just got back from Hands-on Night at CameraPro here in Brisbane where i got to (briefly) try out one of the three pre-production models that are in Australia (according to the Canon AU reps).
it was interesting and has done nothing to abate my anticipation for having one for myself.
a few things that the Canon AU reps said (in no particular order):
- 5d Mark III (bodies, not sure about kits) have already arrived in Sydney but will not be shipped out to stores until next week; Friday was mentioned a few times, at least in relation to CameraPro.
- the first shipment will be in large quantities.
- ordering the body only is "probably the quickest way to get it (the Mark III)," according to one of the reps
- the number of bodies/kits each store will receive in their first shipment has yet to be decided.
- the new GPS Receiver (GP-E2 i believe) not only adds location information to your photos but also adds copyright information that cannot be edited/removed from a photo in any way.
i commented on how high the Australian price is compared to the US price, but i cant even begin to rehash the jumbled quasi explanation that i was given. something about Australian stock being bought in USD which is then converted to yen or something...
whatever. one interesting thing to note is that one of the reps mentioned the hype leading up to the announement on Canon Rumors!
anyway, my initial impressions of the camera were very positive.
it's a shame, however, that the one question that i have about the camera re: manual focusing and warranties with 3rd party focusing screens couldn't be answered, though. i also was unable to test focusing with a fast lens as the camera on display had the 24-105mm/f4 L on it. bummer.
oh well.... shall be able to test the camera for myself soon anyway, i guess.
