help me with decisions on 3rd body (and maybe a 4th one)

i'm at a point where i think i have all the lenses i "need"

so it's either i go for the lenses i "want" or satisfy my cam body "wants"

i currently have a 5D2 and 7D.

i bought the 7D after the 5D2 to serve as a different AOV for my lenses, the better focusing, to accomodate an APS-C lens and the fps (which i thought would satisfy my 1D cam body lust)

i want:
-another FF body
-to satisfy my 1 series lust which includes:
the "supposedly accurate" focus points
the machine gun fps of the 1D (granted i only use low speed continuous on the 7D, that machine gun continuous shooting of the 1D is haunting)

i already know the basic 1D/1DS vs. everything else benefits like, build, feel, focusing etc.

options:
1) wait for 5D3
2) get a 1DsII
3) get a 1DIII
4) wait for the release of the 1DSIV to drop the price of the 1DSIII
5) 1DIIN
6) t3i + 100 f/2 for the rare occasion i need a small cam body to sneak in a concert

what are my hesitations:
1) way back, i already chose the 7D + lens over the 1DIII. i've also been reading threads like if one wasn't a sports shooter, the 7D pretty much trumps the 1.3 bodies.
2) a 1DSII would give me the focusing "powers" but not the "fps"
3) a 1DIIN would give me the everything but the extra FF body
4) 5DC is not an option (i kind of like my additions to actually be "upgrades")
5) as you can see with the options, there's a ceiling budget, i'm unwilling to spend more than the above bodies' current market prices
6) xxxD bodies lack the very useful jog dial at the back, the rumored "small" 60D might be the better option over any xxxD. (used to have a t1i and it wasn't as fast as the semi pro bodies when changing settings)

comments, opinions, etc. are very welcome

You sound like me....I'm a gear hound !!

Honestly , you should be pretty happy with what you have in the 7D and the 5DmkII and the lens you have should do it all and then some .

Good luck with your quest .

Hmm, I'd get the 1D2n. It'll satisfy your 1D lust w/o anteing up a lot of dough

Nikon D3s, then you can continue with your equipment hoarding, you haven't scratched the surface of the low iso capability

Just get a 1DsIII and be done with it.

Well, after you shoot some more. Your flickr looks kinda bare...

I'm confused as to why you feel the need to get a 3rd body. You should prioritise your wants, if having another FF body is most important to you then get another 5DII. If faster shooting is more important then get the newest 1.3x 1D (however it seems you're not even using the 7D to it's full potential). If you want an equal mix of both then get the newest FF 1D, I think it's faster than the 5DII (don't really check out the high end models).

If you don't have any EF-S lenses you could even consider getting rid of both the 7D and 5DII and get a 1.3x 1D and FF 1D, or just swapping the 7D for the 1.3x 1D. Also assuming the FF 1D is faster than the 5DII you may consider swapping yours as the only advantages I could think of from the 5DII are the smaller size and video (unless they've gone and added that to the newest model).

thanks everyone!

the 1dsIII/1div are too high above the budget ... too much money to spill on a body whose price can only go down.

i want another FF body because murphy's law would seem to dictate that the lens attached to my ONE FF body is far from what i want to use at a given time. two FF bodies would give me better odds
seriously though, i have lenses that are best with FF bodies and i'd like both to be ready without changing lenses. another 5dii is not in the running because i do feel the AF can get some improvement (something like the 7D's but FF would be good enough)

i use my 7D with an "APS-C" lens 17-50 f/2.8 VC (it's my point and shoot combo). when i do macro, the 7D is also what i use with my 100L. i'm also hoping the 7D will give my 70-200mm enough "reach" for a future event.

so, i'd like to keep both 7D and 5DII and still add some more bodies instead of replacing them.

good side though is that i can borrow a 1diin and see if i can adjust to the interface

No need to upgrade...

What's greater, your desire for gear, or your desire for taking pictures

Austin.Manny wrote in post #10685105
Just get a 1DsIII and be done with it.

Well, after you shoot some more. Your flickr looks kinda bare...

This...

Your Flickr has exactly one more photo taken with gear than you do photos of gear...

Shoot more .. Expand gear less

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10686099
This...

Your Flickr has exactly one more photo taken with gear than you do photos of gear...

Shoot more .. Expand gear less

haha. i take pics of family and friends, i put them on facebook instead of my public flickr

i will be doing a photoshoot this saturday that's worthy of flickr though

and then i'll be doing some landscapes the saturday after that.

i only have weekends to shoot, weekdays i'm stuck at work and at home doing what i mention below in bold.

stickshift wrote in post #10686028
No need to upgrade...

What's greater, your desire for gear, or your desire for taking pictures

unfortunately, the desire for gear i desire taking pictures of gear more than both combined though

i'm honest enough to admit: researching, hunting and shopping for gear makes me happy and is what's my main stress relief

before this, i was doing audio-video, before that i was doing koi keeping.

a bit more research ... only the 1diii and up have the joystick. i've become pretty accustomed to the joystick, so i'm gonna have to set it as a requirement.

a question though: i use single focus point to hit the eye of the subject. i don't focus recompose when using near wide open apertures. so i'm pretty limited with the positioning of the subject.

do the 1d/1ds cameras with their many focus points actually cover a bigger area of the image or are they all jammed to the same area? (will i get focus points farther out to the sides?)

The 1D has the widest AF point coverage of any Canon camera, closest to the corners. I regularly use an edge point for an eye and it works great.

I love my 1DII N but it isn't full frame and neither is the 1DIII but I like the 1.3x format a lot, seems like a good compromise to me.

I think you'll find the joystick isn't that useful when in vertical/portrait orientation as it is too far away (there should really be two). For this reason I don't miss it on my 1D bodies. It is nice on my 40D without a grip.

hpulley wrote in post #10698147
The 1D has the widest AF point coverage of any Canon camera, closest to the corners. I regularly use an edge point for an eye and it works great.

I love my 1DII N but it isn't full frame and neither is the 1DIII but I like the 1.3x format a lot, seems like a good compromise to me.

I think you'll find the joystick isn't that useful when in vertical/portrait orientation as it is too far away (there should really be two). For this reason I don't miss it on my 1D bodies. It is nice on my 40D without a grip.

thanks for that.

i should try a 1 body and see of those outer focus points are more useful.

hmm. a 1DIIN would sure tide me over until prices of the other bodies settle. (i get to handle one on sunday)

IDIIN = 900 bucks
1DIII = 2250
1DIV = 4000-4200 depending on where i get it.
IDSII = 1800
1DSIII = 3500

i'd like the 1DIII, but it would seem the price difference between it and IV is a bit too close. the 1DS prices should be taking a dive soon.

So, where can you get that good a deal on a 1DMkIV?

Hm... well, I see a dilemma. You say you want another FF. So by virtue of FF, you need to scratch off any 1D, 1D2, 1D3, 1D4 from your list. 1.3 is still a crop. If you simply want to machine-gun 10fps every once in awhile, you might as well rent a 1D3 or 1D4 and just hold the button down while aiming at a lightbulb.

Alternative is head towards the Dark side. D700 + grip, or D3s. There's your solution.