Advice sought on new canon EOS 5D MKIII

[wordynoodles]

HI

I was pretty lucky to get my hands on an EOS MKII in early 2010 and have been very happy with performance. I noticed whilst looking through several forums that the new MKIII was coming out shortly and then got an email from Jessops to say they were taking pre orders. Having looked at the spec on their site - http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/84404/show.html I was a little confused as to why it is a lot more expensive than the MKII. It looks like a great spec but so is the MKIII so can anyone enlighten me as to why this is such a great camera? It looks to me like a minor upgrade to the MKII .. Whilst I am lucky to have such a lovely MKII , I am always on the lookout for new tech but not if it isn't worth the investment. I am no expert on hardware and have in the past relied on advice from many friendly people on forums such as this. I would appreciate some advice .
Thanks

[Dan Cartell]

I wouldnt say the 5D mark III is a small upgrade on the previous model. Depending on what kind of photography you do the 5D mark III could be a significant improvement on its predecessor. If your photography doesnt gain much from the improved autofocus, extra stops in ISO, faster frames per second etc then it doesnt make sense to go for a 5D mark III at its current price. Technology moves so fast , just look at the current price of the 5D mark II.........in 3 years from now the 5D mark III will be around half its current price as people expect the next model......

To be totally honest I wouldnt advise anyone to buy a camera straight after its made available because usually there are issues that have not been discovered which may cause problems and need firmware updates or something for example the recent "issue " with the 5D mark III, and the issues with the Fuji sensors.............its always best to wait for cameras to be around for a few months that way their price comes down a bit, and there are a few firmware releases that iron out some niggles ..

I you find it hard to justify upgrading to the newer model then its probably not the best time for you, as I said in few years from now this same camera will be available brand new at almost half the price that is certainly worth the wait and you have nothing to lose as you already the mark II which is a fabulous iconic camera

[ALwin]

First question I would like to ask is do you already own a 5D mark II?

Here's my take on why the MIII is more expensive than the MKII:
- Looking at the MKII, the autofocus system it used came from the prosumer/consumer line of cameras rather than a pro line like the 1D series. WIth the MKIII, the autofocus system it uses comes from the new 1DX pro line of cameras, which tends to be more expensive.
- Improved video features aimed at professional video and cinematographers. Canon is hoping that many indie, budget and hopefully some Hollywood film makers will buy the 5D mark III.
- newly designed sensor made purposefully for video, since the camera has to down sample a 22MP sensor to 1080p video inside the body while keeping image sharpness, moire reduction, etc.

Is it worth it?
Depends on who you are and what you do.

To a photography beginner: definitely not.
To an enthusiast who already owns a 5DII: probably not.
To a professional who earns a living with photography or videography: perhaps.
To someone who is considering an upgrade from either the older 5D mark I or something else (skipping the mark II): perhaps.

To someone who has too much money and doesn't know what to do with it: don't buy anything, just transfer it to my bank

To someone who has not invested anything in Canon gear yet but wants a FF camera that can do great landscapes and portraits: Go buy the Nikon D800