purchase a 1d?

[AlanL]

I have a Drebel and want a little more camera for sports, any thoughts on image quality on the 1d versus the 300d and should I just wait a while, for the Mark II. I found a new 1d for 3K and the extra $1,500 is a big deal. I really should not be spending 3 grand. I can also buy a 10d. But is the 10d that much more camera then what I have. Any suggestions.

Will I get as good or better image with the 1d?
Stick with what I have and buy another lens?
trade my Drebel for a 10d?

any thoughts would be very helpful.

Thanks

[KennyG]

The 1D is the best sports DSLR for the money, except for the new 1D MK-II which is a lot more expensive.

I have a 1D and 10D and there is a huge difference when it comes to action photography. The first thing is the speed of the AF of the 1D. It isn't so much quick, it is just blazingly fast and dead accurate. Any OOF shots are without a doubt the fault of the photographer. The MK-II is better again.

The images are clean and crisp needing very little, if any, post-processing work. It looks like the MK-II with a CMOS sensor, instead of the MK-I's CCD and less agressive AA filter, may need the usual USM work, but what images I have seen so far look stunning.

The 1D is a pure workhorse and built to withstand a lot of abuse. Mine gets thrown into my Tamrac bag, used in the rain, dust and even snow without complaint. My view is, if you are serious about sports photography then the 1D is for you, and if you can afford it, go for the MK-II.

An example of a 1D shot - Taken with a 1D + 100-400L at a recent rally. The car is a Hyundai WRC rally car by the way.

http://www.ken.grey.dsl.pipex.com/images/rally/nac-c-31.jpg

[justme_dc]

Ditto to what Kenny said.

I have a 10D and a 1D. The 10D sits on a shelf collecting dust. The ONLY place that the CMOS cameras shine over the 1D is for long exposures in the dark. The CCD on the 1D can't handle those situations very well.

I wouldn't trade my 1D for one of the new 1D mkII's on a bet. The mkII is great but for sports the CCD and the 1/500th Sync speed (I've managed to sync my 1D up to 1/16000th) on the 1D can't be beat. It's just not an upgrade worth doing IMHO.

If you wait until the mkII ships you'll probably get a smoking deal on a used 1D from one of the suckers that just has to have the newest camera available. To me the mkII seems more like a dumbed down 1Ds than a hopped up 1D.

As for image quality. I've made enlargements up to 13x19 on a cropped frame from the 1D no sweat.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I would also not advise bothering with the 10D in this case.. the upgrade from the DRebel is minimal...

It is the 1D / 1DMkII you want.