Getting ready to buy

OK guys, contrary to my signature line, I now have a way-ahead. I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a 5DMKII !! Yippie!

I could use a little input.

First, is there any accurate indications of a MKIII on the near horizon? I could spend days in the Rumors portion of the forum, but that is more a "wishes and wants" section than anything else . . . I'm looking for any real timeline.

The second input is where best to buy?? I know everyone has their favorite places, but the biggest internet sellers all are competitive. I am interested in anyone who has an incident or story that you can relate that would push one vendor ahead of the crowd, or push one out of contention.

Thanks!

5dmk3 could be April or October, but no one will know when, more than likely this year though. If you could wait I personally would, it should present many used 5dmkII's for the picking or give you some features you could miss.

The probably over all biggest complain about the 5dmkII is Autofocus and Frame Rate, compared to the d700 even though it has video and almost double the resolution its quite pathetic. As far as places to buy, B&H seems to be the overwhelming place to buy and there customer services is great. Others buy from Adorama or Amazon. Personally if there's a near by local shop that has an equivalent price on the camera then I'd go for that even though you'll have to pay taxes.

I just swapped out from my 5Dc to a 5D2 two weeks ago. I checked everywhere for the best possible price, and wound up buying from eBay from PMI who have 100% feedback after 6 years on eBay, and I've even seen some threads on here relating to others having great luck with them. Here's a link to the body:

http://cgi.ebay.com …meras&hash=item​230395236c

eBay had sent me a $100 off coupon at the same time I happened to have the money to make the jump, so I ended up with a great deal, and the camera has been perfect. Was boxed and new as stated, USA warranty, etc. They are an authorized Canon re-seller by the way.

Sorry if I sound like I'm advertising from them, it's just that it was such a great deal that I'm still as happy as can be lol.

I've heard this before, and I go by this rule personally also...if you're always waiting for the next best thing, then you will never purchase anything. Stuff like this is upgraded all the time so if you want and can afford it now, get it. There's no reason that you can't sell it later and get most of your money back in the event the 5D3 has some killer feature you absolutely must have. Personally, I don't see myself needing anything more for a while other than perhaps a second body as a backup should that need arise.

As far as auto focus and frame rate...hogwash. It's not a sports camera and it's not advertised as such, however, I've shot in some horrible low light with little problems locking on. The room on one shoot had only very dim ambient, and while it did hunt a few times it locked on very consistently...and again, given the light present that impressed me more than I'm able to convey here.

Frame rate is a non-issue for me personally as I don't shoot nor have a need to shoot burst, but it could be for others. Even when I've shot action. While it may be the key for some professional sports photographers covering a big game who absolutely have to have the most critical moment, for something like local marathons, birds in flight, skateboarding, etc...I've had zero issues with my 5Dc and since the 5D2 is basically the same in that regard, I don't foresee any issues there either.

I did birds in flight and on the water two weekends ago (http://www.flickr.com …h/sets/72157626​203393872/) as my first outing with the 5D2 to test it out and it handled great. It's not a 1D3, 1D4, or a 7D, but it's not the slouch people seem to convey it is..or at least I'm not seeing it first hand.

Sorry if I seemed to go off on a tangent, just trying to make a point that I think you'll be happy with the 5D2.

chammer wrote in post #12022699
I just swapped out from my 5Dc to a 5D2 two weeks ago. . . . . Sorry if I seemed to go off on a tangent, just trying to make a point that I think you'll be happy with the 5D2.

Not at all. My sister has one, and her husband has two of them. No doubt I would love it (since I would be upgrading from a 350D). I'm not as much concerned about which seller can save me $20, but rather which one is the "best" in many intangable ways too.

I would just hate to be "the last guy to buy a 5DmkII at list price" since the MkIII came out the day after I buy the MkII . . .

I doubt a MkIII would come around before a 1Ds, but if it does and ends up being a 5D2 with 7D features, then it's probably not worth it. The 5d2 is a good camera now and it won't suddenly become a bad camera if a new one comes out, there are still people using their original 1Ds, and why not? It doesn't show noise at any ISO setting.

Kolor-Pikker wrote in post #12023224
I doubt a MkIII would come around before a 1Ds, but if it does and ends up being a 5D2 with 7D features, then it's probably not worth it. The 5d2 is a good camera now and it won't suddenly become a bad camera if a new one comes out, there are still people using their original 1Ds, and why not? It doesn't show noise at any ISO setting.

Yeah, I'm thinking the same way. Most of my shooting is landscape and/or people-portraits anyway, where I use a single focus point and re-compose. The only sport I shoot is competitive chess . . .

So I will likely go with the MkII, I just hope the prices don't drop right after my purchase because the newer model comes out . . .

golfecho wrote in post #12023686
So I will likely go with the MkII, I just hope the prices don't drop right after my purchase because the newer model comes out . . .

In the long debate of internet v. brick and mortar, chalk one up for brick and mortar: most places have some sort of price guarantee that lets you at least get the money back if the price drops within 30 days or so; some even give you back more (say 10% or so).

It's been said already in the thread: you've just got to pull the trigger. If something happens like a 5D mk III or massive price drop on the mk II, it will suck, but won't mean your new camera will be anything less than what it was the day before. Getting paralyzed over something like this will only prevent you from enjoying the camera that much sooner.

bjyoder wrote in post #12024387
In the long debate of internet v. brick and mortar, chalk one up for brick and mortar: most places have some sort of price guarantee that lets you at least get the money back if the price drops within 30 days or so; some even give you back more (say 10% or so).

It's been said already in the thread: you've just got to pull the trigger. If something happens like a 5D mk III or massive price drop on the mk II, it will suck, but won't mean your new camera will be anything less than what it was the day before. Getting paralyzed over something like this will only prevent you from enjoying the camera that much sooner.

Right you are! I think after I buy it, I will disconnect my internet for a couple of months so if any price drop happens, I won't know it . . . sort of like burrying my head in the sand . . .

Don't worry, if history has show as anything, it's that a Mk-new always takes too long to get to market, but when it does, it's usually a disappointment. Then the nerd rage settles down and people actually start using the darn thing to shoot stuff.

I recently acquired a very pricey camcorder, and people are speculating that there's going to be a replacement, since it's already been out for a while and is an upgrade of a previous model. Whatever happens, I have it now, and can actually get stuff done instead of waiting for something that might be announced at some show or event.

Oh, wait, did I forget to mention that? Even if a new model is going to be announced, who knows how many months it'll take to get to market and when it does, it will certainly be on back-order, and here you could've been out shooting, ooooh.

Kolor-Pikker wrote in post #12024636
Don't worry, if history has show as anything, it's that a Mk-new always takes too long to get to market, but when it does, it's usually a disappointment. Then the nerd rage settles down and people actually start using the darn thing to shoot stuff.

Assuming the new MkIII doesn't have a rash of black pixels . . . !!

Or banding in the shadows, or AF that loves locking on to that beautiful background, or ghosting when taking photos of ducks, or.. uh, you get the idea. It's always something new.