Has anyone felt really rich and got a Canon 5D mark III or Nikon D800?

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I had a Canon 5D Mark III on pre-order until Canon published it's extortion prices for the upgrade.

I ended up rather investing the same money in Festools (bought MFT/3 + CMS-GE + CMS-TS55 + CMS-OF + CTL26AC)  [big grin]

Nevertheless, I've been reading on the reviews trickling in now that the production models are hitting bloggers hands and since we have had some enlightening threads on photography in general I thought to see if someone had taken the plunge and gotten other expensive toys outside of Festoys?  [wink]
 
The 5D3 isn't enough of an upgrade over the 5D2 to get me to pry open my wallet. Maybe if I had Nikon glass I'd have gone for the D800, but I don't.

 
I've been tempted by the 5D many times - but just don't feel I take photography seriously enough to have it on hand when I'm out and about.

Most of the images I capture are on my iPhone these days - simply because it's always with me.

It still surprises me how this specific area of tech doesn't seem to follow other tech pricing trends (my impression anyway).
 
I have been reading about the 5D III and they have good things to say about it over the II.  You can do in camera processing, not that Everyone needs that.  The colors are more realistic so there would be less post processing.  They upgraded the video and controls.  You can go here and search for 5D IIIAdorama.  I am intrigued but not sure if I would spend that kind of money for a rookie like me.  I think the big reason I want it is the newest technology.
 
Kev said:
I've been tempted by the 5D many times - but just don't feel I take photography seriously enough to have it on hand when I'm out and about.

Most of the images I capture are on my iPhone these days - simply because it's always with me.

It still surprises me how this specific area of tech doesn't seem to follow other tech pricing trends (my impression anyway).
Click to expand...

There are a lot of reasons for camera prices not dropping, paricularly DSLR's but IMHO the primary reason is that DSLR's are not just "Tech". Most of a DSLR's prime functions involve precision assembly of moving parts (like Festool  [smile]  ) , not electronics. so for example even if sensor and board prices drop, things like shutters, mirrors, prisms, focus screens,  mounts, adjustments, controls, etc. are still precision manufactured, unlike things like phones and laptops where there are either no moving parts (smart phones) or one or two (laptop hard drive and fan if they even have a hard drive. And of course, don't expect lens prices to drop (for the same reasons). You can indeed by a P&S camera for next to nothing but DSLR's are completely different.
 
I had the D800 and D4 on order at B&H, but decided to cancel them.
I have a D700 and decided for now it works fine for my purposes.
 
I was going to upgrade my trusty 5D mark II but just couldn't justify the price of upgrade. I was expecting to pay about 1k€ for the upgrade difference but now the difference shot up to 2k€ thanks to Canons lunatic pricing  [jawdrop]

In my opinion Canon shot themselves in the foot by hiking the 5Dm3 body price up to 3800€ vs. Nikon D800s 2900€ - huge difference! Heck, you can get a new Canon 5D mark II kit with the 24-105mm 4L IS USM lens for 2600€ and with the difference to the mark III body you can get a nice fast prime lens, a flash and memory cards... and still probably have some money left for printing out a photobook or two.

On the other hand I'm actually happy that Canon outpriced themselves from sane space and instead I invested my money into a load of new Festoys. I bet I'll get better ROI on them than an upgrade from mark II to mark III  [big grin]
 
It's true, $3000 in Festool will be worth much more than $3000 in Canon or Nikon 5 years from now.
In ten years when your DSLR is a doorstop the festool will still be making money and worth something  [tongue]
 
Let me ask the question differently.  If you did not have the 5DII would you splurge and get the 5DIII?  I have a 7D and would like the full frame sensor.
 
Don T said:
Let me ask the question differently.  If you did not have the 5DII would you splurge and get the 5DIII?  I have a 7D and would like the full frame sensor.
Click to expand...

I'm sort of on the fence on that one. I like to skip a generation or even two before doing an upgrade. 7D I put at only about 0.7 generations behind the 5DIII. I realize the sensor size makes it harder to compare the two, but...

Considering the high price too and I don't think I'd do it.

I'd rather have a Hammer A3-31 or some nice bandsaw. The lifetime of these tools is far greater than a camera.

 
Photography is my other expensive hobby (actually more my wife's hobby)...we own a few MKII and we are debating with the MKIII or 1DX when it is out -- if picture quality is better with the 1DX, then that is probably the way we will go, but if it is the same/similar to the MKIII, then I will save the money.  The new focusing system is worth the upgrade from all I have read online and heard from friends that made the upgrade.  I think you will see a huge jump over the 7D -- I was never really happy with mine and sold it and went for a 1DMKIV and it is night and day (of course at a cost) -- I had difficulty getting tack sharp images and fast focus with the 7D -- I shoot a lot of wildlife -- and now use just the 5D's and of course the MKIV.  YMMV, but the 5D has always been a suberb camera with great picture quality and the new focusing system will be a welcome addition.

Scot
 
I am seriously considering the 5D MkIII.
I currently have a 50D and a heap of "L" lenses so the upgrade would be worthwhile.

I just wish they would offer it without video to reduce the cost.

Cheers.
 
If I were looking to upgrade to the current models right now, I'd probably upgrade my 30D to a 7D, and/or my 1D mk II to a 1D mk IV.

The 5D series doesn't weigh enough to consider in place of the 1D series, and won't accept the EF-S lenses like the 30D and 7D will, so it kind of loses its edge.

The 7D over the 60D is again a question of weight, as the 60D is lighter than the 30D, and I'd rather go a bit heavier rather than lighter.  The 30D is starting to feel light to me now after having worked with the 1D mk II and a heavier camera has a definite edge in terms of image quality when shooting handheld.
 
Oh, had I not gotten that one fatal Canon 10D body as a gift when I went digital I would be upgrading my Nikon D700 to an D800 as we speak.

So if I didn't have so much money stuck in Canon L-glass, flashes, etc. I would go Nikon D800 in a blink of an eye today.

Ofcourse my hobby revolves mainly around land- and seascape photography so 36MP would be great there.

Not that I'm unhappy with my 5D2 either, just like the feel and controls of Nikon better and I'm a bit of a sucker for wide lenses too. Also 21MP is plenty enough an I so panorama stiching anyway so it is a more theoretical debate would 36MP really make a difference in the final product.
 
Oh, and the sorry thruth is that about 9/10 pictures that I take nowadays happens on my iPhone 4S just because I have it always in my pocket... Duh!
 
I wouldn't switch to Nikon, 36MP is just ridiculous, unless you are photographing for billboards.

I know how you feel about under using your SLR.

Most of my pics are via iPhone or Canon G12.
 
Interesting discussion.  Since I switched to Nikon several years ago (during the 1DIII focus fiasco) I've been reading Thom Hogan (www.bythom.com) who offers a lot of good thinking, mostly Nikon oriented. 

He recently wrote about the idea that being "locked into" a particular system due to a collection of lenses and accessories is a bit misleading, particularly when you have used the system for a period of years or decades (high frequency switching is another matter).  This was pretty much my experience when I made the switch, yes I took a hit on my Canon gear (and I still miss my 400/5.6 which still doesn't exist for Nikon) but I had used the system extensively for many years, so the annual cost of ownership was quite reasonable.  Switching also gave me a chance to reconsider my choices of bodies and lenses based on 20+ years of experience and with a fairly good idea of what and how I would be shooting.  So while switching is a bit daunting and you will likely end up with fewer bodies and lenses in the new system  (at least to begin with) it is certainly feasible.

Another school of thought is to keep a foot in both camps and enjoy the best features of each system.  I like this idea but it isn't practical for me because a lot of my shooting is on trips, and when traveling by air, motorcycle or bicycle it is hard enough to manage one system, two would be out of the question.  But in a studio or even when traveling by car I could see it working quite well.

Over on www.naturescapes.net E.J. Peiker is moving from a D3X + D700 (I think) to a D800 + D800E for a blend of landscape and wildlife (he is a duck expert, among other things).  One of his ideas is to use the D800 in crop mode for wildlife – this uses the sweet spot of the lens and reduces the file size, although it doesn't increase the frame rate as far as I know. 

To me this seems like an excellent plan, he gets the 36MP without anti-aliasing when he needs it (almost MF performance), he has two bodies with the same interface that share batteries, brackets accessories, etc., they are lighter and cheaper than the D3X or anything comparable, choice of CF or SD media (he likes SD because his laptop has a built-in reader so he doesn't need to bring one), a vast selection of Nikkor F-mount lenses going back to the 1950s (obviously with limitations on the older ones) plus many third party lenses.  Throw in the excellent Nikon flash system and I think it is a winner.

And yes I am a bit of a fan boy, but I am sticking with my D300 + D3S for now.

Jeff
 
If you are doing this professionally switching may be justifiable. However very few amateurs are skilled enough so that their photography will actually be improved by such a move. Better off to spend the money on a course or some other investment to improve skill than to be constantly flipping equipment.

 
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