josephz1994 said:
Hi, i'm wanting to purchase a Canon full frame 5D camera, just wanting to know if i should purchase the 5D iiii or wait for the 5D IV (also known as 5D X). I've currently got an photography business that does birthdays, engagements and christening, and hopefully weddings in the future, and i'm wanting to upgrade to full frame.
Rumours are suggesting that the new 5D IV or (also known as 5D X) will be launched in Q1 2016
Rumoured specs are:
24MP
new DIGIC processor
4K video
12fps
Dual CFast
61 AF Points (all cross-type)
ISO 100-204,800
Is it worth waiting or should i just purchase the 5D Mark iii now?
Also 5D IV might hit AUD $5,000+ body only, so again, is it even worth it?
Would love your thoughts
Thanks
The 5D3 can be bought new for about $2,000 right now. It is currently the king of wedding photography. Countless wedding pros run this very camera, and the results are incredible. Excellent for events of all kinds and portraits. Based on what you've described, this is the camera for you.
There will always be newer and better cameras coming out. But your jump to FF will not be matched by crop sensors for a few generations.
The 5D4 is going to be better. But your rumored specs are very exaggerated. It will be an evolutionary improvement, not a revolutionary one.
However, it will run at least $3,500 USD. 5D3 is $2,000 right now, if you shop around.
$1,500 is a lot of cash. This is a killer 1.4 prime. Or, a 24-70. Depending on what you pick, it gets you a good portable strobe. Things which will immediately and instantly impact the quality of your photography. Things which will make a difference that the 5D4 cannot make alone. But with the 5D3 will.
In other words, good glass and good lighting with a 5D3 will always blow away a 5D4 whatever its specs are with inferior glass or lighting.
This is a fact, because competent pros running the 5D2 with a good system of glass and lighting produce better images than newbie entry level pros with just a 5D3. I've seen it with my own eyes many times. Yes, there are wedding pros still running the 5D2 and creating stunning, incredible images.
The 5D3 is in the hands of wedding shooters will be cranking out wonderful images 4-5 years from now.
Just because new stuff comes out, doesn't mean what is out there today somehow becomes worse. In the early days of digital, there was more of a push for upgrading because there were limits to print size and quality issues. Technology has reached a point now, that for a wedding shooter, 20-22mp FF is more than enough to print any wedding album at the highest quality. This is why there's a lot of 5D2's out there.
When the question is asked "Do I need more" ...the upgrade becomes more difficult to justify.
When asking several different wedding photographers about camera gear, there is a common kind of response that I hear. On image quality, they are all satisfied with current technology. For an upgrade to be a no-brainer, there has to be a lot of advancements and a lot of new features that all come together to actually make a meaningful difference in the process of shooting photos. In other words, things that make it easier, faster and better. Not so much more megapixels or better AF.
