arbitrage Offline Upload & Sell: On
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dorian wrote:
Great review Ari, thanks for putting it together. I am, however, as conflicted after reading it than I was before! The below is just as much for laughs as anything else, so please don’t feel the need to weigh all of it and/or make a decision for me. I’m sure other seasoned bird shooters (Geoff, e.g.) on this board will do that anyway.
My shooting style is unique in that I am also a die-hard birder (for those that know/use eBird, you can find me at: http://ebird.org/ebird/profile/NTUxNzE3/world). What this means is that I am constantly juggling the two passions, generally shooting when light is good and birding when it sucks. I am actually not as interested in the low light/high ISO capabilities as I have long since put the camera away in favor of birding the moment the light deteriorates.
Right now the 7D2 + 400 DO II + 1.4x III suits me well – when the AF works. I have, however, recently become so frustrated with the inconsistent AF that it’s time to look for another body to replace/complement it. As much as I’d love a DX or DX2, those just don’t suit my shooting style given that I seem always to be focal length limited. I shoot a lot of tiny birds, so focal length is at more of a premium than for larger birds. I do some BIF, but don’t focus explicitly on it. I also like to carry my rig on a shoulder strap as I bird, so the smaller 7-series and 5-series work much better in that respect.
So, right now I think I have 3 options.
1) 5D4 + 400 DO II + 2x III. This combo has roughly equivalent reach to what I have now but will very likely have better IQ.
2) 5DsR + 400 DO II + 1.4x III. Here I’d sacrifice frame rate for better AF and detail compared to what I have now. That’s not an unthinkable compromise since I’m not all about BIF. Unsure about 2x with this body and its small pixels. That might be getting greedy.
3) 1DIV + 400 DO II + 2x III. I used to have a 1DIV and regretfully sold it when I got the 7D2. That sale helped fund the 400 DO II. This set-up would not be as easy/comfortable to carry around but is way cheaper than either above option.
It is worth noting that I also have a 500/4 v1, but I only use it when I can get somewhere and get some undisturbed personal space. Kinda tough here in LA.
I love the reach and AF 'promises' of the 7D2 but need something that delivers more consistently in practice. Either 1 or 2 above might fit the bill nicely. I might actually lean toward the 5DsR as it can be had used and isn’t likely to be used in bad light given my birding proclivities. I am actually giving serious consideration to option 3 simply because of the price difference between the ~$3500 5D4, the $2700 5DsR (used), and the ~$1000 1DIV (used). Given that I don’t make crap for pay now and am likely to be unemployed for a while starting in March (when I move to SF for my wife’s job and I leave academic science to try to make it as a writer/adventurer), having that extra ~$2000 bucks to travel/bird/shoot in that unemployed window would be nice.
What I really need to do is throw down for a used 5DsR and a used 1DX. Then I’d have all bases covered, reach and portability in the 5DsR and AF and high ISO in the DX. Might be time to sell the 500/4 to raise some funds. That would be beyond painful.
If only I could use CRISPR to make a money tree………
OK enough. I'm bored with no photos to edit, sorry,
...Show more →
I guess I have to chime in now
If you stick with the 1.4TC on the 400DOII on the 5DSR then that will be a great combo for sitting, wading, floating birds in average to good light. I haven't found the 2xTC to give me much benefit on the 5DSR with the 400DOII or the 600II. It gives me some benefit on the 1DX/2 but not the 5DSR or the 7D2 when I had that.
1D4 would be a good option to save you a lot of money as the ISO would be similar to what you have in the 7D2. 1D4 is a much simpler camera with not having all the AF options and back button customizing you can do on the newer bodies. The one thing I really didn't like in the 1D4 was the size of the AF boxes....much bigger than the new systems and therefore it seems harder to really place it on a smaller portion of the bird. Otherwise the AF on the 1D4 was much more consistent than the 7D2 for me.
5D4 with a bit more pixel density than the 1D4 would be ideal even with the lack of 3FPS but that is the most expensive right now as really not many used ones out there. ISO is much better on it as we've seen in many tests and now in Arash's review.
Hard choices. I'm still hoping someone wants to swap me a 5D4 for my 5DSR which would cost me only $300-$400. If I sell and buy new it will cost me $1100-1200 and I only got the 5DSR in May so I don't think I will go that route right now. Especially now that I know the f/8 AF isn't as good as the 1DX2. Still would be nice to have all the AF modes and to be able to compose better without recomposing as you have to do on the 5DSR with only centre point at f/8.
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