7D to 5D III upgrade..worth it?

[SPL]

Hello,

I think maybe this questions has been put out there before,..so I apologize if it has…Just wondering if there are any thoughts out there on upgrading from a 7D to a 5D III. I’m looking for better IQ at low ISOs. Low ISO noise from the 7D has really annoyed me at times. I like to shoot landscapes, HDRs, and some people/portrait and macro work. Thanks for any opinions!

 

[Dylan777]

You can't go wrong with FF(5D III) - better AF, better in low light, better IQ, PLUS MUCH MORE

No CONs in this case - except loosing 1.6x crop

 

[willis]

You aren't losing anything big in that upgrade just few FPS from burst and 1.6c crop and you gain FF, better AF - ISO - IQ, etc.. 8)
More you get than lose, just go for it.

 

[preppyak]

I like to shoot landscapes, HDRs, and some people/portrait and macro work.

It will be better for all of those purposes. And even if you end up shooting some people in action, the 5dIII AF is better, and the burst rate is still plenty fast

 

[GT3]

I’m looking for better IQ at low ISOs. Low ISO noise from the 7D has really annoyed me at times. I like to shoot landscapes, HDRs, and some people/portrait and macro work. Thanks for any opinions!

>I never shot with a 7D. I have a 5D III since a couple of weeks. It will provide everything your asking for and most likely much more ;D

 

[merlin]

If you're not satisfied with the 7D, it is a no brainer upgrade to the 5D3. Unquestionably the best decision I have made regarding camera choice.

 

[kidnaper]

I went from a 50D to a 5DIII and my lord... I know they're not all keepers, but compared to what I was getting out of the 50D they sure seem like it. It's a fantastic camera. People have mentioned losing the crop factor as a con, but with landscape shooting having the same glass get 1.6 more of the landscape, isn't that a pro?

 

[canon816]

I had a 7D. Upgraded to a 5DII and a 1DIV. Sold both and now have two 5DIII's. To answer your question: "YES" it is worth it... 8)

 

[shadowsatnight]

This is the same path I'm about to take, 7d to 5dmkIII.

I must admit I'm slightly daunted about a buying a body for over £2k that I'm not going to use professionally, but I can't wait to see the improvement in IQ, and the extra width when I'm shooting landscape.
15-85 efs is my current wide lens on the 7, but I have an old 20-35 L with the most gorgeous colours ever, that's aching to be used on FF.

 

[carlc]

I am dealing with the same question. I really like my 7D, but I have this burning desire for the 5DMkIII. That is a lot of money for "a little greener grass" on the other side. I have been thinking that my magic "buy point" is $2800 before June, 2013. Otherwise, I will just wait for the next round of major sensor improvements to the 7D or 5D series. And "That's a Memo."

 

[sivesind]

I have to agree with all the people who have written above claiming it is worth it. I upgraded from 7D to 5D.3 in May, and I had my doubts before the upgrade. A lot of reviews compared the 5D.3 to the 5D.2, hailing great improvements, but the few comparisons to the 7D was not as convincing. For instance, a web-site wrote about the advantages of the Q menu, compared to the old system on the 5D.2. But the Q menu was inherited from the 7D. Also, the 5D.3 is more than twice the price of the 7D.

However, as soon as I had the 5D.3 in hand and started looking at the menus and took some pictures, I knew I had made the right choice. There are tons of extra features. In low light situations, I have 3 extra ISO stops to work with (from 1600 on the 7D to 12800 on the 5D.3 for decent pictures), but also with good light, the camera seems to render contrasts and details better. The best part of all: The autofocus system. It is both faster and much more accurate that on the 7D. 8)

The only disadvantage I see, is that the upgrade is expensive. One thing is what you pay for the body, but the 5D.3 deserves good glass and most of my old glass felt unfamiliar with the new crop-factor. My 10-22 EF-S had to be replaced, and I still wonder what I should do to get closer than 300mm. On the 7D, my 70-300 always got me close enough. Now, I want something more, but anything beyond 300mm is horrendously expensive, or just bad.

 

[GT3]

The only disadvantage I see, is that the upgrade is expensive. One thing is what you pay for the body, but the 5D.3 deserves good glass ...

That is absolute correct. If you ugrade the body, you will also want/need to spend on lenses (if you don´t already own them).

 

[pierceography]

I just upgraded from a 7D to a 5DIII myself, and can say that it's definitely worth the upgrade! I recently shot a street festival, but forgot my external flash. With my 7D, after the sun went down I would have just put the camera away as I wouldn't have been able to get a "clean" enough shot in the low light conditions. This was one of my first times venturing out with the 5DIII, and I was pretty blown away by the images I was able to get. I'm attaching one of the photos. f/4.5, 1/80, ISO: 12,800. The high ISO and relatively low noise is incredible. I cleaned it up a bit in Photoshop, but honestly it was only some light noise reduction as I do that to most images above ISO 1600 as a force of habit.

The only thing I'll disagree with the other posters on is the macro portion. I don't know why anyone would use a FF over a crop sensor when you're doing macro photography. Unless your crop camera isn't even in the same ballpark as your FF, using a crop sensor for macro is a no brainer. I still use my 7D for macro work with my 100mm lens. Yeah, macro photos still look great on my 5DIII, but the extra 60mm I get from the 7D is worth keeping it around.

 

[Dylan777]

I am dealing with the same question. I really like my 7D, but I have this burning desire for the 5DMkIII. That is a lot of money for "a little greener grass" on the other side. I have been thinking that my magic "buy point" is $2800 before June, 2013. Otherwise, I will just wait for the next round of major sensor improvements to the 7D or 5D series. And "That's a Memo."

"a little greener grass"???...the only Pro I see 7D has over 5D III is fps. Otherwise, 5D III is a BETTER camera over all - AF, high ISO, IQ...plus more

 

[tomgomes]

I do a lot of birds in flight photography and really rely on the 7D's 8 fps...especially now with the firmware update that pushes the burst rate/buffer to about 25 shots. I contemplated buying the 5DIII and was able to test it with my 400mm lens. I think the 5DIII is a great camera, but it's 6 fps and slow burst rate/buffer was way too slow for my type of shooting. I will wait for the 7D's upgrade.

 

[RLPhoto]

Yes, but I still keep my 7D for reach and FPS, otherwise its gathering more dust than my MK3.

 

[Kumakun]

I have had a 7D for over two years, and bought a 5DIII in June (kept the 7D). I still like my 7D, but I'm very happy with my decision to get the 5DIII. Big advantage in low light / high ISO performance.

The biggest disadvantage was that I had to buy a new lens, because my 10-22 didn't work with the ff. (That's kind of a joke, I knew the 10-22 was EF-S of course and so it wouldn't work on the 5DIII...) Of course, I was planning to buy a UWA anyway--just decided I needed it sooner rather than later, because the wide end of my 24-70mm wasn't close to wide enough.

 

[crasher8]

I just sold my 7D and 10-22 to fund a 5D3. I'll miss the 16-35 perspective as my 24 will be the widest I'll have but I'm sure IQ/ISO and low light usage will be a great trade off. I no longer need the reach and fps of a crop 7D as my niches have changed from sports to outdoor portraiture and fine art. No, the sale didn't cover the full price! lol. Next week will be fun! I can't wait to take advantage of my 24-70 on a FF.

 

[krjc]

I upgraded about five months ago from a 7D to 5DIII. I hardly ever use my 7D anymore. I miss the crop factor on my 100-400mm when doing birding but that is it. In every other possible use I have for it, the 5DIII is so much better. Contemplating selling my 7D or giving too one of my kids. I would love to have the present 7D with just better high ISO performance as for me that is its greatest weakness.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I'd say keep your 7D and buy a 5D MK II. Then when you are focal length limited, the 7D will shine.