Musings on my new (to me) 1D Mark IV

Have your sister contact me. You seem to be off your medications, again. Please make an appointment with Dr. Bombay.

Aloha Tom, glad you like the new addition to the family. She served me very well. May she continue to always perform since the day you got it. I extremely happy your satisfied with your purchase. Mahalo, Mike

3rdFriday wrote in post #18036625
Aloha Tom, glad you like the new addition to the family. She served me very well. May she continue to always perform since the day you got it. I extremely happy your satisfied with your purchase. Mahalo, Mike

Thanks, Mike. It was a pleasure doing business with you. I think always may be a bit extreme. I'll settle for 25 or 30 years.

Ha! Wait awhile and the gear bug will rear its ugly head again!

By the way, it's so nice to see seller and buyer on such good terms. Makes me rather cheerful.

Tom, do you have to Micro Focus Adjust your lenses? I think I have to with the 400/5.6. I've not tried the camera with the 300/4 yet.
I'm thinking of buying that computer-tethering method that does it automatically, because I suck at stuff like this. I tried doing it properly with my first lemon 1D3 and on even days of the week I had to dial in -12 and on odd days it needed +20. Now it could have been the camera being his lemon self but one wonders...

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #18037199
Ha! Wait awhile and the gear bug will rear its ugly head again!

By the way, it's so nice to see seller and buyer on such good terms. Makes me rather cheerful.

Tom, do you have to Micro Focus Adjust your lenses? I think I have to with the 400/5.6. I've not tried the camera with the 300/4 yet.
I'm thinking of buying that computer-tethering method that does it automatically, because I suck at stuff like this. I tried doing it properly with my first lemon 1D3 and on even days of the week I had to dial in -12 and on odd days it needed +20. Now it could have been the camera being his lemon self but one wonders...

On the buyer/seller thing. Someone (not me) posted a WTB 1DIV ad here on POTN. Mike responded that he had PM'd the OP about his 1DIV for sale. I PM'd Mike that if the OP didn't want it, I was interested. He had it listed on CL (Hawaii. I live in Indiana, btw.) and PM'd right back with price that included insured shipping and PayPal fees. His price was still $400-500 lower than the going rates on E-Bay. I told him up front that I wanted to wait until I passed my State Licensing Exam (nursing), and promised to contact him in a week or so. I passed my test. The rest is obvious.


I tried MFA on my 6D when I first got it. My 6D is bang-on with every lens I own. So far, I've used the 1DIV with: 28 1.8, 35 IS, 85 1.8, 70-200 f/4 IS, 135L, and 100-400Lc, and see no need to MFA anything. The 1DIV struggles with my 50 STM in fluorescent light, but so does every other camera. Honestly, I don't go looking for problems that don't make themselves obvious. Notice, I don't shoot any f/1.2 primes. That may matter. In any event, I don't use MFA. Mainly because I've never seen a need for it. That, at least in part, is due to how/what I shoot. A baseball player 150 feet from me is a much easier focus chore than a bird at 50 feet, both at f/5.6 and 400mm.

Examples:

I am shooting from just outside the fence, just past first base. First shot is base-runner on the 3rd-home line. Second shot is hustle in deep center field. I don't need the 'fine feather detail' you need with your birds, Levina. His dad really liked both of these. Oh, 1DIII by the way. I didn't have the 1DIV for this game.

Those are nice shots, Tom.

After the first few test shots (hanging out my window, shooting gulls) with the 1DIV+400/5.6 I suspected front focussing. The 400 also front focusses on the 1DIII, so no surprises here. Today in the park I clearly noticed it and took a few test shots on the fly and then stayed with a +5 adjustment. Or was it +7? Anyway, you are right about that fine feather detail and this is something I really need to do properly.

Cool seller/buyer story. Nice!

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #18037199
Ha! Wait awhile and the gear bug will rear its ugly head again!

...

C'mon, give him a break. He had his 1D3 for a whole month or two!

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18037442
C'mon, give him a break. He had his 1D3 for a whole month or two!

I must be getting my gear-fix out of the way for the year. I've already bought and sold (this year) a 1D, & 1DII. That prompted the 1DIII. So far, not a bunch of money on gear, the 1DIII was paid for by selling my 70D kit. The 1DIV is a big enough pile of money to make me quit buying... for a while.

On a side note, after playing with 1DIII & 1DIV for about 6 weeks, my 6D feels like a P&S. I put my 50 STM on it this evening. It almost seems like it should fit in my pocket!

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18037442
C'mon, give him a break. He had his 1D3 for a whole month or two!

Bassat wrote in post #18037545
I must be getting my gear-fix out of the way for the year. I've already bought and sold (this year) a 1D, & 1DII. That prompted the 1DIII. So far, not a bunch of money on gear, the 1DIII was paid for by selling my 70D kit. The 1DIV is a big enough pile of money to make me quit buying... for a while.

On a side note, after playing with 1DIII & 1DIV for about 6 weeks, my 6D feels like a P&S. I put my 50 STM on it this evening. It almost seems like it should fit in my pocket!

It's weird, isn't it? I started with a 40D, then after 3,5 years I bought a 1DIIn. It was a beast. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to handle the weight, it was sooo heavy. But I got used to the weight real quick and now everything not 1D feels like a toy. I don't know, I just love a 1D camera. And now I finally have the 1D I've been dreaming of: the 1DIV. I can't imagine ever wanting to upgrade from that.

I agree with you, Levina. The 1D-series has a 'feel' to it. I used grips on a lot of my bodies, but never really got used to them. The grip feels bulky and over-done. The 1D-series bodies just feel better. When I first looked at the 1D controls, I thought: WEIRD. Now that I've been using them for a few months, they make perfect sense. One of the little things I love is the dual exposure (metered and flash) visible in the viewfinder. If set to Evaluative, that makes it much easier to blend flash and ambient. Quite handy! I've had all of the 1D bodies in the last several months. I'm keeping the III & IV. I will likely keep the 6D, too. It feels like a toy when I pick it up, then I think of the images it produces when I don't need killer AF, or 10fps.

Similar to you, I can't imagine ever upgrading to the 1DX (II?). It is way too much money for me. By the time I can afford one, I'll be too old to carry it around.

Now you know why so many of us lamented the end of the APS-H line. It was a great compromise between 1.6 crop and FF, and the package overall was very polished. I purchased my 1D4 years back for $3300 USD, and only sold it 2-3 years later due to seeing how the bottom was going to fall out of the prices, so I moved to the 5D3. I sold it for $3000 USD, then watched it plummet months later, several hundred at a time. I keep thinking about picking one up again, but the 7D2 with its newer featureset (coupled with the 5D3 that I hardly ever shoot with now) has replaced the 1D4 for my sports shooting, etc.

I don't expect the prices to drop any more, I think they have plateaued due to no new APS-H coming out. I knew you both would like the 1D4 since you showed happiness with the 1D3. The 1D4 does everything the 1D3 can, but better. I shot with both for a while, and there was no reason to have the 1D3. I used that money to buy other things like lenses and accessories.

I am a prime candidate for the 1DXII though, and will have to watch for those over the next couple of years.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18037751
Now you know why so many of us lamented the end of the APS-H line. It was a great compromise between 1.6 crop and FF, and the package overall was very polished. I purchased my 1D4 years back for $3300 USD, and only sold it 2-3 years later due to seeing how the bottom was going to fall out of the prices, so I moved to the 5D3. I sold it for $3000 USD, then watched it plummet months later, several hundred at a time. I keep thinking about picking one up again, but the 7D2 with its newer featureset (coupled with the 5D3 that I hardly ever shoot with now) has replaced the 1D4 for my sports shooting, etc.

I don't expect the prices to drop any more, I think they have plateaued due to no new APS-H coming out. I knew you both would like the 1D4 since you showed happiness with the 1D3. The 1D4 does everything the 1D3 can, but better. I shot with both for a while, and there was no reason to have the 1D3. I used that money to buy other things like lenses and accessories.

I am a prime candidate for the 1DXII though, and will have to watch for those over the next couple of years.

You are/were right. I am really enjoying my 1DIV. One thing I don't get is that prices are all over the place. I looked at several here, and most sellers are wanting a ton of money (~$1,800) for one with 150,000+ on it. One was listed for $1500 with a cracked case! I went to E-bay and saw the same thing. Some with 80,000 shots going for $2,000, some for $1,100. The prices were the same for copy with 180,000 shots. I bid $1200 on four different 1DIVs on E-Bay, and lost them all. When 3rdFriday quoted $1,300 for <100,000 shots, I didn't even counter-offer. I did check his online reputation and photography sites. Both were stellar. I am happy with my purchase, and with my new camera.

I am curious about your thoughts on the 1D3. I paid $600 for mine about two months ago. It is in excellent shape and works well. I see them going on E-bay for ~$400-450. They are sitting here on POTN with no action at $500-600. Listing for $600 and not selling is a waste of time. If I list it for $450, after PP and shipping, I'd net about $400. While $400 in my pocket would be nice, it isn't going to break me to sit on it, either. A good P&S costs more. Honestly, I don't see using it much. Maybe for some not too distant work like indoor basketball, volleyball, hockey, where I don't need the crop-ability of the 1DIV. Should I just let it go? I am sure both these bodies have 100,000+ on them. I guess I thought to spread the wear out over the two bodies. Comments?

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18037751
Now you know why so many of us lamented the end of the APS-H line. It was a great compromise between 1.6 crop and FF, and the package overall was very polished. I purchased my 1D4 years back for $3300 USD, and only sold it 2-3 years later due to seeing how the bottom was going to fall out of the prices, so I moved to the 5D3. I sold it for $3000 USD, then watched it plummet months later, several hundred at a time. I keep thinking about picking one up again, but the 7D2 with its newer featureset (coupled with the 5D3 that I hardly ever shoot with now) has replaced the 1D4 for my sports shooting, etc.

I don't expect the prices to drop any more, I think they have plateaued due to no new APS-H coming out. I knew you both would like the 1D4 since you showed happiness with the 1D3. The 1D4 does everything the 1D3 can, but better. I shot with both for a while, and there was no reason to have the 1D3. I used that money to buy other things like lenses and accessories.

Cary, I was amazed how prices suddenly began to drop. Even when I bought the 1D3 18 months ago they were about to break the 2000 euro mark. But they've been quite steady these last six months or so. At least in the shops. Prices vary from 1499 Euro to 2599 Euro, depending on wear and mileage. I agree that maybe the 1D4 will hold its value longer than the previous 1D bodies because it's the last of its kind. Prices may even go up again!

Wow.
And here I am, already nervous about spending 1500 Euro on a body...

Bassat wrote in post #18037757
You are/were right. I am really enjoying my 1DIV. One thing I don't get is that prices are all over the place. I looked at several here, and most sellers are wanting a ton of money (~$1,800) for one with 150,000+ on it. One was listed for $1500 with a cracked case! I went to E-bay and saw the same thing. Some with 80,000 shots going for $2,000, some for $1,100. The prices were the same for copy with 180,000 shots. I bid $1200 on four different 1DIVs on E-Bay, and lost them all. When 3rdFriday quoted $1,300 for <100,000 shots, I didn't even counter-offer. I did check his online reputation and photography sites. Both were stellar. I am happy with my purchase, and with my new camera.

$ 1300?!! Wow. In Euros that would be 1153... Of course with camera gear as well as with computers, one dollar = 1 euro. So your $ 1300 equals € 1300. Still very nice though. I did look on eBay too. Regularly, but I need to shop within the EU and UK and I've not seen any decent 1D4 for those prices and buying outside the EU would make me end up paying more than I paid now.

I'm not Cary but if you would ask me, I would let it go. Only scenario I can imagine keeping the 1D3 would be if I needed/used both cameras simultaneously. Like when I go to the countryside I could set up my 1D4 with the 400/5.6 on a tripod to photograph a nest say, and then have the 1D3 with the 300/4 at the ready for if something unexpected flies by. Other than simultaneous use I see no reason to keep both cameras because if you have to choose a camera to shoot with, why pick the lesser of the two? Even if you make only 400 dollar, it's still 400 dollar that could go to something else.

I agree with Levina, as expected.

I personally have heartburn keeping things around that don't serve an immediate purpose. If I had a 1D4 and a 1D3, and was a professional shooter that had legal concerns should one fail, then I would keep both. The only advantage with the 1D3, IMO, is that it produces good files at 10mpx, which is great if you don't need the resolution. But you can shoot different raw/JPG sizes with the 1D4, so that advantage becomes moot, and still get better ISO performance.

Perhaps put the 1D3 aside for a couple of months and if you never get it out, then consider selling. I doubt prices will change much in that time, and it gives you a cool-down time since it is still fairly new to you.

Besides $400-500 would go great toward one of the lenses at the Father's Day refurbished 15% off Canon sale going on, even though all the good lenses are already gone! Independence Day might be another Canon refurbished sale. Also a Sigma 12-24 on the 1D4 would be outstanding, something you don't quite have in your lens lineup. Or a new flash unit like the AD360, marginally bigger than the 580EXII but puts out 4-5 times as much light? I can find ways to spend that $400-500!!!