1D image quality

I have been searching like a bear but still can't find an aswer about

the acyaul image quality of this camera. luminous landsacpe's review

was a positive review but that isalso just one person's thoughts and

opinions. I find DPreview pretty impossible to navigate and wheneevr

I do a search here I only get a couple threads pertaining to battery

life.

 

I would like to know if anyone owns the 1D and what they honestly

think about the camera. Does the 4MP sensor produce enough resolution

to get good sharp enlargements? Theer is no way I could get a 1Ds

right now but I may be able to swing the 1D at Dell and would like to

get a few honest opinions of it before I do.

 

I am simply not interested in the 10D,D60,or D30 I have an Elan7 and

it is a nice little second camera. For that money I can get a 1V and

continue with Provia for awhile.From what I hear the 10D is a good

camera but for my needs I need more camera. The functions of the

1series are more valuable than the latest digi to me. But if the 4MP

could stay competitive for the time being who knows, I may beable to

get enough done to swing the 1Ds later on. For right now, the abilyt

to repel weather, spot metering, interchangeable screens for manual

focusing and high speed buffer would be well worth committing to a

camera payment. But the reason I hadn't done it yet is wondering

whether the 4MP snesor is good enough to deliver enlarged work.

"Good Enough" requires definition. "Good enough" for what purpose?

I would definetly use it for local photojournalism, and even try and use it in the woods to get some photojournailsm done there too. Such as shooting wildfires this summer, logging nature conservation, see if I can ride along with some of the BLM workers. Show the effects of mudslides and such. If it does good enough I might even consider using it for weddings, but I would really like to not have to rely on weddings to make a living. I have not shot one in months for a reason.One is childcare, because I like my wife to help me with them. She is an excellent people person, and I admittedly am alittle too blunt.

 

I almost think that to use it for artistic self serving nature photography would be expecting too much but if it could that too then it would be nice. I guess I'd like to know what kind of detail can it really record and at how much noise will I have to try and filter out in Photo Shop. I know it is geared towards sport photorpahers and photojournalists, but can it handle more artsy fartsy stuff too.

 

I do think that for some things I would probably have to stick with film such as shooting plant life and animal life, maybe the bulk of my architectural stuff such as shooting the old mills logging camps and such. You never know. I will getting the frontend and leafsprings done on my Jeep Wagoneer this month so I am planning on being able to get back into the woods and shooting again. I am getting bored with shooting campus life and such.

Haven't shot with one, but here's <a href="http://www.steves-digicams.com/2001_reviews/canon_eos1d.html">the review from Steve's Digicams</a>.<p>

 

Two reviews, from around the time of the 1D's release, as another tester summarizes his impressions in the conclusion.<p>

 

Both reviewers like the 1D's image quality, but note a minor banding problem at high ISO in low light. Fred Miranda sells a PS action to correct this. Does that mean Canon has been unable to correct the problem with firmware upgrades?

Well, here's one opinion that speaks to your question...

 

http://www.naturephotographers.net/ejp0202-1.html

 

I own a 1D, so i am biased twards it, but i used a D60 and have used a 10D and a 1D for an afternoon when i was deciding between the 10D and 1D.

I did some 8x10 prints from each of the same scene (lens on tripod via it's tripod mount shooting the same iso and exposure), and i had no hesitation in picking the 1D as the camera to buy for me. Many factors went into this descission obviously, but image quality was well up to the challenge compared to the 10D in my testing. The build quality, sealing, sensor size and AF performance are known quantities at this point.

 

I was pretty aprehensive about spending that kind of money on digital, and I have no regrets whatsoever in having bought mine.

 

I have been doing a few 8x10 prints without interpolation, and have done two 13x19's from the 1D with interpolation, and i am quite satisfied with the results for what thats worth (a very subjective opinion).

 

Previously i have been using eos-1 film bodies for years and recently a D30.

I should ad, if i were to tell you all the things i like about the 1D over the other camera's i have used, i will be typing for a long long time.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1d/

Simply stated my 1D makes excellent enlargements to 11x14 with minor PS interpolation... I have seen outstanding 20x30's done where stepped PS bicubic or GF was used to upscale. For PJ work, it will be unbeatable with its 8 fps and near-instant AF.

 

Cheers,

Sounds great. I really wish I could afford the 1Ds but alas I cannot. I see the need and versatility of digital though and so figure it is time to jump on the wagon. I think of the film at the lab that needs picked up and the several rolls I will have to drop off when I go pick up the new slides and then look at this stack of blank CDs next to me anf realize how easy it would be to plug the 1D into the computer and download the images. At which point their ready to go or send to the paper or whatever else.

 

I will still keep hold of the 1N as when I need to go on an extended shoot or want to do certain things I can get more resolution, but all that resolution don't mean squat if I get a great shot that can't get sent to the paper before the story is run huh!

 

In class tonight we watched a film on paradigms and thinking outside the box. Funny how that was shown in sync with my considering making a major move like this huh?

Okay now I know I'll need to also get a spare battery and possibly a third later down the road. Being NiMH they should have a better life than the NiCads of yesteryear so I ca ndeal with it. Now, Is there any particular brand of CF card to stay away from. Also about portable storage such as hard drives, what do you guys use and why. Just to give me an idea.

 

I figure even if I only start with a couple 256MB cards and the batteries I can do some good shooting and come home and down load and burn to disc. I already know where I will start using this thing so with any luck by summers end I may be able to get the camera to pay for itself atleast along with some extra gadgetry to enable me a bit more flexibility in the feild.

 

I also would like to assume and so correct me if I am wrong; that if I shoot the way I do now by making sure I nail my exposure and focus, and shoot selecitvely I should be able to cut down my computer time. In other words if I do my part at the camera I wont be spending time at the terminal trying to fix what I screwed up. That has worked for me for film in Black and White and even my scanned down prints wit hthe flatbed. This is however a different animal.

 

For a small town we have a couple things going for us. We have a well known BMX track, and I have heard many say that theywish we got better coverage in the publications. I am going to try that along with our stock car track. We have a dirt oval that is reported one of thefastest in Oregon and most fun so I am planning on hitting it too this summer with earplugs donned. That along with gettting some of our Historic Festivals covered and even local ball games maybe I can make a meager start.

 

I know I could with film too, and will still take the 1N along for a backup but atleast in digital I can get immediate results and possibly even use that as a source of reveunue by being able to display my results immediately and making a sales pitch...who knows its wirth a shot.

 

I figure if nothing else if you guys give me a long list if I play my cards right and ethically even if I can't affrod everything right now I may be able to later so I am willing to take all your suggestions.

 

Thanks in advance.

I have been shooting with a Nikon CoolPix 990 for 2 years and dreamed of getting a Canon EOS-1D. I attended Photokina 2002 and demo'd the Canon EOS-1Ds. WOW! so I saved some more.. When I bought it, I had to spend another $1.5k just for extra batteries, 1GB Micro drives, a Delkin eFilm Picture Pad 30GB (this is a must!), extra batteries for it, and a Firewire adapter for PicturePad. Then I had to upgrade my PC Firewire card to get everything to talk to each other. Okay.. Now.. I've spent close to $10K (not counting lenses) and I'm ready to start taking photos! I went to Piz Gloria on top of the Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps for some breathtaking vistas.. I used a tripod, shot both 1GB drives full and drove home. Now the real work begins.. processing, archiving, sorting and printing. THat takes a lot longer than shooting. The images are 'UFB' absolutely sharp from the skiers 20 feet away to the lift details a mile away in the valley. All the skiers were looking the same direction.. I was able to pick out the red paraglider 2.5 miles away!! I have never gotten images that crisp and full of detail in 24 years of shooting with my Nikon gear F2 & F3s. The prints were A4 size and only 8-bit TIFFs. I could easily go to A2 without seeing any grain or drop in resolution. The RAW 11 mega-pixels blows the doors off any 35mm photo I've seen. It's a big investment, but based on it's performance, I don't see that I'll be selling this camera for a LOOOONG while :-) Save your Money and get the 1Ds !! You can still shoot at 3fps!

Daniel, yes, the 1DS is nice, but 8k? Really. I own one, but I'm not proud of having spent that kind of dough on a camera. Click on my name and you'll see some 1DS photos.<p>The good news for everyone else is that the 1DS will drop drastically in price over the next year, and one day soon, yes, it will be yesterday's technology.

Oh yes, I cannot afford the 8K for a 1Ds although if I could I would already have one! The 1D would still leave me with a $150 a month camera payment from Dell and the need to keep my 1N for work requiring increased detail. The one thing that has kept me away thus far is the time digi shooters talk of being at the computer working with images. I try to do my part in the camera so that when I scan all I have to do is correct what the scanner screwed up. I am getting a neg scanner in a week so, hopefully it will allow me to simply scan and store, but I am not holding my breath.

 

I figured the 1D would have its place as a business tool for me. Although the 1D, D30 D60 and 10D all keep that tell tale jagged line in the diagonals and I can see the "blur" created from not being able to catch some fine details I know that there are ways to correct that once the image is in the imaging software.

 

the reason for choosing the 1D route over the 10D route is simply the need for the features of the 1 series camera. I need the weather sealing, along with the metering options. Admittedly the frame rate would be perfect since you would not have to worry about burning film! I think I could get a lot done with it. Also keepeing the features of the 1 series would be great as I learned more about the nuances of the digital imaging and give me more to experiment with. who knows, by the end of it all I may be using even a 4MP sensor for most of the work. That is unless the price significanly drops on the 1Ds! Who knows.

 

Looks liek a worthwhile plunge to take, embrace change, and use it as a method to improve your own skill...and chances of survival in the ever changing face of imaging!

 

Careful planning!

I can't speak to image quality vs film, but comparing the 1D to 10D/D60 etc is no contest. The sensor is bigger, and takes more detailed pics, and the additional features that come with the 1 series bodies make the 10D/D60 look like toys.

 

The AF and Speed were the reasons I upgraded..

 

As far as Storage I bought a 40x Lexar 1GB CF card with the 1D and it flys, plus you don't need to baby it as much as a microdrive (the increased speed could be a factor of the 1D however, I haven't tested it in my D30 (it is gathering dust).