$0.02 on the difference between the Mark II and Mark III

[irena]

Very briefly, since this isn't necessarily objective nor scientific... but I feel that the Mark III is orders of magnitude better than the Mark II.

I bought a Mark II at the beginning of the month wanting to save money and/or spend the difference in price on better glass. It's the same dilemma I see posted about time and time again.

Autofocus: I'm a portrait photographer (children and newborns, primarily) who is getting back into weddings, and I have to say that the new autofocus makes a WORLD of difference in the ratio of usable photos. In editing after a simple demo session with my own son, I only eliminated a handful of photos due to focus misfire, as opposed to the 1/3 I usually do with the Mark II. This will make a huge difference in saleable prints. The same goes for the noise level in higher ISOs. ISO 3200 looks like ISO 200 on my old 30D (likely much better).

Metering, Sensor, & IQ: I don't know what it is, but even though I shoot manual, the contrast and color quality of my shots came out so perfect that I could get away with no post processing in Lightroom if I was feeling lazy. That's a huge time savings in workflow. This makes a big difference when sorting through 3-400 images per shoot.

Mind you, I just upgraded from a 30D to a 5D Mark II just this month, and that upgrade didn't make me as giddy as the move from the Mark II to the III. And this is after only 20 minutes of shooting. I'm sure I'll have more opinions in the next few days.

 

[Bosman]

Very briefly, since this isn't necessarily objective nor scientific... but I feel that the Mark III is orders of magnitude better than the Mark II.

I bought a Mark II at the beginning of the month wanting to save money and/or spend the difference in price on better glass. It's the same dilemma I see posted about time and time again.

Autofocus: I'm a portrait photographer (children and newborns, primarily) who is getting back into weddings, and I have to say that the new autofocus makes a WORLD of difference in the ratio of usable photos. In editing after a simple demo session with my own son, I only eliminated a handful of photos due to focus misfire, as opposed to the 1/3 I usually do with the Mark II. This will make a huge difference in saleable prints. The same goes for the noise level in higher ISOs. ISO 3200 looks like ISO 200 on my old 30D (likely much better).

Metering, Sensor, & IQ: I don't know what it is, but even though I shoot manual, the contrast and color quality of my shots came out so perfect that I could get away with no post processing in Lightroom if I was feeling lazy. That's a huge time savings in workflow. This makes a big difference when sorting through 3-400 images per shoot.

Mind you, I just upgraded from a 30D to a 5D Mark II just this month, and that upgrade didn't make me as giddy as the move from the Mark II to the III. And this is after only 20 minutes of shooting. I'm sure I'll have more opinions in the next few days.

Congrats on the discovery process!

 

[Seamus]

The best review yet! Thanks Irena, I think I will be just as excited when mine arrives in a few days. Love to hear more about your experience, the excitement is contagious! Keep on posting. Thanks again.

 

[Arkarch]

Great Review! Yes, I agree. Got my 5DmIII and last night went out to the Las Vegas strip.

The AF was deadon and quick - it was difficult to throw it off even when looking at darker areas.

I was surprised by the white balance - it was great in challenging conditions. My friend's D7000 kept going warm.

And then in the Conservatory (now in Spring mode), it was fun shooting handheld with the 5DmIII and the 70-200 2.8 II. I was mostly at ISO 1600 and felt no pressure to go to 3200 if I needed to to freeze the moving Dutch windmill blades or water fountains.

We did several test shots of the Paris "Hot Air Balloon" logo sign from the top of the Bellagio parking garage. The dark blues and golden sun symbols - not directly lit at night - were very readable at 12800 ISO - some noise in the darker area. Whereas my friends D7000 the symbols were completely lost in the noise.

Quality of shots / keepers - focus and headroom to find it - much better than my 7D - where I would have needed to tripod for longer exposures - with the mill blades no doubt motion blurred.

Very controlled lighting contrasts between the dark and the intense strip lighting. Some but not annoying blowout.

Normally I always shoot RAW, but I can now see a reason to send JPEG's off to the SD card; In many cases the JPEGs were good for the 'catalog' shots. In Post- I think less need to rescue images. More time to polish your best.

 

[Seamus]

Good stuff guys! Any comments on software issues? Lots of issues getting posted... What are your thoughts so far?

 

[Marsu42]

My friend's D7000 kept going warm.

It's interesting to read about the 5d3, I might get one used when the 5dx is out in a year or so... but when comparing it to anything, it's still useful to have in mind that you get nearly 3 d7000 bodies or 2 5d2 bodies for one 5d3, so the question is "is it double or triple as good?", too.

 

[JR]

Got my 5DmkIII this afternoonn and will shoot my daugther birdthay with it tonight!

 

[Daniel Flather]

Coming from a 50D the AF on the 5D3 is a HUGE leap. I'm loving the silent mode of the 5D3, and did I mention the AF?

 

[sheedoe]

Got my 5DmkIII this afternoonn and will shoot my daugther birdthay with it tonight!

Congrats on the 5D Mark III and wishing your daughter a very happy birthday. But I think you have gotten the better gift this year ;D. Atleast she'll have some nice pics that she'll appreciate for sure.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Very briefly, since this isn't necessarily objective nor scientific... but I feel that the Mark III is orders of magnitude better than the Mark II.

I bought a Mark II at the beginning of the month wanting to save money and/or spend the difference in price on better glass. It's the same dilemma I see posted about time and time again.

Autofocus: I'm a portrait photographer (children and newborns, primarily) who is getting back into weddings, and I have to say that the new autofocus makes a WORLD of difference in the ratio of usable photos. In editing after a simple demo session with my own son, I only eliminated a handful of photos due to focus misfire, as opposed to the 1/3 I usually do with the Mark II. This will make a huge difference in saleable prints. The same goes for the noise level in higher ISOs. ISO 3200 looks like ISO 200 on my old 30D (likely much better).

Metering, Sensor, & IQ: I don't know what it is, but even though I shoot manual, the contrast and color quality of my shots came out so perfect that I could get away with no post processing in Lightroom if I was feeling lazy. That's a huge time savings in workflow. This makes a big difference when sorting through 3-400 images per shoot.

Mind you, I just upgraded from a 30D to a 5D Mark II just this month, and that upgrade didn't make me as giddy as the move from the Mark II to the III. And this is after only 20 minutes of shooting. I'm sure I'll have more opinions in the next few days.

It seems the AF is really getting raves. Great stuff.

 

[melbournite]

Good stuff guys! Any comments on software issues? Lots of issues getting posted... What are your thoughts so far?

Not with the camera but yes, Aperture or Lightroom will not recognise my RAW's yet!. Therefore I have only been shooting in JPG - something I never do, not even at home. So it's a bit frustrating not being able to do direct comparisons with images shot with my MkII at varying ISO's. Nonetheless, I am blown away by the following:

-high ISO performance (in JPG at least)
-focusing speed and functionality
-new buttons and layout (on back)
-(and as suggested above) AWB looks beautiful

 

[DarkKnightNine]

Very briefly, since this isn't necessarily objective nor scientific... but I feel that the Mark III is orders of magnitude better than the Mark II.

I bought a Mark II at the beginning of the month wanting to save money and/or spend the difference in price on better glass. It's the same dilemma I see posted about time and time again.

Autofocus: I'm a portrait photographer (children and newborns, primarily) who is getting back into weddings, and I have to say that the new autofocus makes a WORLD of difference in the ratio of usable photos. In editing after a simple demo session with my own son, I only eliminated a handful of photos due to focus misfire, as opposed to the 1/3 I usually do with the Mark II. This will make a huge difference in saleable prints. The same goes for the noise level in higher ISOs. ISO 3200 looks like ISO 200 on my old 30D (likely much better).

Metering, Sensor, & IQ: I don't know what it is, but even though I shoot manual, the contrast and color quality of my shots came out so perfect that I could get away with no post processing in Lightroom if I was feeling lazy. That's a huge time savings in workflow. This makes a big difference when sorting through 3-400 images per shoot.

Mind you, I just upgraded from a 30D to a 5D Mark II just this month, and that upgrade didn't make me as giddy as the move from the Mark II to the III. And this is after only 20 minutes of shooting. I'm sure I'll have more opinions in the next few days.

I couldn't agree more. I shot with the Mark II only once and disregarded it as an unusable camera for my professional use (personal taste). After shooting with 1D bodies all of my career I was interested to see what all the fuss was about, but the AF irritated me so much that I vowed to never use it again.


Today I picked my 5D Mark III and 600EX-RT Speedlite. After picking up my Mark III, I had dinner with a friend in a dimly lit restaurant and decided to shoot some snap shots of her (too anxious to wait until I got home). Haven't pixel peeped any images yet but to my necked eye the IQ looks to be excellent. The AF is leagues above the Mark II but I'm still not sure if it's better than my trusty old 1D Mark IV. Only more shooting experience with it will tell. So far I would have to say I'm very happy with my purchase. The new Speedlite does a great job of mixing fill flash with ambient light.

 

[irena]

Low light performance is amaaaaazing. I'm focusing in a dark room lit only by a dimmed light through the door. Incredible. Receptions are going to be a breeeze.

And I wanted to share just how awesome my "straight from camera" shots were. These had no post processing. Not sure if picasa saved the exif data, but here we go:

ISO 400 50mm at f/1.2 1/100
Not perfectly sharp, but the metering came out fantastic for what I wanted. My son definitely wanted me to put the camera away but let me take a few shots anyway. Cloudyish day, close to sunset, and yet it looks like it could have been midafternoon.

ISO 800 50mm f/2.0 1/100
This one is pretty sharp for handheld on the 50mm 1.2 (which is notoriously soft).

 

[Stephen Melvin]

My friend's D7000 kept going warm.

It's interesting to read about the 5d3, I might get one used when the 5dx is out in a year or so... but when comparing it to anything, it's still useful to have in mind that you get nearly 3 d7000 bodies or 2 5d2 bodies for one 5d3, so the question is "is it double or triple as good?", too.

After playing with mine for a day and a half, my answer is "yes." It's a tremendous upgrade from the Mk II.

 

[Fleetie]

Coming from a 50D the AF on the 5D3 is a HUGE leap. I'm loving the silent mode of the 5D3, and did I mention the AF?

It's like being flippin' James Bond! I have fitted a silencer to my camera, and I shall be shooting you covertly!

I love the silent mode! Not because I really need it most of the time; it's just sexy!

 

[Seamus]

Lot's of happy people, now that's a switch. I definately like this post

 

[Bosman]

Coming from a 50D the AF on the 5D3 is a HUGE leap. I'm loving the silent mode of the 5D3, and did I mention the AF?

How do the images from the 200F2 look on the new 5dm3? Also your 24mm should be lust worthy. I want that lens but i dont have unlimited funds...

 

[Bosman]

Low light performance is amaaaaazing. I'm focusing in a dark room lit only by a dimmed light through the door. Incredible. Receptions are going to be a breeeze.

And I wanted to share just how awesome my "straight from camera" shots were. These had no post processing. Not sure if picasa saved the exif data, but here we go:

ISO 400 50mm at f/1.2 1/100
Not perfectly sharp, but the metering came out fantastic for what I wanted. My son definitely wanted me to put the camera away but let me take a few shots anyway. Cloudyish day, close to sunset, and yet it looks like it could have been midafternoon.

ISO 800 50mm f/2.0 1/100
This one is pretty sharp for handheld on the 50mm 1.2 (which is notoriously soft).

What the heck is your son eating, haha??? By the way, fantastic lookin shots for test. Gotta love the 50 1.2. I plan to unleash it with the 5dm3, the 5d and 1dm3 didn't work with it so well but the new 5dm3 really unlocks its potential!

 

[Bosman]

Coming from a 50D the AF on the 5D3 is a HUGE leap. I'm loving the silent mode of the 5D3, and did I mention the AF?

It's like being flippin' James Bond! I have fitted a silencer to my camera, and I shall be shooting you covertly!

I love the silent mode! Not because I really need it most of the time; it's just sexy!

It is pretty cool! I will use it when shooting Wedding Ceremonies.
Anyone ever tell you you look like Robert Smith from Head on the door album? Big Cure fan i am.

 

[Stephen Melvin]

ISO 102400 24mm f/1.4 1/25
Couldn't even see her clearly through the viewfinder. Used the 580 EX to focus. Light is a streetlight about 100 feet outside the window.