5D MK III upgrade or D800?

tim wrote in post #14667920
Shooting couples doing their energetic first dance in a room lit only by fairy lights it took 1-2 seconds to focus, it was awful. With a speedlite it was very quick.

I would have to agree with this.

I have zero experience with Nikon. I've been shooting canon since 1973. But i am very familiar with the entire canon line up and I have used everything except the giant telephotos (400mm and up).

My suggestion is to pick a camera line and stick with it. Canon and Nikon both make very fine cameras and lens. The argument B/t which line is best comes from photographers and gear junkies. No client of a professional photographer would ever be able to tell which camera took a picture,,,nor would 95% of the photographers out there.

Of the canon cameras on the market new or used, the 5D3 is one of the best ones you can get. Its as good as the 1DsMKIII for low iso (100-1000 ISO ) settings but blows it away from 1600 ISO and up. The AF systems on the 5D3 and the new 1Dx are the best you will get so my suggestion is to keep your glass, invest in that 1 time, and update your camera body based on your needs. Your paying for a deadly accurate AF system on the 5D3. IQ & ISO performance are not valid reasons to upgrade over the current 5D2. If you consider that the 1Ds costs $7000.00 for the camera, the the 5D3 is a bloody steal at $3500.00....its that good.

umphotography wrote in post #14669099
Your paying for a deadly accurate AF system on the 5D3. IQ & ISO performance are not valid reasons to upgrade over the current 5D2.

+1. IQ and ISO performance of 5DII is more than enough for wedding photography. If you feel that its AF performance is limiting you then 5DIII is the logical upgrade.

umphotography wrote in post #14669099
My suggestion is to pick a camera line and stick with it. Canon and Nikon both make very fine cameras and lens. The argument B/t which line is best comes from photographers and gear junkies. No client of a professional photographer would ever be able to tell which camera took a picture,,,nor would 95% of the photographers out there.

Canon focus issues took a lot of professionals to Nikon. The 5D3 may finally have fix it, which will stop a lot of the people thinking of moving, but I doubt will get many back. With a long history of focus issues many professionals won't trust Canon for a while.

Most customers can tell when prints aren't sharp. I also found with Canon I overshot and worried more about focus, which limited my creative ability.

Well, the issue with the 1DIII was what prompted folks to jump to Nikon from what I recall. Fortunately, I have never had issues with the 2 I owned. The 7D I owned briefly so I can't really speak for it, but it's not uncommon to read about AF issues. Otherwise, while the AF on the 5D2 is basic, the center AF point is solid. The 1D4 has a solid AF system except when shooting in low light in AI servo. That was a show stopper for me. The 5D3 has been fantastic. The best AF system I've used to date. I suspect the 1DX will top that by a decent margin. So I'd say Canon has gotten their act together.

I found the Nikon AF (D700, D3, and D3s) to be solid. The only thing I didn't like was that the cross type AF points are clustered in the center columns. Not so much a problem coming from a 5D2. It's a huge improvement. But I prefer the layout on my 5D3 better.

If you can't shoot with the best from either Canon or Nikon, then you should quit.

nicksan wrote in post #14670510
Well, the issue with the 1DIII was what prompted folks to jump to Nikon from what I recall. Fortunately, I have never had issues with the 2 I owned. The 7D I owned briefly so I can't really speak for it, but it's not uncommon to read about AF issues. Otherwise, while the AF on the 5D2 is basic, the center AF point is solid. The 1D4 has a solid AF system except when shooting in low light in AI servo. That was a show stopper for me. The 5D3 has been fantastic. The best AF system I've used to date. I suspect the 1DX will top that by a decent margin. So I'd say Canon has gotten their act together.

I found the Nikon AF (D700, D3, and D3s) to be solid. The only thing I didn't like was that the cross type AF points are clustered in the center columns. Not so much a problem coming from a 5D2. It's a huge improvement. But I prefer the layout on my 5D3 better.

If you can't shoot with the best from either Canon or Nikon, then you should quit.

I had focus issues with the 20D, 30D, 40D, 7D (which Canon said "hey we really improved the focus system"). I didn't like the 5D series, it felt really slow and clunky, and the little I used it focus was slow, though usually reasonably accurate. The 1D3 I used for a couple of weddings was better than the 7D in some ways, worse in others - the 1D3 was better for static subjects, the 7D better for moving subjects. I suspect lenses play a part as well.

As for "use the most expensive equipment or give up" I strongly disagree with that. If I buy a $3000 camera I expect it to focus, that's its main job. Nikon can do it, and now Canon can do it on the 5D3 and latest 1D, I hope they start putting the technology from their new AF system into the lower end cameras as well.

There are no cameras in either the Canon or Nikon camp worthy of a jump. It would be retarded and expensive to do so just because you want a particular body from the other side. Both sides have fantastic offerings, and both have their issues. Neither is perfect.

If you are with Canon, stick with Canon. If you are with Nikon, stick with Nikon. There is always a wave of people who switch back and forth, but over the long haul, it's even and neither side is gaining a larger share. For example, there was a HUGE HUGE exodus of Nikon users who moved to Canon when the 5D was current. Then most of them went back once the D3 and D700 came out, and some canon users moved too. Some people switched to Nikon over the whole 1D3 issue (which was grossly overblown thanks to Galbraith). A lot of them moved back with the 5D3, and has even gained some lifetime Nikon users. Many Nikon users who were also offering video switched to Canon as it's well known that Canon video offerings, capabilities and features are well ahead of Nikon's, and the gap has only widened further with Canon's new Cine line of lenses. So really, neither camp is really "gaining ground" on the other. People move back and forth but it's even overall. Just stick with your camp and know that even if they have a poor release, it won't always be that way.

Sigh, I guess It's simply gear lust for me. Once I get back my 2nd 5DMK II from the shop, I will probably end up keeping it for a while longer and stick a grip on it.

Thanks again everyone.

I really wish I had two 5D3s. I really, really wish I had two 1DXs. But for now I can't say with a straight face that my 5DIIs are holding me back, so I'm going to hold for a while. Jan 2014 would be the earliest I'll make a jump, probably 2015.

I am really happy that 5DCs are super attainable now and 5DIIs are fairly attainable. I'm not a total fanboy, but I do love the 5D series. I miss my 5DC.

tim wrote in post #14670483
I also found with Canon I overshot and worried more about focus, which limited my creative ability.

true, i overshoot and lose sleep over focus shooting with my equipment

save your money and buy the 5DmkIII later. i think it would be advantageous to have 2 bodies at your disposal when shooting events and weddings. having 2 systems ( canon and nikon) would be expensive.