5D MkIII Is it what you wanted?

[dmanthree]

<p>Here's why I'll be getting one, eventually (and not a D800):<br>

24-105 L (Nikon's new 24-120 hasn't impressed)<br>

70-200 f4 IS (no Nikon Equivalent)<br>

Improved metering (the 7D had a much better metering system, and even the newer Rebels had a better meter)<br>

Vastly improved AF (surprise, they finally got the memo!)<br>

Lower noise (although how much isn't clear)</p>

<p>But I'll wait until the price drops.</p>

[tdigi]

<p>I hear many complaining (not here) that its not enough megapixels which I find funny because in the past people complained that was all Canon was doing was packing on too many MP. IMO the 5D2 is such a great camera that they seemed to improve only what needed some improving (focus, frame rate, some video features and other great features from the 7D etc. I was always impressed with the great ISO performance so if they managed to make that even better it should be a great camera. </p>

<p>I don't know if I will be getting one anytime soon but to me 22mp is just fine. </p>

[dmanthree]

<p>Tommy,</p>

<p>I agree, after complaining about pixel stuffing some are swinging in the other direction. Not me. I've found the 21MP 5D II to have plenty of resolution, even for large prints. What bugged me most about the 5D II was the metering and the AF. AF was accurate, but simply not able to reliably track moving subjects in multi-point mode, especially in lower light. Apparently, both items are addressed. I've shot a 7D, and found that meter to be far superior than the 5D II, including flash metering. So I'll wait a while and make the move. The differential between the used value of the II and new value of the III is significant, but not killer. Much less than switching to another brand. And who knows? In a few months maybe Sony will offer an even better FF cam, and we can start this debate all over again.</p>

<p>:-)</p>

[danielleetaylor]

<p>Disappointed. The Nikon D800 is the camera I wanted the 5D3 to be. I'm not upgrading right now. But if Canon does not have an answer for the D800 by the time I do, there's a good chance I'll jump to Nikon, or at least add them to my collection.</p>

<p>The vast majority of my shots are at ISO 100-800, with occasional 1600 and 3200. Higher resolution and larger prints are far more important to me than less noise at high ISOs I never use. And I'm skeptical regarding how much difference there really will be between the two at, say, 6400 and 12800 when viewing at the same print size. I know I'll see the difference between the two in a 36" ISO 100 landscape print. I'm doubtful I'll see the difference in, say, a 13x19" ISO 6400 reception or sports print.</p>

<p>At least Canon got the AF right this time.</p>

[charcoal_happy]

<p>Does the mkIII finally have an AF assist light for low light photography?</p>

<p>Can you equip the mkIII with a split screen?</p>

<p>If both answers are no, I don't see much interest in buying 1.2 and 1.4 lenses.</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>No built-in AF assist light, though with AF down to EV -2 that's less necessary now.</p>

<p>The focus screen is not replaceable. Which is too bad, I prefer the super precision focus screens; but not unexpected given the new things the viewfinder can do.</p>

[JRCrowe]

<p>The Mark lll sounds like the camera many people were wishing for. Better auto focus and metering without jumbo file sizes and improved noise reduction. It would be great if it were the same price as the Mark ll. I think the market will speak. The price will go down if Nikon starts selling a bunch of D800's. If you aren't too far invested in Canon equipment then it might be a good time to switch. I can hardly wait to see side by side comparisons. I wonder why they didn't build in a radio controller for the new flash system into the Mark lll or the 1 DX. How about building in wireless file transfer too instead of an $850 add on. Jeez give us some value for our hard earned cash.</p>

[william_bray1]

I don't know if Canon is on the same planet as everyone else. Has any one seen the price

of the new 24-70. Here in the UK It's expected to be £2400! And if the difference the 24-

70 mki and the mkii are any thing like the kind of differences of the mki and mkii of the

70-200 2.8 is Canon can keep it .Add that to the price of a 5dmkiii,£3000 and the new

£650 flashgun, who is canon trying to attract because no ones moving from

nikon.There's no recession in Canon land. The 5dmkii at their lowest price in the UK was

£1450, that was less then 2 months ago, now they're £1680 and still going up, so it

makes the mkiii more reasonable. If you can get a mkii at the cheaper price there would

be no way I'd pay an extra £1500 for the mkiii . For me I'd get the mkii and a 7d before

I'd buy a mkiii. With the 7d your getting 8fps instead of 6, and you get the crop factor to

extend the reach of your lens. And still have change from the price of a mkiii.I'm dissapointed with the mkiii , the 1d's are always going

to be top money and rightly so they offer everything and are built to be abused by pros

who need to get the job done, get paid and go home, and not fuss over features and

camera specs. But the prices coming out of Canon at the moment are shocking. So I've

been told canon are not going to stop producing the 5dmkii anytime soon because

they're still selling well. And before all of you " must have a new toy now " people rush

out and buy a 5dmkiii , wait till after the Olympics is over and everyone stops being frames per

second and AF junkies. Canon will announce a 36 or even a 45 mp camera. And then

you'll have to sell your soul to canon and watch wife walk out on you to get your new new toy to

play with.

[bobatkins]

<p>William - do I gather that you won't be buying one?</p>

[Bill Blackwell Images]

<p>The sensor resolution and features provided by my 5D Mk II are more than adequate to fit my needs. My money will be spent on high resolution prime from Canon as they become available. </p>

[william_bray1]

I've tried to get canon to give me one in

exchange for a good review on a website

but they haven't got back to me yet. Bob.

[g dan mitchell]

<p>I think it is a fine camera. It will be what a number of people wanted. However, speaking just for myself, it is not what I would have wanted. For the subjects I shoot and the way I shoot them, I would have been interested in higher MP count.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

[john_bellenis]

<p>This works for me and I'm sure I'll end up buying one (although after the initial bugs get worked out and it's been through the inevitable firmware upgrades). </p>

<p>I was worried that Canon would engage Nikon in a pixel war and thankfully they've avoided that. I have never needed to interpolate up files from the 1Ds Mk III or 5D Mk II so larger files would only mean a need for more storage, more processing power and time spent manipulating huge files in Photoshop (21MP 16 Bit TIFF files in 4 layers are already nearly 500mb in Photoshop).</p>

<p>I like the dual card slots, the AF in lower light levels, the decrease in noise at high ISOs, the two axis built-in levels, the HDR direct output (very useful for interior panoramics with windows). The improved frames per second rate, metering and AF points are bonuses also.</p>

<p>Basically, it's a good step forward with real improvements that make every day differences. It may not have the spec sheet wow factor of the D800 but as a professional tool, it's going to be very useful and will save a lot of time both on site and in post processing (leveling and HDR).</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>William - They haven't got back to me either...and I'm not holding my breath.</p>

<p>Even getting a 2 week loan for a review isn't an easy task. That could be weeks or even months away. They still haven't offered up an EF70-300/4-5.6L IS for review yet, and that one has actually been on sale for months now.</p>

[Landrum Kelly]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"An estimated retail price of $3499 for the EOS 5D MkIII body. . . .<br /></em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>As I recall, the original Canon 5D came in with a list price of about $3500, body only. I bought mine in 2006 for $2579, new from KEH (the first new item I ever purchased from KEH).</p>

<p>I paid $2499 for the 5D II in 2009, by comparison---back to B&H as usual for new stuff. So, if the past is any indicator, after the initial surge in demand, prices will likely settle below $3000. I don't know if I will buy the 5D III or not, since the 5D II does pretty much everything I want it to do.</p>

<p><em></em>On the other hand, I do love shooting in low light. Here are some low light, high ISO samples on Digital Photography Review as of this afternoon:</p>

<p>http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/reviewsamples/albums/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-low-light-iso-samples</p>

<p>--Lannie<em><br /></em></p>

[justin_thackeray]

<p>If I had the money to spare I'd buy it. However, what I really like is the fact that Canon is pitching it as between the 5d2 and 1Dx, meaning that they will continue selling the 5d2, and apparently at a soon-to-be-lower cost. The outcome I can see from this decision is that the 5d3's arrival will usher in a period where more amateurs like me take the plunge into full-frame digital, because of getting access to a new 5d2 somewhere in the sub $2k range. </p>

[dan_south]

Some cameras are destined to become classics. I would put the 1Ds Mark II and the D3 in that category. They changed the game when

they arrived on the scene.

<p>

<p>

<strong>Classics:</strong>

<p>

5D Mark II<br>

D800/E

<p>

<p>

 

<strong>Nice cameras, but not classics:</strong>

<p>

D700<br>

5D Mark III<br>

[hjoseph7]

<p>I think it's a good jump from the 5Dc, but if I owned a 5D II I would probably save my money. Unless I had deep pockets, a very forgiving wife, I just won the Lotto, or my job was paying for it.<br>

The weather sealing, faaster shutter count, built-in HDR and double exposure do sound very intriguing though. </p>

[John Crowe]

<p>No! This is a disappointment of biblical proportions. However, it does mean my 5D II, that I bought in the fall for under $2000 USD, will be my landscape camera for several/many years to come. I'll have to wait that much longer for a 36 MP Canon...now, if only Nikon would get as involved in the PC-E business as Canon is with their TS-E lenses. </p>

<p>Good grief, don't tell me I might have to switch again!</p>

[zml]

<p>Most people buy cameras for their image quality, something that is only mildly dependent on the claimed resolution in megapixels and other specs. Real world tests are more important than specifications, so wait and see folks before spewing venom... Yes, Canon 5D3 might be not for you - don't buy it then!</p>

[Landrum Kelly]

<p>On http://www.BobAtkins.com, there is a link to some samples:</p>

<p><a href="http://cweb.canon.jp/camera/eosd/5dmk3/samples/" target="_blank">http://cweb.canon.jp/camera/eosd/5dmk3/samples/</a></p>

<p>This one in particular caught my eye:</p>

<p>http://cweb.canon.jp/camera/eosd/5dmk3/samples/downloads/13.jpg</p>

<p>A lot of people are going to be very. very happy with that level of quality, regardless of the stated specs.</p>

<p>Here's the entire article, in case you missed it:</p>

<p>http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/canon_eos_5D_MkIII_preview.html</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>

<p> </p>

[dan_south]

<p>I *****LOVE***** the demo video 'COLOR OF HOPE'.</p>

<p>Two thumbs way up ! ! !</p>

[william_bray1]

When I started in digital photography I made a decision to invest in the

canon system. I'm not a canon fanboy , but there were issue back then

that I thought canon handled better then NIKON. For example canon

were taking full frame dslr seriously, while NIKON.only had cropped dslr

forma while . I had the feeling canon had It's feet on the ground. This

continued, the 7d is probably the best cropped dslr out there. The 5d

mkii ,while It's not perfect it was ground breaking and 3-4 years on it can

still hold It's own against the latest dslr out there. I love the way canon

Has made 4 different types of 70-200 lenses all high quality but

affordable to different budgets or needs. So there is a lot I like about

them. But I don't know if there's been a shuffle in management , but its

like canon can think they've got some sort of fanatical fans out there who

will pay anything for the latest gear. And that latest gear is more

expensive then anything else other companies offer , and It's not much

of an upgrade, while NIKON somehow managed to bring out a better

built, better spec camera for £600-£700 less. Have canon forgot they're

not the only manufacturer and people don't have to buy it. About those

of you who are happy about the generosity of canon , because the

5dmkii price will drop , don't you realize its already gone up £250 in a

matter of weeks , so canon can do £100 cashback promotion at Easter. A

lot of money needs to earned and a lot of bills have to be payed today

before you have £3000 lying around in petty cash. Canon you're not

Hassleblad.

[scott_ferris]

<p>Whilst I think it looks to be a fantastic camera, I am coming to the conclusion it won't be my next body, though I reserve judgement until I am ready to buy late this year. I shoot stills so video is of no interest to me.</p>

<p>We each have our own priorities and budgets, and rational for purchases, and new bodies have to be compared to the functionality in the bodies we already own. If I owned a 7D I'd 100% be up for the 5D MkIII. But I own a 1Ds MkIII, I doubt if overall performance from the 5D MkIII will be leaps and bounds above it, either in IQ or AF, my two priorities. I am sure the 1Ds MkIII is effectively dead and I can see no reason to buy one over a 5D MkIII, but if you already own one, so far, there seems no overwhelming reason to change. The 1Dx offers me little too, lower MP for increased frame rate and a few more bells and whistles I have lived without up till now.</p>

<p>Adding all this up, my logical next body is a 1D MkIV, same batteries and interface as my current camera, ideal complement to ff with the 1.3 crop factor, higher frame rate, cheaper than 5D MkIII with drive and much cheaper than 1Dx. Oh and I get to play with video but it isn't video-centric.</p>

<p>Yep, logic points me towards the 1D MkIV next, we'll see later in the year.</p>

[william_bray1]

If I owned a 7D I'd 100% be up for the 5D MkIII.

I feel the opposite Scott , if I had a 7d and had been waiting to see

what the mkiii was like before going full frame I'd get a 5dmkii. Like

wise if I had a 5dmkii and wanted a sports camera I'd be looking at the

7d. Then you've got a backup body.