Upgrade to a 5dmkiii or 6dmkii from a 5dmkii

All, I could use a little help here. I am looking to upgrade my full frame camera. Currently I use a 5dii. Mostly for landscape, some portrait work. I pair it with a 7dii currently which is my go to wildlife/sports set up. Is upgrading to the 5diii worth it. I have read good things about the 6dmkii as well. I have also thought of going mirror less, however, having two crop bodies doesn't seem like a smart option. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Cole

It's such a personal decision and depends your shooting style and needs. On paper the 5DIII is clearly a better camera and the 6DII has some advantages but lacks others. In real life, it may or may not show any improvement. For instance, I had the 5DII for years and it worked well for how I used it. When the MkIII came out I wanted to upgrade because my 5DII was getting old and I was just looking for an upgrade. So I borrowed a friends 5DIII and got to play with it for some time. Though it was a better camera in almost every way, the end results for me were identical. There was nothing that the MkIII offered to make my final images better. If you can, see if you can play with one and judge for your self. THe feature improvement might be something that will give you a better result.

I (still!) love using my 5D Mk III. The AF system is great. The sensor was another step up, compared to the Mk II. I was shooting weddings for a while and the 2 card slots are essential for such events.

From your description, it doesn't sound like you have a compelling need for 2 card slots. For landscapes, you're not looking for a killer AF system. For portraits, that's possibly a different story.

You like the full-frame format, and I do too. It's not about the prestige of saying "I have full frame". I just like the way my lenses look and behave in that format.

The 5D Mk III is still fetching over US$2.5K if you can find them. Refurbs are available for less. The 6D Mk II costs just over a grand and the AF system was a huge improvement over the Mk I (which I have). For what you seem to need, I'd be really thinking hard about leaning in favor of the 6D2.

However... Having shot mirrorless and recognizing its future, I'd really be thinking about the R or RP, or maybe even the 5R (when available). With the adapter for EF to RF, you keep all of your current EF lenses for as long as you like. The sensor in (any of) the R bodies will give you even more of an improvement. The "Eye AF" in the RP (or R, or 5R) will be an improvement in what you have now, and better than the 5D Mk III or the 6D Mk II. For portraits, that could be especially helpful.

The RP can be found for even less than the 6D2. The R is a little bit more expensive, but both are close (just a bit more or less) than the 6D2. You'd need to add in an adapter for the EF lenses. But you'd be in better shape for "future proofing" your setup...

Everyone's needs and options are different. Only you can decide that. But I'd suggest at least looking at the R and RP options.

I switched from a 5D2 to a 1Dx and I couldn't be happier. The used prices have dropped considerably on them so at least take a look that way.

I upgraded from 5D II to EOS R, and couldn't be happier.

I tried the 5D III, and found I could not use it for MF - similar problem I have with Nikon bodies. I happen to have weird eyes, genetic defect, which causes this. It was ok again with the 5D IV, but by the time I was ready to upgrade, there also was the 5Ds and 5DsR, and it was clear that Canon was busy working on releasing a mirrorless FF camera body, so I ended up waiting for that before making the choice.

Considering size / weight and general UI, I am really happy I went with the EOS R in the end. Great camera, AF is always spot on, AF is a little faster than with the 5D II using the same lenses (via Canon adapter), and the new lenses are better than the EF ones.

My recommendation therefore would be to go with EOS RP (probably with the adapter to heighten the body a bit), or with the EOS R, or wait for what Canon has in store for us with the R6 and/or R5, which is likely only a few months away now, although at higher prices. If you don't mind mirrorless, I really do think you will enjoy the jump from 5D II to Canon FF mirorless.

A used EOS R can probably be had for a new 6D Mk II by now, so I think that could be an option.

Personally, I am really glad I went that route, no looking back. Do note however that I have been shooting mirrorless for quite a few (9) years already, in addition, and use an Oly E-M1 II and a Pen-F as my crop bodies.

HTH, kind regards, Wim

I "upgraded" from a 5D2 to a 6D2 and was very disappointed with this camera because all the auto focus points were clustered in the center (Canon transferred the AF of a crop sensor to the 6D2 without modifying it for full-frame)...

The 5D2 was the reason I gave up on Canon and transferred my loyalty to Sony...