Call me a softy but I get emotional at times over things like music, memories, and sentimental items. I’m not always all blustery as I sometimes appear and I can easily get weepy eyed watching Tom and Jerry from my youth. Its not often but it happens.
But the other day, tears formed in my eyes as I said goodbye to my old pal, my Canon 1D Mark IV camera body. After nearly a decade of using her and her twin sister, whom I sold a few years back when I got the mighty Canon 1Dx, were my reliable friends through thick and thin. Through rainstorms on the football field to bikini babes on the set of Hawaii Five-O, my Mark IVs did the job and helped me snap some amazing images.
The Mark IV captured this great shot of Michelle Wie celebrating a putt at Turtle Bay.
I got this shot of Obama and his kids at the beach,
and I even captured a shirtless David Beckham after a L.A. Galaxy game at Aloha Stadium!
The camera’s 16.1 mb file is outstanding. I never pushed the ISO to its limits until Jamm Aquino convinced me I could deal with the grain and sure enough, the files were superb. The fast frame rate kept up with the action and outside of my own fumbling, the camera never skipped a beat and captured the action. The only drawback was the cropped 1.3x frame as it limited your ability to shoot with wide lenses but the crop was like having an built in extension for my longer glass. Having a 400mm f2.8 turn into a 520mm was always a treat.
Alas, technology marches on and after the purchase of the X, the Mark IV became my secondary or backup camera. I knew at some point I’d sell her but I knew she could still handle the jobs and make wonderful images.
And this last winter, Jordan Murph made a deal I couldn’t say no and I purchased the stellar Canon 1Dx Mark II from him thus signalling the end of the Mark IV in my arsenal. And just like the 1Dx Mark I, the newer camera crushed the older body’s technology.
In 2017, Canon Professional Service announced they will no longer service the Mark IV thus heaping their once flagship camera onto the bin of obsolete technology. For an annual fee, CPS repairs registered cameras and lenses within a 72 hour period and without that service, I can’t run a business with a camera in a repair shop for weeks on end. Once CPS made this statement, I knew it was the end for my trusty friend.
After nearly a decade of faithful use, and more than 200,000 frames clicked, I made the tough decision to list the body on eBay this last week.
On Monday, eBay notified me that my beloved Mark IV sold. It filled with regret knowing I was letting go an important tool that helped me pay my mortgages and put food on the table. But more importantly, the camera helped me make a name for my self in this tough business.
Guilt and dismay overwhelmed me but I knew it was time to let her go. The bidder won and, after a few emails, I knew he would care for the Mark IV and continue to make art with her.
So as I placed the camera on the counter at the post office, I kissed the box with aloha and thanked her for all the years of reliable service. I didn’t feel this way when I sold her sister but as I let this one go, it reminded me of all the hardships and joy of my career in Hawaii for the past decade. It was tough and I’m glad I had this trusty camera at my side.
Bye bye… 🙁