Monique wrote:
I wonder how many people will pre-order the MKIV. I guess most of sportshooters are waiting for the real results instead of pre-order that camera. They are not interested in new firmware updates, submurror fixes ect...
Canon has not fixed the problem with the 1DMKIII yet.
Monique et al ... especially first time adopters.
Here's something to consider, before you drop $5k on a body .....
(On the soap box) ....
There are at least 92 photographers, myself among them, from around the world, but largely US & Canada, in a variety of professional markets, working daily with Mk III's, either 1d or 1ds models. Within that group of shooters are men and women that produce images that are seen around the world on a regular basis and these photographers will be waiting for someone else to "test" the Mk IV's before they jump to buy.
The reason .... we have contacted Canon as a group, through Chuck Westfall and 3 other top execs at Canon. We told them that we still have problematic Mk III's, even after numerous fixes carried out by Canon through CPS.
Canon, after 4 weeks of waiting, hasn't even had the decency to respond! Not even a "Thanks - we got your mailing and don't plan on doing anything" response.
Our investment is well over $500,000 in bodies alone. Consider the fact that most of us are using high end glass and are fully invested as Canon shooters with a variety of accessories and that figure probably quadruples at least. Ironically that's the reason we haven't jumped ship.
But on the other hand, none of us can afford to lose 20-30% of our images because of focusing errors or other screw ups in a new body.
I am really hoping that Canon has gotten it right because the images that are good, from the Mk III, are awesome! It's just that a 20-30% failure rate is a little too much to handle. When there's a 10 frame sequence in an important event, 2-3 frames out of focus can be the difference between a cover and a single column filler shot. Sometimes its a pride thing, but for the most part its a matter of not being able to do my job because of equipment failure.
So I, along with most of these 91 others will be waiting!
After four trips to service my Mark III is "within specifications" according to Canon.
I sure hope they rewrote those specs before designing the Mark IV AF.
I'm near the top of two pre-order lists but the longer time goes without positive testimonials and
sample images from sports photographers the colder my feet seem to get.
I am going to wait for the conclusions on the new AF design. This is my main interest in upgrading. For moving subjects, conflicts in background, AF point hand-off, if the "white paper" can be taken as Canon sez, a dedicated sensor for AF should help "lock in" on the moving target.
I sure hope so. I will wait for the FM N&W and airplane shooters to weigh-in.
Dan
I would've already ordered two, but I found out that I'm almost certainly going to lose my job in the next few months. So, it'll have to wait.
That being said, RobG's conclusions about the MK-III never surprised me, really. What did surprise me, though, is that he seemed to have oh-so-perfect Mk-II's . . a "reality" which I never experienced.
I never saw much difference in the 1D, 1D-II, or 1D-III when it came to Auto-Focus . . except that the 1D-III was much better in low light . . which is where I use the camera most.
jeremy_clay wrote:
For those saying they'll use it to make $$$$$$$$$$$$$, what are you using now that will stop doing the job when you get this new body to replace it?
I sold my backup cameras, and will put my current 1DMKIII as 2nd body, backup camera. Mine is still making me money, and will so in the future. But I want/need higher ISO capability if it's available. High School Dungeons are fun to shoot in when they won't allow you to strobe.
jeremy_clay wrote:
For those saying they'll use it to make $$$$$$$$$$$$$, what are you using now that will stop doing the job when you get this new body to replace it?
I'm using the original 5D, and it's doing well. I don't anticipate it will stop working after my 1DIV comes in, but it will certainly take a back seat as will the lower resolution, poorer high ISO performance, and inconsistent focusing. I guess it will work just like it does today and did 4 years ago. I will not be a better photographer, but my images will be larger, cleaner, and in sharper focus, plus I currently do not have video capabilities.
Fidelity wrote:
Yep. Pre-ordered at Amazon.com, 12:30 AM EST US on Oct. 20. No news on delivery except the original indication of late December. Amazon order status says I'll be e-mailed when they have an estimated delivery date. I ordered it with overnight shipping. Can you tell I want it as quick as possible?
Any news from Amazon? I've emailed customer service a couple of times and got exactly what I expected, very little. They really didn't know anything. I would love to know how many they'll get in the first wave and where I am on the list.
jeremy_clay wrote:
For those saying they'll use it to make $$$$$$$$$$$$$, what are you using now that will stop doing the job when you get this new body to replace it?
The old camera doesn't stop working, the new one just does the job easier and better.
Not that I'm making anywhere near "$$$$$$$$$$$$$", more like spending that.
