Ariel Bravy
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
|
I'm not sure if I'd call the 1D obsolete or specialized. Perhaps a little bit of both.
LDR99 wrote:
And for as little as $500.00 (or less). A greater "starter" camera. That is getting down into the point and shoot price range.
Megapixels are not the end all be all of camera performance.
Megapixels certainly aren't, you're right, and I still enjoy shooting 4mp to this day thanks to the tiny file size and super quick processing speed, but I strongly hesitate calling the 1D a starter camera, despite the price. IMHO, the 1D is more for people who know what they're doing and need the additional benefits that a 1D would offer and who find the trade-offs don't actually limit their style of photography. Generally you'll want to know what you're doing and why you're doing it to deliberately choose a 1D over another camera in the price range.
While I shoot with a 1D, I rarely recommend it to others to be honest, especially in this day and age when cameras like a 40D, XSi (or whatever the high end rebel is these days), and even the 1D2 are as inexpensive as they are.
arky posted some awesome gun shots illustrating one of the benefits of shooting at 1/16000 without an FP shutter.
I also like being able to shoot at 1/500 with a full flash pop in TTL.
For example, look at this shot. It was taken at 1/500. You'll see a little ghosting in the wings due to ambient exposure, but the wings themselves are basically frozen.
 |
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20070327224759_bee%20in%20flight.jpg |
|
|
|
|
On the other hand, this one was taken at 1/1600 with HSS. Note that the ghosting is still present.
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20070323174312_bee%20in%20flight.jpg |
|
|
|
|
Then again, you could basically pull off the same thing as that 1/500 shot at 1/250 with a more modern body in terms the wings. The faster shutter speed is simply giving you less ambient blur, such as the body moving, which can be pretty significant.
Now with the 1D you can get by and tape the TTL pins and get a full pop from the flash synced at up to 1/2500 reliably, 1/3200 occasionally. (or maybe 1/3200 and 1/4000 respectively... I forget.) Go faster than that and you'll start to get this weird magenta effect. Here's a regular cardboard box shot at 1/16000, lit by a manual 580ex flash pop with the TTL pins taped.
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20061204004731_1d%20high%20speed%20tests.jpg |
|
|
|
|
Used artistically, you can get some unique shots.
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20080831012312_purple_flower.jpg |
|
|
|
|
There's also some well-known limitations like the pink corners during long exposures, though even some modern cameras like the 1Ds3 is not immune to this issue. Some cameras are simply better at long exposures than others. Combined with a very limited battery life, long exposure low-light photography is not the 1D's strong suit. Here's a 30sec shot at ISO 3200, just to demonstrate the effect:
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20070505023543_1d_pink_corners.jpg |
|
|
|
|
and speaking of low-light, the 1D's performance actually seems to be quite variable depending on which body you have. lexvo posts his concert shots whenever the 1D's noise issues come up into question, but to be honest it seems his 1D performs better than any others I've seen. His seems to be the best high ISO 1D I've seen. Mine is about mid-range. and I've seen bodies which perform worse than mine. In terms of high ISO, it seems that not all 1D's are created equal. lexvo, you lucked out and got one sweet 1D! 
Here's a pair of ISO 1600 shots WITH noise-reduction. lexvo's shots at 1600 without NR are better than these.
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20060406234725_beauty%20and%20the%20beast.jpg |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20060916204515_beauty%20and%20the%20beast.jpg |
|
|
|
|
Nailing the exposure is also really important with this camera, moreso than with others. Here's an ISO 200 shot that was a little under and when pushed, you can see banding come up real quick in the shadows.
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20100104002658_climbing_up_shining_rock_in_the_snow.jpg |
|
|
|
|
and just to make it a bit more extreme, here's another ISO 200 shot pushed really heavily. I forget how many stops I had to push this to be fair, but it still illustrates the point.
|
|
|
|
http://www.arielbravy.com/photoblog/images/20060415021643_fun%20with%20friends.jpg |
|
|
|
|
Battery life is also really limited and so it makes the 1D a not so great body take along on hikes, especially considering you'll have to lug a huge 1-series and several batteries and lenses with you. Because of this, I've been switching to shooting with my iPhone or P&S more lately than 1D.
Now all that said, if you're aware of the limitations of the 1D, in capable hands you can produce images that are simply not possible with any other Canon body. At the same time, images even at 100% look great on screen. (and thank goodness, given that you only have 4mp to play with.) The question is.. do you need the specialized capabilities that the 1D offers and do the camera's limitations not affect you much, or would a more modern and general purpose camera like a 40D be a better buy?
Heck, even with today's prices for a 1D2 (and granted this post was started back in 2009), you can get that camera for a steal. The improved high ISO capabilities, auto-rotation, LCD zoom, ability to shoot CF and SD, significantly improved battery life, and so on make it an excellent alternative to strongly consider over a 1D.
Again, the 1D is more for specialized purposes for one willing to accept the trade-offs of the body. It's more for people who know what they're doing. Using it as a starter body or all-around body (especially for people who are still getting started) may be placing unnecessary limits upon the photographer that in this day in age, are too easily overcome with modern technology.
My two cents... 
|
In capable hands, it's still an outstanding camera.
GirlfriendS 