5D3 No Longer in Production

[Mt Spokane Photography]

However, something else to consider is that the retailers system also showed they only had 11 units of the camera in stock nationwide.


This retailer isn't really known for selling these kinds of cameras and do not even carry any models in their retail stores. If you want to get one from them you have to order it online.


Baloney!! Just check the stock online at the best buy website to see which stores have them in stock. There is the body only, and two kits available. In Los Angeles alone, there are 5 stores with the 5D MK III bodies, and 4 stores with the 5D MK III and 24-105mm L Lens Kit. (No info about how many of each they have). A quick check of New York City shows six bodies and three kits in stores. That already adds up to 18. Miami Best Buy stores have lots more in stock, and I'm sure that if I checked additional cites that there are a hundred likely more elsewhere.

I don't doubt that. I am just going by what I saw on their computer system and the sales reps explaination. I am as skeptical as anyone but I found it very interesting and wanted to hear everyone's thoughts. I live in a smaller city and there are no 5D3s in any of the stores within driving distance.

Perhaps the 11 units in their system may have just been the body only units in their warehouse, not including what they have in retail stores.
[/quote]

If the guy told you that they did not have them in stores, he was lying, and trying to get you to order one online. Unfortunately, salesmen resort to tricks to push a customer into buying. Its likely that he was showing you how many 5D MK III + 24-70 f/4 kits they have in stock. They might even show it as discontinued.

The point is, you are making incorrect statements that can easily be checked. Why not do it before posting?

I went to the website and put 5D MK III bodies into my cart. They had a limit of five and a note came to call if I wanted more.

 

[Tugela]

Oh dear there's going to be terrible anguish, spitting feathers and general sabre rattling if the 7DII doesn't have some sensor fabrication advance similar to the Exmor. But you know I'm not really sure how much pressure there is on Canon to catch up on this. It would seem that 99% of Canon users (generically speaking) are not bothered about that particular aspect of the sensor, including many well respected professionals; certainly judging by sales there are many other features which the buying public seem to want. Certainly the amount of people using variable ISO now surprises me, but on the other hand given the performance of a camera such as the 6D I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. And when using variable ISO who wants their DR to drop by a stop or two between ISO 100 and 800 ?

That is because those who are bothered by it will be/are moving to other manufacturers. If Canon are fine with bleeding off their market base, then sure, they won't care. If all depends on if the assumption that Canon are cool with losing market share to more progressive manufacturers is true or not.

I suspect they are not cool with that happening.

 

[jdramirez]

If the guy told you that they did not have them in stores, he was lying, and trying to get you to order one online. Unfortunately, salesmen resort to tricks to push a customer into buying. Its likely that he was showing you how many 5D MK III + 24-70 f/4 kits they have in stock. They might even show it as discontinued.

The point is, you are making incorrect statements that can easily be checked. Why not do it before posting?

I went to the website and put 5D MK III bodies into my cart. They had a limit of five and a note came to call if I wanted more.

Throttle back now. We don't all jump the gun to assume we are being lied to. And I don't think there ids a really good reason why a salesman would push someone to go online...

The information may be inaccurate but the driving force to relay said information isn't malicious.

 

[Loswr]

Oh dear there's going to be terrible anguish, spitting feathers and general sabre rattling if the 7DII doesn't have some sensor fabrication advance similar to the Exmor. But you know I'm not really sure how much pressure there is on Canon to catch up on this. It would seem that 99% of Canon users (generically speaking) are not bothered about that particular aspect of the sensor, including many well respected professionals; certainly judging by sales there are many other features which the buying public seem to want. Certainly the amount of people using variable ISO now surprises me, but on the other hand given the performance of a camera such as the 6D I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. And when using variable ISO who wants their DR to drop by a stop or two between ISO 100 and 800 ?

That is because those who are bothered by it will be/are moving to other manufacturers. If Canon are fine with bleeding off their market base, then sure, they won't care. If all depends on if the assumption that Canon are cool with losing market share to more progressive manufacturers is true or not.

I suspect they are not cool with that happening.

You skipped a step. No, Canon doesn't want to lose market share. But...you are assuming they are, in fact, losing market share. Where is your evidence to support that assumption? It seems equally if not more likely that those who are bothered by a ~2-stops less low ISO DR and switched from Canon to Nikon are outnumbered by those Nikon users hoping for the true replacement to the D700 that never came, and so bought a 5DIII instead.

As for 'more progressive manufacturers', your definition of progressive is almost as biased as DxO's Scores. DPAF...not progressive? Fluorite elements in supertele lenses, you'd think a progressive company like Nikon would have used them decades ago like Canon did...instead Nikon called them too fragile, only now they're touting the benefits of fluorite in their newest supertele lenses. Limiting the definitions of 'innovative' and 'progressive' to mean achieving more low ISO DR is typical of the biased DRivel posted by the crew of CR Forum DRones.

 

[Sporgon]

Oh dear there's going to be terrible anguish, spitting feathers and general sabre rattling if the 7DII doesn't have some sensor fabrication advance similar to the Exmor. But you know I'm not really sure how much pressure there is on Canon to catch up on this. It would seem that 99% of Canon users (generically speaking) are not bothered about that particular aspect of the sensor, including many well respected professionals; certainly judging by sales there are many other features which the buying public seem to want. Certainly the amount of people using variable ISO now surprises me, but on the other hand given the performance of a camera such as the 6D I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. And when using variable ISO who wants their DR to drop by a stop or two between ISO 100 and 800 ?

That is because those who are bothered by it will be/are moving to other manufacturers. If Canon are fine with bleeding off their market base, then sure, they won't care. If all depends on if the assumption that Canon are cool with losing market share to more progressive manufacturers is true or not.

I suspect they are not cool with that happening.

You skipped a step. No, Canon doesn't want to lose market share. But...you are assuming they are, in fact, losing market share. Where is your evidence to support that assumption? It seems equally if not more likely that those who are bothered by a ~2-stops less low ISO DR and switched from Canon to Nikon are outnumbered by those Nikon users hoping for the true replacement to the D700 that never came, and so bought a 5DIII instead.

As for 'more progressive manufacturers', your definition of progressive is almost as biased as DxO's Scores. DPAF...not progressive? Fluorite elements in supertele lenses, you'd think a progressive company like Nikon would have used them decades ago like Canon did...instead Nikon called them too fragile, only now they're touting the benefits of fluorite in their newest supertele lenses. Limiting the definitions of 'innovative' and 'progressive' to mean achieving more low ISO DR is typical of the biased DRivel posted by the crew of CR Forum DRones.

In the course of my work I come across a lot of people with cameras, and not many of those are true professionals. Some are just happy snappers, or tourists, or teenagers aspiring to a better camera. The odd one is a highly successful pro who buys £250,000 yachts with loose change ( seriously). ( zigzagzoe's got a long way to go to catch up).

Often these people will chat to me and I'll ask them why they chose Nikon, or Canon or Sony ( 'cos it's always one of these). I've never had one single person say they chose Nikon or Sony because of the extra DR that the sensor offers, or that it has more latitude and can lift shadows by five stops without seeing ugly noise. Not one. Ever.

So although those factors are the number one priority for some, generally very vocal people, and they will move away from Canon, I would suggest they are just a drop in the ocean compared with everyone else. So although I read on CR that Canon is using the same sensor fabrication that Noah had on his Ark, I'm really not sure that Canon are going to see this as a really high priority, especially given the fact that their sales are not declining in relation to Sonikon.

People do have issues with things like trying to focus in movie mode with a dslr for instance, and Canon have done something about that. I've been surprised by the number of 70Ds I've seen given that the camera hasn't been out that long. I would say that the vast amount of casual users are going to appreciate that more than lifting underexposed areas by five stops, and they are the people who are buying most of the cameras.

So what I'm coming round to say is I don't think the 7DII will have a radically different sensor fabrication, and I anticipate the howls of derision that are going to fill these pages from the usual sources.

 

[brad-man]

Oh dear there's going to be terrible anguish, spitting feathers and general sabre rattling if the 7DII doesn't have some sensor fabrication advance similar to the Exmor. But you know I'm not really sure how much pressure there is on Canon to catch up on this. It would seem that 99% of Canon users (generically speaking) are not bothered about that particular aspect of the sensor, including many well respected professionals; certainly judging by sales there are many other features which the buying public seem to want. Certainly the amount of people using variable ISO now surprises me, but on the other hand given the performance of a camera such as the 6D I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. And when using variable ISO who wants their DR to drop by a stop or two between ISO 100 and 800 ?

That is because those who are bothered by it will be/are moving to other manufacturers. If Canon are fine with bleeding off their market base, then sure, they won't care. If all depends on if the assumption that Canon are cool with losing market share to more progressive manufacturers is true or not.

I suspect they are not cool with that happening.

You skipped a step. No, Canon doesn't want to lose market share. But...you are assuming they are, in fact, losing market share. Where is your evidence to support that assumption? It seems equally if not more likely that those who are bothered by a ~2-stops less low ISO DR and switched from Canon to Nikon are outnumbered by those Nikon users hoping for the true replacement to the D700 that never came, and so bought a 5DIII instead.

As for 'more progressive manufacturers', your definition of progressive is almost as biased as DxO's Scores. DPAF...not progressive? Fluorite elements in supertele lenses, you'd think a progressive company like Nikon would have used them decades ago like Canon did...instead Nikon called them too fragile, only now they're touting the benefits of fluorite in their newest supertele lenses. Limiting the definitions of 'innovative' and 'progressive' to mean achieving more low ISO DR is typical of the biased DRivel posted by the crew of CR Forum DRones.

In the course of my work I come across a lot of people with cameras, and not many of those are true professionals. Some are just happy snappers, or tourists, or teenagers aspiring to a better camera. The odd one is a highly successful pro who buys £250,000 yachts with loose change ( seriously). ( zigzagzoe's got a long way to go to catch up).

Often these people will chat to me and I'll ask them why they chose Nikon, or Canon or Sony ( 'cos it's always one of these). I've never had one single person say they chose Nikon or Sony because of the extra DR that the sensor offers, or that it has more latitude and can lift shadows by five stops without seeing ugly noise. Not one. Ever.

So although those factors are the number one priority for some, generally very vocal people, and they will move away from Canon, I would suggest they are just a drop in the ocean compared with everyone else. So although I read on CR that Canon is using the same sensor fabrication that Noah had on his Ark, I'm really not sure that Canon are going to see this as a really high priority, especially given the fact that their sales are not declining in relation to Sonikon.

People do have issues with things like trying to focus in movie mode with a dslr for instance, and Canon have done something about that. I've been surprised by the number of 70Ds I've seen given that the camera hasn't been out that long. I would say that the vast amount of casual users are going to appreciate that more than lifting underexposed areas by five stops, and they are the people who are buying most of the cameras.

So what I'm coming round to say is I don't think the 7DII will have a radically different sensor fabrication, and I anticipate the howls of derision that are going to fill these pages from the usual sources.

It would be interesting to find out what percentage of DSLR owners even attempt to do PP, either in jpg or RAW. I suspect the number is rather low (particularly within the single lens crowd). I am hopeful that Canon will incorporate genuine "new and improved" sensor technology in the 7D's replacement as a matter of pride, as well as an effort to maintain market share. I guess I'm just a romantic.

 

[Tugela]

Oh dear there's going to be terrible anguish, spitting feathers and general sabre rattling if the 7DII doesn't have some sensor fabrication advance similar to the Exmor. But you know I'm not really sure how much pressure there is on Canon to catch up on this. It would seem that 99% of Canon users (generically speaking) are not bothered about that particular aspect of the sensor, including many well respected professionals; certainly judging by sales there are many other features which the buying public seem to want. Certainly the amount of people using variable ISO now surprises me, but on the other hand given the performance of a camera such as the 6D I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. And when using variable ISO who wants their DR to drop by a stop or two between ISO 100 and 800 ?

That is because those who are bothered by it will be/are moving to other manufacturers. If Canon are fine with bleeding off their market base, then sure, they won't care. If all depends on if the assumption that Canon are cool with losing market share to more progressive manufacturers is true or not.

I suspect they are not cool with that happening.

You skipped a step. No, Canon doesn't want to lose market share. But...you are assuming they are, in fact, losing market share. Where is your evidence to support that assumption? It seems equally if not more likely that those who are bothered by a ~2-stops less low ISO DR and switched from Canon to Nikon are outnumbered by those Nikon users hoping for the true replacement to the D700 that never came, and so bought a 5DIII instead.

As for 'more progressive manufacturers', your definition of progressive is almost as biased as DxO's Scores. DPAF...not progressive? Fluorite elements in supertele lenses, you'd think a progressive company like Nikon would have used them decades ago like Canon did...instead Nikon called them too fragile, only now they're touting the benefits of fluorite in their newest supertele lenses. Limiting the definitions of 'innovative' and 'progressive' to mean achieving more low ISO DR is typical of the biased DRivel posted by the crew of CR Forum DRones.

The average buyer does not give two hoots about any of those "technical" differences that have little impact on how they use their cameras. All they are interested in is having a capable imaging device that satisfies ALL of their needs.

For them the criteria are different. In the past they needed different cameras for stills and for video. In the past even though still cameras could shoot video, they were extremely clumsy doing it and generated less than satisfactory results. And since the average buyer was only going to invest in one expensive camera that was usually a stills camera.

Now things are different. There are cameras appearing on the market which are very capable shooting both stills and video. When the average buyer gets around to replacing his or her camera every 5 years or so, what do you thing they are going to choose, the Sony/Panasonic that does everything well, or the Canon/Nikon that only does one thing well?

There is a sea change under way in the industry. The highly specialized camera is going to become the province of professionals only. Successful consumer cameras are going to be the ones that shoot both stills and video at a high level. I see lots of people walking around with 5Ds and similar models, none of them are professional photographers, they are housewives and ordinary people. People who will want their cameras to shoot video as well. Right now most of them are not educated about what is going on in the industry because they already have their camera for now, but when it comes to replace those cameras they are going to look around to see what the competition is doing.

That is when Canon and Nikon are going to nose into the ground unless they radically change their attitude. They make most of their money off these ordinary people, and if they don't satisfy the needs of that market, the market will find someone else who will. The fact that Canon and Nikon sell lots of cameras today will not help them tomorrow.

 

[Loswr]

That is when Canon and Nikon are going to nose into the ground unless they radically change their attitude.

YAPODFC :

 

[npherno]

Oh dear there's going to be terrible anguish, spitting feathers and general sabre rattling if the 7DII doesn't have some sensor fabrication advance similar to the Exmor. But you know I'm not really sure how much pressure there is on Canon to catch up on this. It would seem that 99% of Canon users (generically speaking) are not bothered about that particular aspect of the sensor, including many well respected professionals; certainly judging by sales there are many other features which the buying public seem to want. Certainly the amount of people using variable ISO now surprises me, but on the other hand given the performance of a camera such as the 6D I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. And when using variable ISO who wants their DR to drop by a stop or two between ISO 100 and 800 ?

That is because those who are bothered by it will be/are moving to other manufacturers. If Canon are fine with bleeding off their market base, then sure, they won't care. If all depends on if the assumption that Canon are cool with losing market share to more progressive manufacturers is true or not.

I suspect they are not cool with that happening.

You skipped a step. No, Canon doesn't want to lose market share. But...you are assuming they are, in fact, losing market share. Where is your evidence to support that assumption? It seems equally if not more likely that those who are bothered by a ~2-stops less low ISO DR and switched from Canon to Nikon are outnumbered by those Nikon users hoping for the true replacement to the D700 that never came, and so bought a 5DIII instead.

As for 'more progressive manufacturers', your definition of progressive is almost as biased as DxO's Scores. DPAF...not progressive? Fluorite elements in supertele lenses, you'd think a progressive company like Nikon would have used them decades ago like Canon did...instead Nikon called them too fragile, only now they're touting the benefits of fluorite in their newest supertele lenses. Limiting the definitions of 'innovative' and 'progressive' to mean achieving more low ISO DR is typical of the biased DRivel posted by the crew of CR Forum DRones.

The average buyer does not give two hoots about any of those "technical" differences that have little impact on how they use their cameras. All they are interested in is having a capable imaging device that satisfies ALL of their needs.

For them the criteria are different. In the past they needed different cameras for stills and for video. In the past even though still cameras could shoot video, they were extremely clumsy doing it and generated less than satisfactory results. And since the average buyer was only going to invest in one expensive camera that was usually a stills camera.

Now things are different. There are cameras appearing on the market which are very capable shooting both stills and video. When the average buyer gets around to replacing his or her camera every 5 years or so, what do you thing they are going to choose, the Sony/Panasonic that does everything well, or the Canon/Nikon that only does one thing well?

There is a sea change under way in the industry. The highly specialized camera is going to become the province of professionals only. Successful consumer cameras are going to be the ones that shoot both stills and video at a high level. I see lots of people walking around with 5Ds and similar models, none of them are professional photographers, they are housewives and ordinary people. People who will want their cameras to shoot video as well. Right now most of them are not educated about what is going on in the industry because they already have their camera for now, but when it comes to replace those cameras they are going to look around to see what the competition is doing.

That is when Canon and Nikon are going to nose into the ground unless they radically change their attitude. They make most of their money off these ordinary people, and if they don't satisfy the needs of that market, the market will find someone else who will. The fact that Canon and Nikon sell lots of cameras today will not help them tomorrow.

Nikon is much more vulnerable to a market shift, if one did occur. Sony said they wanted to be number two in the market. Perhaps that is why Nikon is releasing so many cameras?

Sony does have some interesting cameras, and I do own an NEX. It has quirks, but takes great pictures. I believe that when Sony has a full lens lineup and fixes the rough edges around their UI and AF, Nikon and Canon could be under a lot of pressure to get new (semi)professional customers. New customers will not have a bias toward mirrorless and no investment in lenses.

That said, Canon definitely pisses me off with their "nickel and diming" the customer, but they aren't going anywhere. The RX-100 is the best camera in class, but we will see how that translates to other market segments.

 

[jeffa4444]

Cannot say why I know but Canon ARE NOT replacing the 5D MKIII in the near future & certainly not leading up to Christmas / year end.

 

[jeffa4444]

Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax et al. are all aware the market is changing and the threat from smart phones is not going away. Sales are slipping and if you simply look at the CIPA graph for instance in isolation then its gloom & doom. If you go back many years the average annualized SLR / DSLR sales are around 7-8M. If you allow for the new found affluance in China, India, South American & even small parts of Africa then that number may rest between 9-10M annually. DSLRs peaked just over 16M a couple of years ago and maybe around 12M in 2014 will be sold. As the grapgh notes shipments peak in March / April and September / October so before summer & Christmas meaning the bulk are bought by snappers.

The 7D has been in production for 5 years a lifetime in cameras, the current 5D MKIII was announced on March 2nd 2012 I cannot see Canon replacing it only after 2.5 years even though volumes are high they are no where near each Rebel which is where the "fickle" customer are and therefor have a lower effect on demand.

Technology is moving to a point where between camera electronics and editing software many artifacts can be removed that the lens may introduce. This means simpler lenses could and are being made for consumers and they can be made cheaper. Canon could simplify the EF-S lenses and lower the prices for use with the Rebels to help stimulate demand and leave the EF and full frame system intact moving the two further apart.

GfK state that the only sectors either holding up or growing are high end DSLRS or high end compact system cameras.

 

[Tugela]

Cannot say why I know but Canon ARE NOT replacing the 5D MKIII in the near future & certainly not leading up to Christmas / year end.

It depends on whether the new 7D introduces a technology generation change or not. If it doesn't there would be no pressing need to update the other high end models, but if it does you can bet that new 1D and 5D models will come not long after no matter when earlier models were released.

Anyway, the rumor was that an updated 1D would be announced first, followed by a 5D, in Q1 2015 IIRC.

Something else you need to remember is that the 5D is (or rather was) exploiting the DSLR video market as well, and with current offerings from Panasonic and Sony it is pretty much dead in the water in that respect. I imagine that Canon management will want to do something about that sooner rather than later.

 

[Loswr]

Something else you need to remember is that the 5D is (or rather was) exploiting the DSLR video market as well, and with current offerings from Panasonic and Sony it is pretty much dead in the water in that respect.

Interesting suggestion. Do you have any actual data to back up that claim?

 

[pablo]

Dr Brain, do you have any data to back up anything other than the fanboi reciepts you accumulate?

We all love canon gear. You have spent more than most on it. Great. Stop being a bully. Your cr geek status doesn;t necessarily equate to you being correct. You've been in the system what? 5 years. c'mon man. Lay off.

 

[pablo]

Something else you need to remember is that the 5D is (or rather was) exploiting the DSLR video market as well, and with current offerings from Panasonic and Sony it is pretty much dead in the water in that respect. I imagine that Canon management will want to do something about that sooner rather than later.

+1

4K may well just be about marketing at this stage of the game. But then, isn't it all really just about marketing?
Anybody who really believes canon are giving us their best available are either deluded or about to switch to a nikon or sony camera.

It's a long ball game. But new canon cameras should be able to at least hint at being able to pick up the ball and run with it for a bit.

I'm not in the market for a new video DSLR, but if I was, I wouldn't buy anything that couldn't do 4k. Not because I need it today, but because I need a camera (system) to last me 4 years or so to be finacially viable.

 

[Loswr]

Dr Brain, do you have any data to back up anything other than the fanboi reciepts you accumulate?

I make claims based on factual, verifiable data. When someone states that, "The 5D (III)...is dead in the water," as far as video use goes, I'd hope they could back that up with something other than their own opinion. For >4 years, CR forum posters (and elsewhere) have claimed Canon is 'doomed', 'dead in the water', etc., because other manufacturers offer sensors with more low ISO DR. The facts show the exact opposite...Canon continues to sell more dSLRs than any other manufacturer.

You want to discuss facts, let's discuss them. You want to spew unsupported statements and BS, well, the Internet is free and no one can stop you from making yourself look foolish...

 

[pablo]

Marketing 1- 0 technology

You disagree that Canon has catching up to do all over the shop?

 

[Loswr]

You disagree that Canon has catching up to do all over the shop?

I certainly disagree. For just one example, who has the most advanced image sensor phase detect AF? Does anyone else use every pixel covering ~80% of the sensor area for phase detect AF?

 

[pablo]

Down the list from 36MP, 4k video etc.

Live view AF... grrrrrrrrreat.

Folk serious about video don't want it. But it's great for folk upgrading from ixus compacts to mid-range DSLRs.

You are a blind fanboy my friend.

Ask canon for more. The money you spend they might listen. I suspect they value the monied amateur market above all others.

 

[Loswr]

Folk serious about video don't want it. But it's great for folk upgrading from ixus compacts to mid-range DSLRs.

Canon offers DPAF as an upgrade to their Cx00 Cinema EOS cameras. So, either you or Canon know something about 'folk serious about video' that the other doesn't. Who knows more about their market...you or Canon? (In case there's any doubt in your mind, it's not you... : .)