Choose one for football : Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 7D, Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Hello guys!

A couple of years ago I bought a Canon 7D. I loved it to pieces but unfortunately had to unload it in a financial crunch with plans to buy a FF camera later when the opportunity presented itself.

Shockingly, a local professional football team liked some of my previous work and has issued me a league-approved field photography pass for the entire season...

The lenses in my arsensal currently include; Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS, Canon 100-400l, Tokina 11-16 f2.8, and a few other units.

I have specifically have three bodies available to me right now that fit within my budget:

-brand new Canon 5D Mark II
-brand new Canon 7D
-used Canon EOS-1D Mark III w/ only 2000 actuations

The obvious benefit of the 7D is longer reach, sophisticated focusing system, more pixels and terrific FPS... and the 5D Mark II provides an expansive sensor though a middling autofocus system....... the wildcard here is the Canon EOS-1D Mark III... it is almost brand new, has a terrific build and focusing system, a bigger sensor than the 7D, etc... I know the sensor only provides 10mp of resolution, but frankly I think that might not be hinderance considering most shots will be web-published or magazine/newspaper printed....

These are the ONLY three cameras I can consider and I would LOVE to hear the opinions of people on this forum.... the Canon EOS-1D Mark III is the wildcard for sure but I am leaning towards it because the sensor is larger than that of the 7D.... I love the 5D Mark II but worry about the speed/autofocus since this camera will be relegated strictly to sports duty....

Thanks team!

I vote 1D III. For strictly sports duty, nothing beats 1D bodies IMHO.

I'm with rdalrt, 1D all the way.

1D3

5D2 a distant 3rd (AF acquisition and servo tracking is insufficient for football, especially in low light)

I've only had a 1d3 for a few weeks, never shot football, but do shoot my kid doing martial arts, and have not used a 7d, but I also vote for the 1d. 2000 actuations sounds basically new. I love the ability to adjust the AF to your needs and you can use a 1.4 tc on the 100-400 and get autofocus without taping pins.

1D3

1D3

I had both the 7D and 1D3. The 1D3 is way better.

1D3 - Don't believe the hype about the reach of the 7D. Essentially all it is, is a in camera cropping tool. Plus it does not do well with high ISO.

I have a love hate with my 7D. In some cases it is great in others meh…Yoer best of all three may be the MK IV. I realize you didn't mention it but it is all and more than the MK III and the 7D combined. I presently have the 7D, IIn and the III, the build quality of the MKs is tremendous. Focus acquisition of both older pro-bodies are ahead of the 7D.
There of course is some tweaking for all bodies based on your shooting style and preferences. Although lower in mp's I liked the MKIIn paired with the 100-400 over the 7D.
Just a major word of advice, disregard the screen of the III, the led isn't as vibrant as the 5 or 7D let the final image be your guide. Once you go to a pro-body you may not want anything less…fair warning.

Add me to the 1DIII list. I had both the 1DIII and 7D and never liked the 7D files compared to the 1DIII. Sold my 7D and picked up a 6D to go with the 1DIII. Very happy with my choice...

This professional football team, does it play only day games?

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

Domed facility with a retractable roof. Mix of day and night game.

Sunfighter wrote in post #15682076
Domed facility with a retractable roof. Mix of day and night game.

If you are going to shoot at night and/or when the roof is closed, I suggest you evaluate the light levels under those conditions to see what camera body/lens/settings combination you will require to stop the action. Specifically, will your 100-400 have a large enough aperture to be useful or will you be limited to a max of 200mm at f/2.8 and is that OK with you?

Phil

Thanks for all the feedback guys...

Well, I went with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III... very happy but as you can see by my first gallery with this camera, I have a lot of work to do with this great camera.

Please take a look :

https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=15697343#po​st15697343