Another "What Camera Should I Get" Post...

Hey POTN community. I am starting to finish my basic kit of lenses of what I want along with accessories and am planning for the future on what body I will be purchasing. Currently I have a t2i, 11-16 2.8, 35 1.4, 50 1.8, and a 70-200 4, along with some lee filters and other junk. I have had this camera for about a year and a half now as my second dslr, and am fully committed that my next camera will be full frame, I've used a 5d II a few times and I am in love with the sensor.

So, my question is should I be going for a 5d II or III...

What do I shoot? Well, everything. I work for my university's newspaper - so I shoot sports, speeches, random events, portraits, concerts etc. I know the upgrade to a II or III will be a huge leap for the low light situation either way, which gym lighting and speech lighting seems to always be around 1000-2000 ISO unfortunately.
I also shoot landscapes a lot - as in that is what I do with my free time primarily when I shoot with my camera not for work, and am delving into timelapse.

This camera likely will be my primary camera for the next 4 years until I complete a lens kit and would like to add a second FF body as a backup.

So, given that I shoot just about everything, focusing on landscape and astrophotography on the side, is the 5d III, in all of your opinions (whoever will respond) worth the extra $1300 bucks (difference in price as of now).
- i likely will sell the t2i and 11-16 to fund the camera if necessary if I choose a 5d III over a 5d II...

any advice or input or criticism of all this is appreciated...

It seems in your mind it boils down to "Is a MkIII worth an extra $1300 over the MKII?" In what area of work that you do is the T2i most lacking. That might help you make a decision. But for the work you do I would say the MkII is more than ample. I will also tell you that most likely you will always regret you didn't get the MkIII so if you can swing the price, go for the latest/greatest.

get the best you can afford.

Honestly, looking at your gear list- I think you should be investigating better lenses - mainly because you are going to need to replace some of it anyways- and better glass would not hurt. But the biggest reason- well- if your T2i is holding up for your current needs- I can't see replacing it.

Now if you do decide on still getting a new body- 5D III- for two reasons... 1- it's already on your gear wishlist- may as well get what you want anyways... and 2- go big or go home!

If you have to take sports pictures as part of your job - 5D MK III.

wayne.robbins wrote in post #15181674
Honestly, looking at your gear list- I think you should be investigating better lenses - mainly because you are going to need to replace some of it anyways- and better glass would not hurt. But the biggest reason- well- if your T2i is holding up for your current needs- I can't see replacing it.

Now if you do decide on still getting a new body- 5D III- for two reasons... 1- it's already on your gear wishlist- may as well get what you want anyways... and 2- go big or go home!

I understand the glass before body upgrade idea, and really have debated after which lens I buy to upgrade to FF. But, with my current job my office has a couple 7Ds and a 70-200 2.8, 85 1.8, 17-40 4, and a 17-55 2.8 - so I have access to some pretty decent glass in addition to my own, and a good secondary camera on assignments for work with those 7Ds.

I find after shooting on my own - like i said primarily landscapes - I am left wanting more dynamic range, and noise control for the astro shots I'm starting to take. The dynamic range is a big thing especially as I look to do timelapse, and maybe even some timelapse for my job for promo work for the school. Also, better AF and a quicker shutter speed wouldn't hurt for the sports I have to shoot (yes, I do have access to a 7D for that, but again shooting high ISO in gyms to get a fast enough shutter to capture a volleyball or basketball player a 5D would handle that better).

And as of now the III I think is the better decision given that I am shooting such a variety and it can handle it all really... Also, like you said, it is on my wishlist, and going big or going home is a good way to phrase it haha.

I probably will purchase my own personal 17-40 either prior to upgrading or with the upgrade, though, because I shoot wide pretty often. and with that addition to my kit replacing the 11-16 for a wide when I go FF I will have a pretty basic setup that can cover most of what I need... (besides a longer telephoto).

buy once

I'm kind of in the same boat. I think I have a well-established kit. But some stuff will have to be replaced when I jump to full-frame. I can't afford the 5d3, so my decision is a bit easier. My plan is to wait to see what the 6D has to offer. If it's decent enough, I may spring for that. If not, the 5D2 will be more than adequate, I think.

If you can afford the 5D3, I don't think there is any reason not to indulge. Good luck!

Sports is a killer for the 5DII, but for the upgrade price you could get a used 40D for occasional sports use and still be ahead. Given your lens collection its not like any full frame camera, even one with an advanced focus system like 5DIII is going to be satifsying. (Yes, I know that cropping the 5DIII image to match the crop camera may be equal to or better than the reach you get with a crop, but its not a satisfying workflow).

gonzogolf wrote in post #15182860
Sports is a killer for the 5DII, but for the upgrade price you could get a used 40D for occasional sports use and still be ahead. Given your lens collection its not like any full frame camera, even one with an advanced focus system like 5DIII is going to be satifsying. (Yes, I know that cropping the 5DIII image to match the crop camera may be equal to or better than the reach you get with a crop, but its not a satisfying workflow).

From experience using my 35 1.4 and also my offices 85 1.8 on my t2i vs a 5d II - I can say the experience is much more satisfying using those lenses on FF. The noise control shooting volleyball in a gym with the 5d II over my t2i was really helpful as well, so I had some workable images that could actually be published.
Just my experience so far.

Jericobot wrote in post #15182838
buy once

Cry Once.

+1 if you can afford a MK III then go for it.

sullivanrp wrote in post #15182890
From experience using my 35 1.4 and also my offices 85 1.8 on my t2i vs a 5d II - I can say the experience is much more satisfying using those lenses on FF. The noise control shooting volleyball in a gym with the 5d II over my t2i was really helpful as well, so I had some workable images that could actually be published.
Just my experience so far.

Indoor sports where you can work with short lenses perhaps. But the same might not be true of shooting baseball or soccer where reach is a bigger factor and ISO performance is less.

with the 5dII goin for around 1300 used, it's hard to pass it up. You're going to have to sell your 11-16 either way, and you may want some faster glass, so i'd use the extra money to invest in that. By the time the high wears off on your 5dII, the 5dIII will have come down a lot, and you can spring for it then.

that's just my 2 cents, i love my 5d III, but i'm also shooting weddings every weekend too. my 5d II is now a spare behind the 1d IV.

Go BIG or go home !!!

I think you have some good glass already. You may want an 85mm to give similar FOV of the 50mm on a crop, but I don't think your glass is limiting you. The 70-200 f4 may not be fast enough in some situations, but you should know if it is or isn't for YOU.

The 5d3 can be found frequently on sale for $2800 or $2900. The AF won't limit you and is clearly superior to the 5d2. IQ will be close to the same and ISO advantage will go to the 5d3.
My vote would be bite the bullet, get the 5d3, cry after pushing the purchase button, and then be happy