Specific needs: 1D3 or 7D?

[Hannya]

Hi. I've just acquired a 1DMkIII in addition to my 50D. Haven't used it in anger yet (the footie season hasn't got going yet) but so far I think its so much better, even with a bit of loss of focal length. The option of a 7D wouldn't have improved on the 50D. I don't shoot RAW in multi burst any more. I got fed up with having to convert too many pics, so I now get the shots right in jpg (most of the time) so the buffer issue doesn't really make a problem.

[pcj]

I shoot road races and tri's with a gripped 7D, and for a while I was seriously considering the MKIII - I decided that I'd stay with the 7D until I could afford the MKIV - while the III is a great camera, there are aspects of the 7D that I prefer (it's AF system for one), and the III seems like a small step back in technology generations - something that bugged me.

[waterrockets]

You guys are killing me. I guess this is a great problem to have, as they both are great bodies. I need to see if I can get my hands on a 1D3 to try out. I guess if I got a fair deal on one, I'd lose no money trying it out if I couldn't try it first.

I want to prefer the 1D3. I'm not sure I do just yet. Any thoughts on reliability of a well-used 1D vs. a refurb 7D? If I get the 1D3, I'm going to have to go to the bottom of the bin on condition.

[Biffbradford]

I shoot bicycle races mostly and when I rented a 7D for a week when the shutter on my MkIIn went out, I was so afraid that I was going to break it. I've seen the videos where they put the 7D through torture tests, but if all else was equal, I'd go with the beefier body, the MkIII. You can hammer nails with that beast!

[TooManyShots]

Originally Posted by waterrockets

You guys are killing me. I guess this is a great problem to have, as they both are great bodies. I need to see if I can get my hands on a 1D3 to try out. I guess if I got a fair deal on one, I'd lose no money trying it out if I couldn't try it first.

I want to prefer the 1D3. I'm not sure I do just yet. Any thoughts on reliability of a well-used 1D vs. a refurb 7D? If I get the 1D3, I'm going to have to go to the bottom of the bin on condition.

Well, it is a 1d. It is fully weather proof. Yes, you can shoot in a thunderstorm. The shutter life span is rated 300k+. Well, it is 1d. What is there to say AF speed and accuracy? Can the 7d lack focus on a group of moving subjects and to focus 2 different subjects within this group within a second apart? I know the 1dIII could because I often shoot this way. That's how I pick out riders in a fast moving peleton. The success rate is about 90%.

[waterrockets]

Thanks. Posts from the bike racing guys is helpful, as I shoot bike races every so often (in rain).

[Cozmocha]

Don't forget the 1D III shoots at 10 fps and it means business. Shoot in a dark area or high iso and you are lucky to get 4-6 fps with the 7D. The 1D bodies are made for shooting sports.

Even tho my 7D has been to Canon a bit for AF oddness it has over 100k clicks and still works fine. I bought it refurb.

[gromeo]

Originally Posted by waterrockets

If I get the 1D3, I'm going to have to go to the bottom of the bin on condition.

Not really KEH.com has some good prices not the lowest but there stuff is usually a bit better then the rating they show, ratings are pretty conservative.
EX+ for 1652, EX for 1583 http://www.keh.com/camera/Canon-Digi...990982990?r=FE
Canon web site has a refurb 7D for 1359 save a few bucks more and get a MKIII.

[Dan-o]

Waterrockets send me a pm I'll see if I can help you out.

[palmor]

I have both the 1d III and 7d (along with a 5d III now) and they are very close in performance. I'm kind of in the same boat because I planned on selling one of them when I bought the 5d but I still haven't decided which one yet although I'm leaning to keep the 1d III. I think I'm mostly torn because one of my favorite lenses is the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and it won't work with the the 1d or 5d.

[bensherman2]

I'd get a 1D3, I stepped from a Xti to a Mark II. Then I bought a 1D3. Now the 1D3 is main camera and 1D2 always has a 16-35mm and flash fitted.
Couple of months ago I was shooting Mtb downhill when a rider skewed off a jump in my direction - I jumped out the way forgetting my 1D2 was on the floor. His back wheel landed on the front part of the grip. Took a little bit of paint from the back that's all! If it was the Xti I'd have been looking for a new camera! I don't suppose a 7D would/could handle that too well.

Kind regards

Matt

[waterrockets]

I really appreciate all the experiences posted up by everyone. Based on my needs posted in the OP, I'm liking the idea of a 1D3 better.

[waterrockets]

Ok, I got my used 1D3 (Dan-o: thanks for a clean transaction and body exactly as described!). I finally got to take a couple shots with it tonight to get a bit more familiar with it. Thanks everyone for the info in this decision -- it's still a tough call because the 7D is badass too, and cheaper. 1d3 is the right one for me at this time... (well, keeping the T2i as well)

Holy crap. The colors are amazing, and the speed... AF and FPS are amazing. I'm still weening myself off of the 18MP sizes I'm used to, but I think this camera will help me move to better composition and less cropping in general.

The big gain that I didn't quite appreciate, was the "quality of the files." Now that I have some and worked with them in LR4, the colors and dynamic range seem to have so much more life and depth than those off of my T2i. Maybe my eye is biased right now, but I just spent a solid week shooting with the T2i in great settings -- so I know where it stands. This 1D is impressive.

A big surprise is how easy it has been to learn to use the camera. There are a lot of settings, but in general, they all make sense, and I'm seeing situations where I'll probably engage many of them. The custom function settings that came from Dan-o were exactly what I was planning for since I read the manual (twice) on the plane during vacation. I think the only thing I changed was metering (spot -- I'm used to it in my workflow to meter off sky or grass).

Here are a couple of my favorites from tonight (hoping to shoot some soccer on Sunday...). These are just available light snaps.

[Liquid Dark]

what would you rather have, a brand new camry or a well kept used BMW M3??

quality of the mid-range products, even if newer, can't compare to top of the line flagship products, even if used.

hope you enjoy ur new toy

[waterrockets]

Dude, you have no idea. Loving it. Thanks.