1DC: 1DC is it still worth a buy?

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draculr

Well-known member
The 1DC seems like a pretty cool camera for me as a 80-90% stills shooter. I've been waiting on the mythical new 1DX II and hoping it comes with 4k (or at least nice crisp video in 1080p), but who knows when and if that's going to happen.

The price drops make the 1DC a little more attractive. Do I make the jump to the 1DC now? The biggest concern I have is the simple fact of it being quite an "old" camera already, and digital cameras usually don't stick around for very long.

Also, does it lack anything - in relation to stills shooting - compared to the standard 1DX (I've heard it trails on firmware?).
 
The, now lowered, price of the 1dc is definitely not going back up. So the question is....do you need to buy a camera now being that it is the worst time for a consumer to buy? NAB is right around the corner. If you absolutely need a camera, then go for it. You'll probably have camera envy in a few weeks though.
 
ReelWorksMedia said:
The, now lowered, price of the 1dc is definitely not going back up. So the question is....do you need to buy a camera now being that it is the worst time for a consumer to buy? NAB is right around the corner. If you absolutely need a camera, then go for it. You'll probably have camera envy in a few weeks though.
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Good point, it feels so far away though :P
 
It is a great stills camera. Most of the persons visiting this board are primarily videographers. So if your usage is 80-90% stills, then you are asking the wrong crowd.

The 1D X video is sharp unlike the 5D III video files.
 
I very much do both. I have considered the 1dc. It is a great camera for sure. I just would not buy now until seeing the new products in the next 60 days. It's the logical business decision as long as it's not negatively impacting your current projects to wait.

it all depends on what you currently have.
 
Best camera I've ever used hands down...can never figure out away to justify paying the price, even reduced.
 
An 80%-90% stills shooter should probably buy the new 5DS when it comes out (depending on what sort of stills) and then another video geared body.

IF 5D MK IV comes out mid-summer with both the 4K and the improved stills performance, then it might be a top value buy for under $4,000 (or a half of 1D C) with the similar video performance + other features unavailable on 1D C.

Rumors have Canon phasing 1D C out anyway.
 
DLD said:
IF 5D MK IV comes out mid-summer with both the 4K and the improved stills performance, then it might be a top value buy for under $4,000 (or a half of 1D C) with the similar video performance + other features unavailable on 1D C.
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Even as a 1Dc owner, I would very much like to see a 5DmkIV to check all the boxes. I feel it's unlikely though, that the 5DmkIV will get Canon Log (if Canon sees that as a Cinema EOS feature). If it doesn't get Canon Log, 4k won't mean anything. Then it's another GH4, LX100 or whatever.
 
AndreeOnline said:
Even as a 1Dc owner, I would very much like to see a 5DmkIV to check all the boxes. I feel it's unlikely though, that the 5DmkIV will get Canon Log (if Canon sees that as a Cinema EOS feature). If it doesn't get Canon Log, 4k won't mean anything. Then it's another GH4, LX100 or whatever.
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Yea a part of me thinks that some of the important 1DC features such as clog just won't make it through to the 1DX II/5D IV. That's why I've been considering the 1DC but I think I'll take the advice of this forum and at least hold off until NAB.
 
It's pretty safe to buy a 1DC now. That's what I am planning on.

The 5D mk IV can't have the exact same features as the 1DC for 3K, just not gonna happen.
And if they came out with a 1DC mk II, it will be at 12K, so no harm either.

plus, the 1Dx holds great resale value, so the 1DC is bound to that value too.

plus, 4K has just come out, so an excellent 4K camera like this can work for 4-5 years before replacing.

It's a win win for the new price.
 
ReelWorksMedia said:
The, now lowered, price of the 1dc is definitely not going back up. So the question is....do you need to buy a camera now being that it is the worst time for a consumer to buy? NAB is right around the corner. If you absolutely need a camera, then go for it. You'll probably have camera envy in a few weeks though.
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Huh this doesn't really hold true as stuff that gets anounced at NAB usually doesn't get released for a couple of months. And even then you don't want the first batch that comes off the production line as those usually have the biggest chance of having hardware issues. Software issues are also getting more and more common. So I would say that a camera is ready to buy around 6 months after being released to the market.

If you put all of this together this means that you'll probably buy the camera somewhere between October 2015 and February 2016. So if you need the camera now, buy the camera that suits your needs now. What ever you buy it will still be useful a year or two from now. Althought this does kinda differ depending on your business model, but if you are somebody that doesn't get hired solely on the basis of what gear you own then in that case buy what you need now.

My opinion; if premium stills quality is very important then go for it, otherwise don't. As for the video quality... if you need 4k than buy a GH4 or some other 4k capable camera that is cheaper because the only reason why 1DC is so expensive is because it's a 1DX body.
 
AndreeOnline said:
Even as a 1Dc owner, I would very much like to see a 5DmkIV to check all the boxes. I feel it's unlikely though, that the 5DmkIV will get Canon Log (if Canon sees that as a Cinema EOS feature). If it doesn't get Canon Log, 4k won't mean anything. Then it's another GH4, LX100 or whatever.
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There's a lot of pressure on Canon - the DSLR/DSLM sales are way off from their highs of 2012, perhaps as much as 60% off - to remain competitive in the mid-to-high end market, the only profitable market niche remaining for these companies. If you look at 5DS, you're basically getting a medium format performance in under $4,000 (or Euros, given how closely two currencies trade for these days) and lowest medium format package with a 50 MPX sensor was around $10,000, if you added a lens to Pentax 645Z, only half a year ago. And, if you go further back, then you're looking at $20,000-$30,000 for Mamiya or Hasselblad.

Looking at 4K products, 1D C was the lowest price model at $12,000 only a coupe of years ago and the lowest priced pro camera was Red Epic and Sony F-55 at about $50,000 when fully kitted out. And, as of February, 2015, you have AJA Cion and FS7, which are sold at around $10,000 ready to shoot. And even if no one will accuse FS7 being of Red Dragon quality, in competent hands they can look pretty darn close. (even more, my current image favorite is F7s+Atomos Shogun, which sells for under $5K ready to shoot and delivers fantastic quality, even if it lacks the convenience of in-camera 4K recording and other features ... plus, then there's a $6,000 URSA, which is also a decent, albeit extremely heavy, camera)

The spiel is to estimate that, in terms of sheer performance comparisons, in 2015 one could get a product for about one third of what he could get a similar product as recently as 2013.

And that, naturally, means that a 1D C quality can be had for ....?
 
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Look at the images that come out of it and test it yourself before making decisions.

For me, I will buy one not because it's a 1dx with a gh4 4k mode, I don't need a 1dx anddon't like the gh4 4k, I will but one because it's the cheapest camera on the market that gives me the image quality I want. I like the images more than the c300, f5, f3, e fs100, epic mx, BMP4k, ursa, cion and all these cameras, when you give me a perfectly filmic image in a DSLR body, I have to be tempted.

Again, look at the images, try it yourself please. Don't fall under the specs curse, just because a BM does 4K 12 bit 444 doesn't mean it's a better image than the 8bit 4:2:2 4k on the 1Dc, the 1dc delivers a better image, to me at least, much better. Try and see it yourself!
 
Shane Hurlbut did some URSA testing on his site and, within the right exposure range and with the right ND/IR filters, URSA images were very nice. Now, it's not a run-and-gun camera unless you're training for the NFL Draft but, on a set/soundstage with controlled lighting, it delivers a fine bang for the buck.
 
KINOKS said:
Huh this doesn't really hold true as stuff that gets anounced at NAB usually doesn't get released for a couple of months. And even then you don't want the first batch that comes off the production line as those usually have the biggest chance of having hardware issues. Software issues are also getting more and more common. So I would say that a camera is ready to buy around 6 months after being released to the market.

If you put all of this together this means that you'll probably buy the camera somewhere between October 2015 and February 2016. So if you need the camera now, buy the camera that suits your needs now. What ever you buy it will still be useful a year or two from now. Althought this does kinda differ depending on your business model, but if you are somebody that doesn't get hired solely on the basis of what gear you own then in that case buy what you need now.

My opinion; if premium stills quality is very important then go for it, otherwise don't. As for the video quality... if you need 4k than buy a GH4 or some other 4k capable camera that is cheaper because the only reason why 1DC is so expensive is because it's a 1DX body.
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These are all valid points and all part of the balancing game when deciding on when and what to buy. It largely depends on what you currently have and where you want to put that money. $8000 is a lot of money for most. So its just a question of waiting to invest that $8K into future technology...where you will ultimately benefit well from...or jump on current tech that has a shorter life span.

I personally would not buy now. Then again, I am not hurting for solid camera rigs. So its not a big deal for me to wait. I have the luxury of waiting.

If I did not own a camera of choice, I would probably jump on it. So I think it depends on the individuals situation. For me...I'm definitely waiting on tomorrow's technology.
 
The 1DC has indeed great quality picture with Canon Log at 4K. However, we have had great problems with ours (see my other thread here). We have also been playing with the idea of getting a second 1DC body just based on the picture quality alone, but since we have such problems fixing the first one under warranty we are very hesitant. There are pros and cons both ways - the 1DC problems at the production level should be (hopefully) sorted out by now. However it does lack features, the lack of a hot pixel remanning function in a "cinema" camera is a total shame, also no zebras, no peaking, etc. Not to mention that you can not update the firmware yourself, which is beyond absurd. So, maybe if one does not need a new camera right now, the best advice is to wait a little. At least that's what we will probably do.
 
Geko said:
The 1DC has indeed great quality picture with Canon Log at 4K. However, we have had great problems with ours (see my other thread here). We have also been playing with the idea of getting a second 1DC body just based on the picture quality alone, but since we have such problems fixing the first one under warranty we are very hesitant. There are pros and cons both ways - the 1DC problems at the production level should be (hopefully) sorted out by now. However it does lack features, the lack of a hot pixel remanning function in a "cinema" camera is a total shame, also no zebras, no peaking, etc. Not to mention that you can not update the firmware yourself, which is beyond absurd. So, maybe if one does not need a new camera right now, the best advice is to wait a little. At least that's what we will probably do.
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That sucks to hear, generally Canon are quite reliable!

I think I'll wait a little while and see what comes in the next few months. But that's really the kind of thing I'm looking for - great DSLR for photos + clean 4k video!
 
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