Today's blog post is dual purpose. The first is to show off the Perkins School of Theology intramural sports basketball team who won their game last night. The second is to compare the 2004 Canon 1D IIn to the 2012 Canon 5D III, and discuss my thoughts on shooting indoor basketball with both of these cameras. Both cameras were shot using the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS.
Canon 5D III, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 12800
I decided to push both cameras pretty hard pushing the 5D III to ISO 12800 and ISO 25600, and pushing the 1D IIn to ISO 4000, which may not seem like a lot, but it's 1.3 stops above the camera's native range.
Canon 5D III, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 12800
Canon 5DIII, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 25600
Canon 5D III, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 25600
Pushing the ISO an additional stop to 25600 on the 5D III starts to take a toll on the image quality, and puts it pretty similar to the 1D IIn. I'd say that the 5D III has about a 3-stop advantage on the 1D IIn.
Canon 1D IIn, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 4000
Looking at the files from the 1D IIn, it is obvious that there is more noise and more purple creeping into the shadows, but it handles remarkably well for a 12 year old camera.
Canon 1D IIn, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, ISO 4000
So here are my thoughts while shooting. The 1D IIn is faster, in more ways than just frames per second. The AF is faster, more consistent, and more predictable. Too often I found the 5D III hunting or completely missing focus. I was honestly surprised how poorly the 5D III did in that regard and just goes to show that a 1D-series body is a 1D. That being said, the 5D III clearly has an image quality advantage due to newer technology. The 5D III just does much better at high ISO. However, in good light, I'll be sticking with the 1D IIn and leave the 5D III in the studio.
Perkins School of Theology's Fighting Parsons take the win!