1d IV or 5d III - help me...

I know there are tons of these threads out there... but I still can't make up my mind based off those yet.

I shoot for my university's paper and yearbook, as well as marketing department occasionally - everything from events, sports (basketball is the big one), campus photos (landscape), portraits...

I plan on shooting timelapse for marketing in the coming months of spring, so probably wider shots. But considering I am shooting ALL sports too (probably 40-50% of what I am shooting...) I am having trouble deciding between these cameras.

Full frame would be nice for landscape use obviously - which will be what I am doing on my own time - in the summer, but for school 50% of my stuff is going to be sports, and after picking up a 1div and trying it from a fellow photographer at the last game, i really can't decide. The 10 fps would be fantastic along with 1.3x crop for sports, but for my other events and work i feel full frame will be more beneficial.

(for what its worth, i plan on eventually buying whatever body I don't buy now later in the future when funds allow it - also i realize my glass list isnt the best - but i have access to quicker, better glass with my jobs, so that isnt a big worry, it will come after i upgrade my body)

So any thoughts/insight would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I've done a fair amount of shooting on a college campus and own both the 5D3 and the 1DIV. If 50% of my shooting was sports, I'd go with the 1DIV. In my personal college experience, FF vs 1.3 crop was irrelevant as long as I had good glass appropriate to the subject being shot.

Another side note - is money does come into play -
bodies are about same cost, but i really would like to grab a 17-40 alongside whichever body i get.

I probably would end up grabbing the 5d III kit and sell the 24-105 for that to "make" a little back, if that makes sense.

sullivanrp wrote in post #15595388
Another side note - is money does come into play -
bodies are about same cost, but i really would like to grab a 17-40 alongside whichever body i get.

I probably would end up grabbing the 5d III kit and sell the 24-105 for that to "make" a little back, if that makes sense.

I guess it makes sense if the numbers turn out right for you. If not for your maths work out I would have suggested the 1D4 as well since 10fps will mean you are capturing 67% more shots than the 5D3. That said, pros used to shoot formula 1 with their 1Ds3s which shot at 5fps so the 5D3's 6fps is clearly faster.The 1D4 will shoot anything and while FF is undoubtedly desirable, I shot most of the images for a book on my old school with my 1D4.

Here's an alternative - have you considered getting a 1D4 and a 17-40 from the sales corner here?

Houston1863 wrote in post #15607116
I guess it makes sense if the numbers turn out right for you. If not for your maths work out I would have suggested the 1D4 as well since 10fps will mean you are capturing 67% more shots than the 5D3. That said, pros used to shoot formula 1 with their 1Ds3s which shot at 5fps so the 5D3's 6fps is clearly faster.The 1D4 will shoot anything and while FF is undoubtedly desirable, I shot most of the images for a book on my old school with my 1D4.

Here's an alternative - have you considered getting a 1D4 and a 17-40 from the sales corner here?

I am checking many marketplaces - from here to ebay, to other forums. But that is probably going to be my route after some thinking. And if I buy a 5d III now I figure when I go to a 1DIV the copies will only be more used with higher shutter counts. So, I think a 1DIV first isn't a bad idea.

I'd go with the 1D4 because of the amount of sports being shot. Also, consider that you'll have a much longer shutter life vs the 5D3.

sullivanrp wrote in post #15607357
I am checking many marketplaces - from here to ebay, to other forums. But that is probably going to be my route after some thinking. And if I buy a 5d III now I figure when I go to a 1DIV the copies will only be more used with higher shutter counts. So, I think a 1DIV first isn't a bad idea.

And as Kawi_200 said, the 1D4 has a substantially enhanced shutter life and for this reason too along with what you shoot, it would be my first choice. If you were not to shoot as much sport then I might have gone for the 5D3 as a clear winner. It's a close shout between both bodies as a single body choice but the 1D4 is more adept at capturing sport.

I think the files are cleaner coming out of the Mk IV.

Does the 5D3 do better at high ISO's? I know at my school's sports venues lighting can be terrible and sometimes I use some sky-high ISO's on the school's equipment. My 5Dc is rendered useless under those lights.

h4ppydaze wrote in post #15609761
Does the 5D3 do better at high ISO's? I know at my school's sports venues lighting can be terrible and sometimes I use some sky-high ISO's on the school's equipment. My 5Dc is rendered useless under those lights.

5d III vs 1d IV noise in low light pretty close to one another - slight edge to 5d III from my research, no reason to pick it over the 1d IV tho just for that purpose in my opinion.

and ya... im starting to look for 1dIVs as my last lenses sell.

sullivanrp wrote in post #15609794
5d III vs 1d IV noise in low light pretty close to one another - slight edge to 5d III from my research, no reason to pick it over the 1d IV tho just for that purpose in my opinion.

and ya... im starting to look for 1dIVs as my last lenses sell.

ah I see


Well personally I'd still rather have the 5D3. Sometimes a 1D sized body/weight works against you, especially if you like doing landscapes... and the 5D3 is slightly newer tech. The 5D3 is plenty fast for sports as far as I've seen and I think it's a better 'all-around' camera choice.

h4ppydaze wrote in post #15609873
ah I see


Well personally I'd still rather have the 5D3. Sometimes a 1D sized body/weight works against you, especially if you like doing landscapes... and the 5D3 is slightly newer tech. The 5D3 is plenty fast for sports as far as I've seen and I think it's a better 'all-around' camera choice.

the 10fps will make sure I won't miss a moment, though, where the 6 of the 5d III there still is that chance - especially with volleyball or baseball, sometimes basketball too its the difference in getting a picture with a players eyes open in a series of a loose ball or going up in the key against multiple defenders vs their eyes closed and a less usable shot for publication. the 1.3 for sports will also be very nice, perfect for basketball really with a 70-200 and paired with a second body with a shorter zoom.

landscape wise - well i wish i could go wider than the 1.3 crop, but at the same time 22mm or so (what the 17mm will be equivalent to on the 17-40) should suffice for awhile. eventually I'll add a 5d III as a second body and not have to worry about it.

Choosing only one, I would go for the 1D4. FPS helps. It just does. Plus, the cost difference is impacted by the grip you'd need to buy for the 5D3.

You might consider going to a 5D2 plus 1D3 and get both. You should be able to come in under $2500 for the pair...

1D3 high iso is a bit limited. Good enough, but not on par with 5d3. Also the AF in servo is not very reliable. It's a great camera but I'd skip it unless you get a screaming deal.

I was in the same boat. I had CPS send me a 1DIV for a couple of weeks to try out, then the 5DM3 for two weeks. By the 2nd day with the 5DMark III I'd made my choice after shooting in a poorly lit arena for some barrel racing shots. The shots I got at ISO12800 blew the 1dIV completely out of the running for me. I can deal with a few FPS less and just time my shots better. When I need a couple more fps or a bit longer reach, my 7D works great and honestly I didn't find that the 1dIV's image quality was significantly better than the 7D's.