach is an advantage I will agree. I just found myself going for the 5d3 almost all the time. I'm going to buy a 7d or 70d fo when I want more reach.
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Good point...
I'll wait and see if the fabled 7d MK II is like when/if it comes out. If it looks good, I will re-asses my reaching needs! :)

mortimerhill said:
The 1D series are probably more robustly built.
Click to expand...
I've had my 5D go flying off of a moving jeep, fall 5 feet and bounce on a rocky road... 0 damage and just a could of minor scratches... I think it might be robust enough for me! :)

Thanks for all you help,

John
 
A couple of weeks after I bought my 5D3 a mate came round for a wildlife/bird shoot in the local woods. I let him borrow my 5D3 while I used his 1D4 for a half hour or so and he spent the rest of the day trying to get me to swap bodies. Mine was only a couple of weeks old and his was about 6 months old at the time. While I really liked the 1D4, for me the 5D3 was a better overall body, the only thing I preferred with the 1D4 was the reach and I didn't need to worry about that as I had a 7D as well. With hindsight, maybe I should of swapped... the 1D4 was retailling at around £4K and I got my 5D3 for £2600. I could of sold the 1D4, got another 5D3 and still had a good chunk of change for something else.
 
What are your intended subjects? I had this decision, and I went with the 1D Mark IV - why? Best wildlife body, for what I shoot it was the perfect choice. For birds, reach is really important and that 1.3x crop factor is hard to give up. I had a 7D and sold it to get the mark IV, but had a 5D2 previously, so I know what it's like to shoot Full frame. If reach is not an issue whatsoever for you, and you don't miss the higher FPS, then the 5D3 will be the body for you.
Don't be fooled into thinking the 7D can match the 1D Mark IV either, I owned and shot with a 7D for a couple of years, approx 80k shots, and the files from the mark IV are noticeably cleaner, brighter, sharper, and just generally nicer. I wouldn't ever go back.
 
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Zephyr - I would use it mainly for wildlife... I don't think i would sell my 5D III, even if it is just for the low light capabilities, but a second body, a 1D IV, would sit nicely. After the IQ of FF, i think i would find it hard to go back to a crop body!

I'm going to keep an eye out for a good deal on one and maybe jump on it. :)

Jayst84 said:
Horses for courses as always
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indeed my friend! I'm just trying to find which course might suit me best! :)
 
Ok no personal experience of either camera body, still got my trusty 1D MKIIn, but I did ask a few people that had owned both or had both, which they preferred and as previous comments have highlighted, it depends on the subject, but although they admitted the 5D autofocus system has significantly been improved, it holds lock better, for anything moving fast they still picked up the 1D MKIV, which has left me a bit confused, but that also been aired on a few sports forums and the preference has always been the 1D. Personally I prefer the 1.3x crop and the 1D MKIV would be my choice at the moment, but still happy with the MKII, it does what I need.
 
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I have both bodies, the MkIV ive owned for 2 1/2 years and the 5D MkIII for about a year now.

When I first bought my 5D i was so impressed with it that I put my MkIV up for sale. I thought that as an allround camera the 5D was without equal (1DX excepted). I still consider the 5 the best value for money camera that Canon has made for a long time.

5D MkIII

PROS.

AF is better than the MkIV overall.
High ISO performance is better than MkIV.
More options for customising various buttons to get the camera how you want it.
Much easier access to Live View.
AF to f8
Better screen to review images.
Build quality OK.

CONS

Only 6FPS. This is the biggest issue for me.
Inferior build quality.
No crop factor.

1D MkIV

PROS.

Slightly more reach with the crop factor.
AF still very capable.
Superb build quality.
Faster frame rate has its uses.
AF to f8.

CONS.

Review screen too small.
ISO performance not as good as 5D
Not quite as user friendly in its customisation.

I didnt sell my MkIV and I'm now glad of that fact. Its still a very capable camera and produces superb images. I tend to use it when i want a bit more reach or the faster frame rate.

Dropping from the 1.3 crop to FF of the 5D isnt such a big jump. Cropping the 5d image to the same viewpoint still leaves you with plenty. 13 MP against the 16MP of the MkIV.

The MkIV is faster to initially acquire focus but it doesnt hang onto it as well as the 5D.

The MkIV ISO performance isnt quite as good as the 5D. The difference starts to become quite noticable above ISO 2000 and I wont use the MkIV above 2500. On the 5D i have A3 prints taken at ISO 2000 and they are superb. I also have A4 prints from ISO 5000 files that are very good also. What I do like about the 5D files is that they seem very easy to process. Even high ISO files in LR4 come good very easily.

The AF on the 5D isnt quite as good as the 1DX but theres not a lot in it.

I much prefer the MkIV body size. The built in grip is much better than a body with a grip attached. And the weather sealing on the MkIV is much better

If I had to sell one of the bodies then I would sell the MKIV. The 5D is the better all round camera.

The MkIV is still a great camera and is no slouch when it comes to producing the goods. It was the best Canon had up to the release of the 1DX and 5D3 and will still blow any other canon camera away.

Having said all that my MkIV will be up for sale soon as I fancy a 1DX

Gaz
 
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Pete.rush - Thanks for your insight

Gaz - Thanks for the full on comparison! :) I will bare it in mind in case a good value one pops up! I am doing a lot of wildlife at the moment (i live in India right now), and switching lenses on my 5D is tedious and not always advisable given the amount of dust! An extra body would fix that. Given I can pick up a second hand 1D MK IV for the same price as a new 5D III, i've been playing with pros and cons. I think i would buy a 1D IV, as it would give me something my 5D can't, but either way, I am keeping my 5D. I would love a 1Dx, but there is no way in hell i can justify that to myself, let alone my wife! ;) If i got the 1D IV, i would use it to complement my 5D.... 5D for low light (early morning/ later afternoon safaris), the 1D for the reach and shutter speed. I am mainly shooting larger animals (Tigers, leopards, bears, ele's etc...) but some extra reach would always be nice! :)

Anyway, thanks all for your advice and help... :) I wanted to get my head straight just in case a good deal came along! :)
 
How much extra reach the 1dMkIV has?

Looking at the specs 1dMkIV is 16mpx APS-H and the 5dMkIII is full-frame 22mpx. That suggests that the pixel density is very close. Is there actually any practical difference in reach?
 
Hi John!

Given you live in India, reach is much less of an issue, if you lived here in the UK (as I do) the reach of the 1d Mark IV would probably matter, but seeing as you don't, then i seldom believe there is much to gain by buying a mark IV also. The 5D3 af is up to par of the mark IV as I hear they are very similar, the FPS is advantageous to the Mark IV but I doubt you will be missing much in terms of action from photographing the animals you do, especially since they are quite large and it doesn't sound as though you are distance limited.
The build quality is vastly superior on the Mark IV, so this may be a consideration but otherwise it could quite easily be a good complementary body for times you need that little extra reach.

As I am in the UK and 90% of the time unless working from a hide, you cannot get enough reach for small birds and wildlife, the Mark IV is the winner for me, on this alone, but where reach is no consideration, the 5d3 should outshine each time, in terms of high iso image quality where light is prohibitive.
 
Lost - Thanks and stunning images! Well done!!! Though the 1D IV obviously performs well, I think you take a lot of the credit for those shots! I have envy in my eyes! :)

Graeme - Thanks for the info and your reply! More reach is not always a requirement, but it is always nice to have! :) I also wish i had more width too, so that is why I'm looking at the second body option! :) My 5D is doing fine for my wildlife action, i'm extremely happy with it and its results (). I would like a good second body and I think the 1D IV would sit nicely with it. 5D for low light and travel, 1D for good light and an extra bit of reach!

Anyway, I'll see what happens and let you know. I'm after a 300 2.8 too, and doubt i'll get both.

John
 
Can't add much to all the replies above, have a 5D3 and a 1D3. (OK not a Mk IV but similar in a lot of ways!)
What i will say about the 1 series bodies is that if you've ever had one, it's hard to let go of it!
For me, i'm 6ft 2 and have big hands, it's the perfect size, battery life is amazing too.
If there's any chance of rain, the 5D3 will stay in the house. It only loses out to the 1D in fps and weather sealing.
If only i could find £2K, then i'd sell them both and get a 1DX! :)
 
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