5D3 or 5D2 + an L Lens

[killswitch]

I recently got a deal on 5D3 and bought one. Coming from a 60D this is has been a huge jump for me. I am no professional and consider myself a hobbyist. The only paid work I can think of is that from time to time some photos I have in flickr get noticed by Getty Images and are offered for sale on their site.

Anyways, I love the 5D3 and it is just freakin fun to shoot with. Coming from a 60D, i was used to the focus recompose method but loving the 61 points on the 5D3 to play with. Having said that, at times I felt the 5D3 is probably an overkill for someone like me. Perhaps a 5D2 made sense cost wise. That way I could get myself a 70-200 f2.8 IS (version 1 or 2) from Canon or the new one from Tamron (after some reviews are out).

I still have the 60D as my wife uses that body, and we share lenses. Right now I have a 24-70L, 50mm 1.8, (selling the Tokina 11-16). If I keep the 5D3, I plan to eventually get the 16-35 II or one of the 70-200 but that may take sometime to save up. Question is, should i stick with 5d3 or go with the 5d+another L lens route? Its a question probably I will know the answer to but I guess I am looking to find out how others would have dealt with the situation.

Note: Do I need the second L lens right now? Well, if 60D has the 24-70 on it and is used by my wife, I will be using and needing a body for myself and a 2nd lens. I dont use 50mm at all, but we swap lenses when required. 

[Dylan777]

Why 16-35 II? why not 17-40mm if you plan to do landscape from f8 - f11. I'm not happy with my 16-35 II - this is not a WOW lens from Canon.

Besides the 61pts focus, 5D III has the best center AF(dual-cross). It's much more precise for low light shooting.

[Halfrack]

Keep the 5d3.  Even the kit lens for the 60d will be ok, if you want 2 zooms.  Ditto the 17-40f4, it'll be fine with the high ISO on the 5d3.

Better question, what about the 50f1.8 do you not like?  It's not ideal, but if it's the build/sharpness/?? you may want to trade it in on a 40/2.8 "shorty 40".

[RC]

Keep the 5D3, I'm betting you will regret it if you give it up.  If both you and your wife are frequently shooting together, why not a 24-105 first to avoid swapping lens?   Then you can acquire specialty lens that you can share. 

Hmmm, wish my wife was into photog so I could justify buying more gear.  Second thought, maybe not, then she would know how much I'm spending. 

[AudioGlenn]

+1 for keeping the 5dmk3.  for the times when you need the speed or AF.  I think you'll regret the trade off when you come across the occasion when you need the features. 

I like the idea of getting a 17-40 or a 24-105 to compliment your lens collection...but leaning more towards the 17-40.  If you're looking at primes, i suggest you try out a 35L as well.  It's one of my favorites.

[StepBack]

Get the 1DX or wait for the 46MP.

[verysimplejason]

Just keep the 5D3.  You've already invested in it.  You'll lose some money if you are to sell it again.  Maybe, you should give your wife a Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 VC/non-VC so you get to keep the 24-70.  The Tamron 17-50 is comparable to Canon 17-55 albeit not as good.  It's also a much cheaper solution.  You can also get an UWA (17-40 or 16-35) later on.

[killswitch]

Why 16-35 II? why not 17-40mm if you plan to do landscape from f8 - f11. I'm not happy with my 16-35 II - this is not a WOW lens from Canon.

I initially wanted to go for the 17-40, but the vignetting seemed quite a lot on a FF camera compared to the 16-35 II. Curious, how come you are not happy with your 16-35 II ? Also, I was looking at my catalog in LR, and most of my wide shots are shot at the widest focal length I had in my bag (Tokina 11-16mm). I seem to like that extra FOV =/ The sunstars are better in 16-35 II but the flare is better controlled in 17-40. Grr.

Better question, what about the 50f1.8 do you not like?  It's not ideal, but if it's the build/sharpness/?? you may want to trade it in on a 40/2.8 "shorty 40".

The build quality is one, but I mainly dont like it's focus hunting problem. It hesitates to lock on instantly like the other lens in the same setting.

Hmmm, wish my wife was into photog so I could justify buying more gear.  Second thought, maybe not, then she would know how much I'm spending. 

Hehe, I hear ya.

Thanks folks. I will be keeping the 5D3. You are right, I may end up regretting plus may end up loosing more cash in the process if I had tried to sell it off. So the general consensus is the 17-40 it seems. Think its a good idea to rent both of these and see which one I like better? The only thing confusing me is how much field of view am I losing with the 17mm over the 16mm. Is it significant?

[verysimplejason]

Why 16-35 II? why not 17-40mm if you plan to do landscape from f8 - f11. I'm not happy with my 16-35 II - this is not a WOW lens from Canon.

I initially wanted to go for the 17-40, but the vignetting seemed quite a lot on a FF camera compared to the 16-35 II. Curious, how come you are not happy with your 16-35 II ? Also, I was looking at my catalog in LR, and most of my wide shots are shot at the widest focal length I had in my bag (Tokina 11-16mm). I seem to like that extra FOV =/ The sunstars are better in 16-35 II but the flare is better controlled in 17-40. Grr.

Better question, what about the 50f1.8 do you not like?  It's not ideal, but if it's the build/sharpness/?? you may want to trade it in on a 40/2.8 "shorty 40".

The build quality is one, but I mainly dont like it's focus hunting problem. It hesitates to lock on instantly like the other lens in the same setting.

Hmmm, wish my wife was into photog so I could justify buying more gear.  Second thought, maybe not, then she would know how much I'm spending. 

Hehe, I hear ya.

Thanks folks. I will be keeping the 5D3. You are right, I may end up regretting plus may end up loosing more cash in the process if I had tried to sell it off. So the general consensus is the 17-40 it seems. Think its a good idea to rent both of these and see which one I like better? The only thing confusing me is how much field of view am I losing with the 17mm over the 16mm. Is it significant?

Maybe because flare isn't easily controlled especially if your subject happens to be near the source of light.  Vignetting however can be minimized with lens corrections.

[Dylan777]

Why 16-35 II? why not 17-40mm if you plan to do landscape from f8 - f11. I'm not happy with my 16-35 II - this is not a WOW lens from Canon.

I initially wanted to go for the 17-40, but the vignetting seemed quite a lot on a FF camera compared to the 16-35 II. Curious, how come you are not happy with your 16-35 II ? Also, I was looking at my catalog in LR, and most of my wide shots are shot at the widest focal length I had in my bag (Tokina 11-16mm). I seem to like that extra FOV =/ The sunstars are better in 16-35 II but the flare is better controlled in 17-40. Grr.

Better question, what about the 50f1.8 do you not like?  It's not ideal, but if it's the build/sharpness/?? you may want to trade it in on a 40/2.8 "shorty 40".

The build quality is one, but I mainly dont like it's focus hunting problem. It hesitates to lock on instantly like the other lens in the same setting.

Hmmm, wish my wife was into photog so I could justify buying more gear.  Second thought, maybe not, then she would know how much I'm spending. 

Hehe, I hear ya.

Thanks folks. I will be keeping the 5D3. You are right, I may end up regretting plus may end up loosing more cash in the process if I had tried to sell it off. So the general consensus is the 17-40 it seems. Think its a good idea to rent both of these and see which one I like better? The only thing confusing me is how much field of view am I losing with the 17mm over the 16mm. Is it significant?

At f2.8, the sharpness is not that good. Compared to Nikon 14-24, their f2.8 is sharpner than mine at f5.6.

[Danielle]

Yep, you'll regret ditching the 5d3.

A 17-40 would be ok I'm sure. Or just save up for a little, there could be specials at Christmas.

[RustyTheGeek]

OR - get the 16-35mm ver 1.  Still a great lens.  Not too heavy and 77mm vs the 82mm of the ver 2.