Second hand body dilemma - 6D or 5D3

[Mikehit]

Thank you for your replies, everyone.

I did think about renting, but given that the release of the 5DIV is as yet unkown it seems cheaper to buy second hand and the differenvce between now and then would more than pay for it.

I have been looking at HDEW and their new prices are pretty much the same as second hand from well known websites so it looks like a no-brainer for anything other than high-mileage models.
The difference in ergonomics does sound as though it could be potentially frustrating (I do like that joystick!) but then again I also have a Panasonic MFT and I transition to that easily enough.

MartinH - your picture of the hummingbird is very convincing....

Decision day tomorrow, I think.

 

[Michael Clark]

Thank you for your replies, everyone.

I did think about renting, but given that the release of the 5DIV is as yet unkown it seems cheaper to buy second hand and the differenvce between now and then would more than pay for it.

I have been looking at HDEW and their new prices are pretty much the same as second hand from well known websites so it looks like a no-brainer for anything other than high-mileage models.
The difference in ergonomics does sound as though it could be potentially frustrating (I do like that joystick!) but then again I also have a Panasonic MFT and I transition to that easily enough.

MartinH - your picture of the hummingbird is very convincing....

Decision day tomorrow, I think.

So, what'd 'ya get?

 

[Mikehit]

I went for the 6D. I am still putting both through their paces but my initial thoughts are that there is little difference in resolution between the two up to between 800 and 1600 ISO and cropping both to the same FOV - the better sensor quality of the 6D sensor going a fair way of matching the higher absolute resolution of the 7D2. Straight out of the box, when using spot AF on both cameras the the AF of the 6D sometimes seems a tad more snappy to hit focus. I haven't yet put the 6D AF tracking through the wringer but the idea of returning to centre-point AF seems like a significant step backwards compared to the multi-zone options on the 7D2!! But even in these early days, the larger sensor of the 6D definitely makes it easier to locate a bird in flight in the viewfinder. It almost makes me wonder if I should have leapt straight to the 5D3 ;D

Once past 1600 ISO the 6D starts to show its benefits even when cropping to the same FOV of the 7D2 which is what I was after so so far I am happy. The only downside is the small area covered by the AF points but if I get back into the habit of quick focus-recompose even this should not be a problem.

So should I have gone for the 5D3? I am honestly not sure - picking up the 6D it seems so light compared to the 7D2 that weight itself has its own attraction and in that it offers me a genuine choice of the gear I take with me! And I am so far happy with my choice.

But now I am wondering if I should go for the 24-105 or get the 17-40 and ignore the gap to the 70-200f4L. And if I do, do I sell the 17-55 f2.8 IS?
Problems...problems...

 

[nc0b]

I don't shoot my 60D much since I went FF, the closest thing to a 7D you own. The 6D is amazing at high ISOs, and it does well for BIF with a 400 f/5.6. I rarely shoot sports, so the frame rate isn't an issue for me. I added a 5DsR earlier this year for wildlife, since I am always reach limited. There have been many discussions here about the actual reach advantage of crop. The consensus was the advantage was closer to 1.2X as opposed to 1.6X. If I am shooting ballroom dance, I always go with the 6D due to relative dim incandescent lighting. When shooting raptors, I prefer the extra pixels of the 5DsR since I am never closer than 100 yards. I have never used a 5D3, but I prefer the one handed shot review button placement of the 6D over the 5DsR, which has the same button placement as the 5D3.

 

[Michael Clark]

I went for the 6D. I am still putting both through their paces but my initial thoughts are that there is little difference in resolution between the two up to between 800 and 1600 ISO and cropping both to the same FOV - the better sensor quality of the 6D sensor going a fair way of matching the higher absolute resolution of the 7D2. Straight out of the box, when using spot AF on both cameras the the AF of the 6D sometimes seems a tad more snappy to hit focus. I haven't yet put the 6D AF tracking through the wringer but the idea of returning to centre-point AF seems like a significant step backwards compared to the multi-zone options on the 7D2!! But even in these early days, the larger sensor of the 6D definitely makes it easier to locate a bird in flight in the viewfinder. It almost makes me wonder if I should have leapt straight to the 5D3 ;D

Once past 1600 ISO the 6D starts to show its benefits even when cropping to the same FOV of the 7D2 which is what I was after so so far I am happy. The only downside is the small area covered by the AF points but if I get back into the habit of quick focus-recompose even this should not be a problem.

So should I have gone for the 5D3? I am honestly not sure - picking up the 6D it seems so light compared to the 7D2 that weight itself has its own attraction and in that it offers me a genuine choice of the gear I take with me! And I am so far happy with my choice.

But now I am wondering if I should go for the 24-105 or get the 17-40 and ignore the gap to the 70-200f4L. And if I do, do I sell the 17-55 f2.8 IS?
Problems...problems...

I use both the 17-40 and the 24-105 regularly. In the overlap range It's pretty much always the 24-105 unless I don't have time to swap which camera is in my hand. Then again the 17-40 is usually hanging on a 5DII and the 24-105 is on a 5DIII. The 17-40 is almost always used at 17mm. I like both and they both have advantages over the other, but if I had to choose just one it would be the 24-105. There's just way too wide a gap between 40mm on a FF and 70mm on an APS-C if you're shooting 2 bodies that way.

Don't forget that the 17-40 on a FF body will give you the same FoV as a 11-25 would on your crop bodies. The 17-55, as a crop only lens, is equivalent to 27-88 on FF. You do give up the f/2.8, but the larger sensor lets you get away with higher ISO.

 

[Mikehit]

Don't forget that the 17-40 on a FF body will give you the same FoV as a 11-25 would on your crop bodies. The 17-55, as a crop only lens, is equivalent to 27-88 on FF. You do give up the f/2.8, but the larger sensor lets you get away with higher ISO.

That's the bit I am thinking about. When I travelled in Himalayas and Australasia, I was shooting slide film with a 28mm as my widest lens (24mm was an expensive luxury back then!) and when looking back at those slides, not once have I thought 'I wish I had had a wider lens'. And the gap 40-70 does seem a bit large...
Thank you for your comments, Michael.