[triton3k]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

If you don't mind me asking, where did you sell it and for how much? I want to sell mine and upgrade. Any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: I read more threads and came up with a price.

I actually listed mines on craigslist and sold it there.
I was gonna post it on POTN but when I got an email from craigslist I said lets see where this goes and this guy was very serious about purchasing it so I sold it even though I didn't wanna let it go until I got the Mark III but I figured better to move it now than to be stuck with it.

[rodi]

now that i have my own, i've been shooting a lot with it as a photo camera. and i must say, i'm quite impressed. the only gripe that i can think of right now is that i can't set the DOF-preview button to Spot Meter like I can on my D3 (which is on ebay now). but i do have it set to AF one-shot>AI servo.
the AF is so greatly improved over the mark2, and it's like a completely different camera in your hand as far as design and ergonomics go.
still getting used to Canon's AF modes, but it tracks really well usually. sometimes it'll go from my son's eye to his nose or mouth, which can be a huge fail if i'm in real close, but maybe it would do better in brighter light (was at 1/60 f/2.8 and iso 800).
the Q button is kind of weird but can get used to it now when you know which dials to turn to set something without going further in the menus.
the other thing i miss is having more control of creating custom picture styles. when setting the black/white points on the curve with the software, they stay at 0 and 255. which totally sucks (nikon's curve let you edit all points just as in LR or PS. hopefully i'm just doing it wrong and that there is a way, trying to find that out. i like being able to shoot jpgs sooc that i like, but until i figure that out, i won't be able to. win some and lose some. :\

[Chewy734]

rodi, do the black AF points bother you as much as it bothers me?

[rodi]

i've noticed it once, but no, not really. do they not light red with focus confirm? not in any light? i did go into the settings for such when i noticed it but didn't notice a difference they made, probably because i didn't move to an area with different ambient light.

[The1]

It's a little hard to find a spot to focus on with the black auto focus point, but I just aim at something bright first and it helps get my eye for where I'm looking before I actually get it to light on my target.

I do notice it, but it doesn't drive me up the wall like it seems to be doing for you chewy.

[Chewy734]

I'm ok with it when there is enough light in the scene. But, under low light conditions where this camera shines, black AF points really cripples my shooting experience when you have to frame the scene quickly.

[The1]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

I'm ok with it when there is enough light in the scene. But, under low light conditions where this camera shines, black AF points really cripples my shooting experience when you have to frame the scene quickly.

It's kind of ironic to make a low light capable camera, and then put a dark focus point.

[rodi]

ok, so i just went into a dark room to test it out.

when illumination set to AUTO and in one shot AF:

when you move the focus point around, they light red. when focus is confirmed, they light red. keep the AF in the center, so when you frame it with black points, you won't need to see it. then it lights red to confirm.
if you are in AI servo, it depends on your point selection mode. so you may or may not be able to move your point around.

so basically, if you're in an AF point selection mode where you can move your point, just do that to see where the point is if it's not in center. then it lights red again when confirmed.

[Chewy734]

ugh... My 5D3 is going back. A few dead pixels showed up these past few days in my electronic view finder.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

ugh... My 5D3 is going back. A few dead pixels showed up these past few days in my electronic view finder.

Yikes, already? That's not good. I wonder how widespread that issue will be.

[Chewy734]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Yikes, already? That's not good. I wonder how widespread that issue will be.

Knowing my luck, I'm probably the only one that it'll happen to.

[dcstep]

His a good comparison of the 5D MkIII and the D800, emphasizing video capacities:

http://fstoppers.com/if-youre-lookin...28fstoppers%29

[Chewy734]

nice link Dave.

[rodi]

and then there's the issue of Nikon's lenses focusing backwards. total deal breaker if you are used to focusing cine lenses (which are the same rotation as canon lenses). sometimes functionality trumps an advantage of sharpness.

[dcstep]

I ordered my MkIII today. I'm going on vacation next week so I elected free, slow delivery, so I'll have it week after next.

I'm very curious to see if it displaces my 7D as my go-to birding body. I've heard that the AF servo is killer and more accurate than the 7D. If that's true, my keeper rate should go way up.

Dave

[Chewy734]

awesome Dave! You won't regret it. The AF servo is really good. I haven't played with the 7D, but it kicks the 5D2's butt. Your keeper rate will definitely go up.

Where did you end up buying it from?

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

awesome Dave! You won't regret it. The AF servo is really good. I haven't played with the 7D, but it kicks the 5D2's butt. Your keeper rate will definitely go up.

Where did you end up buying it from?

I used B&H. They've been my go-to supplier, so long as they have the unit in stock. I DID buy my 500mm lens from Adorama when B&H was out of stock. I've had nothing but good experience with both.

Dave

[spacemonkey1112]

Hey everyone, Stewart here and I got my 5D Mk III a few weeks ago (upgrading from my canon 20D haha!). It been a long time coming for this upgrade but I'm finally here. I've had a lot of shoot time with a few friends 5D MKII and played a few times with a 7D...

so far compared to the previous generation of cameras, I am absolutely in love. before you even turn the camera on, the ergonomics are beautiful; that little indent where your thumb falls on the back on the camera is so comfortable. The fact that the CF card door pops up rather than just flops around just makes the build quality "feel" better in your hands (loving the rubber gripping over the door as well).
I also bought the battery grip for this camera and I love it as well; compare to the battery grip canon made for the 20D, this thing is beautifully engineered. Love that the multi-direction dial is also on the grip; it makes shooting vertically so much more pleasant. The grip doesn't feel bulky, my finger tips snug around the grip very nicely. When holding the camera by the grip side, the battery grip doesn't feel like an accessory; it feels like the camera was meant to have this grip on it.

button layout - I have gotten used to the magnification button when reviewing images, but for the first day of playing with the camera, it was very annoying.... but once you get the hangout it, you sorta begin to understand why canon designed it like so. I thought the "RATE" button was going to be useless, but when recording video blogs and such for my business, I found it quite useful in labeling which clip was my best take (I have to do quite a few takes since I'm camera shy hahahaha). I hated AF when I press the shutter button half way, so I really appreciate the dedicated AF-on button.

image quality - i'm not the first to have their hands on this camera, so like others have said, its beautiful. I surprise myself once in a while when I'm pushing above ISO 800 with this camera when 800 on the 20D was barely tolerable (as you can see missing out on 8 years of camera technology can really do a number on you haha).

This is all I can think of off the top of my head...for the past 4 weddings I've shot, I've borrowed other people's 5D MkII. July 28 will be the first time I take this camera out for a wedding so I'll be back to write a review on my experience with that as well.

[Chewy734]

Thanks for the review Stewart... now show us some cool pics from it

[spacemonkey1112]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

Thanks for the review Stewart... now show us some cool pics from it

haha nothing worth showing yet Maybe after this weekend but definitely after July 28th I'll have something beautiful to share!

[dcstep]

I received my MkIII yesterday and I'm blown away by the improvement in the AF system vs. my 7D and MkII. I only shot around an hour yesterday and didn't find any great subjects, but the improved AF speed and accuracy was readily apparent when shooting with my bare 500mm/f4.

The control layout is way superior to the MkII and a step forward from the 7D, which it seems to be modeled after. I love the big new DOF preview button on my right hand side. I could never find the old button when I needed it.

I've read some say that the build quality is superior to the MkII. I don't see that. I had both bodies on my desk yesterday and tried to flex them with the lenses off and they're both really solid. The grip on the MkIII is a little more beefy, leading to an impression of more substance, but I think it's just larger. Peeps with larger hands will prefer it and those with small hands will regret the change. I have medium hands, so I'm "just right" with either.

After I've taken a few thousand clicks and processed some subjects that I really want to look good, I'll post a follow up. I think that my keeper rate is going to go up substantially, thanks to the quicker and more accurate AF, but you only know for sure after you completed your processing. I suspect that I'll do a lot of shooting with the 1.4x TC attached to get out to 700mm in reach. (I'll carry the 7D around my neck with the 70-200mm attached).

If critical AF is important to your photography, then the MkIII seems to be well worth the extra money.

Dave

[Chewy734]

Originally Posted by dcstep

I've read some say that the build quality is superior to the MkII. I don't see that. I had both bodies on my desk yesterday and tried to flex them with the lenses off and they're both really solid. The grip on the MkIII is a little more beefy, leading to an impression of more substance, but I think it's just larger. Peeps with larger hands will prefer it and those with small hands will regret the change. I have medium hands, so I'm "just right" with either.

Apparently you didn't look close enough. I felt the toggle switches were a little better in the 5D3 (on/off). Now when you change shooting modes you have to press down on a button. Also, the way the CF compartment opens feels much better. Did you see that the CF compartment lid is also rubberized?

Thanks for your review. I read a lot of wildlife photogs have increased their "keeper photos" percentage significantly. The AF system alone is worth the upgrade, imo. By the way, I think the price came down about $150 recently too. So, Dave, if you bought it for $3500, call B&H for a price adjustment.