Disappointed in 2012 cameras, looking for suggestions

[FunPhotons]

Hi folks,
    I have a 5DmkII I bought in 2010 and have very much enjoyed. I planned on getting a second body and using the 5DmkII as a backup, but the lineup doesn't do much for me. I plan on getting a 1D one day - maybe 2012 would be the year - but they went for low pixels and high shutter. Exact opposite of what would entice me. Arguments on whether more pixels are actually needed aside, I know that I don't need more then a few frames per second, so while this is a great camera I'm just not enticed.

Likewise for the 5DmkIII, or the 3D as I like to think of it. Here I'm getting socked with a much higher price, and while there are a lot of great features nothing stands out, especially given the price.

Pro body upgrades are few and far between, how many years will I likely have to wait until the next product cycle? Seems like 3-4 years? If so having a five year old body might start to get pretty old, especially if they don't upgrade the 5DmkII firmware for the latest 600EX-RT features.

PS. I'm happy to fill out my lenses, flashes and other stuff in the meantime, but I'm concerned about being hobbled by my body in a few years and being stuck.

[DavidRiesenberg]

The 5D2 was and very much still is an excellent camera. And now it is also a bargain at ±2K USD. If I needed an FF backup, that would be my choice.
As for the future, you shouldn't be worried. More MPs will come. Even if so far Canon has shun from it in their new lineup. They are not foolish enough to leave that segment to Nikon (and possibly Sony in the near future).
And in the meanwhile, we should all keep in mind that the cameras that are available to us today, even if are not answering all our desires and fantasies are the best 35mm cameras that ever existed and certainly not holding us back.

[DJL329]

If low pixels and high shutter are not what you need, then what is it about the 5D Mark II that makes you want to upgrade?

[sandymandy]

And whats the problem using the same body for many years? Do u really have disadvantages with ur photo work or is it maybe just some pressure and feeling that u got? If its really serious and u need more MP theres nothing much u can do besides waiting for Canon or switiching to Nikon D800, Hasselblad or something.

[FunPhotons]

Good thoughts folks. I mentioned a few concerning points but should have made them clearer.


• 600EX-RT
Exciting new technology. Not all the functionality is available to the 5DMKII, namely group mode, and per manual HSS and you lose a stop of power. According to Syl Arena HSS and all the power is available at all speeds, so it could be a conservative spec. Or it could be flash firmware that hasn't been locked down (he got pre-release flashes). We don't know yet, but we know for sure that group mode isn't available. Will Canon update the 5DMKII? Unknown, up to Canon marketing I expect.

• Roadmap
Sure, Canon will update the megapixels ... or will they? Or can they? When will they? I've heard that the Canon engineers are really struggling with handling all those pixels already, and obviously Canon's #1 pro customer are the sports photographers. This is evidenced by their main concerns ... 1) Speed (frames per second 2) Getting the shot (extremely conservative specs, slow feature development roadmap, long beta test, ...) So I think Canon will be slow on the Megapixel race.

So from these two hypothesis I'm wondering if in three years I'll be in a place where there won't be a new pro body coming along for a few years, and the existing camera will becoming pretty aged, as by then it will be five years old which is old in technology and camera body terms. And, at that point, I won't be inclined to buy then (by-then old) 5DMKIII. Maybe better to take the plunge now and get it over with.

Just to be clear, I'm not some obsessive about this, I'd be happy waiting three years if I knew that in three years Canon will release a 30+ MP camera with all the existing features and then some. I'm speculating on my upgrade path, and basically I'm a little skeptical of what Canon marketing is really going to allow.

[DJL329]

Why do you feel you need 30+ MP?  Are you printing quite large?  Do you need to crop to get closer?

As for age, plenty of folks are still using the 6+ year old, 12 MP 5D Classic.

[ronderick]

Somehow I don't think the 1DX will be the only pro body for the Canon lineup, but that's just me.

As for how long flagship models are supposed to last, I still hear the older photographers in my office lament about how they used to have pro-camera for over 10 years w/o having to replace them. But I guess that's something the digital age doesn't allow anymore.

Bottom line is: it doesn't hurt to wait. While the current configuration of the 5D/1D isn't to your liking, there's going to be new products when the cycle comes around and you can look to see if it's better.

In the meantime, just keep enjoying your 5D2 and have fun shooting.

[justsomedude]

Why do you feel you need 30+ MP?  Are you printing quite large?

Many fine art photographers print at 50" and larger.  With current LightJet printers able to manage 150ppi with a high level of detail, a Nikon d800 print has a native print size width of 49.1".  The 5D3 has a native print width of 38.4". 

Photographers who print big and do a lot of gallery work, can be pretty OCD about their pixels.  They prefer to start with more usable pixels than to interpolate a smaller sized file.  The d800 solves a lot of those problems.  The 5D3 will still require image re-sizing with PerfectResize, GenuineFractals, or some other software tool - to get gigantic prints.  Granted, the d800 will also require re-sizing for anything above 49" wide.  But at least you have an extra foot of print width right off the bat.

[tt]

If you're willing to wait a year or two and do mostly low ISO work then you should keep an eye on second hand Medium Format kit - its slowly but surely dropping.
I'd say by the time the 5D Mark IV is getting ready for launch, MF will be a viable alternative for a fairly small increase in price for those who can step up and get the lenses also...

As for high MP it should be a lot clearer by Photokina, and any more updates in lenses as to where Canon might be going.
In the 5D section, I'd imagine that's it. It's 5D or 1DX for a while.

[FunPhotons]

More clarity - as I said I'm not obsessive, and I don't feel I need more pixels, but that I would use more pixels. If more pixels were to come along, I'd enjoy the upgrade. I don't go out of ISO100 much, I'll usually flash first and get more control. More frames per second? I barely use one enough. But more pixels means more crop flexibility, more beautiful detail, better landscapes, more to experiment with ... Canon's upgrade path is for the sports crowd (frames, ISO and speed) which isn't something that matters much to me.

I remember watching the whole drama the first time digital broke 1 megapixel. I didn't buy though. I waited until the FIRST rebel, which I bought along with some nice glass at a crazy rebate they had back then (I got a fishy, 24-70 and 50 1.4). Then my next camera was the 5DMKII because I felt that finally the price of full frame came down to the point where mere mortals could afford it.

Now I'm shooting like crazy. Back in the film days I had an AE-1, and the cost of development kept me from shooting very much. Man I hated that ... and the long turn around. But now I have more money, and the technology is getting seriously wonderful, so I am putting more into getting the glass, pixels, and extras.
 
And because of this I'm taking tens of tens of thousands of shots - most of them bad - but you know this body is getting some serious work. Will it be getting pretty worn out in a few years? If so, I'd rather upgrade rather than send it in to get a new shutter, etc. So I don't lament the upgrade cycle on digital - the day to day cost is so much lower than film, who cares?

Oh, and I should add one more thing, one thing I hate about the 5DMKII is the crummy focusing system. I have a lot of shots that could have been great, if it wasn't focused on the wrong thing. I'm working on improving my technique to get better at this, but I would love a better camera. Sure, the III has the system I want, but it's not enough, for the price, to entice me.