Not shooting so much bad thoughts creeping in...

It sounds like you should take a look at the new A7 or A7R from Sony. The world's smallest, lightest full frame camera, with high resolution and a hefty amount of dynamic range. It can also take EF-lenses through an adapter.

Read up on it. It's the camera many of us Canonites have been waiting for.

I've preordered mine.
I still have my big ass 5D3, but will probably sell it later on.

My interest comes and goes as well, so I understand how you feel.

I've bought and sold gear over and over, tried different cameras and lens combinations, all sorts of things.

Sometimes I think it's more fun to switch up gear then to actually take photos.

I'm currently in a m4/3 phase and I'm liking it. I just got tired of lugging heavy gear around.

Sell your gear and try something new. With the way bodies depreciate it's hard to go wrong if you decide to go back.

milleniumking wrote in post #16377264
Hi guys/gals. Lately I have not been shooting much, mostly because of work and other things. I am also finding that I am not using my 5d mark iii to its full potential. I have even thought about selling it and buying a 6d. I am not a pro by any means, just an "advanced hobbyist" to say the best. I have also downgraded a lot of my gear to its minimums (Down to 2 lenses and flash) mostly to save on weight when travelling and biking.

Does anyone else feel this way about their gear?

One of my friends has put it very accurately.

Using a ff DSLR for casual shooting is like driving a dump truck to pick up a bag of chips at the mall.

If you're only using two lenses, go mirrorless.

milleniumking wrote in post #16377264
Hi guys/gals. Lately I have not been shooting much, mostly because of work and other things. I am also finding that I am not using my 5d mark iii to its full potential. I have even thought about selling it and buying a 6d. I am not a pro by any means, just an "advanced hobbyist" to say the best. I have also downgraded a lot of my gear to its minimums (Down to 2 lenses and flash) mostly to save on weight when travelling and biking.

Does anyone else feel this way about their gear?

OP, there are numerous things you can do to build up interest in the hobby again - personally I find the 'challenge' method quite useful - try these approaches;

1) take out a single prime - ignore the location and focal length and don't take any other lenses to avoid temptation
2) shoot nothing but portrait for the day
3) shoot wide open for the day
4) produce nothing but shots for stitched panoramas
5) shoot into the sun
6) shoot a theme i.e. transport, graffiti, weather, modern history
7) shoot a concept, i.e. societal problems, opportunities, emotion

Personally I don't like the whole '365' thing - if I miss a day, I'll just feel disappointed.

I used to go out with a zoom and just take pictures of my surroundings, but after taking the mindset above, not only am I more involved with the photographic process, the shots are better and more interesting.

HTH

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #16378676
One of my friends has put it very accurately.

Using a ff DSLR for casual shooting is like driving a dump truck to pick up a bag of chips at the mall.

If you're only using two lenses, go mirrorless.

To each his own. Using a ff DSLR for casual shooting is like carefully selecting a specific brand, flavor, and bag size for chips at the store -- not even touching any adjacent bags, vs. just "getting chips."

I only use two lenses, and I have two DSLR bodies, and get use out of both of them.

If you do sell, you could sell the body and keep the lenses. But if you think you might want to shoot again within a year, don't sell anything. It'll cost you more in paypal fees and shipping than the 5Diii is likely to depreciate.

Sometimes when I've gotten bored, I've rented equipment. Lensrentals.com is a great place. I've rented Fuji X cameras, big gray Canon lenses. Even a Nikon camera. I've found it has often refreshed my appreciation of what I do own, yet gives me a mental break to try something new.

I don't really understand the issue. Who cares if you aren't using the camera to its full potential? You already own it, why would you sell it just to buy an inferior camera if money isn't a concern?

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #16378676
One of my friends has put it very accurately.

Using a ff DSLR for casual shooting is like driving a dump truck to pick up a bag of chips at the mall.

How is that in any way an accurate statement?

I was feeling the same way, then I bought an 85L II and have the bug again to get out on my own time

UKmitch86 wrote in post #16380564
OP, there are numerous things you can do to build up interest in the hobby again - personally I find the 'challenge' method quite useful - try these approaches;

1) take out a single prime - ignore the location and focal length and don't take any other lenses to avoid temptation
2) shoot nothing but portrait for the day
3) shoot wide open for the day
4) produce nothing but shots for stitched panoramas
5) shoot into the sun
6) shoot a theme i.e. transport, graffiti, weather, modern history
7) shoot a concept, i.e. societal problems, opportunities, emotion

Personally I don't like the whole '365' thing - if I miss a day, I'll just feel disappointed.

I used to go out with a zoom and just take pictures of my surroundings, but after taking the mindset above, not only am I more involved with the photographic process, the shots are better and more interesting.

HTH

^^^^^^This.

Have a purpose when you shoot. When I go to some place new I challenge myself to document the essence of the place so that your photos capture what it's about. It's difficult but also makes it fun. Just my 2 cents.

waterrockets wrote in post #16380612
To each his own. Using a ff DSLR for casual shooting is like carefully selecting a specific brand, flavor, and bag size for chips at the store -- not even touching any adjacent bags, vs. just "getting chips."

I only use two lenses, and I have two DSLR bodies, and get use out of both of them.

Of course. I'm just agreeing with OP's sentiment, not saying that everybody with two lenses and a DSLR is "wrong".

Which lenses are you using?
Do you think you'd take them with you more often if you had a smaller camera that did the same thing?

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #16381623
Which lenses are you using?
Do you think you'd take them with you more often if you had a smaller camera that did the same thing?

24-105 and 70-200 f/2.8L non-IS. Absolutely would use them more often with a smaller camera that did the same thing. Not possible with current technology though, 10fps on a system that can track a fast butterfly swimmer's goggles between the underwater portions with a 3000 shot battery.

I've felt uninspired at times. But my interest in photography seems to increase each time I shoot.

I have a partner in photography, and it's a blast. I've had episodes in the past with no activity for a month or two. I just kept my camera in storage. For me, it did not make economic sense to sell and buy. You need to be out of the game for a while for that to make sense.

Except perhaps for fast-moving action, there's hardly anything the 5DIII will do that the 6D can't do just as well. And it's smaller, lighter, and cheaper. As for the action stuff, back in the day we thought five frames per second was just great.

With the current rebates, you can get the 6D for $1599. For me, that's a no-brainer and I would buy one right now if I didn't already have one. The 6D is the quiet little camera that does just about everything very well without a lot of fuss, muss, and fanfare.