7D+5D3 or 5D2+6D?

Greetings.
Would love to hear your opinion on what you would do in my situation. I'm in wedding photography (weekend warrior, I have a day job to feed my family) and my main camera is a 5D2 and have a 7D as a backup. It's a great camera no doubt, but is showing its age in more challenging situations light-wise (high ISO). I'm mainly a center-point focus and recompose type of shooter. While contemplating an upgrade to the body during the current B&H sales, I'm considering the two options :

1. Buy a 6D body and sell the 7D - end up with a 6D and a 5D2
2. Buy a 5D3 body, and sell the 5D2 - end up with a 5D3 and 7D

What would you do? Or would you have other suggestions?

My lens line up, in case anyone is interested in gauging your answer: 24-70/2.8 Mk1, 70-200/2.8IS Mk1, 35/1.4, 85/1.8 and a Tamron 60/2.0

Any feedback is welcomed! Thanks in advance!
Sorry again for another upgrade thread.

sell both and get either 6D + 6D or 5D3 + 6D.

Well, it sounds like you have issues/limitations with your 7D. So, it seems logical to replace that camera. If you sell the 5D2 and replace it with a 5D3, your backup is still limited in its high ISO. If you don't need the AF system of the 7D or 5D3, a 6D will work well for you. But, you will need to buy SD cards. If both your cameras are FF, your lenses will give the same perspective on both cameras. That can be good or bad depending on your needs/preference.

Personally, the AF is the most important part for me since I use center point maybe 5% of the time when I shoot. So, I would pick 5D3/7D.

Either 2 6ds or sell the 7d and replace it with a 70d. Not a great noise jump, but far easier to clean up the 70d.

The one with the quietest shutter but do you really need a back up?

If you going to be focus/recomposing then 6d otherwise I would upgrade to 5dmk3. Both FF would be nicer. Having both 6d and 5dmk3, I would recommend 5dmk3 but its twice the money compared to 6d.

I just went through a very similar situation. I'm a wedding/portrait shooter working with a 5d2/5dc combo. The 5dc is on its last legs and of course is limited in ISO performance anyway. I knew when this wedding season came to an end I had to do something.

Ive used both 6d and 5d3 pretty extensively. Obviously the 5d3 is the better camera in terms of AF and dual slots etc. But image quality is the same and the 6d ISO seemed to me at least to be slightly better.

In the end I decided to go with the 6d. I'm a focus and recompose shooter for the most part anyway so the AF factor was basically a non-issue for me. From what you've said, I don't think the 6d will disappoint you either. I'm now trying to swap my 5d2 for a 2nd 6d just because I dont want to deal with two sets of memory card types but I'll have no issue using the 6d/5d2 combo if I can't find a trade.

Personally, If I had that perdicament, would go the 7D+5DIII route. Same battery type, same memory card type, same basic control layout, it would seem that the two would work seamlessly with each other.

5d3 + 70D

Two full framers is redundant, to me, but having a crop and a FF body gives two sets of lenses for the price of one (a 50mm becomes an 80mm, etc.), and the 70D has attributes of both the 5D3 (sensor tech and high ISO perf.) and the 6D (wireless tech), is only slightly slower on burst than the 7D, has 19 all-cross-type AF points which SMOKES the 6D, plus in-camera HDR and multiple exposures, plus 1/8000th of a second shutter speed compared with 1/4000th on the 6D, plus 1/250th of a second flash sync. Many of these are pro features; I think the 70D is miles ahead of the 6D or 7D, more like a little 5D3 on APS-C for a little over a grand.

Also, the tiltable touchscreen LCD allows for shifting of focus points during video by touching a point on the touchscreen. I've read that people compare the touchscreen accuracy and sensitivity to an iPhone's touchscreen. I decided against the 6D, 7D, 5D2, 1Ds2, and the Sony A7r, and kept coming back to the sensor (dual-pixel cmos), AF, ISO, and featureset. Basically the only thing it doesn't have is 2 card slots and a 35mm sensor. (Plus I can't wait to get the Sigma 18-35 1.8, which is an APS-C lens)

Alnitak wrote in post #16506882
5d3 + 70D

Two full framers is redundant, to me, but having a crop and a FF body gives two sets of lenses for the price of one (a 50mm becomes an 80mm, etc.), and the 70D has attributes of both the 5D3 (sensor tech and high ISO perf.) and the 6D (wireless tech), is only slightly slower on burst than the 7D, has 19 all-cross-type AF points which SMOKES the 6D, plus in-camera HDR and multiple exposures, plus 1/8000th of a second shutter speed compared with 1/4000th on the 6D, plus 1/250th of a second flash sync. Many of these are pro features; I think the 70D is miles ahead of the 6D or 7D, more like a little 5D3 on APS-C for a little over a grand.

these are minor points. Bigger points is having similar image quality throughout your album. Shooting Dual bodies without the need to rely on EF-s glass. We're talking wedding photography here, 6D kicks the 70D's butt in this regard.

only reason to pick the 70D over the 6D is STRICTLY for wildlife or situations where buying the right focal length would cost too much.

6D + 35L or 70D + 35L........
6D + 85 or 70D + 85........

if anything, the 70D will be miles behind the 6D for the intended purpose....

If video capacity means nothing, and it all has to be FF, sure. But the 6D only has FF status over the 70D. 70D smokes the 7D on features, which is also up for consideration according to the OP, and the 7D hasn't been a problem for photo-album IQ continuity.

Build quality/weatherproofin​g and a couple of frames a second, and slightly-faster AF with 2 digic-4's, these 7D features probably won't matter in a church or reception. 70D is a much, much better choice than the venerable (and old) 7D.

This is not the 10-60D, and the 70D's IQ is terrific.

I know, I know, "Consumer" camera. Personally I think Canon is repositioning the XXD line, the 70D is off the chain. Though I used to require only pro cameras, I get it.

Alnitak wrote in post #16506979
If video capacity means nothing, and it all has to be FF, sure. But the 6D only has FF status over the 70D. It smokes the 7D, which is somehow also up for consideration. Build quality/weatherproofin​g and a couple of frames a second, and slightly-faster AF with 2 digic-4's, these 7D features probably won't matter in a church or reception. 70D is a much, much better choice than the venerable (and old) 7D.

This is not the 10-60D, and the 70D's IQ is terrific.

I know, I know, "Consumer" camera. I think Canon is repositioning the XXD line, the 70D is off the chain. Though I used to require only pro cameras, I get it.

I dont see how the 70D's IQ is much better than something like the EOS-M, and even the M really pales compared to the 6D.

as for video, what does the 70D offer over the 5D3 or 6D asides from AF? MF isnt a big deal and should be encouraged for the best control of effect. If you're doing weddings, AF/MF video is a very low priority I'm guessing. For casual use/users, it's more of a big deal.

Tiltable, touchscreen command of video focus points. <--Huge for videographers. Game-changing, plus the NEW dual pixel cmos??

Here's Ken Rockwell on the 70D: "The 70D is the least expensive full-performance Canon there is. Paying more for a camera isn't going to get you anything more, unless you really want a larger camera or auto LCD backlight control or all three "C" preset settings as I do — but I shoot every day."

Each to his own.

Sell both, get two 6Ds.