Canon 5DMK III - who is going for it ? Why ?

mjoshi123 · March 2, 2012

I know this is not Canon specific forum but 5DMK II being one of best selling camera among wedding pros here is my post. Okay - so finally with have 5DMK III out and lot of 5D MKII users are rushing for it based upon what I've read on different forums. Here is more important thing that I've read on many other places.
Focusing issue on 5DMK II in low light situation and people are assuming that 5D MKIII fixes this problem. Based upon specs of 5DMK III and comparing it with 5DMK II I personally didnot feel anything revolutionary or game changer.

At present my primary camera is 60D so my bigger question is how bad is focusing issue on 5DMK II ? If it is so bad as many people suggest than why 5D MKII is the best selling full frame todate ? Will you as a professional be risking your work if you know that 5D MKII has major flaw with regards to focusing becuase that is first thing that any professional photographer wants.

Please chime in.

divamum · March 2, 2012

I'm sure the wedding shooters will have comments, but given that the 5dIII hasn't hit the streets yet, I'm not sure that most of those are answerable questions yet; all we have this morning is a spec list and comments from a few folks who got pre-production copies.

I'm a portrait and theater performance rather than wedding shooter, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, but fwiw: I love my 7d, but have wanted to jump to full-frame for quite a while, partly for the IQ, but mostly for the high ISO capability (although I'm not shooting as much theater these days, so it's not as big a deal to me as it was a while back). The III is priced out of my reach for the time being, but I'm hoping by the end of this year it will have dropped a little (or stabilized anyway) and it will probably be the way to go for FF for me. I've wanted to go FF for a while, but I'm so in love with the AF on the 7d that I just wasn't prepared to give it up; I now have a choice which will give me both.

I'm also considering adding one of the many 5dII's which will likely be thrown overboard in the stampede to get the new model; I suspect that in a few months it will be easy to pick them up at a decent price and it could be a good "stepping stone" upgrade, especially if it meant I could keep my 7d as my 2nd camera (instead of selling it to fund a III)

Interested to read what wedding pros say

Moogle Pepper · March 2, 2012

I am probably not going to get one. As I am looking at a 1D X and the eventual move to medium format.

But it looks amazing on paper, so here is to hoping for a 5D with an AF system that isn't from an older setup!

tenoverthenose · March 2, 2012

After tasting the sweet sweet nectar of a full power flash sync on my 1D4 at 1/800th I doubt I'll be moving back down to the 5D line. My plan right now is to use the 1D4 for any DSLR work and a Hasselblad for portrait work. 1/800th is just too good.

mjoshi123 · March 2, 2012

Okay but here is a twist, Is Canon systemetically pricing itself out of market ? D800 goes for $2900 and if you do spec-to-spec compare it makes you wonder why 5DMK III should retail for higher than D800. Same thing with accesories announced with it as well as new 24-70 F2.8.
Previously I was thinking Nikon was more expensive compared to Canon but with new pricing structure Nikon looks lot more attractive compared to Canon. I'm not planning to go anywhere in next year but past that I think I'll think twice before investing more in Canon.

http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=canon_eos5dmkiii&products=nikon_d800

Nikolai · March 2, 2012

I do. Wantz.

rofl

Seriously though, it has so many improvements over (still very much loved and used) Mark II that for me it's not even a question.
Now, wheather those improvements worth the cost - that's a totally separate subject. We all have our budgets. Only 7 years ago I could barely afford 20D with a crappy kit lens (brr, I still have chills thinking about it), it felt sooo expensive. Luckily, things change :-)

tenoverthenose · March 2, 2012

mjoshi123 wrote: »

Okay but here is a twist, Is Canon systemetically pricing itself out of market ?

Specs being what they are, I would choose the Canon over the Nikon. But I'm also a fan of Canon's color & have a lot of their glass already.

However, I think the bigger problem is that they are both pricing themselves out of the market. Granted these are amazing tools and all that, but they are just getting too expensive. I could go and grab a pair of used 5D classics for $800 a pop and kick some serious ass with those and have money left over for marketing. As it is, these new offerings are rapidly approaching medium format pricing but can't touch the image quality (compare the 1DX and the Pentax 645).

I expect in the next few years there will be a big jump to digital medium format as prices cross.

Qarik · March 2, 2012

the focusing is on the MkII is just old. It has 9 points and little frame coverage and it is rather slow. It's not as if it gives you out of focus shots..it is just limited. It appears the usable iso is improved by a couple of stops as well. It's pretty much everything a wedding shooter would need I think

mjoshi123 · March 2, 2012

tenoverthenose wrote: »

Specs being what they are, I would choose the Canon over the Nikon. But I'm also a fan of Canon's color & have a lot of their glass already.

However, I think the bigger problem is that they are both pricing themselves out of the market. Granted these are amazing tools and all that, but they are just getting too expensive. I could go and grab a pair of used 5D classics for $800 a pop and kick some serious ass with those and have money left over for marketing. As it is, these new offerings are rapidly approaching medium format pricing but can't touch the image quality (compare the 1DX and the Pentax 645).

I expect in the next few years there will be a big jump to digital medium format as prices cross.

But could this also be somewhat blessing in disguise - with price being on upper side, you wont have to deal with casual photographers who picks up entry level DSLR and start eating into your margins ?

Matthew Saville · March 3, 2012

For wedding and general portrait photographers / photojournalists, the 5D mk3 is a hands-down winner this generation in my opinion. If Nikon hadn't already put flagship autofocus in a $2999 camera years ago with the D700 lol, ...I'd be seriously considering the 5D mk3. But as it is, my camera already kicks butt so I have no reason to change. I don't think any Nikon users need to worry about jumping ship, the offerings between the D700 and the D3s and D800 are just too great.

But if I were a Canon shooter doing weddings, I'd be all over this. (if I hadn't already been jaded by the awesomeness of a 1-series, like tenoverthenose was saying lol)

=Matt=

tenoverthenose · March 3, 2012

mjoshi123 wrote: »

But could this also be somewhat blessing in disguise - with price being on upper side, you wont have to deal with casual photographers who picks up entry level DSLR and start eating into your margins ?

Nah... you don't need a $3500 camera to shoot weddings. Besides, most of the type of people you are describing already have a camera. It was the camera that they had when someone told them "You make beautiful pictures! [of cats]". Then they think, "Hey I already have this nice camera, and everyone tells me I make beautiful pictures... maybe I should make just a little extra money and shoot someone's wedding on Craigslist for $200"

wave01 · March 3, 2012

I said some where else this looks really nice but! at the price point well of a £1000 more here in the uk I can leave it and wait for a price drop (big one). That said what about a nokia 808 41mega pixels we will have see a wedding done on one

Ed911 · March 3, 2012

Matthew Saville wrote: »

For wedding and general portrait photographers / photojournalists, the 5D mk3 is a hands-down winner this generation in my opinion. If Nikon hadn't already put flagship autofocus in a $2999 camera years ago with the D700 lol, ...I'd be seriously considering the 5D mk3. But as it is, my camera already kicks butt so I have no reason to change. I don't think any Nikon users need to worry about jumping ship, the offerings between the D700 and the D3s and D800 are just too great.=Matt=

I'm with Matt. Until you experience the kind of focal system you get with the D700...you have no idea how nice it is. The 5D3, with it's new focal system and new upgrades will delight anyone that wants to spend the money...no doubt.

And, I agree with Patrick. If you shoot outdoor weddings, you sure don't need anything like the 5D3. Just some knowhow, location, and just about any DSLR.

heatherfeather · March 4, 2012

I'm getting one... not that it is ordered or anything... but I will be getting one before wedding season hits in full force.

My only wish... well, actually there are two: I wish it had a radio transmitter IN the camera, AND I wish it had dual slots.

My reasons for getting it? The auto focus system. It does get annoying only having the 9 AF points to pick from in the MKII. Also, the increased performance in the higher ISOs is going to be mighty handy since 99% of my weddings are indoors, and 1/3 of those are in Alaska in the winters true darkness. I already use my ISOs to the max, so I can't wait to see this high performer in action.

One more reason: (And this one is just silly) I HATE it when guests have a cooler camera than me. Yeaah.. silly, but true. Confession of a true camera snob, right there.

mjoshi123 · March 4, 2012

heatherfeather wrote: »

I'm getting one... not that it is ordered or anything... but I will be getting one before wedding season hits in full force.

My only wish... well, actually there are two: I wish it had a radio transmitter IN the camera, AND I wish it had dual slots.

My reasons for getting it? The auto focus system. It does get annoying only having the 9 AF points to pick from in the MKII. Also, the increased performance in the higher ISOs is going to be mighty handy since 99% of my weddings are indoors, and 1/3 of those are in Alaska in the winters true darkness. I already use my ISOs to the max, so I can't wait to see this high performer in action.

One more reason: (And this one is just silly) I HATE it when guests have a cooler camera than me. Yeaah.. silly, but true. Confession of a true camera snob, right there.

it does have dual slot CF+SD

Moogle Pepper · March 4, 2012

heatherfeather wrote: »

I'm getting one... not that it is ordered or anything... but I will be getting one before wedding season hits in full force.

My only wish... well, actually there are two: I wish it had a radio transmitter IN the camera, AND I wish it had dual slots.

My reasons for getting it? The auto focus system. It does get annoying only having the 9 AF points to pick from in the MKII. Also, the increased performance in the higher ISOs is going to be mighty handy since 99% of my weddings are indoors, and 1/3 of those are in Alaska in the winters true darkness. I already use my ISOs to the max, so I can't wait to see this high performer in action.

One more reason: (And this one is just silly) I HATE it when guests have a cooler camera than me. Yeaah.. silly, but true. Confession of a true camera snob, right there.

I had a wedding where two of the guests had two D3s. :cry I felt... man, I should make these red rings bigger!

Ed911 · March 4, 2012

Moogle Pepper wrote: »

I had a wedding where two of the guests had two D3s. :cry I felt... man, I should make these red rings bigger!

Who shows up as a guest at a wedding with a $6000.00, D3? I know that I feel a bit uneasy if I have my camera at a wedding...in fact, I don't take it in, because I know that the wedding photographer won't like it when you have a pro level camera and are running around taking pictures, even if you aren't interfering with them. Because, I wouldn't like it.

It's like having an uninvited second shooter...lol...not too good.

This is the kind of thing that makes wedding photographers spend their hard earned money on the newest equipment as soon as it comes out.

tenoverthenose · March 4, 2012

Ed911 wrote: »

Who shows up as a guest at a wedding with a $6000.00, D3? I know that I feel a bit uneasy if I have my camera at a wedding...in fact, I don't take it in, because I know that the wedding photographer won't like it when you have a pro level camera and are running around taking pictures, even if you aren't interfering with them. Because, I wouldn't like it.

I once had a friend of the groom show up with a Leica M9 & a slew of lenses. At the end of the night he (the guest) actually told me that I could go home and he could take over from there. Seriously.

On the other side, I really couldn't care what gear a guest uses. I choose my gear based on what I need to get my job done and what makes good business sense. Quite frankly, it pisses me off when a guest constantly takes a picture regardless of if it's a d4, 5d3, or an iPhone. I want them to enjoy the wedding day with their own two eyes! It bums me out that they think the need to constantly snap photos throughout the day.

Moogle Pepper · March 4, 2012

Ed911 wrote: »

Who shows up as a guest at a wedding with a $6000.00, D3? I know that I feel a bit uneasy if I have my camera at a wedding...in fact, I don't take it in, because I know that the wedding photographer won't like it when you have a pro level camera and are running around taking pictures, even if you aren't interfering with them. Because, I wouldn't like it.

It's like having an uninvited second shooter...lol...not too good.

This is the kind of thing that makes wedding photographers spend their hard earned money on the newest equipment as soon as it comes out.

You got me. But the keyword was two. :cry

But. I don't exactly mind, I am the one being paid regardless. But as Pat says. PUT YOUR FREAKING CAMERA DOWN AND PARTY! sheesh.

//we just thread-jacked.

divamum · March 4, 2012

As an aside, I am PSYCHED that it will have an SD slot. I have lots of cards (from various devices) and, more importantly, you can get them ANYWHERE if you need them. I'm paranoid with CF that I'll have some kind of massive, multiple card failiure and not be able to shoot. Given I can only find them online any more, that could be a major drag on a shoot (and yes, I always have tons of redundancy, but it's one of those irrational niggles which the option of using an SD card completely eradicates

)

Nikolai · March 4, 2012

divamum wrote: »

As an aside, I am PSYCHED that it will have an SD slot. I have lots of cards (from various devices) and, more importantly, you can get them ANYWHERE if you need them. I'm paranoid with CF that I'll have some kind of massive, multiple card failiure and not be able to shoot. Given I can only find them online any more, that could be a major drag on a shoot (and yes, I always have tons of redundancy, but it's one of those irrational niggles which the option of using an SD card completely eradicates )

You know, it's a very good point. For some reason I have never thought of that, maybe because I have never experienced a CF card failure. Maybe I should revisit my intentions about the SD size and pick up something larger...

Matthew Saville · March 4, 2012

Nikolai wrote: »

You know, it's a very good point. For some reason I have never thought of that, maybe because I have never experienced a CF card failure. Maybe I should revisit my intentions about the SD size and pick up something larger...

Yep. They day you bend a pin and have to stop shooting, you'll know why some of us are just THRILLED (or at least perfectly okay) to have CF+SD...

=Matt=

Nikolai · March 4, 2012

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Yep. They day you bend a pin and have to stop shooting, you'll know why some of us are just THRILLED (or at least perfectly okay) to have CF+SD...

=Matt=

Oh, trust me, Matt, I'm thrilled enough to preorder last month:-)

ZBlack · March 4, 2012

All my cameras (whopping 2 of them! D3100 and D7000) have all had SD slots. Which is plenty fine and fast for what I do. I was helping out with the Help Portrait in Newport, OR this last December and we were shooting with 5DMK II's. It wasn't 10 minutes after we started that the Card reader stopped reading some cards and was incredibly slow on others. We had 2 cameras running and a handful of cards, to keep things moving quickly we were just card shuffling between each group of people. After taking a couple minutes to look at the cards and the card reader, I saw that 2 pins had been bent. Nothing broke thankfully. After noticing the 2 bent pins, I looked at the cards more carefully and 2 cards had one of their square holes partially covered with plastic. Preventing the pin from inserting properly. We ended up being able to bend the pins back in place with a knife, but it happened again and again, then a pin broke so we made a quick run to buy a new card reader. First card someone put into it, same thing, they bent a pin. Was able to bend the pin back straight again, then had to have a talk to show people what was happening so we could all be more careful when inserting to not have it happen again.

No idea why I mentioned that story other than Matt's comment about pins! Luckily this wasn't a life or death type situation, but when you have 30+ families waiting in line to get a print done on the spot, it really slows things down dramatically. I can imagine having it happen for a much more crucial moment.

bloomphotog · March 5, 2012

I'm #4 on my local dealers pre-order list. Should take delivery on the 30th.

Stella7d · March 6, 2012

I'm a deliriously happy 7D owner who loves the focus system, the 8 fps and so many of the other wonderful features! I've wanted to make the jump to FF for some of the obvious reasons but did not want to forfeit the AF, so I was determined to wait for the release of the 5D Mark lll.

For Christmas I received the 5DM2. Unfortunately the camera does not fit my shooting style. I plan to sell it and wait for my 5D Mark lll to ship. I really believe this camera will give me the very best of both worlds!

ssimmonsphoto · March 7, 2012

I have a 7D and 50D and have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 5Dmkiii for a while now. I have really been looking forward to the higher ISO capabilities, especially since I often shoot in some really dark locations that don't allow flash. So, I pulled the trigger on the 5Dmkiii on Sunday and am hoping to get it with plenty of time to get familiar with it and integrate it in to my shooting before my season really kicks off in June (after taking May off for maternity leave). The biggest selling point for me, obviously, is the higher ISO capabilities with lower noise levels. I'll be relegating my 50D to my backup camera/my husband's camera.

Shima · March 10, 2012

If I was still shooting 15+ weddings a year I'd probably go for it, but lately I've really scaled things back and just been enjoying the rest of life and only doing a few weddings here and there and some portrait session for folks. So due to lack of photography income, I'm not upgrading my 2 5DII's I already have. But it does look pretty awesome

mmmatt · March 14, 2012

I'll likely grab one this summer. Focusing is the only weak point on the mkII IMHO. I was hoping this would be the next step of the series, but I was also hoping they wouldn't jack the price a grand.

Andy · March 14, 2012

Just heard from Tallyn's, mine should be here in my hot little hands on Friday, March 23rd

Nikolai · March 14, 2012

Andy wrote: »

Just heard from Tallyn's, mine should be here in my hot little hands on Friday, March 23rd

clapI will check with them tomorrow if I make the first batch, too ...

Canon 5DMK III - who is going for it ? Why ?

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