Lens or body?

[herman_hiel]

<p>Fellow photonetters, I need your advice!<br>

I shoot for pleasure, a bit at home in winter (garden birds) and some 2 weeks of wildlife on vacation (East Africa

being a favourite). I now have a 1D mark I and a 1D III. I am not too crazy about the 1III because

of the AF button. It is confusing and unnecessary IMO. I do like the higher ISO possibilities as it is

dark in winter in Europe.<br>

Now my wife -bless her - has offered to buy a 1DIV for an important birthday (that's how I got my 1D). Of

course I don't need that camera but I admit to a degree of equiment lust. I like the 1D serie since my

1N HS film camera. They're robust and can take a lot of throwing around, which is necessary on our

trips. I also like the feel and weight.<br>

I like the high fps of the 1D serie as at home I shoot garden birds and some of them are skittish and in

Africa I once mist shooting a crock because of a slow fps and I promised myself that wouldn't happen again, at least

not because of a slow camera.<br>

I sometimes feel I should slow down and shoot slower (sometimes) hence my thoughts on the 1Ds serie, which I

never used. Preferably, it would have the same charger and batteries, which is handy when travelling,

now I have to take 2 chargers, more batteries...<br>

I also have a 20D which I use for scubadiving; I seldom use it top-side as I'm used to my 1D feel.<br>

I have some nice lenses, my favourite being the 500fIS; another lens I like a lot is the 300f2.8 non

IS. The last one I have been thinking about replacing with the IS version, as the non IS is not reparable

anymore (my 600 f4 non IS died and is only usefull to chase away burglars should the occasion arise).<br>

The 300f2.8 IS is almost the same price as the 1DIV and will keep it's value a lot longer. Should I add a

1Ds mark I or II to replace my 1D mark I? Or a second DIII of DIV? I always take 2 cameras on

vacation but don't want to take 3!<br>

So could you give me the benefit of your thoughts? Thank you.<br>

</p

[laurent_jaussi]

<p>I vote for lens or a very different body....what's the need to collect equivalent bodies, you can only use one body at a time (and one pair of shoes and one trouser)...</p>

[eric merrill]

<p>Herman:</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I am not too crazy about the 1III because of the AF button.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>What do you mean by this? The 1D4 has an AF button, too.</p>

<p>I have the 300/2.8 IS, and I really like it. Much of the time, I'm using it with shutter speeds that are fast enough so IS isn't necessary. That said, IS is nice in terms of making it easier to look through for longer periods with less eye fatigue.</p>

<p>I've been trying to decide between several lenses. I finally realized that what this means is that I don't really need anything else at this time. I'm keeping my money until I'm not waffling back and forth.</p>

<p>Eric</p>

[yakim_peled1]

<blockquote>

<p>Now my wife -bless her - has offered to buy a 1DIV for an important birthday</p>

</blockquote>

<p>

<p dir="ltr">For the sake of marital happiness go for the body. If you haven't done so already tell your wife: "You are so sweet. That's exactly what I want".</p>

<p dir="ltr"> </p>

<p dir="ltr"> </p>

<p dir="ltr">Happy shooting,</p>

<p dir="ltr">Yakim.</p>

 

<p dir="ltr"> </p>

</p>

 

[jamie_robertson2]

<p>To be brutally honest it sounds as though you are just looking for a way to spend a huge pile of money without it bringing any benefit to your photography.</p>

<p>After reading your question again, if you really have to blow so much cash then I think the sensible route would be to sell the 1D Mk1 & broken 600mm, save the money from your wife and put it all towards the upcoming 1Ds Mk4 which is due out soon. That will answer all your photographic prayers and probably give you the best DSLR body that money can buy.</p>

[steven_crist]

<p>If you don't like the position of the AF start button it can be changed with the * button by custom setting 4-2. As to your camera bodies, I'd hold out until later this year when the 1DS MKIV arrives. Then you could pick up a deal on a new or used 1DS MKIII. I have the pair of 1D3 and 1DS3 and love them. All the controls and accessories are identical but you have the choice of speed or ultra high resolution (though the 10mp 1D3 does just fine). Personally at this point in technology new bodies are entering the diminishing point of returns. A new 1DS MKIV will probably have over 30mp (since Canon has always designed the 1DS body to have at least double the MP of the 1D body). To me this has reached the point of overkill. I can shoot beautiful 16x20's with the 1D3. I wouldn't suddenly plan on shooting 40x60's with a 1D4.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>I'd give your wife a big hug, tell her she's sweet, tell her you love her very much, and tell her you don't really need another camera body at this time. If you both have that much money to spend, then maybe there's something you can get that you can enjoy together -- maybe another vacation, not just as an opportunity to take in some photography, but also as an opportunity to enjoy some alone time together.</p>

[buffdr_rasouliyan]

<p>Does she have a sister? JK, I'm happily married. I know you have said you like the 1D series, but don't over look the 7D. It's not as fast as 1D MKIV but you can buy few more L glass with the remaining money. Still have a few dollars left to take your sweet wife out for a nice dinner date!v/r Buffdr</p>

[herman_hiel]

<p>Thanks for all the input; it looks like the verdict is still out. So I'll hold on a bit longer and see what happens later this year. </p>

 

[JDMvW]

<p>I'm sure there would be a market for one of the other bodies.... I'm with Yakim on this one, although Sarah has a point too. :)</p>