topic It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

BitlifeAPP — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 09:45:02 GMT

Hey Everyone,

I am Planning a New Gear for Wildlife Photography and Short Movie Making.

And I have Canon EOS 1D Mark II and Nikon D5 in Mind I don't Know Which is one better for me.

If You have any Suggestion Then Let Me Know.

Thanks in Advance

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

RobertTheFat — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 12:10:27 GMT

@BitlifeAPP wrote:
Hey Everyone,

I am Planning a New Gear for Wildlife Photography and Short Movie Making.

And I have Canon EOS 1D Mark II and Nikon D5 in Mind I don't Know Which is one better for me.

If You have any Suggestion Then Let Me Know.

Thanks in Advance

I'll probably get an argument from some quarters, but I wouldn't buy an antique like that for serious photography. My suggestion would have to be a 1Dx Mark II or a 5D Mark IV.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

Charlie1173 — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 13:50:26 GMT

I'm sure I'll get beat up on here for saying it but.... For wildlife, I'd go with a crop sensor for the extra distance.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

cicopo — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 14:07:36 GMT

I'm thinking it's a 1Dx mark 2 that's being considered because of the Nikon mentioned.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

cicopo — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 14:13:21 GMT

I have no interest in shooting video but if it is the 1Dx Mk 2 then this may help.

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1614165/

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

John_SD — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 14:21:46 GMT

@BitlifeAPP wrote:
Hey Everyone,

I am Planning a New Gear for Wildlife Photography and Short Movie Making.

And I have Canon EOS 1D Mark II and Nikon D5 in Mind I don't Know Which is one better for me.

A camera for wildlife and "Short Movie Making"?

Frankly, I think that the Rebel T7I would be more than enough camera until you decide what you want to do. Best of luck.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

Charlie1173 — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 14:25:07 GMT

Agreed. I had the T7i. Solid camera.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

ebiggs1 — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 15:16:46 GMT

"...I have Canon EOS 1D Mark II and Nikon D5 in Mind I don't Know Which is one better for me."

I, too, am thinking you mistyped and really mean a 1Dx Mk II. Not a 1D Mk II ? If I am mistaken there is no way you want a 1D2 over a D5. A 1D2 won't connect to any current computer so you will need to find an old one perhaps in a museum!

Back to reality, this is a Canon forum so of course you are going to get kudos for the 1Dx Mk II. In fact the two cameras are virtually a match to one another. One has a better 'this' and the other has a better 'that'. But essentially they are pretty close. I would buy the Canon every time just for the fact of lens line up. Canon rules the lens world and that is a huge plus.

Lately Nikon has upped it lens game but lens for lens you will pay more for the Nikkor that performs no better, likely not as good, as its Canon counterpart.

"I am Planning a New Gear ... Short Movie Making."

Buy a real video camera! These are stills cameras.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

Waddizzle — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 15:57:04 GMT

I assume you mean 1Dx Mark II or a Nikon D5.You are in a Canon forum. I think most of the replies will point to a Canon body.

The camera specs that you would want for wildlife photography can be very different from the camera specs you would desire for movie making. I feel that both bodies you mentioned are aimed mostly at the pro sports photographer. Either body can do any task very well, though. I think other factors should be considered before making a final choice of camera body.

The desired lens performance can vary just as widely as the camera specs. I think Canon has better lenses than Nikon. Not only do Canon lenses perform better, they are lest costly than the Nikon equivalents Canon also makes professional video camera and broadcast quality lenses, while Nikon does not. Canon lenses can be found everywhere, from scientific and medical equipment to EF mount security cameras.

When I go out looking to shoot birds, I want as much focal length that I can get. I do not have the budget for an 800mm prime lens, I buy lest costly zooms and use an APS-C sensor body, a 7D Mark II. I suppose the Nikon equivalent would be a D500.

I pair the 7D2 with an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. I have a 1.4x extender, but it reduces the 7D2 to just one AF point, which acts pretty sluggish compared to without the extender. The 80D would have 27 AF points with an extender, and none of the AF points take a performance hit. I suspect the just released 90D performs just as well.

The biggest drawback with using the 7D2 is that it focuses very well in bright light, but not so well in low light, where it also tends to get noisy with higher ISO. For this reason, I leave the 7D2 at home ono overcast days, or for shooting Friday Night Lights. I will bring a 6D2, which has the same excellent AF focusing system as the 80D.

As far as video goes, I would want to use a camera designed for capturing video. Canon makes professional grade camcorders, which are popular for ENG applications. Once again, this is a camera market where Nikon has no presence. If you want a professional video camera with interchangeable lenses, then look at the Cinema EOS line of cameras.

I bought the entry level C100 a few years ago when the priced dropped with the release of the C100 Mark II. It captures full HD video with C-Log, and include Dual Pixel AF. It does the jobs that I need. If you need 4K video, then take a look at the C200.

All Cinema EOS include Canon’s C-Log, which is not available in the 1Dx Mark II. The EOS 5D Mark IV has C-Log available as an option. I have never heard of anyone making movies using Nikon gear. Wedding videos, yes. Cinema quality movies, never.

If I had to make a recommendation, I would suggest the 1D Mark II over the Nikon D5 for what you want to do. Another option would be a 5D4 or Cinema EOS body for video, and a 7D2 or a 90D for wildlife photography.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

John_SD — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 21:29:50 GMT

@Waddizzle wrote:
If I had to make a recommendation, I would suggest the 1D Mark II over the Nikon D5 for what you want to do. Another option would be a 5D4 or Cinema EOS body for video, and a 7D2 or a 90D for wildlife photography.

Speaking of the 90D, Chris and Jordan of DPReview just posted a very good review of the 90D. While it is not without its flaws, I think the guys were suitably impressed. Definitely worth a look.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

RobertTheFat — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 21:49:32 GMT

@Waddizzle wrote:
I assume you mean 1Dx Mark II or a Nikon D5.You are in a Canon forum. I think most of the replies will point to a Canon body.
...
If I had to make a recommendation, I would suggest the 1D Mark II over the Nikon D5 for what you want to do. Another option would be a 5D4 or Cinema EOS body for video, and a 7D2 or a 90D for wildlife photography.

Note to Canon: The usual contributors to this forum are not novices. If we're getting confused by your nomenclature, you may want to consider revising it for clarity.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 14:46:45 GMT

"If I had to make a recommendation, I would suggest the 1D Mark II over the Nikon D5 for what you want to do. Another option would be a 5D4 or Cinema EOS body for video, and a 7D2 or a 90D for wildlife photography."

Perhaps mistyping is contagious. I am sure he means 1Dx Mk II. I still have my 1D MkIIn but I would never recommend anyone buy one as an upgrade to almost any current camera. Now, the 1D Mk II is even a lesser camera and a lesser choice. I sold mine when I got the Mk IIn.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

Waddizzle — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 00:56:46 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
"If I had to make a recommendation, I would suggest the 1D Mark II over the Nikon D5 for what you want to do. Another option would be a 5D4 or Cinema EOS body for video, and a 7D2 or a 90D for wildlife photography."

Perhaps mistyping is contagious. I am sure he means 1Dx Mk II. I still have my 1D MkIIn but I would never recommend anyone buy one as an upgrade to almost any current camera. Now, the 1D Mk II is even a lesser camera and a lesser choice. I sold mine when I got the Mk IIn.

Yeah, typing on an iPhone. Couldn’t bo back and edit the spelling.

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

kvbarkley — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 01:41:03 GMT

Shouldn't we wait for the OP to continue this discussion?

Re: It's Worth it to Buy Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Wildlife Photography?

ebiggs1 — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 14:39:38 GMT

"Shouldn't we wait for the OP to continue this discussion?"

Not really all we need is a topic to discuss! OP wants to chime in again fine if not we can charge ahead ever stalwart.