….. The Canon EOS 5D Mark III
This is when I think the EOS 5D series came into its own as a professional and consumer workhorse. We finally got a professional autofocus system in the 5D line of DSLRs. I think everything came together on this camera, and I still use it today.
I wasn't into video, so I never used the Canon EOS 5D Mark II on a regular basis, and that archaic 9-point AF system was the dealbreaker for me on that camera. During the era of the EOS 5D Mark II, I was shooting primarily with the Canon EOS-1D Mark III and Canon EOS-1D Mark IV.
The EOS 5D Mark III launch was also the coming-out party for this site, so I'll always have a special place in my heart for the camera!
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Specifications:
- 22.3mp Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
- ISO 100 – 6400
- 6.0fps
- 61 Autofocus Points
- 14bit RAW
- DIGIC 5+ Processor
- CF Card Slot / SD Card Slot
- Launched in 2012
- Launch price: $3499usd
The countdown:
- Coming Soon
- Coming Soon
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Canon EOS 5D
- Canon EOS Rebel 300D
If anyone is looking for their first full-frame DSLR, this is the camera I always recommend. You can get them used for not much money.
Still, I ended up skipping past both and buying a 5DMIV, now this was truly the beast I had thought the II would be and expected the III to be.
Strangely, to me the 5D3 was the great disappointment of the 5D line. The mk 1 and mk 2 were aimed at a very specific section of the market [aka - 'me'] - they were all about giving as much image quality as possible at an affordable price point (relatively speaking of course - but this was 1Ds image quality at half the price); fancy bells and whistles like lots of AF points and high frame rates were not great concerns.
However the 5D3 changed the approach - it was not really a camera aimed at the fans of the previous 5D's at all - this was an 'all round' camera. The image quality didn't seem to get a lot of improvement, and with a higher asking price, I said no.
The other major problem for the 5D3, was it arrived at the same time as Nikon finally got their act together with the D800... which did completely overshadow the 5D3. I know a lot of photographers who sold their 5D2 to go the the D800, while it took an awful long time until I met someone with a 5D3 round their neck.
SInce I missed selling my 5D III while used prices were still acceptable, I will keep and use it now until Canon launches what I want.And I don't have to worry any longer about carrying around a an "expensive" camera in dark back alleys and URBEX dungeons. :-)
my #3 - EOS 7D
my #4 - EOS 40D
my #5 - EOS 350D
Update: The 5D2 was introduced in 2008. In the third week of August 2007, Nikon had introduced the D3 and D300, three days after the 40D and 1DS3 introductions. Both Nikons had about 12MP and basically the same focusing system, although the D300 focusing points were more spread out. The D3 was FF and D300 was APS-C. The D300 was the slowpoke at 8FPS and a lot of Nikon photographers owned both, using the D3 most of the time and the D300 when they needed reach. I just borrowed their idea.
Arguably, one of the biggest consequences of the 5D2 was the almost complete destruction of the market for the 1DS3. Both cameras had 21MP.
yes, but only for the tiny minority of cheapskate video folks who ofc were excited to get their hands on FF sensor and lenses at a fraction of the cost of proper video gear. For (majority of) stills shooters the 5D II had close to no appeal vs. original 5D.
Overall, the 5D II started the crazy wave of "absolute entitlement" and whining for "4k 24/30/60/120/240 (or 8k) in every single camera!" across all forums. And all camera makers succumbed to it. At the expense of the majority of customers who only need and would prefer to also have a choice of stills-optimized cameras.
I don't know if 5D2 makes this list...Craig says he skipped the 5D2 and wasn't a fan of the AF.
I agree with you about it's place in history but not sure it makes this list.