To canon 5D iii or not to canon 5D iii Advice

[vortex]

Hi

I finally have the option of going full frame and a one off chance of buying a 5d iii.

I've been following the rumors on this site. If I buy now will I be kicking myself next year for not waiting for the rumoured new canon bodies or do those of you with more experience think the 5D is unlikey to be bettered for the price.

I know it would take a crystal ball to know for sure but I would value your opinions.

 

[rolsskk]

As the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. You will never have a camera, as long as you keep waiting for the next best thing, as there will always be something new to replace it. That being said, go for the MkIII, I love it, it's a great camera.

 

[cervantes]

Well, besides the 75MP 1D that will maybe come out next year I think that Canons FF lineup is rather complete, so I don't really think that you will have to "kick yourself".

If you want FF you can never go wrong with the 5DIII I think. I own it since about one year and it excels no matter what i throw at it.

 

[DigiAngel]

If you dont need more Megapixels, the 5D III is a near perfect Camera. Buy it. Dont see why you should kick yourself when new products are going to be announced next year. Theres will always be something better at one time.

 

[Jeremy]

+1 for for buying it and never looking back. With a 5DIII and a 24-70L II bolted to it, you'll have a combo that will remove ANY doubt about equipment limitations (unless you're doing something specific like sports). What's ironic is that, when I carry that combo, I feel like the equipment isn't even there...that it's just my eye & brain & my subject.

 

[verysimplejason]

Buy depending on your budget and requirements then forget everything else. Easy to say but difficult to adhere to.

Just make sure you've got enough budget for your type of shooting. That said, here's a list of all possible expenses. Please ignore if you already know about them. I've listed them because it's just not the body anyway that's important.

1. Lens (UWA, Wide, Macro, Portraits, Tele). I need all of them...
2. Lighting equipment (minimum requirement: 1 flash). I've got 2 bags full of it... - 2 flash, 1 LED, reflectors, umbrella, stands, etc... I'm using beginner strobist stuffs.
3. Filters (Polarizers, UV, GND, ND, Reverse GND). Again, I have all of them because I'm shooting landscape also as my past time.
4. Camera body. This is the last but important requirement. Depending if you shoot sports, landscapes, macro, portraits, choose your camera body. e.g., 5D3 may be better in IQ than 1DIV but definitely, 1DIV or 1D3 are better than 5D3 for sports or birding given enough light. 6D might be better for low light static photography.

That said, I'm still using 500D (planning to upgrade to a 6D body later) for hobby and a 5D2 for official things (events shooting, hopefully my boss upgrade it to 5D3. He said I don't need it. :'( ).

 

[LewisShermer]

Always always always get the 5Diii

 

[Dimson]

well i have the mark 2 and for some time after the announcement of mark 3 i was hesitant about the upgrade. a month later a friend of mine got the mark 3 and i got to play with it. given the fact that im a landscape photographer, the only perk the mark 3 could give me over the older model is it's slightly better performance at high ISO. i could care less about the new AF or slightly better weather sealing (although given the amount of threads opened about failed weathersealing on mark 3's, i dont think it's nearly as good as advertised).

i think your purchase should heavily depend on the kind of shooter you are. i would highly recommend the mark 3 to any all around serious amateur that would benefit from both the good iso performance as well as the new AF and speedy burst rate. today several of my friends own it (4 to be exact), 3 of them have families and they cant get enough of this camera when shooting their kids in dynamic environment. the 4th is a landscape and macro photographer like me who upgraded from 7D

right now, the only thing holding me back from switching to D800E is the fact i'm heavily invested in lenses. i would rather wait and see what canon comes up with next year, for now my mark 2 fits my needs almost perfectly ( i could benefit from some of mark 3 advantages but i dont think the upgrade is worth the price differential for me)

 

[pedro]

Depends on your preferencies in photography.
If money isn't an issue: 5D3
If you are on a budget: 6D

The high ISO performance of the 6D might be slightly better due to the lower MPs.

Anyway, for me as an entusiast amateur the 5D3 is THE allround camera matching all I need it for. An 1Dx for some better high ISO IQ at very low light is absolutely off budget for me and not justifiable as an amateur, even if I had the funds for it. But that's my two cents. I don't even hesitate to take pictures at very low light and ISO 51k. See sample below... No PS. Processed in DPP, some NR, some slight and basic adjustments.

Z96A5407bWEB by Peter Hauri, on Flickr

Settings: 1/25 ƒ/3.2 ISO 51200 50 mm

 

[Niki]

until you can afford the 5d miii get a film camera...fun and cheap..great image...I have both

 

[pedro]

until you can afford the 5d miii get a film camera...fun and cheap..great image...I have both

good advice up here...but how about this recent post by CR guy?

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=16133.0

 

[crasher8]

Is this #98 in the Just for fun thread?

 

[AcutancePhotography]

Best time to buy a camera is always about 3-5 years from now. ;D

Get the camera you can afford at the time you need one. Don't worry about what the best camera is, worry about what is the best camera for YOU and your photographic style.

 

[pedro]

Best time to buy a camera is always about 3-5 years from now. ;D

Get the camera you can afford at the time you need one. Don't worry about what the best camera is, worry about what is the best camera for YOU and your photographic style.

agreed.

 

[JPAZ]

Sometimes I think the 5dii is more than I needed. First, I look back at the high iso noise levels on my old pre-5diii photos and remember why I wanted it. Then I take a few pictures, look at the output, and know why I got it.

If you can afford it, do it.

 

[pedro]

Sometimes I think the 5dii is more than I needed. First, I look back at the high iso noise levels on my old pre-5diii photos and remember why I wanted it. Then I take a few pictures, look at the output, and know why I got it.

If you can afford it, do it.

Same here. The 5D3 never ceases to amaze me!

 

[RGF]

You could wait and get the latest and greatest body. But then again when that comes out, you could wait for the mark +2, ...

The 5D M3 is a great camera. Do you need superb AF, then wait or opt for the 1Dx.
Do you need more than 24 MP? If so, wait and hope that Canon makes an affordable high MP camera.
Do you get an ego boast when you have the latest and great camera? If so, wait and wait and wait.
Do you need very high ISO performance? If so, wait and see. Not sure if Canon will ever come out with a 12 MP, ultra high ISO camera.

Unless there is specific reasons to delay purchase, look for the great deal and grab it.

 

[Krob78]

Wait a minute, I thought the 5D Mk III is the latest and greatest?? Why wait, it's already here for this price range! I think it's a camera one could have for years without any need for an upgrade... Unless of course you're a drooler over new tech... But the 5d Mk III will make you a very happy shooter! 8)

 

[enraginangel]

The 5D3 is Canon's best all-around camera. Not to mention that it has great support from the Magic Lantern crew that will unlock untold abilities down the line such as raw video, dual ISO recording, and many more features to come.

 

[Halfrack]

Unless you're going to come into a lot of extra money, get a 5d3 and have fun. Waiting is an endless game, and the shots you'll be able to enjoy in the mean time are well worth any depreciation in the value of the camera.