Canon Mark III or 5D - which one should I get?

[ipacmm]

I can’t decide on which camera I should buy, I want to get the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II but since I heard that a new 22+mp version might be coming out later this year, I really don’t want to spend that much money on a camera that might be outdated in a few months. So I thinking about picking up the Canon ESO-5D just as a backup for when the Mark III comes out, my only concern is that the lenses wont work with the Mark III...

So do you think it is worth me waiting for the Mark III or should I just buy the 5D and hope that the lenses will work with the Mark III because if they don’t, I would rather save up for the Mark III and lenses at the same time.

 

[iGary]

Is raw speed or resolution more important to you - that'll give you your answer.

 

[ipacmm]

Is raw speed or resolution more important to you - that'll give you your answer.

I would say resolution is more important for me.

 

[iGary]

I would say resolution is more important for me.

I'd say a 5D will do everything you want it to, then. I doubt you will see Canon ditching the EF lens system anytime soon, unless I am misunderstanding your statement. I get lovely 16X24's out of my 20D, the 5D would be that much better.

 

[ipacmm]

I'd say a 5D will do everything you want it to, then. I doubt you will see Canon ditching the EF lens system anytime soon, unless I am misunderstanding your statement. I get lovely 16X24's out of my 20D, the 5D would be that much better.

Thanks for the recommendation. What I was saying about the lenses, I read somewhere that they were talking about the Mark III and that since it will have such high MP's that the current lenses won't really be able to support that high of count….don’t know if that will be the case or not but it did get me thinking about whether it is worth waiting or not.

 

[iGary]

Thanks for the recommendation. What I was saying about the lenses, I read somewhere that they were talking about the Mark III and that since it will have such high MP's that the current lenses won't really be able to support that high of count….don’t know if that will be the case or not but it did get me thinking about whether it is worth waiting or not.

I hadn't heard about the lense issue....

You could always rent a 5D and see if it fits your bill before laying out the cash.

 

[BakedBeans]

Thanks for the recommendation. What I was saying about the lenses, I read somewhere that they were talking about the Mark III and that since it will have such high MP's that the current lenses won't really be able to support that high of count….don’t know if that will be the case or not but it did get me thinking about whether it is worth waiting or not.

There is a case where the res is higher than the lens can capture, not sure of stats though.

The 5D is a remarkable camera. Great res and VERY VERY low noise.

 

[Abstract]

How large are your prints going to be, and/or how much are you going to crop? If your solution is to temporarily get a 5D, how will this fill your requirements? It's not even comparable to a 22.5 mp Mark III in performance (probably, I'm not psychic, though), and wouldn't even be adequate resolution-wise out of the box. It just leads me to wonder how much resolution you need if a 5D is a decent temporary solution.

And what's wrong with a Mark II?

 

[ipacmm]

How large are your prints going to be, and/or how much are you going to crop? If your solution is to temporarily get a 5D, how will this fill your requirements? It's not even comparable to a 22.5 mp Mark III in performance (probably, I'm not psychic, though), and wouldn't even be adequate resolution-wise out of the box. It just leads me to wonder how much resolution you need if a 5D is a decent temporary solution.

And what's wrong with a Mark II?

There is nothing wrong with the Mark II, I originally wanted to buy that one but now with the Mark III, I just don't want to pay 7K for a camera that will be outdated in a few months. My friend bought the Mark II and loves it. I will be printing off all different sizes from ad prints to desktop wallpapers, so some will be cropped and some full be full size, just depending on the job. I know nothing can really compare to 22.5MP which is what I really want to get at. My friend said the Mark II at 16.7 is a great camera that can be used for magazine ads and everything but I just don't want to pay retail for it...so that is why I was looking at the 5D just to use now until the Mark III comes out.

 

[law guy]

I can’t decide on which camera I should buy, I want to get the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II but since I heard that a new 22+mp version might be coming out later this year, I really don’t want to spend that much money on a camera that might be outdated in a few months. So I thinking about picking up the Canon ESO-5D just as a backup for when the Mark III comes out, my only concern is that the lenses wont work with the Mark III...

So do you think it is worth me waiting for the Mark III or should I just buy the 5D and hope that the lenses will work with the Mark III because if they don’t, I would rather save up for the Mark III and lenses at the same time.

I hadn't heard about any lens issue either and don't believe there would be one (either technically or corporately). 22+ MP still isn't the resolution of film as I understand it, but is an attempt to get closer to film, which of course the Canon FF lenses all work great with. One thing I've heard about a new sensor in terms of getting closer to film is that it will eventually have the RGB sesors layered - like the particles on film - to give film "depth" as well. I've seen some speculation about Canon doing something like this in a next gen sensor and other manufacturers are working on something in that line as well. Who knows if this would be in the next high-end Canon.

I would assume with the bodies you're talking about you've got a few nice L lenses (although the opposite seems to be implied in your message), which you'll want for the 5D or 1Ds Mk II anyway given that reviews have noted that the high resolution across the corners which can show lens weakness.

It sounds like you're only issue is waiting for a possible new FF Canon (in which case you'd be getting the supurb FF 5d), or going ahead and getting the 5d, which you seem to plan to want as a back-up body anyway.

I'd get a 5d, and if you don't have the nice lens collection already (which is implied in your message given you're concerned about buying lenes - are you changing from another system or format??), you can put the other several thousand into 2 or 3 good L lenses.

For views from folks who own these bodies, you might check out http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum and go to the EOS forum, where there are pleanty of professionals with those bodies. But you'll get a real grilling for background info - pro or am, what subjects and type of you shooting you do now (sports, weddings, landscape, commecial products, fashion, news), field work or studio - how much of either, information about any studio set up, what your current bodies are, how your current equipment limits you so that you want to change now, what your lens collection is, whether environmental seals are important, etc. So, you may want to include all of that background in your initial question. It will help folks there or here give you some meaningful advice. I suggest that forum because there's just a larger number of high-end Canon pro body users who can give you feedback.

 

[ChrisA]

Keep your lenses

I read somewhere that they were talking about the Mark III and that since it will have such high MP's that the current lenses won't really be able to support that high of count….

THat's not going to happen. The current pro lenses are designed for film. Good top line optics that was selling 20 years ago can do 100 lines per millimeter. The Sensor would need 250 pixels per mm before the lens would need a redesign. Let's see 250/mm over a 26x24mm frame works to about 50 megapixels. So when Canon offers the 100MP camera body then you can think about dumpping those "cheap" L-series lenses, sell your house and replace them. I doubt we will see 50MP soon.

It turns out Sinar has already had this "problem" their Sinar M AF lens cost about $10K each for just your standard mid range working lens. For those with less cash they offer a Nikon mount mirror box assemby. (In their "m" system the mirror box and CCD Sensor back are interchangable.)

 

[jared_kipe]

Umm... top end 35mm lenses are the pinnacle of what lenses are capable of. They're better than medium format lenses, as they have to be since medium format film is so much bigger it can capture more detail.

If they do release a ~20MP full frame sensor I believe that will essentially be the end of the line as far as 35mm sensors go.

 

[jared_kipe]

THat's not going to happen. The current pro lenses are designed for film. Good top line optics that was selling 20 years ago can do 100 lines per millimeter. The Sensor would need 250 pixels per mm before the lens would need a redesign. Let's see 250/mm over a 26x24mm frame works to about 50 megapixels. So when Canon offers the 100MP camera body then you can think about dumpping those "cheap" L-series lenses, sell your house and replace them. I doubt we will see 50MP soon.

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

There are extreamly few lenses here that come close to what the 8mp sensor he uses to test the Canon lenses is capable of.

 

[atort13]

Listen, this is the scoop. I have a Canon Mark II 1Ds and a Canon Mark II N and am waiting for a Mark III to be shipped to me. The Mark III is obviously, or should be obvious, the replacement for the Mark II N and Canon's flagship camera which is the Mark II 1Ds(16.7mp) replacement will be released later this year from what I have heard from reputable resources. People were and are actually upset with Canon because they released the Mark II N replacement before they did the 1Ds replacement which has been on peoples minds for awhile...really since the II N was released. I was also holding off purchasing my 1Ds way back when thinking the new replacement was soon to be and I was told not to bother because it is not happening anytime soon, which it didn't. The 1Ds replacement I can almost promise will have a larger sensor and should have around the anticipated 22mp sensor many already think is happening and I am sure carry many of the obvious features of the new Mark III...such as the obvious carry overs such as the 3inch lcd, different and lighter body, etc., but may come with a higher price tag too which may be in the $10k range from what I heard. I would say it is safe to say you will pay anywhere from a solid $8-10k for the new 1Ds replacement from what I have heard. That is the skinny and I hope it helps. @

 

[ambient]

i can only speak from experience having use the 5d but the full frame sensor is pretty amazing.. best camera i have ever used.. what body do you have now.. why not just expand your lense kit?

 

[failsafe1]

Depends on your needs. The MIII is a great camera. I am getting ready to pick one of these. If you need the full frame capability of the 5D that is one thing. This is the main advantage of this body. Both give nice large file sizes. The 5D yields 14.56 x9.707 at 300 dpi and the MIII at 12.96x 8.64 at 300dpi. If you need rugged and faster shooting then the MIII is the way to go.

 

[timnosenzo]

anyone else notice that this thread is a year old?

 

[Klrbee25]

LOL. I wonder if he' still waiting for his Mark III. Everyone should also realize that DSLRs become diffraction limited at larger apertures with increasing sensor MPs. I remember reading that 6MP cameras are diffraction limited around f/13, 10MP around f/11...so 22MP will not be an ideal sensor for landscape or macro photography.

 

[ipacmm]

A year ago when I started this thread, I ended up buying the 5D, then I sold it and bought the 1D Mark II N and now I have both the 1D Mark II N and the 1Ds Mark II.