canon 5D mark iii help please upgrading from a 60D or wait for the Mark IV

[Gibbstribe]

After a little advice please ☺ I am looking at the canon 5D mark iii. Whats your thoughts & opinions is it really worth the leap? (Im upgrading from a 60D) Also with the mark IV being rumored to he released later this year would I be better off waiting a little longer for the price to come down? Or do you owners of a mark iii love the camera? ☺ I'm skeptical due to horror stories I've heard of them spending more time in repairs then being used...

If it's any help I'm. Using these lenses and would like to get most out of them. I'm mainly taking photos of kids & birth photography

Canon 50mm 1.4
Canon 24-70 f2.8L ii
Tamron 70-200 f2.8 VC

Occasionally but rarely I use tamron 18-200

 

[Random Orbits]

Now is good time to get the 5DIII, with prices below 2200. There is big difference in IQ between the 60D and the 5DIII and you have the lenses to take advantage of FF. What it comes down to is price. I'd rather get a 5DIII now for 2200 or less rather than buying a 5DIV, which is probably be 3500+. You could always upgrade without too much of a loss as the price of the 5DIV will fall more in the first year than the 5DIII.

 

[AcutancePhotography]

Do you think the 5D3 will give you what you are looking for? If so, buy it if you can afford it.
If you think the 5D3 will not give you what you are looking for then don't buy it.

What do you think the mythical 5D4 will give you that the 5D3 can't? And is that difference worth the price and time difference?

When the 5D4 comes out, will you be worried about whether you should wait and get the 5D5?

The best time to buy a camera is always two years from now.

But some time you have to actually buy a camera! ;D

It is not like when the 5D4 comes out that all of sudden all the 5D3s will stop working or will suddenly become crappy cameras. The 5d3 is a good camera!

Chasing the latest model is an expensive folly. You want to get the camera you can afford, at the time you want it, with the features you desire. That's the best camera for you.

Which is better for your photography?

Shooting with a 5D3 now?
Not shooting with an unpurchased 5D4 for the next year?

 

[ignomini]

A softer version of Acutance reply would be, the 5DIII is an excellent camera.

I was an early adopter and the body has been flawless. About once per year I've had an error message which required pulling and replacing the battery, but then I never did any firmware updates until a few weeks ago for the new 100-400.

Canon has claimed they are changing from a regular update cycle to a new tech driven cycle. Who knows what this actually means in terms of new product introduction. As stated above, there will be a $1,000 plus difference in price whenever the next body comes out. In the mean time, the 5DIII is miles ahead of the 60D. If you shoot any low light stuff, there's almost nothing to talk about.

My marketing staff use a 5DII. There's not enough difference there to warrant upgrading, even at current costs. Do you want to wait ten months for a camera ten percent better, costing over $1,000 more than a 5DIII? Here's a thought. Rent a 5DIII and shoot with it for a weekend. Shoot some back to back comparisons with your good glass. Is the difference worth it right now? Only you can make that call.

 

[killswitch]

I own the 60D, and I bought the 5D3 6 month's later it was released. I can tell you one thing though, I never shot with my 60D ever since. 5D3 is an excellent camera, and the price right now is $2300-2450 new (with rebate) and much cheaper if you can find a used one? If the 5D4 comes out it is surely gonna have a premium price for the first year or so. Then we do not know how much of an upgrade the 5D4 is going to be from the 5D3 until people get it in their hands and try it out. Then, usually it is advisable to wait out the first batch of hardware and let Canon work out the bugs and issues if any (remember the light leak issue in the initial batch of 5D3).

The image quality between 60D and 5D3 is very noticeable, and especially if you shoot RAW. The AF system is a beast, and you can have an entire Forum based on 5D3's AF system which is highly customizable and is spread across the frame nicely as opposed to the one in 60D. The control layouts are the well laid out and you will notice it when you switch from 60D to 5D3 even if it is for a test run. Bottom line, I never regretted it. If I waited and didn't get the 5D3 then, I would have missed out on a lot of shots especially which were taken indoors/outdoors during the night-time. Some were shot at 6400-12800 ISO and were all keepers. Something I would not have been able to get out of my 60D without heavy noise reduction and cleanup.

But in the end if feel you have situations in the near future where you will be shooting quite a lot, and makes sense to get a 5D3 then by all means look into it. Only you can say if you really need switch from 60D to 5D3 or not. As for the 5D4, I would only wait and see if I know for certain that I am not shooting for the next 6 months.

 

[Perio]

If you need a camera now, get 5diii. It's a fantastic camera, especially since you're coming from 60d. But if you can wait few months, then wait. I think prices for 5diii will be going down even more, and if 5div is released soon, 5diii prices would probably go even lower.

 

[Tinky]

It's dead easy.

If your 60D works for you just now, wait for the 5D4.

If it doesn't, get a 5D3.

Emmm. that's it.

 

[Khalai]

I know, that it's not on your wishlist, but how about 6D? It's very similar to 60D in terms of UI, yet produces images, which are at least on par with 5D III. Also costs a lot less (more ka-ching for an additional lens perhaps?)

 

[canonvoir]

Wait.

 

[Arty]

Get a good 35 mm lens first, and then decide if you want full-frame. Try out the 35F2IS. In good lighting, you will be surprised at what you can do. In poor
light, this combo will do a great deal for you. If you still find the low light performance of the 60D is not working for you, go full frame.
At that time, you will be able to get the 5DIII for even less than now, or you can pick up the latest model. I recommend finding a place
where you can handle the 5DIII before buying. The 6D is close in size to the 60D, with similar controls. The 5DIII is larger and heavier.
This may or may not matter to you.
At ISO 800 or below, the 60D is a fine camera. Performance drops as ISO goes up. If you do a lot of shooting in very low light, you can
do better with the 5DIII, or the 6D.

 

[drmikeinpdx]

When someone asks me if they should upgrade to a new body, here's what I like to ask them:

What do you need that your current body is not providing for you?

When they answer, I can give a more intelligent answer to their question. In some cases, it turns out that they just needed to work on their technique or perhaps get a better lens or get some better lighting equipment.

 

[Drum]

Quote from original post-
"☺ I'm skeptical due to horror stories I've heard of them spending more time in repairs then being used... "

I've never heard of a higher failure rate for the 5diii ? care to elaborate? I upgraded from a 60d (still have the 60d ) in September 2013, I havent once had a problem with either camera. A new model may have glitches for early adopters- the 5diii did, Nikon have the d600 and d750, I don't think the reliability of the 5diii vs a new 5div (or S) should be a factor for the OP.