i was able to put a pre-order for the 1DIV right when it was announced on Amazon.com. I currently shoot mostly weddings and lifestyle portraiture. my current setup is as follows.

2 Canon 5DII's
24LII, 35L, 45 TSE, 85LII

there have been some recent changes in my upcoming future and i will be moving to a place with more beaches and heavy rain/hurricane seasons. what i am worried about is bringing my 5DII and it not holding up the the natural conditions of potential shoots/events. ideally, i want to move back to a single body and id want it to withstand the harshness of constant traveling and harsh weather.

Will the 5DII hold up and do you recommend with just saving money and sticking with that? or should i sell both 5DIIs and move to the 1DsIII or 1DIV.

i understand that the 1DIV will have video, butter noise control, and newer technology. the reason why im keeping the used 1DsIII in the picture is because of its FF capability. Ideally, I also really want to have HD video capability.

im stuck in a predicament and not sure what route to go with. what are your recommendations?

Personally I wouldn't be without two bodies when shooting a wedding or any other event. Ideally a 5DII and a 1DIV would be an excellent pair, but that pair comes at a cost. Have you considered picking up a 1DIII and keeping one of your two 5DII's?

You should sell one of your 5dii and buy a used 1dsmkiii.
Maybe you will sell both when you start using the 1dsiii
With around 4K now, it's really an excellent buy.

Let me tell you, the pics from the 1dsiii is much much pleasent to look compared to those from 5dii. I know they have a similar sensor (or same) but the final outputs are really different. I see this in my real life shooting with both.

Here are some of my latest test shots, all at f2.0 (last night, and today) with the 1dsiii straight out of DPP.
You can click on "all sizes' and view the full resolution.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hsk_08/sets/72157622729980140/detail/

I'd owned the 5dii for a few months, and i've never been happy with the AF, and the colors. The 5dii forces me to use the center af point, which i hate so much.
When i shot these:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43844637@N07/sets/72157622526020825/detail/

Most of them are at 1.2, i had to use the outer af points to focus on the face (eyes) and the 5dII really fails in low light. The keeper rate is very LOW.
I've never had any problems using outer AF points from my 1dii, 1dsii, and now 1dsiii.

The only thing i miss from the 5dii is the lighter weight, and the videos so I will have to add a 7D later.

Go for a 1dsiii and you will be happy.

i actually used to shoot with a 1DIII and 5DII. i loved the build, AF system, and noise control of the 1DIII, but the difference in crop factor was kind of messing with my flow. ie. 5D/24L + 1DIII/85L was too much of a focal length difference for me, then i prefer the 5D/35L over the 1DIII/24L...so i got rid of it for consistency sake and i loved the IQ better on the 5DII.

moving to a single 1DsIII is really really enticing me, but im going to miss having the HD video. i just need to guarantee that the 1DsIII will if not surpass, atleast match the IQ of the 5DII from ISO 100-6400.

If you keep 1 of the 5DII you will have video.
Just sell the other one and get a used 1DsIII.

used 1DsIII or 1DIV

Both.

EBH

EB-1 wrote:
used 1DsIII or 1DIV

Both.

EBH

OceanView wrote:
If you keep 1 of the 5DII you will have video.
Just sell the other one and get a used 1DsIII.


these might be out of my budget :-P

flipm3 wrote:
i actually used to shoot with a 1DIII and 5DII. i loved the build, AF system, and noise control of the 1DIII, but the difference in crop factor was kind of messing with my flow. ie. 5D/24L + 1DIII/85L was too much of a focal length difference for me, then i prefer the 5D/35L over the 1DIII/24L...so i got rid of it for consistency sake and i loved the IQ better on the 5DII.

moving to a single 1DsIII is really really enticing me, but im going to miss having the HD video. i just need to guarantee that the 1DsIII will if not surpass, atleast match the IQ of the 5DII from ISO 100-6400.

If the crop factor of the 1DIII was "messing with your flow" the 1DIV won't be your answer. Granted you'll get better high ISO ability and video and perhaps better AF with the 1DIV but I don't think it'll make up for problem you've had with the crop factor. The more obvious choice for you is the 1DsIII based on its FF sensor, but again a secondary body is a necessity IMO. If you can't afford to make the jump to the 1DsIII or 1DIV without sacrificing a secondary/backup body I'd wait it out and build up funds to afford the upgrade.

Sorry if this is obvious, but I can't imagine shooting events or wedding in the middle of heavy rain or hurricane.

Navyblue wrote:
Sorry if this is obvious, but I can't imagine shooting events or wedding in the middle of heavy rain or hurricane.

lol i dont think id be shooting weddings or anything like that during crazy storms. but id be doin a ton of traveling in more "tropical" areas throughout the caribbean. do you guys think the 5DII will be able to withstand the beating of being in beaches, shooting while im standing in the water, light rain...etc?

I would get the 1ds III. I don't have 1d mk IVs (obviously) but I have the 1ds III and 1d III. I don't like the 1.3 crop and it messes a bit with my focal lengths (I have roughly the same lenses as you do, except I have a 50mm instead of the 45 TSE) and I would trade the 1d for the 1ds any day. The only problem is that I need three bodies and I have 2 x 1d and 1 x 1ds. It would take some money to upgrade both 1d cameras. They are also quite new, so selling them now would be a loss of money.

As others have suggested, I would upgrade one of the 5Ds to a 1ds III and keep the other one for video and lighter weight...

Get some additional weather protection for your 5D2's.

Daan B wrote:
Get some additional weather protection for your 5D2's.

what do you recommend that will also fit my L glass?

Great camera though I'm sure the 1DIV will be, I don't see how it is a *better* camera for weddings and portraiture than a 1Ds3. Are you going to need more than 5 fps?

Personally I find the 1.3 crop falls between two stools and would always go for the full frame option if sport is not your primary workload

David

flipm3 wrote:
Daan B wrote:
Get some additional weather protection for your 5D2's.

what do you recommend that will also fit my L glass?

Plastic raincoats

Go with a 1DsIII and you will be very happy with the cost and even happier with results.

dhphoto wrote:
Personally I find the 1.3 crop falls between two stools and would always go for the full frame option if sport is not your primary workload

I know pro wedding photographers who do very well with 1.6x crops (40D mostly) with L-glass. All this talk about 1.3x crops not being wide enough for the lenses makes no sense.

I know pro wedding photographers who do very well with 1.6x crops (40D mostly) with L-glass. All this talk about 1.3x crops not being wide enough for the lenses makes no sense.

+10

i definitely dont doubt that people do VERY well with a 1.6 or 1.3x. but with my shooting style, i like using my fast 24mm f/1.4L II at a true 24mm. i dont know any other prime lens that fast that will provide a true 24mm perspective on a 1.6/1.3x.

i guess everyone has their own style. im just really torn on what direction to go with haha

Would it be worth combining the 1dMk3 and a 1dMk4 as a wedding shooting combo?