5D Mk III vs D800/E, is the 5D3 better at anything?

[aznable]

@marsu:
http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/305483/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii.html

Thanks - actually, the lowest price seems to be rather ~3100€, and if only one supplier is listing it that low it sounds a bit dodgy. I once fell for the lowest price, but these suppliers simply might not have the item in stock but wait for a near price drop of the original manufacturer (Canon in this case). This in combination with horrendous fees for pay after delivery will engineer people into paying up front and having to wait for ages. Many will cancel the contract, but some may not, so that's a business model too for catching customers.

But maybe it's just a terrific offer and I'm paranoid. On the other hand, being paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you

under 3000€ here in italy

http://www.tuttoinprontaconsegna.it/b_prodotto.aspx?idProdotto=18118

we are dumping the price with money we will get from Germany ...hahaha

5 pieces avaiable

nikon d800 it's around 2500€ btw

 

[Abraxx]

Price is dropping fast and is close to 3000 euro now in the netherlands so price is not an issue anymore

Where do you get this prize from? In Germany, it's no less than €3250, didn't drop a cent since release - obviously they're still serving back-orders and there's no competition yet.

?! Thats not true. In Germany the price dropped already to 3100 body only.
And http://www.oehling.de/ even had even a 15% discount... sold many 5D3 with the discount, Kit and Body only (unfortunately I noticed to late, out of stock now).
Plus other CPS dealers are already giving you a discount on request!
So I think you are not searching well or maybe you should confront your local dealer

 

[jaduffy007]

Canon 5d III is by far more versatile
Canon is still the better system
It is better at sports
Price is dropping fast and is close to 3000 euro now in the netherlands so price is not an issue anymore
Filesize is great. Bigger is only a pain in the ass.
Canon builds its own sensors where Nikon gets its sensors from the enemy which makes them very dependend.

Go take pictures and stop moaning pls

Damn, you drank all of the koolaid. Didn't your mother teach you to share?

 

[RLPhoto]

The 5D3 is better at being more expensive. ;D

 

[sparda79]

The 5D3 is better at being more expensive. ;D

It's cheaper than D800 when I bought it.

 

[Bruce Photography]

The 5D3 is better at being more expensive. ;D

That is soooo good. Canon took a page from their own playbook of Super-Tels and priced the 5D3 at the absolute top of their range. With a vertical grip, extra battery, and an L bracket the 5D3 is a $4,000 camera. And yet I'm hoping for even more. I'm ready for a 1D style camera, 45MP for around $5,000 and I'll be willing to pay for it. I've added a D800 to my tool set and I'm loving the high MP results. I've been able to almost double the print sizes I print and I'm going to different presentation media (laminates) for commercial purposes. More technology is giving me new types of business for my art. But my Canon glass is not getting much use right now. I need a camera body from Canon that can equal or best the D800. Canon - Are you listening? I'll wait.

 

[Tammy]

Amazon numbers are fine for comparing Amazon sales but I suspect these bodies main selling place is elsewhere such as the pro/specialist outlets

Why do you think so? Esp. with a camera body, there's every reason to get it as cheap as possible, and that might be Amazon. For lenses, it's different because you may want to try the particular sample before buying it or return it without any hassle if it's a bad copy.

You've never happened to have gotten a bad body. Same thing. Except usually more important because it affects all of your lenses, even if they are functioning great. Even for camera bodies now that still do not have af microadjustment feature, a body may be out of spec front or back focused and throw off all of your lenses from what you were used to shooting with your last body.

There are people returning bad copies of their 5D3. There are those returning their D800's with focusing problems.

 

[Razor2012]

Nikon is better at creating fanboys. ;D

 

[Marsu42]

Nikon is better at creating fanboys. ;D

Do you actually have a comparison? I don't visit nikonrumors.com, it results in bad karma, but maybe there some Canon fanboyz are just as effective in unmasking Nikon's weaknesses as the other way around?

 

[Razor2012]

Nikon is better at creating fanboys. ;D

Do you actually have a comparison? I don't visit nikonrumors.com, it results in bad karma, but maybe there some Canon fanboyz are just as effective in unmasking Nikon's weaknesses as the other way around?

Lol, what I wanted to say was that the 5DIII created alot of Nikon fanboys. I don't frequent NR either, but who knows there might be Canon fanboys over there too. I just see what's over here.

 

[aznable]

The 5D3 is better at being more expensive. ;D

That is soooo good. Canon took a page from their own playbook of Super-Tels and priced the 5D3 at the absolute top of their range. With a vertical grip, extra battery, and an L bracket the 5D3 is a $4,000 camera. And yet I'm hoping for even more. I'm ready for a 1D style camera, 45MP for around $5,000 and I'll be willing to pay for it. I've added a D800 to my tool set and I'm loving the high MP results. I've been able to almost double the print sizes I print and I'm going to different presentation media (laminates) for commercial purposes. More technology is giving me new types of business for my art. But my Canon glass is not getting much use right now. I need a camera body from Canon that can equal or best the D800. Canon - Are you listening? I'll wait.

really? so you wasted your time on those years...your business could have expanded years ago buying an high mpix MF camera

 

[wickidwombat]

Amazon numbers are fine for comparing Amazon sales but I suspect these bodies main selling place is elsewhere such as the pro/specialist outlets

Why do you think so? Esp. with a camera body, there's every reason to get it as cheap as possible, and that might be Amazon. For lenses, it's different because you may want to try the particular sample before buying it or return it without any hassle if it's a bad copy.

You've never happened to have gotten a bad body. Same thing. Except usually more important because it affects all of your lenses, even if they are functioning great. Even for camera bodies now that still do not have af microadjustment feature, a body may be out of spec front or back focused and throw off all of your lenses from what you were used to shooting with your last body.

There are people returning bad copies of their 5D3. There are those returning their D800's with focusing problems.

i returned my first 5Dmk3 it was a dog, the new copy i got however is awesome

 

[Marsu42]

There are people returning bad copies of their 5D3. There are those returning their D800's with focusing problems.

i returned my first 5Dmk3 it was a dog, the new copy i got however is awesome

Interesting - never heard of bad camera bodies before. Since I'm out to buy a new 5d2: Can you please provide some information or link(s) on what to test a camera body for to tell if it's ok?

 

[wickidwombat]

my 5Dmk3 could not accurately autofocus to save its life even after spending weeks messing with AFMA and trying everything. The new copy is sharp straight out of the box even using fast glass

my other 2 5Dmk2 bodies were also perfect straight out of the box well as good AF as a 5Dmk2 can be anyway

the 5Dmk3 was the first faulty camera body i've had

 

[bkorcel]

There is one thing that the 5DIII is better at and no one ever mentioned...It's better at using Canon lenses. With an adapter you can use a Nikon lens in crippled mode as well (have to manually focus).

 

[paul13walnut5]

I mentioned it at reply #338.

Crippling Nikon lenses - isn't that Nikons own speciality (the any f-mount on any f camera doesn't bear scrutiny.. dx lenses crop severely on FX bodies, expensive AF-D lenses don't AF on cheaper Nikon bodies etc)

 

[silat shooters]

I agree about the Mark III being better at taking my 8 EOS lenses over the D800. Don't know if it's been mentioned but small quibble where I also find the Mark III better:

Quiet Mode (vastly superior to D800 similar mode and very useful in application)

The Rear Grip area where the Thumb sits, the folks at Nikon seem to miss that. Your thumb just slides off. You have to squeeze the camera body to hold it securely. The Mark III address the ergonomic better for shooting.

I got to say I'm very impressed with the Mark III, it's a really nice camera to shoot and files are truly gorgeous! I come here and read these posts and agree that the D800 appears to be a better camera for less money. That makes it worse frankly. But I enjoy using the Mark III so much more than Mark II. It's truly superior on soo many key ways. I've read that there's not much difference in IQ between the two but to my eye, high ISO is better and love the camera NAILS focus consistently and is more responsive. My keeper rate is much, much higher with the Mark III.

I bit my lip and paid the $3500 and really enjoy the camera. But do feel it should be $2999.00. It's a great camera but I don't see what makes it worth $500 more than the D800, outside of possibly the focusing system.

The camera is paying for itself but as a consumer I like to feel like I'm getting good value. This purchase made me feel like I was paying a premium to stay 'in the club'. It wasn't a warm fuzzy feeling. Whereas, Nikon buyers feel like they are getting a bargain, 36megs, 200K shutter, same focusing system as D4, built-in flash, 100% viewfinder coverage, weather-sealing, great metering system for $500 less than the Mark III. Hard to argue with that comparison.

Canon has a HUGE video shooting base, and video shooters are used to paying far more for their cameras so they may have priced to camera based on that. I don't know, just throwing out an idea. But when I start to feel frustrated about what I paid for the camera, I pick it up and start to use and forget about that and just enjoy it. The camera is really a "tool" now, for me much more so than the Mark II was.

 

[tron]

I agree about the Mark III being better at taking my 8 EOS lenses over the D800. Don't know if it's been mentioned but small quibble where I also find the Mark III better:

Quiet Mode (vastly superior to D800 similar mode and very useful in application)

The Rear Grip area where the Thumb sits, the folks at Nikon seem to miss that. Your thumb just slides off. You have to squeeze the camera body to hold it securely. The Mark III address the ergonomic better for shooting.

I got to say I'm very impressed with the Mark III, it's a really nice camera to shoot and files are truly gorgeous! I come here and read these posts and agree that the D800 appears to be a better camera for less money. That makes it worse frankly. But I enjoy using the Mark III so much more than Mark II. It's truly superior on soo many key ways. I've read that there's not much difference in IQ between the two but to my eye, high ISO is better and love the camera NAILS focus consistently and is more responsive. My keeper rate is much, much higher with the Mark III.

I bit my lip and paid the $3500 and really enjoy the camera. But do feel it should be $2999.00. It's a great camera but I don't see what makes it worth $500 more than the D800, outside of possibly the focusing system.

The camera is paying for itself but as a consumer I like to feel like I'm getting good value. This purchase made me feel like I was paying a premium to stay 'in the club'. It wasn't a warm fuzzy feeling. Whereas, Nikon buyers feel like they are getting a bargain, 36megs, 200K shutter, same focusing system as D4, built-in flash, 100% viewfinder coverage, weather-sealing, great metering system for $500 less than the Mark III. Hard to argue with that comparison.

Canon has a HUGE video shooting base, and video shooters are used to paying far more for their cameras so they may have priced to camera based on that. I don't know, just throwing out an idea. But when I start to feel frustrated about what I paid for the camera, I pick it up and start to use and forget about that and just enjoy it. The camera is really a "tool" now, for me much more so than the Mark II was.

Can I take a chance of your experience with 5DMkIII and ask you about sharpness ? It seems to me that the case with updated DPP was to deal with the more powerful AA filter. I do not wish a camera with a strong AA filter. I have never observed Moire in my 5DMkII and I would feel stupid to pay so much for a camera that needs more sharpening

P.S I use my 5DmkII for stills (mostly landscapes)...

 

[silat shooters]

Can I take a chance of your experience with 5DMkIII and ask you about sharpness ? It seems to me that the case with updated DPP was to deal with the more powerful AA filter. I do not wish a camera with a strong AA filter. I have never observed Moire in my 5DMkII and I would feel stupid to pay so much for a camera that needs more sharpening

P.S I use my 5DmkII for stills (mostly landscapes)...
[/quote]

To my eye, the Mark III has better sharpness than my Mark II. Not sure whether it's the sensor, or the improved AF, or the way noise in processed in the image, but it's noticeable. I hadn't heard or read that. I would suggest you rent a Mark III for a day or two and test it yourself before investing the sizable $$$$ in one. But I can tell you that the shooting experience is considerably improved over the Mark II. Hope this helps.

 

[Infrared_Fred]

With any Canon body you can buy any SDHC SDXC or CF Card or Both depending on your body from any manufacturer from 1 gig to 512 gig with nikon you have to buy San Disc proprietary Nikon storage media and a 32 Gig card is going to set you back 230$ and the more storage you desire the smaller your wallet will get,with Canon and my Pro discount i can get a pair of San Disc SDXC universal card's that are 128 gig's and still go out to a nice lunch ,whereas you and your Nikon can't make it through a Pre wedding, wedding and reception without dumping your card onto something else which means your missing "Money Shots" changing cards or something else that is costing you additional money because it has to be set up for Nikons proprietary system so your carrying more gear spending more money and losing pictures in order to Play Nikon, i in 35mm swore by my Nikon F3 HP Titanium's that i used, but in the digital age Canon's Digic proccesor is hands down the absolute winner, because they have worked the same processor for years and just keep refining it and adding power to it and functionality no one else has done this. I shoot their fore i am !