Having been out of photography for quite some time I'm now looking to get back. My previous main rig was a Canon Mark II N and 600 IS USM so I'm looking to repeat that standard now. I have been weighing up the pros and cons of Canon & Nikon and I believe I will be going Canon because of the 800 f5.6 they now have. My question essentially is are the 1D Mark III's really functioning properly now or should I play safe and pick up a used Mark II N?
If possible I would hold fire on any real decision(s).
Most people will reply advocating what they current own, which might not be quite what you are truly after.
If you can hold off till the “Bird fair at Rutland”, which takes place on 21, 22 & 23 August. and then have a play will what is on offer, it could save you a lot of grief.
In the mean time, sit back and think about what type of photography and where you will be shooting is your intention. Working from public hides, stalking in your local park, working at a feeding station or from a car etc All these factors can influence the decisions you make now.
Also think about what you intend to do with your images. Marketing them or just for personal enjoyment and that includes making prints.
If you are just going to post on the net, then a high with a high pixel count isn’t important but for marketing and printing it is, and don’t overlook the actual quality of the sensor itself.
If ever asked directly, I always suggest that when starting out, try and meet up with an experienced photographer out in the field, so to speak, who is experienced in your branch of photography, and talk, and I do mean talk, to them about their equipment and its pros and cons when in actual use.
If it would help, and you are within striking distance of south west London, then we could meet up and you can have a play with what I use in anger so to speak. Just contact me.
That 800 is one big piece of glass, but a 600 with a 1.4 is effectively the same, but is more versatile.
Hope this helps, and not just so much smoke for you, so to speak.
I'm so pleased to see you getting back into photography. I hope the issues that made you sell up are getting better. I'm treating your 600mm very well
My MKIII, has random images where it looks like heat haze, not softness, I'm waiting for Canon to get back to me. For the time being I would get a used MKII N, my mate has the 800mm its a cracking bit of glass.
I look forward to seeing your stunning images on the forum again soon
Uncanny really, just discussing with Rob the possibilty of meeting up in a couple of weeks time, didn't realise he snapped up your 600, I guess your old 300 (also being well looked after) and 600 may well be reunited for a short spell.
Not a great time to be buying kit - lenses especially seem to have rocketed in price.
There's an EF500 F4LIS sitting on eBay Canon Outlet at the moment, last couple have gone for well over 4k though.
As Ray says lots of opinions depending on which camp you're in but if I was starting from scratch again I'd take a long hard look at Nikon not specifically for the high ISO, but because unlike Canon who have been drip feeding improvements the newer Nikons certainly seem to be nice fully featured bodies plus the CAM3500 AF seems to be very good and and there are plenty of top quality images being posted, I guess cost of glass and little second hand options could be a major drawback and of course for you the Canon route has the advantage of familarity.
Anyway hope the family are well and good luck deciding.
If you look at the Nikon range take a long look at the D300, I would say it out performs the Canon 1D3 in every department except high ISO but apart from that its a fantastic piece of kit and considering the cost exceptional,If you want a pro body then the D3 is a well know peformer, Nikon also has the 200-400 which as everybody knows is in a class of its own
Hey thanks all for your comments and thank you in particular to Rob and Kev for your thoughts who of course understand the reasons I had to pack it in in the first place. I'm very pleased that the kit found good homes and I hope they are as lucky for you as they were for me.
The Nikon idea has been very much on my mind and I shot D1X's for quite some time so have absolutely no concerns about familiarity of systems. The noise at higher ISO’s and AF performance I understand are both superior to Canon's right now, but when I look at the subjects I've shot in the past I see that almost all are were shot at 600mm + 1.4X. The bears were pretty much all at 800mm with a Sigma 300-800mm on the Nikon bodies. This confirms to me that focal length is the primary factor for my type of shooting. Without question though I would certainly use the higher ISO's as I shoot largely at the edges of the day.
So as I see it the Canon 800mm advantages to me are sharper at 800mm than a 600 + 1.4X, lighter than a 600 (handholdable even), will take a 1.4X for effective 1120mm and retain acceptable sharpness. I was never totally happy with my 600 + 2X so I'm discounting that as a viable option.
The major disadvantage is cost, but it can also be too long in some situations. This can be particularly frustrating when shooting from a car and the "human zoom" option of taking a few steps backwards isn't available. Finally, it would mean using a Canon body when at this time Nikon are acknowledged field leaders.
Having said all that though the Mark II N, 600 f4 and 300 f2.8 that I used to shoot I found to be terrific performers in every way, except maybe the weight!
Ultimately for me the choice of body will be driven by the glass I finally go with and the clear leader in my thoughts right now is the Canon 800mm.
If it was me, I'd probably pick up a used 1DIIn or a 1DIIs - with usual development cycles, there should be a refresh looming in the autumn/spring. So, go a bit cheaper now, get the glass you want and then see if the refreshed bodies float your boat when they appear.
Well when push came to shove I just couldn't justify the expense on the 800 so I've gone for the same 1DIIN and 600 f4 USM combo I had previously. I'm on the lookout for a Gitzo 1325 now, surely there must be loads of these available with people wanting to upgrade to the latest and greatest.
Many thanks to all those who offered their advice and opinions.
Discussion
9 repliesRegards
JohnS
www.jesone.co.uk
If possible I would hold fire on any real decision(s).
Most people will reply advocating what they current own, which might not be quite what you are truly after.
If you can hold off till the “Bird fair at Rutland”, which takes place on 21, 22 & 23 August. and then have a play will what is on offer, it could save you a lot of grief.
In the mean time, sit back and think about what type of photography and where you will be shooting is your intention. Working from public hides, stalking in your local park, working at a feeding station or from a car etc All these factors can influence the decisions you make now.
Also think about what you intend to do with your images. Marketing them or just for personal enjoyment and that includes making prints.
If you are just going to post on the net, then a high with a high pixel count isn’t important but for marketing and printing it is, and don’t overlook the actual quality of the sensor itself.
If ever asked directly, I always suggest that when starting out, try and meet up with an experienced photographer out in the field, so to speak, who is experienced in your branch of photography, and talk, and I do mean talk, to them about their equipment and its pros and cons when in actual use.
If it would help, and you are within striking distance of south west London, then we could meet up and you can have a play with what I use in anger so to speak. Just contact me.
That 800 is one big piece of glass, but a 600 with a 1.4 is effectively the same, but is more versatile.
Hope this helps, and not just so much smoke for you, so to speak.
I'm so pleased to see you getting back into photography. I hope the issues that made you sell up are getting better. I'm treating your 600mm very well
My MKIII, has random images where it looks like heat haze, not softness, I'm waiting for Canon to get back to me. For the time being I would get a used MKII N, my mate has the 800mm its a cracking bit of glass.
I look forward to seeing your stunning images on the forum again soon
All the best John
Rob
Like Rob Glad to hear of your intended return.
Uncanny really, just discussing with Rob the possibilty of meeting up in a couple of weeks time, didn't realise he snapped up your 600, I guess your old 300 (also being well looked after) and 600 may well be reunited for a short spell.
Not a great time to be buying kit - lenses especially seem to have rocketed in price.
There's an EF500 F4LIS sitting on eBay Canon Outlet at the moment, last couple have gone for well over 4k though.
As Ray says lots of opinions depending on which camp you're in but if I was starting from scratch again I'd take a long hard look at Nikon not specifically for the high ISO, but because unlike Canon who have been drip feeding improvements the newer Nikons certainly seem to be nice fully featured bodies plus the CAM3500 AF seems to be very good and and there are plenty of top quality images being posted, I guess cost of glass and little second hand options could be a major drawback and of course for you the Canon route has the advantage of familarity.
Anyway hope the family are well and good luck deciding.
Kev
Dave
The Nikon idea has been very much on my mind and I shot D1X's for quite some time so have absolutely no concerns about familiarity of systems. The noise at higher ISO’s and AF performance I understand are both superior to Canon's right now, but when I look at the subjects I've shot in the past I see that almost all are were shot at 600mm + 1.4X. The bears were pretty much all at 800mm with a Sigma 300-800mm on the Nikon bodies. This confirms to me that focal length is the primary factor for my type of shooting. Without question though I would certainly use the higher ISO's as I shoot largely at the edges of the day.
So as I see it the Canon 800mm advantages to me are sharper at 800mm than a 600 + 1.4X, lighter than a 600 (handholdable even), will take a 1.4X for effective 1120mm and retain acceptable sharpness. I was never totally happy with my 600 + 2X so I'm discounting that as a viable option.
The major disadvantage is cost, but it can also be too long in some situations. This can be particularly frustrating when shooting from a car and the "human zoom" option of taking a few steps backwards isn't available. Finally, it would mean using a Canon body when at this time Nikon are acknowledged field leaders.
Having said all that though the Mark II N, 600 f4 and 300 f2.8 that I used to shoot I found to be terrific performers in every way, except maybe the weight!
Ultimately for me the choice of body will be driven by the glass I finally go with and the clear leader in my thoughts right now is the Canon 800mm.
Many Regards
JohnS
www.jesone.co.uk
Many thanks to all those who offered their advice and opinions.
Regards
JohnS
Been away so missed the thread but you've madethe right call in my view.
Really pleased to see you back on the scene again and drop me a e-mail or give me a call if you fancy a chat/update.
All the best
Mark