What would make $3500 for 5DmIII justifiable for you?

[Axilrod]

Geez enough threads about the price and trying to justify paying the price.

The problem is that too many people have waited to upgrade and now they feel like they waited for nothing, or that they should have just updated to the 5DII a year ago. They hung on to their 30D/40D/50D/60D/7Ds patiently and assumed (incorrectly) that the 5DIII would be the exact same price as the 5DII. Now that the 5DIII is out of their price range, they are trying to internally rationalize why it's not worth $3500, even if the simple reason is that they just can't afford it. They are trying to marginalize it, make it seem like it's just a 5DII with improved AF, because after all, it's hard to admit "hey this thing is awesome, I've been waiting on it forever, and I can't have it." It's much easier to tell yourself "meh, it's just a little better than the 5DII, I'm not missing out." (which makes them feel better about now having to get a 5DII). Then the confirmation bias sets in, they only read reviews that make the 5DIII seem not that great, they ignore the praises, and before you know it they genuinely believe it's a crap camera. They post polls talking about what would "justify the price tag."

I mean usually when people DONT want something they DONT talk about it, why should they care? Yet I see thread after thread of people that supposedly "dont want a 5DIII because it's not worth it," yet they can't shut up about the thing. I know it sucks that it's out of reach for some people, I mean announcement day was the closest thing to Christmas morning that an adult camera enthusiast can experience, and it's a bummer when you realize Santa didn't bring you anything. But have patience, the price will come down and a 5DII is still an awesome, very capable camera (I'm not getting rid of mine).

 

[awinphoto]

A $1,000 off coupon.


In all honesty I'm not complaining about the price, just that I don't have the money to afford one right now. I just got engaged and the ring turned out to cost one 5Diii, but I think I made the right choice.

I know the feeling. I had to get a ring and the honeymoon. I'm getting married this Saturday.

Congrats to you as well and good luck in the future!

 

[EYEONE]

A $1,000 off coupon.


In all honesty I'm not complaining about the price, just that I don't have the money to afford one right now. I just got engaged and the ring turned out to cost one 5Diii, but I think I made the right choice.

I know the feeling. I had to get a ring and the honeymoon. I'm getting married this Saturday.

Congrats to you as well and good luck in the future!

Thanks! And congrats to Keith also.

 

[meli]

Geez enough threads about the price and trying to justify paying the price.

The problem is that too many people have waited to upgrade and now they feel like they waited for nothing, or that they should have just updated to the 5DII a year ago. They hung on to their 30D/40D/50D/60D/7Ds patiently and assumed (incorrectly) that the 5DIII would be the exact same price as the 5DII. Now that the 5DIII is out of their price range, they are trying to internally rationalize why it's not worth $3500, even if the simple reason is that they just can't afford it. They are trying to marginalize it, make it seem like it's just a 5DII with improved AF, because after all, it's hard to admit "hey this thing is awesome, I've been waiting on it forever, and I can't have it." It's much easier to tell yourself "meh, it's just a little better than the 5DII, I'm not missing out." (which makes them feel better about now having to get a 5DII). Then the confirmation bias sits in, they only read reviews that make the 5DIII seem not that great, they ignore the praises, and before you know it they genuinely believe it's a crap camera. They post polls talking about what would "justify the price tag."

I mean usually when people DONT want something they DONT talk about it, why should they care? Yet I see thread after thread of people that supposedly "dont want a 5DIII because it's not worth it," yet they can't shut up about the thing. I know it sucks that it's out of reach for some people, I mean announcement day was the closest thing to Christmas morning that an adult camera enthusiast can experience, and it's a bummer when you realize Santa didn't bring you anything. But have patience, the price will come down and a 5DII is still an awesome, very capable camera (I'm not getting rid of mine).

woah slow down mate,

no doubt there're people frustrated cause the M3 turned out of reach but lets not mix everything up,
its one thing if one can or cant afford it
its another thing if someone will buy it irregardless of cost
its another if someone want to be the first kid on the block
and its totally another if some feel that the camera is more expensive than it should be, judging by competition/tech

as far as this gem:

when people DONT want something they DONT talk about it

you do realize that some people have invested in the platform and seeing canon jacking up prices all across the board makes them justifiably nervous right?

 

[keithfullermusic]

Thanks.

I think we should start a new thread - "I Was Going to Buy a 5Diii, But I Got Married"

 

[Meh]

Geez enough threads about the price and trying to justify paying the price.

The problem is that too many people have waited to upgrade and now they feel like they waited for nothing, or that they should have just updated to the 5DII a year ago. They hung on to their 30D/40D/50D/60D/7Ds patiently and assumed (incorrectly) that the 5DIII would be the exact same price as the 5DII. Now that the 5DIII is out of their price range, they are trying to internally rationalize why it's not worth $3500, even if the simple reason is that they just can't afford it. They are trying to marginalize it, make it seem like it's just a 5DII with improved AF, because after all, it's hard to admit "hey this thing is awesome, I've been waiting on it forever, and I can't have it." It's much easier to tell yourself "meh, it's just a little better than the 5DII, I'm not missing out." (which makes them feel better about now having to get a 5DII). Then the confirmation bias sits in, they only read reviews that make the 5DIII seem not that great, they ignore the praises, and before you know it they genuinely believe it's a crap camera. They post polls talking about what would "justify the price tag."

I mean usually when people DONT want something they DONT talk about it, why should they care? Yet I see thread after thread of people that supposedly "dont want a 5DIII because it's not worth it," yet they can't shut up about the thing. I know it sucks that it's out of reach for some people, I mean announcement day was the closest thing to Christmas morning that an adult camera enthusiast can experience, and it's a bummer when you realize Santa didn't bring you anything. But have patience, the price will come down and a 5DII is still an awesome, very capable camera (I'm not getting rid of mine).

I love confirmation bias, it's awesome. You're right and you're wrong.

People are disappointed in the price and many are assessing the improvements in light of the $800-1000 more than what was expected/hoped for and concluded it's not enough of an improvement to justify the price increase. IMHO that's not correct, it is worth the price. Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a departure for Canon in that they seem not to be differentiating the high-end bodies with the AF system as much as in the past. The difference between the 1DX and the 5D3 is much less than expectations. Now we have a great AF system in the 1DX, 5D3, and 7D. And at 6 fps, the 5D3 is very capable for sports... it's much more of an all-around camera than the 5D2. Hmmm, times have changed.

Where I think you may be wrong is being too harsh about the complaints about the price. I think it's a valid complaint because the price point to get into FF just went up instead of down and we expect technology to trickle down in electronics over time, the bleeding edge product actually goes up in price but features trickle down into lower priced products making it more affordable... question is whether FF is a feature we can reasonable expect to trickle down into a lower priced body... maybe not. The fact remains though that it just got more expensive to get a FF body which is likely why Canon is keeping the 5D2 in production a while longer.

But let's say Canon introduces a FF 6D that uses the same sensor but cuts back on build quality, AF, fps, has only a single card slot, etc. etc. as an entry level FF body at only $2300 list price... essentially a 5D2 with the new sensor. Would that satisfy the complaints? Would those complaining today recognize that the 5D3 is worth $1200 more than this hypothetical 6D?

 

[TAR]

I think Canon justified the price with the 61point AF and the sensor. The ISO performance from that sensor is incredible. $3500 is a lot, and is certainly more than I expected but I don't think it's overpriced. It might be a tad unfortunate for us but fair. I plan on buying one as soon as I can.

seriously? 61 AF points? i would say canon just catch up with the 4 or 5 year old D300 or D700. They should have put this auto focus on 5DII not on 5D III , metering just transferred form 7D instead of 1DX. competitors were offering top of their metering and AF performance on their FF cameras, canon just use their old tech and selling it for higher prices. only improvement i see in 5d3 is ISO range and small feature set like HDR and speed. they kept the same resolution so increase in iso range justified ..but IMHO there is nothing worth 1000$ more for this camera. canon keep screwing their customers somehow every time.

 

[Meh]

I think Canon justified the price with the 61point AF and the sensor. The ISO performance from that sensor is incredible. $3500 is a lot, and is certainly more than I expected but I don't think it's overpriced. It might be a tad unfortunate for us but fair. I plan on buying one as soon as I can.

seriously? 61 AF points? i would say canon just catch up with the 4 or 5 year old D300 or D700. They should have put this auto focus on 5DII not on 5D III , metering just transferred form 7D instead of 1DX. competitors were offering top of their metering and AF performance on their FF cameras, canon just use their old tech and selling it for higher prices. only improvement i see in 5d3 is ISO range and small feature set like HDR and speed. they kept the same resolution so increase in iso range justified ..but IMHO there is nothing worth 1000$ more for this camera. canon keep screwing their customers somehow every time.

Now, I previously thought Axilrod was being too harsh on the complaints but maybe I hadn't read through enough of them. If this is the typical complaint then Axilrod was right. Quit your whining. Your complaint is way off the mark. If all you see is a small improvement then your eyes must be closed. You must want the whole 1DX just in body labelled 5D3?

 

[Meh]

@Axilrod I take back my previous comments. You're absolutely right. +1 to you.

 

[AvTvM]

Canon 5D III is definitely not worth a single Euro or Dollar more than what Nikon charges for the D800. Overall, difference in resolution and speed even out (depending on field of photography one or the other has an edge) but D800 got AF and metering and all of the other important features top-of the line camera (D4) plus on-board flash to boot. 1/250 to 1/320s X-Sync, USB 3.0 are a given ... unlike the Canon offering, there is nothing withheld for "marketing differentiation" reasons.

It will be interesting to see how will those two cams will sell and how prices will develop.

Currently I am more than happy with my 7D ... but if I was in the market for a 3.5k FF body the one additional feature in the 5D III I would consider a price of 3.5k to be "justified" would be a fully-functional 2012 version of Eye Control Focus (ECF). That would be a truly amazing unique selling proposition in the entire market. Helping users with every single capture they take (except the video crowd, which is already more than taken care of). Putting the focus precisely where you want it in a frame ... easily, instantly, intuitively! 1/500s X-sync time, USB 3.0, WIFI and wireless flash remote control built-in would round out the killer package.

THAT would truly be worth 3.5 k ...

 

[JR]

Since I pre-ordered one, I guess the current set of features makes it justifiable for me. In particular I had three items that were must for me:

1- AF system
2- better ISO then the mkII
3- small features like an Auto ISO functions that works in Manual mode...

The mkIII delivers on all three above so I placed the order.

 

[Maui5150]

Geez enough threads about the price and trying to justify paying the price.

The problem is that too many people have waited to upgrade and now they feel like they waited for nothing, or that they should have just updated to the 5DII a year ago. They hung on to their 30D/40D/50D/60D/7Ds patiently and assumed (incorrectly) that the 5DIII would be the exact same price as the 5DII. Now that the 5DIII is out of their price range, they are trying to internally rationalize why it's not worth $3500, even if the simple reason is that they just can't afford it. They are trying to marginalize it, make it seem like it's just a 5DII with improved AF, because after all, it's hard to admit "hey this thing is awesome, I've been waiting on it forever, and I can't have it." It's much easier to tell yourself "meh, it's just a little better than the 5DII, I'm not missing out." (which makes them feel better about now having to get a 5DII). Then the confirmation bias sits in, they only read reviews that make the 5DIII seem not that great, they ignore the praises, and before you know it they genuinely believe it's a crap camera. They post polls talking about what would "justify the price tag."

I mean usually when people DONT want something they DONT talk about it, why should they care? Yet I see thread after thread of people that supposedly "dont want a 5DIII because it's not worth it," yet they can't shut up about the thing. I know it sucks that it's out of reach for some people, I mean announcement day was the closest thing to Christmas morning that an adult camera enthusiast can experience, and it's a bummer when you realize Santa didn't bring you anything. But have patience, the price will come down and a 5DII is still an awesome, very capable camera (I'm not getting rid of mine).

Funny thing is, when many of us thought it would be $3000 or more, we were told we were out of our mind.

I am no soothsayer, but not surprised by the price of the 5D MK III, nor the capabilities, and pretty much exactly what I expected to slightly higher... I was thinking more at $3299

Conversely, had the 5D MK III come in at $2700 I would have been surprised. Still would not have had buyer regret, because no matter what, I would have gotten at least 6 months in with the MK II.

But to the point, I think there is a direct relationship between price/expectation and whether people are happy or not with the announcement

 

[EYEONE]

I think Canon justified the price with the 61point AF and the sensor. The ISO performance from that sensor is incredible. $3500 is a lot, and is certainly more than I expected but I don't think it's overpriced. It might be a tad unfortunate for us but fair. I plan on buying one as soon as I can.

seriously? 61 AF points? i would say canon just catch up with the 4 or 5 year old D300 or D700. They should have put this auto focus on 5DII not on 5D III , metering just transferred form 7D instead of 1DX. competitors were offering top of their metering and AF performance on their FF cameras, canon just use their old tech and selling it for higher prices. only improvement i see in 5d3 is ISO range and small feature set like HDR and speed. they kept the same resolution so increase in iso range justified ..but IMHO there is nothing worth 1000$ more for this camera. canon keep screwing their customers somehow every time.

Yeah, you're not being fair at all. You can't have a 1Dx for $3,500. But you can have its very advanced AF system (with 26 more cross type sensors than the Nikon's system), and you get a sensor with outstanding ISO performance. You get a very good metering system, if you think it's old there could be a point to that but it certainly isn't a bad system. I have the 7D and the metering system works well. I've also heard from people that its build quality is incredible.

It's not feasible for Canon to design brand new components for every camera. Some stuff must be reused.

 

[TAR]

I think Canon justified the price with the 61point AF and the sensor. The ISO performance from that sensor is incredible. $3500 is a lot, and is certainly more than I expected but I don't think it's overpriced. It might be a tad unfortunate for us but fair. I plan on buying one as soon as I can.

seriously? 61 AF points? i would say canon just catch up with the 4 or 5 year old D300 or D700. They should have put this auto focus on 5DII not on 5D III , metering just transferred form 7D instead of 1DX. competitors were offering top of their metering and AF performance on their FF cameras, canon just use their old tech and selling it for higher prices. only improvement i see in 5d3 is ISO range and small feature set like HDR and speed. they kept the same resolution so increase in iso range justified ..but IMHO there is nothing worth 1000$ more for this camera. canon keep screwing their customers somehow every time.

Yeah, you're not being fair at all. You can't have a 1Dx for $3,500. But you can have its very advanced AF system (with 26 more cross type sensors than the Nikon's system), and you get a sensor with outstanding ISO performance. You get a very good metering system, if you think it's old there could be a point to that but it certainly isn't a bad system. I have the 7D and the metering system works well. I've also heard from people that its build quality is incredible.

It's not feasible for Canon to design brand new components for every camera. Some stuff must be reused.

What about Nikon D4 and D800 they both share the same core technologies ...just open ur eyes ...D800 offers more value for money this what i was trying to point out.

 

[taxydromos]

the new pricing policy of canon is over control. canon 5d mark ll 3500 e canon 24-70 f2.8 ll 2300 e
nikon d800 2900 e nikon 24-70 f2.8 1500 e
canon 3500+2300=5800 e
nikon 2900+1500=4400 e 5800-4400= 1400e with extra 100e you can buy the nikon 14-24 f2.8 a great lense that canon has not!!. nikon d800 36mp,auto focus to f8,crop mode 1.2 and 1.5 and better qualite body. bye bye canon.

 

[Axilrod]

@Axilrod I take back my previous comments. You're absolutely right. +1 to you.

Haha thank you sir, and of course what I said doesn't apply to everyone. Some people just say "well that's too much to spend on a camera, I guess I'll pass." You were right about me being a little harsh sometimes, and I'm working on that, I just have very little tolerance for ignorance.

 

[dunkers]

One thing I would like to point out is that Nikon likes to nickle and dime their customers.


Each new body (regardless of where it stands in terms of hierarchy) has a feature that people want, but no other body has. You will never be fully happy with what body you have because the new one might have a feature you really want.

For example,
The D7000 had decent video. However, the D5100 received the swivel screen. Those who wanted to use the D7000 a lot for video, now found that the D5100 is better suited thanks to its screen. In order to get that feature, they have to downgrade from the D7000 and sacrifice fps, build quality, etc. Same thing happened for the D300/D90 people. The D300 had better specs overall, but the D90 introduced video. You had to buy a second body to obtain said video feature. Rather then getting a better body, they have to downgrade.


There is always some "outstanding" feature in the newer bodies that can make you upset with the body that you currently have.


On the other hand, Canon makes their camera bodies similar to one another. The features of the higher end model trickle down to the lower end models.

Take the 7D for example. They made a baby version of it as seen with the T2i when it was released. Sure the specs were reduced, but you still had the same image quality just for a much lower price. Canon's strategy seems to be to have a camera body at different price points where you don't sacrifice too many features.

I really like their approach to the 5D MK III. It is basically baby 1DX. Those who don't want to deal with the size of the body, have no need for the monster fps, or the outstanding build quality can settle for the 5D for nearly half the price. You aren't sacrificing that much if you choose one or the other.

Whereas on the Nikon side, the D4 and D800 are meant for completely different tasks. Those who are doing studio photography, would most likely want to purchase the D800. However, they are limited to just doing studio work because the measly fps and possible noise levels aren't ideal for sports and other fields of photography. Canon stuff is geared to work for nearly all fields of photography. The Canon bodies are more "versatile" in that sense.

So yes, I do think that $3500 for the 5D mk III is justifiable.

Just my two cents.

 

[Axilrod]

the new pricing policy of canon is over control. canon 5d mark ll 3500 e canon 24-70 f2.8 ll 2300 e
nikon d800 2900 e nikon 24-70 f2.8 1500 e
canon 3500+2300=5800 e
nikon 2900+1500=4400 e 5800-4400= 1400e with extra 100e you can buy the nikon 14-24 f2.8 a great lense that canon has not!!. nikon d800 36mp,auto focus to f8,crop mode 1.2 and 1.5 and better qualite body. bye bye canon.

Did you really create an account just for this? You know what complaining about the price on here does for you? NOTHING. See ya later, have fun over at Nikon Rumors.

 

[XanuFoto]

I am OK with the price but would be over the moon if they threw in the battery grip.

 

[Axilrod]

Funny thing is, when many of us thought it would be $3000 or more, we were told we were out of our mind.

I am no soothsayer, but not surprised by the price of the 5D MK III, nor the capabilities, and pretty much exactly what I expected to slightly higher... I was thinking more at $3299

Conversely, had the 5D MK III come in at $2700 I would have been surprised. Still would not have had buyer regret, because no matter what, I would have gotten at least 6 months in with the MK II.

But to the point, I think there is a direct relationship between price/expectation and whether people are happy or not with the announcement

I agree 100%, every thread about price predictions my answer was always $3299-$3499. Plus, we got specs a few weeks before the announcement, and everyone welcomed all of them with open arms...except the price. It must be a mistake they said. It must be the kit price (which would have put the body at $2500, which just seemed ridiculous). The price really shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone, we knew it already, the announcement was just a confirmation. Plus, the rumor that it would be more than $3k has been around for a while.

And the camera is awesome and while people like to compare it to the 5DII, but why not compare it to the 1DX? It shares a lot of the same features and is $3000 cheaper! You can look at it like it costs "that much more" than a 5DII, or that it's "that much less" than the 1DX. I prefer the latter.