Upgrading 60D to 5D Mark III

Hi Guys,

Had the 60D for a while now and pretty much now it inside out. For the past 6 months I have been doing a reasoanable amount of paid work. Some evening events but mainly sports, photographing runners in races etc. I have been very happy with the 60D but maybe now is the time to go full frame.

I guess I'm looking for someone to tell me that dumping a lot of cash on the Mark III is worthwhile. I hear the AF system will be better for tracking and maybe better image quality overall ?

I have the 24-105L & 70-200 F2.8II and was looking to buy the 16-35 II soon also.

It seems much easier spending money on L glass than buying bodies, I just can't decide !

Best Regards

Steve

welcome to PotN.

It's up to you since you already have 2 great lenses. If you have the cash, go for it. 6fps is good enough for most sports and the AF on the 5D3 is amazing.

FF, especially the 5D3 is better in low light and high ISO, but "going FF" is a bit over-rated. Don't expect magic unicorns to jump out of your shots after going FF.

I'd probably skip the 5D Mark III and wait for the 1D X. If your looking for an all around camera body with FF wait another month and get a 1D X.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

Hi mate,
I did the very same thing and moved from a 60D to the 5D MKIII. I'm not doing any paid work but for me the move was something I wanted to do and although the 60D is a fantastic camera, the MKIII has moved me to another level. I just love the images from it. I too have the 2 x lenses you state and I love using the 24-105 on this body. I'm just starting to use the 70-200 MKII more now and liking the results.

Yes it is a big step in money but I'm happy with my decision.

HTH

Mark

Gregg.Siam wrote in post #14510224
welcome to PotN.

It's up to you since you already have 2 great lenses. If you have the cash, go for it. 6fps is good enough for most sports and the AF on the 5D3 is amazing.

FF, especially the 5D3 is better in low light and high ISO, but "going FF" is a bit over-rated. Don't expect magic unicorns to jump out of your shots after going FF.

Dang! I was looking for those unicorns...

Really, a guy goes looking at a 5D III ( $3500 ), and the suggestion is to wait for a camera that is NEARLY double the cost. I am sure that if the OP was looking at the 1DX ( $6800 ) or the 5D3 and 16-35 II ( $1580 ), he'd probably get the 5D3 and 16-35 II..

Has the 1DX started shipping yet- or is it still "vaporware" ? If it is not being sold - and not being delivered to those desiring it- to me- it's as good as being vaporware .. You know, it's an apparition- a ghost..

I went from a 5D2 and 7D combo to a 5D3 and 60D combo and for me the difference has been amazing. The 5D3 alone is better than the best bits of the 5D2 and 7D, and both of them are great cameras, and to have a 60D as a backup gives me the peace of mind that I'm set for anything. With the lenses you have the only thing you will lose is the reach that the 60D gives you, but you will gain so much more. You might not get unicorns jumping out of it, but the quality of the photos will distract you from looking for them.

Paid work and one body? No way, keep the 60D and buy the 5D3.

dgrPhotos wrote in post #14510418
Paid work and one body? No way, keep the 60D and buy the 5D3.

^This.

To fund keeping the 60D, you might want to consider a used 17-40 instead of the 16-35. IQ is a wash, and the AF and higher ISO of the 5d3 might just make up for not having 2.8.

If the 17-40 turns out to be too slow and you really really need 2.8, sell it for what you paid for it and get a 16-35.

(If you feel you'll need a 2.8 "normal" lens for the back-up 60D, parking a 17-55 (or even a 17-50) on the body might be a good bet.)

wayne.robbins wrote in post #14510343
Really, a guy goes looking at a 5D III ( $3500 ), and the suggestion is to wait for a camera that is NEARLY double the cost. I am sure that if the OP was looking at the 1DX ( $6800 ) or the 5D3 and 16-35 II ( $1580 ), he'd probably get the 5D3 and 16-35 II..

Has the 1DX started shipping yet- or is it still "vaporware" ? If it is not being sold - and not being delivered to those desiring it- to me- it's as good as being vaporware .. You know, it's an apparition- a ghost..

I know a local sports/event shooter who liked his 5Diii so much after using it for a few weeks of shooting LAX, baseball and other stuff at high ISO, that he cancelled his order for the 1Dx, put his 1Div up for sale, and ordered a second 5Diii. He's a fellow POTN member and takes some of the best sports pics I've seen on here (but I won't sell him out by name).

Here is a question.

What specifically about the 60D is preventing you from doing what you need for your paid gigs? Once you know what is specifically deficient, then you can look at the options.

My first thought after reading your post was that the 1D3 sounded like a great option, and at 1/2 the price, you could get the 16-35L.

mickeyb105 wrote in post #14516106
I know a local sports/event shooter who liked his 5Diii so much after using it for a few weeks of shooting LAX, baseball and other stuff at high ISO, that he cancelled his order for the 1Dx, put his 1Div up for sale, and ordered a second 5Diii. He's a fellow POTN member and takes some of the best sports pics I've seen on here (but I won't sell him out by name).

Well there you go. That absolutely says a lot about the 5D MIII. It sounds like an amazing camera!

Bryan

Wow, definitely made an impact with that guy.

dgrPhotos wrote in post #14510418
Paid work and one body? No way, keep the 60D and buy the 5D3.

Word!

Thanks for all your great advice guys, I have decided to buy the 16-35mm ii for the time being as I needed something a bit wider and I have just been given the work to photograph Indian wedding set ups for 10 functions as he was really happy with the photos I produced a couple of weeks back with the 24-105.

The 5d3 is definitely on my wish though when I have some more funds