----- Original Message ----- From: "Chip Louie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > So, what's your honest opinion of the EOS 1Ds? I want one pretty bad but > I'm waiting to see what develops so to say with the EOS D80 rumors between > to the chronic low availability of the EOS D60 and its IMO almost useless AF > speed for action and sports. I think I'm willing to give up the frame rate > of the EOS 1D for the level of resolution of the EOS 1Ds. Of course the EOS > 1D images are pretty good too and they are slowly falling in price.
Hi Chip, I gave the test camera back yesterday although I really didn't want to. I shot at the track for about half a day and was completely happy that the AF operation is as good as the 1v - other than some hunting with the long lens which no doubt comes back to CF & PF's that are set in my 1v but were not set on the 1Ds. I managed to get a crash sequence to test the frame advance rate, which, while slower, almost held up to the pace of historic racing bikes. My theory is that I will have the 1v in the bag still so if I am asked to specifically shoot a fast action sequence for covers etc I can always do this on trannie while shooting the bulk of the job digitally. I shot most of the track action on fine jpeg setting to see if this was going to be good enough for most editorial work, and for me to print at 12" x 18" unmodified. It is. I have a few prints in front of me now which really are exceptional, and as good as anything else I have done on print or slide. This also allays my fears that I would need to shoot everything RAW and therefore have problems out on assignment with image storage. I am just waiting to hear back from a couple of magazine clients that they agree the fine jpeg files are suitable for 90% of the work we are currently doing. I am also impressed with all the software which comes with the 1Ds. Both Fileviewer and Zoombrowser have worked flawlessly for me and given me everything I will need. Large transfers are going to take time, even with firewire and my "latest and greatest" PC, but that is unavoidable. Waiting for slides to be processed takes time too I guess. Battery usage seemed to be higher than specified but that could also be just a result of all my reviewing and testing. One battery won't last a full days shoot though. I was also unsure of the exposure metering as it seemed to be very sensitive to light scenes, several of which it underexposed. I finished my tests with a back to back set of exposure readings with the 1v, and also the handheld Minolta meter. The 1Ds and 1v were spot on in all but very bright scenes where the 1Ds gave about 2/3 less exposure compared to the 1v - all on evaluative metering. Good enough for me but they are supposed to be identical. BTW, the handheld was all over the place again - I might return that soon. The upshot is that I am very impressed with the new camera (computer?) and will buy one later this month - pro kit is $15,000 aust. The next incarnation may be better again and with faster frame rate but I don't expect it to happen this year. When you look at the image quality off this you will not even consider getting a 1D instead Chip - resolution is everything. If you want a couple of test images send me your personal email address and I'll flash some across to you. Regards, Tim www.timmunro.com.au * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
