Photography

BM, how do you find the mk4 ? how is the low light performance/shadow recovery ? did you have the mk3 before ?

Thanks for the info BL.  I received a present of a Lexar Pro 16gb 150Mb/s and starting to wonder if its a fake.  the data lock is lose and moves about which is a pain and also the quality of some shots seem very poor even though the circumstances of other shots are exactly the same.  Guess I will dump it

OP

Just had a fiddle with the Lexar, the lock is not overly tight, but not at all loose.

I used some Sandisk bought very cheaply from amazon, always suspected they were fake. Two chipped and one other stopped working within a few months. The rest still work and seem ok.

Hi Billy

Previously I used 1D Mk3's and although they were great cameras for sport pics used in mags and newspapers, they did not provide the amount of detail I wanted in my retirement with wildlife pics.

The lowlight of the Mk4 is good for focus, I was surprised how low it would focus. However I have not tried out the shadow performance so could not give a worthwhile answer to your question. I have tried to do this, but my version of Lightroom does not support the Mk4 so I have downloaded the Canon DPP to try out but not used it yet. Unfortunately time is not available at present.

The quality of image is excellent and a significant step up from the 1D 

20megapixel more to capture the detail with. However the full frame does mean larger crops, so swings and roundabouts. The Owl pics I posted on the What have you seen thread were very pleasing to me, as it was a step up on what I have taken previously in image detail. The pics do not show it on the thread, but if you care to look on Avon Bird website and scroll down, you can see the detail, not perfect, but improving as I get more used to the camera. The focus system is a little tricky to set up, I was unable to achieve any autofocus on  a tree branch that has any detail in the background. but I have found a setting that is acceptable in most cases.

Much lighter to carry around than the 1D and a really nice camera.

Oneput used HDEW, and I noticed that they are selling the camera for about £800 less than I paid 4 months ago.

Sorry can't be much more help.

Currently have a year old Canon 760 but thinking of buying a canon full frame camera this year. Wouldn't be able to justify buying a 5D mark 4, could buy a second hand 5D mark 3 with a low shutter count but what about the Canon 6D.  Decisions, decisions but has anyone got any advice?  Thanks in advance

Why do you want a full frame? I borrowed a 6D from work one weekend and took identical photos with my 80D (same MP as your 760 and same digic processor I thin) On 'normal' lighting and subjects and viewing/printing at A4 I could not see any difference the two. In fact the 80D did better due to its higher MP and processor. The only time the 6D did better was in low light due to full frame. Also the 6D is older technology (processor, slower autofocus and tracking) and the rumours are that its going to be replaced soon.

Also do you have EFS lenses? if so they won't mount on the 6D and even those non canon lenses that would fit did you wouldn't get the full image in the viewfinder.

You could always hire one to see the difference for yourself

HI OP

Having bought the Mk4, a number of conversations has me wondering if I was 100% correct in my choice.

Although I am delighted with the quality of detail compared to my previous 1D Mk3 with 10 megapixels and 1.3 effective crop sensor, the trade off of a higher pixel count of say 20mp and a 1.3 effective crop against a 30mp and no crop is worth consideration.

Several guys would not give up the smaller sensor and 1.3 effective crop as they rarely fill a frame and still crop images.

Others prefer detail when they do fill the frame.

I guess it is a personal choice based on how often you fill the frame against how far away your subject normally.

I believe your camera is pretty high spec with a crop factor of 1.6? (guessing here) if so, a middle option would be the 7D with 20mp (also a guess, check the correct number) and a crop factor of 1.3, available from HDEW for around £800 (how were they by the way)

I know several guys that use one with your lens and extender combination, and they are full of praise.

The consideration is which would give you the results you are looking for, a 20 or 24mp with a 1.3 crop or a 30mp without a crop factor.

It took me a long time to decide (as usual) and I am still undecided which would be best.

Good luck.

You are spot on with your remarks. Have a read of this:

https://northrup.photo/gear-basics/camera-body-features/sensor-size-crop-factor/

some interesting quotes:

For faraway subjects where you would need to crop 1.6X anyway, the 7D still produces 12 megapixels of visible detail. The 5D Mark III produces only 7.8 megapixels of visible detail. Therefore, the 7D produces 53% more detail than the 5D Mark III, at about 30% the cost.

So, should I get APS-C for the higher pixel density, or go full-frame?
Get APS-C for the higher pixel density if you plan to crop anyway. Realistically, almost all wildlife photography is heavily cropped. Even with super telephotos, even with an APS-C body, most wildlife photographers need to crop almost all of their photos.

Outside of captivity, the only times you don’t need to crop wildlife photos are when you’re shooting large mostly tame animals, such as deer, or when you’ve camouflaged yourself and spent hours getting close to your subjects.

In other words, if you’re masking your scent and wearing a ghillie suit, a full frame body for wildlife might be worth the extra money. Otherwise, an APS-C body is probably a better overall value

They do a lot of videos as well google Tony and Chelsea Northrup

Thanks for the advice guys, certainly food for thought.  Thanks for the link Corners will read it with interest.

OP

Just had a quick check for my own reminder.

The 7D has 20.2 MP and a crop factor of 1.6.

The advantage is that with this camera as an option, your 400 F5.6 is effectively a 640 F5.6 add the converter and you have an effective 832 F8.

I guess that is why the camera lens converter is so popular, and at £800 seems worth some thought if your main interest is wildlife.