garyvot wrote:
+1. The D3 is only $200 more expensive than the 1D3 right now at B&H, and the D700 with the D3 battery/grip thingie (for 8fps) is about $3K. The D700 in particular seems like an attractive "all around" camera, more like what I hoped the 5D2 would have been (with a few more pixels).
But, we digress...
There is only one problem with the d3/d700 that I've been reading about, the outer points are not cross so in vertical orientation the camera has problems focusing in subjects with horizontal lines (like the focus on the eye in a portrait) and the outer points are also less reliable in low light some people have reported issues.
Ariel,
Thanks for taking the time to give us your thoughts on the 1D3. I just shot a H.S. Hockey game tonight with a new 1D3. I've had it about a week but this was my first outing with it. I was pretty impressed with it overall. I shot a little less then 300 images and after viewing them in PM I probally had 10% oof. I was at 3200 iso 1/640 ,2.8 and its deffinatly at least 1 stop better then the 1D2N as far as noise. I just quickly edited a half dozen for the paper I shoot for and they looked great.I think I can get used to this quickly
Photon wrote:
<snip>
I was one of the people who carped that we lost the option to set two focus points of our choice and switch between them simply by choosing to use either of two thumb buttons to AF. I always used my Mk I and II that way, such as having the * button do AF on a good eye placement for a vertical portrait and the other button AF on a good placement for a horizontal. The joystick option is pretty quick though, and I've learned to use it even in vertical shooting.
<snip>
How long did it take to adapt to the joystick?
When I tried one out summer 07 the focus button options was the one thing I couldn't get over. I was hoping they would add it back in when they released the firmware for the joystick fix. If canon's software engineers upgrade the firmware with the dual-focus button & "chris lee button" they deliberately removed then I will seriously consider a mk3 as an upgrade.
For out of cam color I whole heartedly agree: mk3 > mk i> mkii.
With the mkiin you can write a picture style to match mki output and get jpgs ooc that look like 1d files. I have to use photoshop for mkii jpgs to do the same...only wish mkiins were priced more reasonably.
Thanks so much for your well thought out comments on this camera. When it first came out, I played with it at a seminar, oh man, I did NOT want to give it up. I ended up going with the 5D, mostly because it serves my purposes. But there are some times (nature shooting, my niece's swim meets, etc.) when I sure would love that speed and flexibility to get the moving subjects. After tons of practice, I "can" get them with my 5D, but it's like 1 in 15 or so ... not a great ratio. Although, I suppose I could plunk down a few grand for a faster prime and that might work as well.
But thank you ... this is the EXACT information that real hands-on people need when making a learned decision on purchase.
