Guilty DP Abuse vs 1DMkII

Bodley

While waiting on Dell to ship my 1DmarkII I have been cruising the web and reading. I know "Big Mistake". Now after an extended DP"review" I'm thinking the 1DMkII is soon out to pasture - of little value - takes crap photos (out of camera) - locks up every other shot - and erases photos at random (always your best ones).

Whats the word - should I cancel my order. I'm getting it from Dell for ~ $2980.00.

Does anyone have good experiences with Dell and camera gear? Another DP induced fear. I've never had any problems but haven't ordered much.

Thanks
Greg

patch29

I have two 1DmkII's, wish I had paid $3000 for them. I have no idea when a new body would or could be coming out. I have been happy with mine.

I think with Dell and their great deals it is usually hurry up and wait, but that seems like a great price to me.

tmlphoto

I have a 1DmII also. It's a great camera. All those people taking about crap pics straight out of the camera don't know what they are talking about. Canon does less in camera processing so that the intelligent user can have full control over the output. Canon sells these cameras as PRO level, and expects that the user will use software to post process. See Canon website for a pdf about this. Sorry I don't have the link handy. You can always crank up the in camera post processing if you want to, but these changes are irreversible, whereas you can always go back to the RAW file or the lightly processed JPEG and start over from the original data. I have never lost a picture, although I have heard of some large CF cards and microdrives that were not fully compatible for some reason. That is a great price if they can actually ship you a unit. The only negative about the camera is the weight, but its built like a tank and has really nice feel in your hands. Makes the 10D & 20D feel like toys. I have only had it lock up once (removed battery and reinserted to fix) My 2 cents!

Bodley

tmlphoto wrote:

Canon sells these cameras as PRO level, and expects that the user will use software to post process. See Canon website for a pdf about this. Sorry I don't have the link handy.

I've seen the canon pdf - i believe they recommend 300-0.3-0 USM. I always process each image anyway.

Just looking for some positive experiences - this is my first pro level body. Currently shooting 20D for youth Baseball and starting on gymnastics.

Kinda worried about Dell coming through.

mercphoto

Bodley wrote:

I've seen the canon pdf - i believe they recommend 300-0.3-0 USM. I always process each image anyway.

Just looking for some positive experiences - this is my first pro level body. Currently shooting 20D for youth Baseball and starting on gymnastics.

Kinda worried about Dell coming through.

The 1D Mark II appears to be a fantastic camera, especially for sports and action photography. A pro I have worked with some this year swears by his. Bright viewfinder, assume auto-focus ability, so responsive you'd swear its telephathic. So durable he takes it out on water skiing shoots or motocross in the rain and doesn't worry.

Three thousand dollars huh? Wow! But I wonder what replacement is waiting in the wings...

Bodley

mercphoto wrote:

But I wonder what replacement is waiting in the wings...

Now that's just cruel .

ian408

Bodley,

No mistake. The 1DMKII is a great camera. As other mention, you need to
work on the images in PS (or the like).

I have been frustrated by mine but that's not the camera, it's me.

If it was crap, I would think most pros would ditch it in a hurry

Ian

Bodley

ian408 wrote:

Bodley,

I have been frustrated by mine but that's not the camera, it's me.

What's frustrating you?

ian408

Bodley wrote:

What's frustrating you?

Initially, I was very frustrated with how images came out of the camera.
Having previously used a 10d, I was not used to the lack of sharpening, etc.
from the 1dmkII.

Again, the camera is an excellent camera. About the only thing better is the
1dsmkII. But, you need to learn how to use it.

Ian

luckyrwe

Those who whine about the 1DII are crying sour grapes. If they had the spare change they'd buy it in a second.

And if it is a good price with Dell, order fast. I have ended up on some very long waiting lists with good prices.

rgeorgek42

Bodley wrote:

While waiting on Dell to ship my 1DmarkII I have been cruising the web and reading. I know "Big Mistake". Now after an extended DP"review" I'm thinking the 1DMkII is soon out to pasture - of little value - takes crap photos (out of camera) - locks up every other shot - and erases photos at random (always your best ones).

Whats the word - should I cancel my order. I'm getting it from Dell for ~ $2980.00.

Does anyone have good experiences with Dell and camera gear? Another DP induced fear. I've never had any problems but haven't ordered much.

Thanks
Greg

Umm, would it be inappropriate to ask how you managed $3k from Dell?

Bodley

rgeorgek42 wrote:

Umm, would it be inappropriate to ask how you managed $3k from Dell?

Not at all - Dell has deals going all the time, you just have to look for the digital camera specials.

The deal I got was - 15% off digital camera - 10% off for using Dell Financing (which I will pay off) - $500.00 canon rebate.

Its only a deal if the camera actually comes in
Greg

CatOne

Bodley wrote:

While waiting on Dell to ship my 1DmarkII I have been cruising the web and reading. I know "Big Mistake". Now after an extended DP"review" I'm thinking the 1DMkII is soon out to pasture - of little value - takes crap photos (out of camera) - locks up every other shot - and erases photos at random (always your best ones).

Whats the word - should I cancel my order. I'm getting it from Dell for ~ $2980.00.

Does anyone have good experiences with Dell and camera gear? Another DP induced fear. I've never had any problems but haven't ordered much.

Thanks
Greg

It's an outstanding camera. By default, there is no sharpening applied to the pictures out of the camera; you're supposed to do it later. If you want, you can bump up the in-camera sharpening.

Here's a gallery from a few images I took this weekend with it, with NO sharpening applied to ANY of them (yet):

Yosemite shots

cmr164

Bodley wrote:

While waiting on Dell to ship my 1DmarkII I have been cruising the web and reading. I know "Big Mistake". Now after an extended DP"review" I'm thinking the 1DMkII is soon out to pasture - of little value - takes crap photos (out of camera) -

Every dslr I have is set to do no in camera processing. You do it in the computer. Unless of course you are shooting jpegs instead of raw.

Bodley wrote:

locks up every other shot -

Tropical climates seem to be the issue for EF mount lenses. It does not happen that often but I had this with the 100-400L on my Kodak DCS520 (Canon D2000) and I have this with the 70-200L on the 1DMII and one time only with the 24-70L. Releasing/twisting (but not actually removing) the lens fixes it. So it is an occsional anoyance more than a problem. Canon redid the electronics on my 100-400L but the 70-200L hasn't annoyed me enough to send it in.

Bodley wrote:

and erases photos at random (always your best ones).

Never happens with my 4G and 1G Microdrives

Bodley wrote:

Whats the word - should I cancel my order. I'm getting it from Dell for ~ $2980.00.

Just change the name on the order. Mine will be a good choice.

Bodley wrote:

Does anyone have good experiences with Dell and camera gear? Another DP induced fear. I've never had any problems but haven't ordered much.

Thanks
Greg

Matthew Saville

Since this is your first pro body, Greg, it's important to ask just what exactly do you ACTUALLY need in your "first pro body"?

The 1D mkII has trouble SOMETIMES because it provides an absolutely whopping 8MP at 8FPS! Sice you've already got the 20D I must ask, Do you really need 8 FPS as opposed to 5? I've seen guys "spraying away" with their 8 FPS D2H's at gymnastics games and it seems to me that they run out of memory really quick, and I can only imagine what 8MP instead of 4 does to your CF card. I in fact do beautifully with my 3 FPS D70; no complaints and only praise from my gymnastics shoots:

http://matthewsaville.smugmug.com/gallery/400019

If you were paying the $3999 that I see listed elsewhere, I'd say good grief, get a D2x! (assuming you haven't bought many Canon lenses) Especially for kid's sports, you'll love the ability to jump between 1.5x and 2x cropping; with a 70-200mm lens this feature is absolute bliss for baseball and gymnastics.

But since you seem to be getting such a sweet deal, I'd say 100% stick with it and try to get your camera for $2980. Don't even worry about the camera's rumors of locking up, as long as you're not shooting in the Amazon. Just buy big memory cards and enjoy your 8 FPS.

If it were me though, I'd still probably stick with the 20D and just invest in things like a vertical battery grip, a 70-200mm IS if you don't already have one, or maybe that new DO 70-300 IS, maybe a 1.4x or 2x TC, and memory cards, monopods, etc. etc.

But that's just me, I'm a freak for "extra" gear...

So in the end, if you're getting the 1DmkII for $2980, don't back down. But if for some reason Dell flakes, then you can rethink this. But right now you're getting a great deal so stick with it! You'll love the camera

-Matt-

ian408

Matthew Saville wrote:

Since this is your first pro body, Greg, it's important to ask just what exactly do you ACTUALLY need in your "first pro body"?

The 1D mkII has trouble SOMETIMES because it provides an absolutely whopping 8MP at 8FPS!

I don't think the frame rate is the problem. If you're going to keep the
shutter pressed like that...get a miniDV video camera. The camera will
buffer something like 13-27 frames depending on the resolution. But if
you can't write the card, it's gonna hang up.

I'll sometimes do bursts of four if a surfer is doing something I don't know
but want to catch. Otherwise, I limit myself to a couple of shots.

It's important to know when to release the shutter

Matthew Saville wrote:

So in the end, if you're getting the 1DmkII for $2980, don't back down. But if for some reason Dell flakes, then you can rethink this. But right now you're getting a great deal so stick with it! You'll love the camera

The price is a pretty killer price. But from what I hear, Dell is constantly
"back-ordering" camera products. That's the more worry some thing to
me.

Ian

Bodley

Matthew Saville wrote:

Since this is your first pro body, Greg, it's important to ask just what exactly do you ACTUALLY need in your "first pro body"?

The 1D mkII has trouble SOMETIMES because it provides an absolutely whopping 8MP at 8FPS! Sice you've already got the 20D I must ask, Do you really need 8 FPS as opposed to 5?
-Matt-

I'm basing the upgrade on three important points:

1) the increase from 5 to 8 fps (some test show up to 10fps-JPEG on the 1dmkII) will give me more of an action sequence - pitching series, fielding, and hopefully more Bat-on-ball shots. Not happy with what I'm getting from the 20D - Focus seems erratic at times in sequence (probably is me not the camera). Don't think I need the increased fps for gymnastics.

2) Faster more accurate AF especially in lower light - gymnastics, basketball.

3) Price - seems hard to turn down if your looking to upgrade. I've heard of people getting 50% higher keeper ratio in sports with the 1dmkII. If this is true for me, the camera will pay for itself.

To answer the Body vs Lens question: I know more glass would probably be a better investment as I currently only have the following canon lenses - 70-200mm f2.8 IS, 200mm f1.8, 50mm 1.8, 28-135 (or something like that) and TC 1.4xII.

BBones

If I could get that price I would definately go for it. I shoot alot of motorcycle racing and have already noticed a monster of a difference from the 828 to the 20D, but the 20D at 5fps still misses a little of the action at times depending on what angle I am shooting at. 8fps would get that bit missing.

Bodley wrote:

I'm basing the upgrade on three important points:

1) the increase from 5 to 8 fps (some test show up to 10fps-JPEG on the 1dmkII) will give me more of an action sequence - pitching series, fielding, and hopefully more Bat-on-ball shots. Not happy with what I'm getting from the 20D - Focus seems erratic at times in sequence (probably is me not the camera). Don't think I need the increased fps for gymnastics.

2) Faster more accurate AF especially in lower light - gymnastics, basketball.

3) Price - seems hard to turn down if your looking to upgrade. I've heard of people getting 50% higher keeper ratio in sports with the 1dmkII. If this is true for me, the camera will pay for itself.

To answer the Body vs Lens question: I know more glass would probably be a better investment as I currently only have the following canon lenses - 70-200mm f2.8 IS, 200mm f1.8, 50mm 1.8, 28-135 (or something like that) and TC 1.4xII.

rutt

I have both 20D and 1Dmkii and I almost always reach for the 1Dmkii. I even hanuled it to the top of a mountain this winter! Why?

1. Much better autofucus system. Doesn't always just pick the closest point. I can often let it select a set of points and it is often right! I have it programed to choose center focus point when AWB button (under your thumb) is pused.
2. Much better metering. I get exposres right a lot more often.
3. Fast shooting.
4. Bigger sensor. Not quite FF, but much closer.
5. Smarter handling of folders, etc.
6. Controls are easier to access once you get used to it.
7. Vertical and horizontal shutter buttons (along with the other buttons near the shutter.)

The thing is a tank, no question about that. But once you drive around town in a tank long enouogh, you might not be able to go back to your Vespa.

BTW, I think you could turn around and sell for about the same as you paid if you keep it in near-mint shape. And I suppose you can always make Dell take it back for up to 30 days, no?