7D2, should i over a 1D4 as a complement to my 1DX? Bird and wildlife in the UK.

[Zephyr]

SO, this is a question that is fathoming me and I have read numerous reviews, opinions and such and I want TPs thoughts as I have not directly asked this in a thread myself.

I own a 1DX, 5D3 and 1D4

Now I shoot a lot of wildlife, often distant birds.

The 1D4 mostly stays in the bag and I bought the 5D3 originally as a backup for my sports photography but I just don't see the 1DX failing on me. I use the 1dX almost always when it comes to wildlife shooting for the ISO alone and the cropping holds up well I'm just curious about the 7D2

I am considering getting a 7D2 and selling both the 5D3 which has a grip and the 1D4.

Is the 7D2 better than the 1D4 and would i be more likely to use it for my wildlife photography than my 1DX? Do files hold up at 3200, and are they better than the 1D4?

my main big lenses are a canon 800mm f5.6 and a canon 200-400 f4 1.4x

I live in the UK, birds, especially the rarities i like photographing are often distant and the weather is less than ideal and 1600-3200 is a common ISO range.

The cropping of the 1DX holds up really well, I'll include pictures on this post later of a recent rare bird i photographed with the 1DX and 800mm combo at 3200.

I'd appreciate any and all input

Cheers
Graeme

 

[Canon Bob]

I also use a 1Dx (two), 5D3 and 1D4, Graeme (sport and wildlife). I sold the 1D4 and bought a 7D2.......six months on and I sold the 7D2 and rebought a 1D4.

Now my experience might not be typical but I'm more than happy with my setup now.

Bob

 

[Zephyr]

I also use a 1Dx (two), 5D3 and 1D4, Graeme (sport and wildlife). I sold the 1D4 and bought a 7D2.......six months on and I sold the 7D2 and rebought a 1D4.

Now my experience might not be typical but I'm more than happy with my setup now.

Bob

That's interesting and not the first time I've heard that - why did you sell the 7D2, what about it did not fulfil your needs which the 1D4 did? And is your 1dx your primary camera? in what wildlife/bird situations do you use the 1d4?

Thanks for your response!
Graeme

 

[Gary Kinghorn]

I have a 1d4, 7d2 and 5d3...... The 5d I use for family stuff and portraits, the 1d for sport and inclement weather. The 7d rarely comes out, even though I try to use it more often. I just seen to end up migrating back to the 1d again.

If one had to go it would be the 7d

However having said that I really should spend more time learning the 7d as it has much more to offer then I am currently utilising


Perhaps a second 1dx would be better option?

 

[Canon Bob]

That's interesting and not the first time I've heard that - why did you sell the 7D2, what about it did not fulfil your needs which the 1D4 did? And is your 1dx your primary camera? in what wildlife/bird situations do you use the 1d4?

I use two 1Dx's for sport, events and the occasional wedding. The 5D3 is a light-weight option for casual shooting together with landscape and macro (I find manual focusing easier on the smaller body) and the 1D4 is for birding. Generally I find that the 1Dx crops down well and there's little or no loss compared to the 1D4 (sport or larger subject matter) but the 1D4 has the edge when cropping and maintaining subtle detail like feathers.

My 7D2 was great in one shot but tracking left a lot to be desired (compared to the 1Dx/5D3).....especially when the subject was darker than the background. I suspect the the 7D2 trumps the 1D4 at higher iso levels but it's not a big issue for me as I live in SW France and ambient light isn't such a restriction.

Bob

 

[Gaz J]

Graeme. If you are thinking about a 7D2 then I would try and rent or borrow one. There are many happy users of this camera and I have a mate who gets cracking wildlife results with it and a 300 f2.8 MkII and 1.4 and 2x converters. I sold a 5D3 to buy a 7D2 and after 10000 frames sold the 7D. I wish I had kept my 5D3. Mine just did not give the picture quality i was after with wildlife. I would have kept it if I did a lot of motorsport and will buy another if I do start doing more of that.

Its a good light camera and if you plan on shooting at ISO3200 upwards then I think you might be disappointed. Personally I would use the 5D3 the 800 and a 1.4 and crop.

Im sure there will be people along who have a different view so thats why I would recommend hiring one and making your own mind up. I would not sell your 5D3 and MkIV to buy one without doing this first.

Cheers mate

Gaz

 

[Cheffievrs]

Sell the 5d and mkiv and get a 1dx ii..?

 

[Chipper]

Both the people I know that have a 1dx (mark 1), say that nothing else touches it and so maybe Cheffievrs is right...? Or get another 1Dx... I imagine the price will fall (but who knows) sometime soon. Worth thinking about if you have the ££.

 

[Zephyr]

Both the people I know that have a 1dx (mark 1), say that nothing else touches it and so maybe Cheffievrs is right...? Or get another 1Dx... I imagine the price will fall (but who knows) sometime soon. Worth thinking about if you have the ££.

At least from the perspective of even comparing the 1DX to the 5D3 which surprised me as it has a higher pixel count thinking i could crop more, but nope, i reach for the 1DX everytime! And it's AF acquisition is SO much faster with having the dedicated drive. I took a shot at ISO 5000 the other day, detail was still in the bird and perfectly usable.
Have a look, don't want to clog the forums so it's 800px wide

 

[Zephyr]

Sell the 5d and mkiv and get a 1dx ii..?

I don't feel there's enough improvement to warrant an upgrade except mpx count but i have a 5d3 for that? If i were to keep it, but i always reach for my 1dx.

Both the people I know that have a 1dx (mark 1), say that nothing else touches it and so maybe Cheffievrs is right...? Or get another 1Dx... I imagine the price will fall (but who knows) sometime soon. Worth thinking about if you have the ££.

Nah definitely don't need a 2nd, and can't afford a 2nd.

I'd love some more opinions from those who have used a 7d2 compared to say a 1d4, and whether keeping the 5d3 when i have a 1dx is worthwhile, hmmm???

 

[GyRob]

one of the main gains with a 1d is the battery power to drive the lens faster for me I want as fast as possible ,I was quite happy with my 7dmkII overall but for BIF I cant stand thinking I may have got on to it faster .

Rob.

 

[Canon Bob]

one of the main gains with a 1d is the battery power to drive the lens faster for me I want as fast as possible ,I was quite happy with my 7dmkII overall but for BIF I cant stand thinking I may have got on to it faster .

Rob.

The 7D2 actually shares the feature (with 1srs bodies) whereby the lens (long white primes only) is driven faster at initial acquisition....the first non-1srs body to do this.

Bob

 

[Zephyr]

I have a feeling this is going to remain a long unanswered question as to which body is the best for wildlife distance limited scenarios... obviously the perfect body would be the 1DX and filling the bird in the frame but that is extremely rare. It's the distance limited scenarios with ISOs 3200 and below where i wonder if the 7D2 would produce better images than a 1D4 and more detail than a 1DX considering you would have more pixels on target.

The 7D2 actually shares the feature (with 1srs bodies) whereby the lens (long white primes only) is driven faster at initial acquisition....the first non-1srs body to do this.

Bob

one of the main gains with a 1d is the battery power to drive the lens faster for me I want as fast as possible ,I was quite happy with my 7dmkII overall but for BIF I cant stand thinking I may have got on to it faster .

Rob.

Both the people I know that have a 1dx (mark 1), say that nothing else touches it and so maybe Cheffievrs is right...? Or get another 1Dx... I imagine the price will fall (but who knows) sometime soon. Worth thinking about if you have the ££.

Sell the 5d and mkiv and get a 1dx ii..?

Graeme. If you are thinking about a 7D2 then I would try and rent or borrow one. There are many happy users of this camera and I have a mate who gets cracking wildlife results with it and a 300 f2.8 MkII and 1.4 and 2x converters. I sold a 5D3 to buy a 7D2 and after 10000 frames sold the 7D. I wish I had kept my 5D3. Mine just did not give the picture quality i was after with wildlife. I would have kept it if I did a lot of motorsport and will buy another if I do start doing more of that.

Its a good light camera and if you plan on shooting at ISO3200 upwards then I think you might be disappointed. Personally I would use the 5D3 the 800 and a 1.4 and crop.

Im sure there will be people along who have a different view so thats why I would recommend hiring one and making your own mind up. I would not sell your 5D3 and MkIV to buy one without doing this first.

Cheers mate

Gaz

 

[GyRob]

The 7D2 actually shares the feature (with 1srs bodies) whereby the lens (long white primes only) is driven faster at initial acquisition....the first non-1srs body to do this.

Bob

Yes I think your right Bob its the 1dx that has more power 11.1v vs 7.2 of the 7dmkII

Rob.

 

[Gaz J]

Hi Graeme

I've owned the 1D4, 5D3, 7D2 and 1DX and put between 10-20000 frames through each. The 5D3 & 1DX blow the 7D2 away for noise control at higher ISO. I would say they have 1-1.5 stops comfortably on it. Its less clear between the 1D4 and 7D2. I always felt that above 2500 the 1D4 started to struggle. In my view the 7D2 tops out at 2000 for wildlife at which point loss of fine detail is apparent. Not to say that it can't be used above this but the images I got from it above 2000 were not really up to the standard I was looking for.

Build quality on the 7D2 is around the same as the 5D3 with a bit better weather sealing. Compared to the 1D4 and 1DX, well its not playing the same game. There is something about the 1 Series cameras that once you use one everything else just doesn't feel the same.

I felt the 1D4's initial focus acquisition was faster than the 5D3 and on a par with the 7D2. Certainly the AF system on the 7D2 is more sophisticated, even more so than the 1DX. The 1DX is better all round on the AF front.

Customisation on the 7D2 is a very strong point but that's no good if you're not using it.

Nothing anyone can say here can make your mind up for you. From a personal perspective I think you already have the 3 best bodies. I can only repeat, I would try one before you commit to selling your 5D3 and 1D4.

As a final thought rumour has it that the 5D4 will be coming this year. If the initial rumours of better noise control on the 1DX MkII are true and they can give a corresponding improvement in the 5D4 that would make way for a higher MP sensor. This might be worth waiting for. I have a friend who knows someone that Beta tests for Canon and has told me that its not far away.

Tough decision. Hope you make the right one.

Gaz.

 

[Cheffievrs]

I don't feel there's enough improvement to warrant an upgrade except mpx count but i have a 5d3 for that? If i were to keep it, but i always reach for my 1dx.

I'm pretty sure the 1dxii will be a massive improvement over the 1dmkiv, and maybe only slightly over the 5diii..! Now I am in a similar position to you, that I've thought about a 7dii but i know I'm not going to like the files, I'm happy to use my mkiv to 1600 iso not problems, and upto 6400 on my dx, and I don't crop.. either get closer or master field craft.