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Sorry 5D3, Insufficient Value
- By distant.star
- EOS DSLR
- 70 Replies
Maybe I'm just a cheapskate; if so, so be it. Maybe I value my dollars differently than others. Anyway, I've decided I can't justify 3500 Tracy dollars for the 5D3.
As I said here several times before the 5D2 successor showed up, rather than speculating/hoping/fantasizing, I would wait to see what Canon offered, then make a decision about what to do. After limping along for two years with T2i limitations, I knew I wanted an affordable tool that would provide 5D2 image quality and low-light capabilities with 7D or better autofocus speed and versatility.
The new 5D3 has delivered exactly what I want. Low-light capability seems at least marginally improved and the AF is all I would ever need. Despite hearing some whining about sensor capabilities, dynamic range, etc., I suspect Canon realizes this sensor produces image quality better than what a large percentage of users actually need or can use. It surely produces images that satisfy me. So, from a practical standpoint, the 5D3 is my ideal camera.
Only Canon knows why they've priced the 5D3 as they have. I can speculate along with everyone else, but the improvements over the 5D2 don't warrant the additional cost for me. I can see a wedding photographer biting his lip and paying the extra money because the critical improvements give him reasonable value. There may be some other businesses that see it as a reasonable (affordable -- and also available) alternative to the new 1Dx. So, for me, I've decided on my own current solution. It's the 7D with some lens upgrades.
The plan that's evolved as a cheaper 5D3 solution for me is this:
1. Replace the T2i with a new 7D.
2. Upgrade (my interpretation) my walkaround lens from the 15-85mm to a 17-55mm.
3. Upgrade my 70-200 f/4.0L to a 70-200 f/4.0L IS.
4. Get a 10-22mm for the wide side.
I've got an ef-s 60mm that's adequate for macro, but I'll keep it mostly for the non-macro look it provides. I don't know what it is, but that has become a favorite lens for landscape type shots. I'll keep my 135mm f/2.0L for serious headhunting, and I'll keep the 100-400L for the great reach.
This also allows me to sell the EOS-1V as I won't need it for the great AF. Yesterday I was shooting around town with the T2i in one hand and the 1V in the other (with the 70-200) and it's speed is nothing short of joy. The contrast between the two helped make this decision.
One reason I got the T2i initially was that it was the cheapest entry to a decent digital camera. It has virtually the same sensor as the 7D, so if you can sacrifice the upscale capabilities of the 7D you can work with a T2i and good lenses. Here's an image that makes that case for me:
That was taken yesterday with the T2i and has all the IQ I'd ever realistically need. However that is one of perhaps 50 I took of gulls flying around me. The AF simply can't do the job; this shot just got lucky. With a 7D, this shot won't require luck -- or a one out of fifty keeper ratio. And as I've often said, for street photography, by the time the T2i gets it together, the shot is gone. I saw that again yesterday with the lightning speed of the 1V. Even using film, as soon as the shutter button is actuated, the shot is made.
Anyway, perhaps this will help others wrestling with the 5D3 pricing. If you're thinking about Nikon, well that's a different issue!
As I said here several times before the 5D2 successor showed up, rather than speculating/hoping/fantasizing, I would wait to see what Canon offered, then make a decision about what to do. After limping along for two years with T2i limitations, I knew I wanted an affordable tool that would provide 5D2 image quality and low-light capabilities with 7D or better autofocus speed and versatility.
The new 5D3 has delivered exactly what I want. Low-light capability seems at least marginally improved and the AF is all I would ever need. Despite hearing some whining about sensor capabilities, dynamic range, etc., I suspect Canon realizes this sensor produces image quality better than what a large percentage of users actually need or can use. It surely produces images that satisfy me. So, from a practical standpoint, the 5D3 is my ideal camera.
Only Canon knows why they've priced the 5D3 as they have. I can speculate along with everyone else, but the improvements over the 5D2 don't warrant the additional cost for me. I can see a wedding photographer biting his lip and paying the extra money because the critical improvements give him reasonable value. There may be some other businesses that see it as a reasonable (affordable -- and also available) alternative to the new 1Dx. So, for me, I've decided on my own current solution. It's the 7D with some lens upgrades.
The plan that's evolved as a cheaper 5D3 solution for me is this:
1. Replace the T2i with a new 7D.
2. Upgrade (my interpretation) my walkaround lens from the 15-85mm to a 17-55mm.
3. Upgrade my 70-200 f/4.0L to a 70-200 f/4.0L IS.
4. Get a 10-22mm for the wide side.
I've got an ef-s 60mm that's adequate for macro, but I'll keep it mostly for the non-macro look it provides. I don't know what it is, but that has become a favorite lens for landscape type shots. I'll keep my 135mm f/2.0L for serious headhunting, and I'll keep the 100-400L for the great reach.
This also allows me to sell the EOS-1V as I won't need it for the great AF. Yesterday I was shooting around town with the T2i in one hand and the 1V in the other (with the 70-200) and it's speed is nothing short of joy. The contrast between the two helped make this decision.
One reason I got the T2i initially was that it was the cheapest entry to a decent digital camera. It has virtually the same sensor as the 7D, so if you can sacrifice the upscale capabilities of the 7D you can work with a T2i and good lenses. Here's an image that makes that case for me:
That was taken yesterday with the T2i and has all the IQ I'd ever realistically need. However that is one of perhaps 50 I took of gulls flying around me. The AF simply can't do the job; this shot just got lucky. With a 7D, this shot won't require luck -- or a one out of fifty keeper ratio. And as I've often said, for street photography, by the time the T2i gets it together, the shot is gone. I saw that again yesterday with the lightning speed of the 1V. Even using film, as soon as the shutter button is actuated, the shot is made.
Anyway, perhaps this will help others wrestling with the 5D3 pricing. If you're thinking about Nikon, well that's a different issue!
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Locked
A fresh (reasonable?) view on the 5D mk III Vs. Nikon D800 debate
- EOS DSLR
- 6 Replies
I don't really know what the meaning of this post is, maybe it's just to vent my own thoughts about the battle of the newest Canon and Nikon Bodies.
I think there are two kinds of people, which is also true in photography. There are the gearheads and there are the photographers, and everyone is somewhere in between those two, some closer to the middle and some more extreme.
Everyone who is a bit towards the gearhead category does tend to look a bit at numbers, reviews and tests before purchasing anything. I myself is a bit towards the gearhead category, but what can make me very enthusiastic about a piece of gear is seeing something made with it. If I see a lens makes great photos, then that is more important to me than looking at MTF charts etc.
Everyone has to admit that the D800 sensor is a great achievement in resolution, and performance. Especially in low-ISO, but everything taken into account also in high ISO settings.
Why did I end up with a 5D mk III then? I mean DxO numbers are one thing, I truly don't give a damn about them, if only the photos that I see from the camera are pleasing to my eye. The 5D mk III does that, I also think the D800 does it, however I don't NEED the more resolution, I wouldn't mind having it. However I do value the burst speed and a (in my eyes) better focusing system.
I'm sure both cameras are going to produce great results, just choose the one that suits your needs best, that is the 5D mk III to me. Even though I would have liked the same specs with the D800 sensor, but that is just not going to happen just now.
Anyway, wether you're a gearhead or a photographer or anywhere in between, don't waste your time trying to convince the internet that you are correct and everybody else is wrong. Chances are everyone (including you) are both right and wrong. The "best" camrea doesn't exist, it's all about compromise to get to what camera comes closest to your needs. And to be honest, most peoples needs are adressed by multiple cameras.
Now this is my one and only post regarding this matter, I wanna get out in the sunshine and enjoy my 5D mk III, I hope to bump into a friendly D800 owner for a little talk about what we're capable with our tools
Cheers.
I think there are two kinds of people, which is also true in photography. There are the gearheads and there are the photographers, and everyone is somewhere in between those two, some closer to the middle and some more extreme.
Everyone who is a bit towards the gearhead category does tend to look a bit at numbers, reviews and tests before purchasing anything. I myself is a bit towards the gearhead category, but what can make me very enthusiastic about a piece of gear is seeing something made with it. If I see a lens makes great photos, then that is more important to me than looking at MTF charts etc.
Everyone has to admit that the D800 sensor is a great achievement in resolution, and performance. Especially in low-ISO, but everything taken into account also in high ISO settings.
Why did I end up with a 5D mk III then? I mean DxO numbers are one thing, I truly don't give a damn about them, if only the photos that I see from the camera are pleasing to my eye. The 5D mk III does that, I also think the D800 does it, however I don't NEED the more resolution, I wouldn't mind having it. However I do value the burst speed and a (in my eyes) better focusing system.
I'm sure both cameras are going to produce great results, just choose the one that suits your needs best, that is the 5D mk III to me. Even though I would have liked the same specs with the D800 sensor, but that is just not going to happen just now.
Anyway, wether you're a gearhead or a photographer or anywhere in between, don't waste your time trying to convince the internet that you are correct and everybody else is wrong. Chances are everyone (including you) are both right and wrong. The "best" camrea doesn't exist, it's all about compromise to get to what camera comes closest to your needs. And to be honest, most peoples needs are adressed by multiple cameras.
Now this is my one and only post regarding this matter, I wanna get out in the sunshine and enjoy my 5D mk III, I hope to bump into a friendly D800 owner for a little talk about what we're capable with our tools
Cheers.
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