I was so excited to get my 1D Mark IV on Friday afternoon that I bagged all of the DVD archiving that I should have done and went out to shoot an indoor track meet. I thought that shooting is the cave that is the Smith Fieldhouse Track would be a good test of the improved autofocus and high ISO files that come with the Mark IV. My first impressions were very good, starting with the autofocus. When it comes to focus, I just want the camera to track a moving object and stay in focus. I know, it is a lot to ask, but last year I exceeded my Tums budget by a fair amount, thanks to the Mark III.
ISO 6400 - 1/1250 Sec - F/2.8
I shot 12 frames of this high jumper on her approach and every frame was sharp. Overall I was very impressed with the AF in my short time shooting in cave-like conditions. I’ve got to play with the Custom Function settings to get the ideal mix, but the Mark III is getting demoted to remote duty.
ISO 6400 - 1/1250 Sec - F/2.8
In my 11 years at BYU, I’ve only shot one other indoor meet in that track, and I had to use a flash to get anything that was remotely usable. I just wasn’t worth shooting the meet because the files looked so bad. Well, now I have to work a bit harder in January. The files are gorgeous. The Raw file the camera kicks out is 10.88 x 16.32 inches at 300 DPI and in the 20 to 25 megabyte range. I shot primarily at ISO 6400 and the shots looked great.
ISO 6400 - 1/1600 Sec - F/2.8
To really push the camera, I went to the long jump pit. It is against the north wall of the track and I wanted to see what 12,800 looked like.
ISO 12,800 - 1/640 Sec - F/2.8
The noise is definitely there, but the quality of the file is a huge difference over those from previous cameras. For me the sweet spot in low light was ISO 6400, but if I ever ran into a situation that warranted it, It is nice to know that it can jump up to 12,800. I’ll keep putting the camera through its paces during this week and let you know what I find.
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I think Canon is on the right track with the Mark IV. We had one for a week and I was very impressed.
Yeah, I gotta say the Mark IV is amazing. Couple that with a 50mm f/1.2 and you can practically see in the dark. Still *and* video.
This post gets me excited for new camera tech.
I’m really blown away by both Canon and Nikon’s new pro camera! Just makes me lust. No excuse for getting poor shots at high school meets. I remember Kodak’s T-MAX 3200. Did a hostage event at 3:00 am and returned to process the film for 20 min. in the developer. Grain was the size of boulders! If only …
Videogames were harder back then, too. You kids might slaughter me in MW2, but bring on some Galaga or Gauntlet and we’ll see who rules. Then again, bring it on in MW2. Gamertag: Trenthead.
Hey Trent! Defender! Now, that was a game that required some mastery! 7 separate buttons and a joystick. And Galaga? Gaunlet? Dude, I am calling you out. Lets find one of those game console somewhere. Pete Ashdown might have those. I’ll have to give him a call and find out.
I’ve got those games and one of these as well. Maybe instead of showing photos we need to do some button mashing.
<—- was the KING of Space Invaders way back when. Those were the days.
Whoa… You have a deal.