Canon 1d MKII or 50d for sports photography

I have been really getting into surfing photography but feel like I need a body with faster AF. I love my 20d (it will be my backup) but wanted some feedback on moving towards a 1d mkii (even considering a mki) or if a 50d would make more sense. My budget is $800-$1000 so used is my option.

well i guess it depends on how you want to view your images, ifyou plan on printing you might want the extra resolution with the 50d, but if you will just have them on the computer then the 1d will do the trick, with the upper end of your budget you could also maybe squeek by with a 60d if the micro adjust isnt a big deal for you.

The 1D Mk3 (Pro camera) has far superior AF. The 50D AF is pretty close to what you already have with the 20D.

I plan on making mostly 8"x10" prints.

I'd vote for the 1DmkII. Amazing focus. More than enough resolution for 8x10 prints.

1DmkII You wont be dissappointed 1 bit.. at 8.5 fps.. you wont miss a shot

As long as you aren't having to crop a lot, the 1d mark II is Absolutely your best bet. It's a steep learning curve, but read up on it and make sure to read the manual, not just use it as a paper weight. It's a great camera with incredible AF and you will have the ability to take some incredible shots.

I've used my 100-400 on my 1d mark II since I bought it over a year ago. I've loved it. If you can keep the action mostly filling the frame, you'll be able to push the ISO up to 1600 and still be able to print perfectly.

Andy R wrote in post #11515972
well i guess it depends on how you want to view your images, ifyou plan on printing you might want the extra resolution with the 50d, but if you will just have them on the computer then the 1d will do the trick, with the upper end of your budget you could also maybe squeek by with a 60d if the micro adjust isnt a big deal for you.

Right, 'cause all those pro sports photographers with the 1DmkII/mkIIn, and gasp! - the lowly 1DmkI, never made prints. They just viewed their images onscreen.

OP, in that price range, you can easily find a clean 1DmkII/n - unless you crop away half the image, you'll have plenty of pixels for 8x10 prints.

cough*7d*cough

It says in your signature you have a 100-400L. Either the 1D Classic or the 1DMII would be your best bet.
If you don't do more than 50% crops, go with the 1D Classic. The CCD sensor will really make the surf and sky colors pop.

1dmk2 all the way

1dmkII, dont get the n version, it is not worth the extra money for a larger screen.

Andy R wrote in post #11515972
well i guess it depends on how you want to view your images, ifyou plan on printing you might want the extra resolution with the 50d, but if you will just have them on the computer then the 1d will do the trick, with the upper end of your budget you could also maybe squeek by with a 60d if the micro adjust isnt a big deal for you.

Andy, so the photos from my Mark II are only good for viewing on a computer? If you don't know what your talking about, I suggest you hold off on giving camera advice.

emtp563 wrote in post #11516880
If you don't know what your talking about, I suggest you hold off on giving camera advice.

this cant be said enough on this forum

Unless you have some pretty long lenses, you might want the extra resolution of the 50D to be able to crop your images, too. It's not just about enlargement. A 1.6X 15MP sensor is going to give you more fine detail than an 8MP 1.3X sensor can, which allows for more cropping, not just for bigger enlargements.

Personally I don't see all that much difference between 6.5fps and 8.5fps... But I try to avoid high frame rates most of the time anyway, since I hate sitting at the computer for hours and hours editing all the extra images a high frame rate tends to produce.

1D series has higher durability, a higher rated shutter life expectancy, better environmental sealing, all of which might be important.

OTOH, a six year old, used 1D MkII that was in the hands of a pro might have a couple hundred thousand clicks on it, while a one or two year old 50D that was owned by a little old grandmother might have only a few thousand. Last time I checked, shutter replacement was around $600 for a 1D and approx $300 for an xxD series camera. Batteries for a 1D series are, what, around $100 each? You can get generic BP511A off eBay for $6 or $8 apiece... Or perhaps better ones such as Sterlingtek for about $25.

Used simply, such as just the center AF point manually selected for focusing, the 50D is quite capable as a sports camera. It acquires quickly and tracks well in AI Srvo.... especially in good lighting such as you'd have most of the time when shooting surfing. Certainly, the 1D's AF would be better, and it will have some additional, more specialized AF capabilities that the 50D lacks. I managed about 95% acceptible AF accuracy when I was using three 50Ds, some of it in pretty difficult lighting. I imagine a good 1D, used right, might get you to 97 or 98% accuracy.

I really don't know when the 1D series went from 12 bit to 14 bit. It was the 30D/8MP to 40D/10MP upgrade that saw it in the xxD series.... Is the 8MP 1D MkII 14 bit, too? I don't know, but 14 bit also helps with image quality, cropping and enlargement. It's more subtle than sheer differences in resolution, but something you might want to consider and check on.

You'll also have to consider price... If they are different. A less expensive camera might leave you more in the bank to put towards a teleconverter or other things you need.

Of course, you should expect when asking this question here on POTN.... All the 50D users will step up to defend their purchase decision and all the 1D users will be quick to tell you why their particular camera is your only possible choice! Very few of us actually use all the models and can give you head to head comparisons from personal experience. I know I don't and can't.... It's been years, and only a brief rental, since I used a 1D series... and that was the full frame model. I did use the old EOS-3 a lot for several years, which have similar AF system to the later 1V and 1D series. Actually the EOS-3 was the first cam to use the 45 point AF system (altho the it differed in that it had "Eye Control" - which I never could get to work for me - which the 1 series cameras didn't have.)

I can tell you I was happy using 50D for sports/action photography... and that I'm happy using 7D now. And I saw significant improvement in the "cropability" of images going from 8MP, 12 bit 30D to 15MP, 14 bit 50D. And I still would rather put my money in lenses, than camera bodies.

But at the prices you are looking at, you could almost buy either one, try it out for a while, then resell it at very little loss if you change your mind.