Why did Canon Release the 5D MkIII (pure conjecture)

[tomscott]

I think a lot of people are missing the point that not everyone has the 5D MKII. A lot of people are still using the 5DC, 1Ds MKII, 40D etc the previous generation cameras.

The target audience for this camera is not just the 5D MKII there are the rest of us. People that didnt invest in the 60 or 7D and want to go full frame. Or didnt feel like the 5D MKII was worth the upgrade from the 5D classic. 5DC still makes superb images.

The 5D MKIII is a dream come true for these owners. I cant wait to snap one up. The D800 is overkill for most things in terms of resolution and is far too slow for the price point. 22mp is more than enough 3 years ago we were all using 10mp cameras! 22mp is more than enough.

I also agree with Neuro on this one DR... If you need 14 stops of DR you need to learn how to use a camera correctly! Its nice to have it as a back up but I did a test on my 40D shot a picture of a black car with nothing but a street light and purposefully under exposed it. I had enough DR to bring back a useable picture, now if the 5D MKIII can provide 10x + performance than a 40D then its basically miracle working IMO. When does anyone use more than 1-2 stops of DR anyway and if you do you should learn how to use light!!!!
     

[V8Beast]

Obviously most amatures use SLR's below the 5D line but alot of what I'v heard(and a fair bit of what I'v witnessed) tends to suggest that more amature buyers than pro's picked up the 5D mk2.

I guess it depends who you hang out with. I know some hobbyists that picked up 5D2's, but most 5D2 users I've run across are pros. IMHO, the internet can grossly distort the reality of this ratio.

Everyone has their own theory, but my guess (for which I have zero proof) is that Canon didn't expect the 5D and 5D2 to be so popular with pros. Both had great sensors for their time, but overall, they handled very clumsily and had very few pro features.  I hate to post another "when I talked to a Canon rep" story, but when I asked a rep several years ago about the possibility of substantially upgrading the 5D2's AF, FPS and weather sealing, his response was that Canon did not view the 5D line as a product that's used by pros. Obviously, this guy was clueless given the features Canon eventually put into the 5D3, but it makes me wonder how prevalent that sentiment was within the powers that be at Canon.

Given the 5D3's inflated price and pro-like feature set, and considering that the 5D2 hasn't yet been discontinued, Canon must recognize that a market exists for a full-frame body in the $2,000 to $2,500 price range. Maybe something along the lines of a 6D is coming    

[V8Beast]

The target audience for this camera is not just the 5D MKII there are the rest of us. People that didnt invest in the 60 or 7D and want to go full frame. Or didnt feel like the 5D MKII was worth the upgrade from the 5D classic. 5DC still makes superb images.

The 5D MKIII is a dream come true for these owners. I cant wait to snap one up.

That's a great point, and describes the situation I was in perfectly. One of the publishing companies I work for uses the 5DC as the standard issue body of its staffers. They never upgraded to the 5D2, but will be buying a boatload of 5D3s. Personally, I don't care how many cameras Canon sells, but they'll be moving 100-plus 5D3s out the door in one fell swoop with that deal. For other companies invested in the Canon system, I seriously doubt their going to switch systems just so their staff guys have a few more stops of DR to work with. 

[NormanBates]

popcorn update:
5D3 moving up in sales contest, but very slowly
D800 still 5th, 5D3 moves up one spot and is now 13th
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Camera-Photo-Digital-SLR-Cameras/zgbs/photo/3017941

[Marsu42]

popcorn update: 5D3 moving up in sales contest, but very slowly

When I tested the Tamron 24-70 at Germany's biggest tech retailer chain, they told me the 5d2 is phased out and they couldn't order it anymore since end of last month. I don't know this only due to their their own purchasing division, but it means that even given the hilarious pricetag (not to bash the 5d3, but it's double of the 5d2's current price) the 5d3 will continue to move up at least in Canon's own lineup.

[V8Beast]

popcorn update:
5D3 moving up in sales contest, but very slowly
D800 still 5th, 5D3 moves up one spot and is now 13th
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Camera-Photo-Digital-SLR-Cameras/zgbs/photo/3017941

Things appear to have changed since you posted this. The D800 is now #6, and the 5DIII is #9. Personally, I don't care what the sales numbers are, as I'll enjoy my 5DIII regardless. Even so, plenty of people seem to think that this camera is worth $3,500.

[NormanBates]

I see the D800 still at 5th, but the 5D3 is still climbing (9th) and it appears IN STOCK (only 3 left) with a price of $3900!!!

I still read this as "demand is bigger than supply, because supply is very low", and still expect it to fall in price in the coming months, but you can all laugh now at my forecasting abilities


other sellers who have them in stock are selling them at ebay for the following prices:
D800: $3700
D800E: $4400
5D3: $3700
(all "body only")

[GMCPhotographics]

The thing is, Canon pulled the 5DIII production and sale while they were fixing the LCD / Metering light issue. So they have been very hard to find over the last month or so. I'm pretty sure that's reflected with those sale figures.
I'm sure we'll see the 5DIII's sales figures bump back again once supply is stabilised.

[NormanBates]

that's what I'm looking into

supply has been limited, that's for sure, so the 5D3 just couldn't appear any higher in the bestseller lists, and it's not so surprising that those who could get hold of the thing would sell it for a hefty profit on ebay (that amazon would do it too is a bit more unusual)

now that production seems to be picking up (the camera is no longer backordered in amazon, though that may not last long as stock is very low), we should get a clearer picture of demand for this camera

after the 5D3 launch, the D800 climbed to the very top of that amazon list; it has been out of stock ever since, and has fallen a bit, but it's still selling as well as the most popular entry level DSLRs (no small feat for a $3K camera)

btw: 5D3 back to 10th, and still in stock (only 2 cameras sold in 3 hours may sound surprising, but it was 6am on that side of the world...)

[lola]

The D800 is overkill for most things in terms of resolution

Overkill? For what? If you're interested in shooting dogs chasing each other at parks, yeah, maybe...

Far too slow for the price point.

Which price point is that? It's $500 cheaper than the 5D Mark III, you know that, don't you?
And also, it shoots 5fps in 24MP crop mode and 6fps in 16MP crop mode.

22mp is more than enough.

Says who? For whom? For what?
As a commercial photographer, I definitely find 22mp NOT enough.

3 years ago we were all using 10mp cameras!

No, not really... 3 years ago, today, 5D Mark II was already 6 months old and the 1Ds Mark III was already 1.5 years old.

If you need 14 stops of DR you need to learn how to use a camera correctly!

So the pro says... Does that mean I'll never learn to use a camera correctly just because I want to see fine detail in both highlights and shadows in a high contrast scene?

I had enough DR to bring back a useable picture

Usable where? Cover of a magazine? Perhaps what's usable for you might not be usable for someone else...

When does anyone use more than 1-2 stops of DR anyway and if you do you should learn how to use light

You give private workshops? I'm deeply interested in attending one!

[RLPhoto]

To Make More MONEY. Why else?

And to satisfy their end users with better AF, Metering, Durability, Handling and extra features that the MK2 should of had.