Should I get the Nikon D3s or the Canon 1D Mark IV?

[schumionbike]

Hey guys, I'm going to be be shooting a wedding in two weeks for any ex-girlfriend of mine, which one of these camera should I get??


Okay, just kidding guys.

I found this video review comparing them head to head. Not the most scientific one in the world but it give a sense of performance of the two cameras. For me, I can't afford either of them but it's fun to see cameras with these rediculous perfornmances. Not to mention, the video is rather humorous. Btw, if you have any beef with the video, please leave the comments on youtube

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkg7pAxi4gE[/ame][ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkg7pAxi4gE"][/ame]

 

[Derrel]

Fun video! Major difference in the default, out-of-camera JPEG renderings between the Nikon and Canon. I liked the fun, light tone of the video.

A side-by-side comparison of the same two cameras, with the Canon 5D Mark IK thrown in is found here.

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV vs. Nikon D3s: ISO Comparison | neutralday

EDIT on Feb 13,2010: Since I posted this, Rob Galbraith and his staff have published their month-long evaluation of the EOS 1D MArk IV and its autofocus performance. Their conclusion is here,and I think Canon executives will not like the conclusions.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10048-10484

 

[inTempus]

Yeah, I saw that a while back. It's a good video, very fun.

 

[cfusionpm]

Nikon really cranks up the saturation in their default JPG settings!

Funny video though, and was at least somewhat imformative. lol.

 

[inTempus]

Nikon really cranks up the saturation in their default JPG settings!

Funny video though, and was at least somewhat imformative. lol.

Yes they do, some folks think that heavily saturated images look better.

I shoot in "standard" mode with my Canon's and choose to control the color saturation myself depending on what I'm doing. You can bump the saturation way up in JPGs from Canon if you want to though. I know you probably know this, I'm just mentioning it for others here who aren't familiar with Canon bodies.

 

[skieur]

Well, comparing images side by side, if you want sharpness go Canon 1D Mark !V. If you want low noise at high ISOs, go Nikon D3s, and if you want full frame at a cheaper price with sufficient add on features to shake a stick at, then go with Sony A750.

skieur

 

[schumionbike]

Nikon's jpegs have a golden hue to them making the model look more Asian than the Canon's jpeg. In short, if you want to look more Asian (otherwise known as bronze in America), buy the Nikon.

 

[inTempus]

Well, comparing images side by side, if you want sharpness go Canon 1D Mark !V. If you want low noise at high ISOs, go Nikon D3s, and if you want full frame at a cheaper price with sufficient add on features to shake a stick at, then go with Sony A750.

skieur

You left out if you want the best autofocus system on the market, get the 1D4. And if you want the best HD video, get the 1D4.

 

[skieur]

Well, comparing images side by side, if you want sharpness go Canon 1D Mark !V. If you want low noise at high ISOs, go Nikon D3s, and if you want full frame at a cheaper price with sufficient add on features to shake a stick at, then go with Sony A750.

skieur

You left out if you want the best autofocus system on the market, get the 1D4. And if you want the best HD video, get the 1D4.

It depends on what you mean by best autofocus system. If you mean picking the right area to focus on, then you may be correct. If you are talking about speed then you are wrong, according to lab tests by Popular Photography magazine. Sony apparently has the speediest autofocus.

In HD Video, I suspect that the Sony A750 beats the ID4 with stereo sound, 60 fps, full HD, integrated live view and fast autofocus while shooting and this is on an inexpensive full frame camera.

Nevertheless the ID4 may beat the Nikon D3s in those areas.

skieur

 

[inTempus]

Well, comparing images side by side, if you want sharpness go Canon 1D Mark !V. If you want low noise at high ISOs, go Nikon D3s, and if you want full frame at a cheaper price with sufficient add on features to shake a stick at, then go with Sony A750.

skieur

You left out if you want the best autofocus system on the market, get the 1D4. And if you want the best HD video, get the 1D4.

It depends on what you mean by best autofocus system. If you mean picking the right area to focus on, then you may be correct. If you are talking about speed then you are wrong, according to lab tests by Popular Photography magazine. Sony apparently has the speediest autofocus.

In HD Video, I suspect that the Sony A750 beats the ID4 with stereo sound, 60 fps, full HD, integrated live view and fast autofocus while shooting.

Nevertheless the ID4 may beat the Nikon D3s in those areas.

skieur

In terms of AF accuracy in tracking moving targets, you know, the whole reason why people buy a body like this in the first place.

The 1D4 does 60fps in full HD as well and has full stereo sound (using an external mic).

 

[skieur]

You left out if you want the best autofocus system on the market, get the 1D4. And if you want the best HD video, get the 1D4.

It depends on what you mean by best autofocus system. If you mean picking the right area to focus on, then you may be correct. If you are talking about speed then you are wrong, according to lab tests by Popular Photography magazine. Sony apparently has the speediest autofocus.

In HD Video, I suspect that the Sony A750 beats the ID4 with stereo sound, 60 fps, full HD, integrated live view and fast autofocus while shooting.

Nevertheless the ID4 may beat the Nikon D3s in those areas.

skieur

In terms of AF accuracy in tracking moving targets, you know, the whole reason why people buy a body like this in the first place.

The 1D4 does 60fps in full HD as well and has full stereo sound (using an external mic).

Actually I find that most cameras track moving objects pretty well. In my gallery there is a sharp image of a dog running full tilt straight toward me.
The weakness I find in autofocus is in the still shots where it focuses on something in front of or behind your main subject. That is where more time is spent shifting to manual focus.

I notice you have not said whether the ID4 has autofocus or liveview use while shooting video.???

skieur

 

[GeneralBenson]

It seems from all these comparisons, that the 1D4 has some chroma-noise problems. Ang I use the word 'problems' lightly, seeing as how it's still a pretty darn amazing machine, and has very usable low light results. But in the comparison of the D3s, 1D4, and 5DMKII, the 1D4 has considerably more chroma-noise across the boards, and despite the fact that it's newer and has higher ISO options than the MKII, it does noticeably worse. I would have expected it to at least be equal on the lower setting like 1600-6400. Still a beast though. They said that everything had in camera NR turned off, but the D3s files still look pretty smoothed out and softened. Looks like it stil had NR running.

 

[inTempus]

It seems from all these comparisons, that the 1D4 has some chroma-noise problems. Ang I use the word 'problems' lightly, seeing as how it's still a pretty darn amazing machine, and has very usable low light results. But in the comparison of the D3s, 1D4, and 5DMKII, the 1D4 has considerably more chroma-noise across the boards, and despite the fact that it's newer and has higher ISO options than the MKII, it does noticeably worse. I would have expected it to at least be equal on the lower setting like 1600-6400. Still a beast though. They said that everything had in camera NR turned off, but the D3s files still look pretty smoothed out and softened. Looks like it stil had NR running.

That's because the D3s most likely does have NR being applied in camera even to RAW files which is why they have such muddy details at high ISO. I prefer to do my own NR and having the D3s doing NR that I can't stop would be annoying.

The chroma noise isn't that bad in the 1D4 and isn't really all that obvious until you hit ISO 6400. It's definitely there at 12800, but it still retains amazing detail (something the D3s doesn't). With good post NR like that by FlexNR it cleans up VERY nicely.

 

[inTempus]

Actually I find that most cameras track moving objects pretty well. In my gallery there is a sharp image of a dog running full tilt straight toward me.
The weakness I find in autofocus is in the still shots where it focuses on something in front of or behind your main subject. That is where more time is spent shifting to manual focus.

I've found that subjects running towards you isn't that tough of a test for any camera, including my 5D2 which has a pretty weak AF system by comparison.

It's when you have a subject moving in zig-zag directions (like a basketball player or football player) that you challenge an AF system. Not all cameras can handle that, and they certainly all can't handle ignoring other players that dart in and out while staying focused on the target. That's why people want 1D's and D3's. If all cameras could do it, there would be no market for it.

Do you have a 1D or D3 to compare to other bodies?

I notice you have not said whether the ID4 has autofocus or liveview use while shooting video.???

Yes, the 1D4 has live view.

It has AF but not real-time. You can activate it at any time, but it doesn't run the whole time you're filming. How many pro studios are using Sony DSLRs for video production? How many movies or television shows have been made using Sony DSLRs? I only ask because I honestly don't know.

I do know that Canon's are being used for all sorts of stuff from making music videos to short feature films right now. You can find out more here. It's interesting.

In your AF speed test you mentioned above, I was curious what lens or lenses they used in this test. Not all lenses are created equal. Did they average between lenses or pick the fastest lens offering from each manufacturer to do their tests? Just curious.

 

[schumionbike]

Guys guys guys, this is just for fun. If you have either of these cameras and you're complaining about noise, we need to ban you from photography. And if you get an OOF shot with either one of these, we'll ban you for that too . Shouldn't we be talking about "Suk Mi" rather than these two cameras?