shoot the odd wedding, have just sold my 30 & 40d and purchased a 5D Mark 2, looking for a second camera to go with it- was waiting for the 1d4 but the price is crazy! , so i have narrowed it down to a 1D mark 3 or a 7D, any opinions on which camera would be the best companion? does anybody own both?

Just went through a very similar scenario.... and ended up with a second hand 1D III. Too early to give you some real input as I just got it so I will watch along here.

Do you need the MP's, Video, nice LCD? If not, then the 1DMKIII.

I use the 1DmkIII (main) and 5DmkII (backup) with much success. I find the 1DmkIII more reliable in low light AF.

Nick Nishizaka wrote:
Do you need the MP's, Video, nice LCD? If not, then the 1DMKIII.

the video and lcd are nice but not that important to me, more i have the 5d2 if i want more mpix and want to dabble with the video, leaning towards the 1d3 i have to say even though it 'only' has 10 mpix . i just want something that will nail the shot in poor lighting, and that looks like the 1d3, the 1d4 would be perfect if it wasent really overpriced

a new 1d3 goes for about 2700 euro, i think i might go for that , quick question - if i buy a 1d3 will it have issues with AF in servo mode or has all that been fixed in later models?

for most, issues w/- AF (if they experienced them) were resolved with march 2009 fix.

You are leaving out the most significant features (to me) .... which are bulk/weight and reach.

I am going through exactly the same thing - I need a cropped sensor because of the extra reach that I need for bird photography. The 1 series body is a non-starter for me, as I have a very low tolerance for bulky/heavy bodies .... so that leaves me with just 1 option .... the 7D.

Nick Nishizaka wrote:
Do you need the MP's, Video, nice LCD? If not, then the 1DMKIII.

For me, a 5D Mark II makes the best companion to a 5D Mark II.

I routinely use two bodies on assigments, and I learned long ago that everything is smoother with less chance of error if they are identical cameras. I also dislike having to consider the format when choosing lenses, or to worry about how different cameras will handle noise (e.g., ISO 3200 is okay on this body but not on this one).

This is obviously a matter of personal preference and these things may not bother you at all. I only share it in case you haven't considered the flip side of this before.

I didn't own both at the same time, but I briefly owned a 1D3 (early body, focus issues) and now own a 7D. My opinion is that the 1D3 will give you an advantage in low light. The AF on the 1D3 that I had was able to focus reliably in light that was 1/2 stop lower than what my 5D did, and the 5D/5D2 isn't bad in that respect (at least not the center AF point). The noise performance at high ISO settings on the 1D3 will be a bit better than the 7D. Although I never got to compare them side-by-side, I compared each to my 5D and found that the 1D3 was a little better than the 5D and the 7D was just a bit behind the 5D (very close, actually, but a different kind of noise on the 7).

The 7D definately has good AF, and the peripheral AF points are good, plus it tracks very well. It also has the advantage of more pixels if you print large, are focal-length limited, or crop generously. It appears that in terms of low-light AF, the 7D's center point is about as sensitive as the one on the 5D/5D2, but the peripheral points are more sensitive and quicker than those on the 5D.

Personally, I thnk the 1DIII would be ideal. I have the 5DMKII, 1DIII and the 7D. I haven't put the 7D thru it's paces yet, but like it so far but am concerned about it's Af and sharpness. I love the 1DMKIII for weddings though. Love it, love it.

Jimbobp wrote:
Personally, I thnk the 1DIII would be ideal. I have the 5DMKII, 1DIII and the 7D. I haven't put the 7D thru it's paces yet, but like it so far but am concerned about it's Af and sharpness. I love the 1DMKIII for weddings though. Love it, love it.

I briefly played with my friend's 7D, the AF is far more advanced than 5D Mark II's, I would think. Why are you concerned about it? or you are comparing it with 1DIII?

I'm concerned becuase I used it in AI servo mode on a 300 F2.8 L IS shooting a soccer game and the subject was not sharp. Blades of grass were sharp but not the subject. I'm only going by experience. I had the 40 and 50D's and their AI servo performance with all points selected sucked. And by sucked I mean that the subject was in the middle of the image, high contrast area (white jersey, large dark numbers) and the sharpest thing in the image was the guy in the fourth row up on the edge of the image. This was consistent and sent the bodies back to Canon and they agreed there were problems. I ended not trusting the AI servo performance and keeping the 1DMKII. I've had some issues with the 5DMKII, which is why I just recently acquired a 1DSMKII. I haven't had time to run a lot of tests on the 7D and frankly should not have to, but until I do, given the history of the gear I've had, I will reserve judgement. Yes I like the 1DMKIII and yes I experience issues on occasion where an image is soft or out of foucs when shooting a series, but I can live with that given the number of images I take that are fine.

So, to answer your question, I am concerned just based upon the limited useage of it and the experience I've had with recent camera bodies and AF. I am extremely hopeful it will be fine and I can resolve the source of the problem. becuase I love the viewfinder, the handling, size, etc. and wanted it enough to move the 1DMKII (which was hard for me to do.....).

i debated back and forth with the same problem. i ended up finding a good deal on a 1mk3. i love it! i shot with a friends 7d and i'm glad i went with the pro body.

1d mark 3 it is then !, i don't upgrade very often so it will have to do for 3/4 years, it seems like a solid camera and having it and the 5d2 seems good as it is everything that the 5d is not and vise versa , faster better AF and frame rate, responsive where the 5d is full frame slow and high resolution. the 1d4 would be better but 5 grand is just a stupid price for the camera and im not willing to pay it !, it's half a car !, or a months holiday in the sun

I never owned a 7D or 1DIII. I may go with 7D for the light weight. Carrying 2 camera bodies is not very easy. Just my 2 cents.

I figured the 1D3 was the better call for me. I already have video w/ the 5D2 (I almost never use it personally, to each their own). The 1D provides a very different body that pairs very nicely with a 5D2. You can't go wrong here. If you need a lighter setup, the 7D is great. If you need sealing & AF and a workout, the 1D is the winner. It's a wonderful dilemma.

I have all three (my wife uses the 7d). Get the 1d3. No Contest!

I went with the 1DMK3. I previously had a 1DMK2 and the 1DMK3 is pretty big set up from the 1DMK2. It is nice camera for fast action. I considered the 7D, but have not really liked the 1.6 crop factor since going to FF.

The 1D3 is a far more capable wedding camera than a 1D3. I shoot them both simultaneously until the light gets low and/or tricky (as it usually does), then the 5d2 goes in the bag. Additionally because of the dual card slots, all primary photos are taken with the 1D3 even when I'm two fistin'.

Chris Miller
www.imagineimagery.com