Canon 70d vs 5d mk iii

fatmarley

fatmarley

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Matt
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In about two weeks i'll have enough saved for a Canon 70d. My current camera is a 450d with a 17-55mm f2.8 lens.

Should I buy the 70d or wait about 4/5 months for a 5d mk iii? The 70d interests me because of the AF with video and from what i've read it should be a much better camera than my old 450d.

The 5d interests me because i'd imagine I can wack up the ISO and get nice, natural, low light shots, rather than have to rely on the flash and lose all the atmosphere. I'd also imagine video quality in low light would be better but I don't know what the AF is like when video recording. Has anyone here done a comparison or have an opinion on the 5ds video recording AF?

I quite like the thought of sticking the cheap 40mm STM pancake on the 5d and taking it out and about. I don't often take my 450d out because the Canon 17-55mm is a bit too big, so I usually just take my G15 instead.

My heart says be patient or I will regret my choice. Should I wait or should I adopt the attitude that I could get run over by a bus tomorrow?
 
Your Canon 17-55 wont fit on a 5D3 for starters so you'll have to factor lenses in with your choice. I have both bodies and TBH the 5D3 is, without a doubt, a better body than the 70D but the 70D is a fantastic camera in its own right. The low light ability of the 70D is very good and the touchscreen ability for macro is great. About 90% of my macro shots were done on my 5D3 but after getting the 70D it's taken over and I'd say over 80% of my macro shots are now on my 70D.

As I have both bodies you want, if you live anywhere close to Branston, near Lincoln, you'd be more than welcome to come and have a play to help you make your mind up. Just don't get run over by that bus on the way lol.
 
Once I have enough money for the 5d, I was going to sell the 450d and 17-55 to pay for one or two full-frame lenses - Probably a 40mm pancake and 85mm 1.8 or I could get the 5d + 24-105mm bundle.
I don't do macro really. The camera is mainly for family stuff - portraits of the kids, filming and photos of birthdays, Christmas and day trips etc.

I'm in Cheltenham. Shame you're not a bit closer because I would have taken you up on your offer :)
 
Sounds to me like you would be better with the 70D then mate, coming from someone who also owns a 5D3 and a 70D.
 
Option 3. Carry on saving up as you would have done for the 5DIII and then consider the 7DII when it's announced- probably in February.
 
DemiLion said:
Option 3. Carry on saving up as you would have done for the 5DIII and then consider the 7DII when it's announced- probably in February.
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Option 4. Cary on saving and get 5DIV when it is released. OK, you may as well get 70D now and carry on saving for 5DIV :LOL:(y)
 
I've not used the 5DIII but I've got a 70D and 5DII, to be honest I'm having a hard time justifying the 5DII.

Naturally it all depends on your needs but if you're unsure I have a feeling you'll see more benefit from having some extra lenses.
 
For what you are shooting the 70D will be more than good enough. While the 5D3 can do everything the 70D can do (apart from give you the crop factor) but it is twice the price and your 17-55 will fit straight on and give you some fantastic photos as well. The 70D is, for me at least, the best crop body I've had or used, and that includes having a 1D3 as a 1.3 crop. I'm finding I'm using the 70D for macro, wildlife and some aviation shots as well as the 1.6 crop is excellent for getting the reach I need.
 
Don't rule out the 5dmkii, if you don't need the autofocus system of the mkiii and your not taking pictures of sports then it's a really good camera. Image quality is awesome
 
Another option to maybe think about if you do fancy full frame is the 6D - and Canon have £150 cash back on it at the moment, and if you're quick, Jessops are also offering a £150 discount (as well as Canon's £150 cashback)...
 
My car failed the MOT today, so it looks like the 70d will have to wait :( - New pads front and back and possible discs.

I don't fancy the 6d, but I like the idea of getting the 70d now and saving for the 5dIV or a newer car :)
 
fatmarley said:
Yea I noticed the price had dropped. I wonder how much it will be in January?
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Keep your eyes open around Christmas in case anyone has any offers on - Jessops had an extra £150 off the 6D last week. The 70D isn't in the current Canon Cashback - maybe in the Winter Cashback if they run one ?

Hope the car doesn't cost too much...
 
Just out of interest, why don't you want to consider the 6D instead of the 5Diii? For the purpose of taking low light shots without flash, it has the same fantastic high ISO performance. I had a look at both this weekend as my sister is looking to buy a new body/system for gig photography and is considering the 5Diii and 6D. From what I can tell the only real differences are the AF systems, button placement, price (+wifi and GPS on 6D).
 
andyred said:
Keep your eyes open around Christmas in case anyone has any offers on - Jessops had an extra £150 off the 6D last week. The 70D isn't in the current Canon Cashback - maybe in the Winter Cashback if they run one ?

Hope the car doesn't cost too much...
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The headlights need replacing and the garage want £650 all in (that's with secondhand lights). I'm so lucky I have a mate whos good with cars. I bought the parts off ebay for £170 (brand new headlights and mintex discs/pads) and i'll only have to bung him £50 or so for the work. He wont charge me but i'll pay him anyway.

Although i've got a much smaller bill, it's still a big chunk out of my new camera budget. I'm contemplating selling my nice Panasonic camcorder and 450d to pay for the 70d. Anyone want a Panasonic HDC-SD600 camcorder in mint condition?
 
DavidC1980 said:
Just out of interest, why don't you want to consider the 6D instead of the 5Diii? For the purpose of taking low light shots without flash, it has the same fantastic high ISO performance. I had a look at both this weekend as my sister is looking to buy a new body/system for gig photography and is considering the 5Diii and 6D. From what I can tell the only real differences are the AF systems, button placement, price (+wifi and GPS on 6D).
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This is not an easy question to answer but i'll try.

Obviously Canon had to make sacrifices with the 6d to stop potential 5d buyers from buying the much cheaper 6d. I'm worried that the metering system and AF system won't be that great on the 6d (compared to the 70d). If I was only shooting landscapes or insects, I wouldn't be bothered but because it's for family stuff, I want a camera that's produces consistent results (I don't want to miss that once-in-a-lifetime shot). I feel I have a better chance of that with a top-of-the-range crop, rather than a bottom-of-the-range full-frame.

I have a near top-of-the-range Canon compact (G15) and it hardly ever misses a beat (gives pretty consistent results). My Canon 450d is a nice camera but isn't as consistent as the G15 and I put this down to being a lower model, I'd be willing to bet the older Canon 40d would better than my 450d for consistency.
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Out of curiosity, what is it you shoot and what is about your current camera that is holding you back?
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Pictures of the kids. Birthdays, Christmas, Halloween etc.

I wasn't interested in upgrading to the 50d or 60d because it didn't seem like much of an improvement and when I asked others what they thought, they would say "buy better glass".
Obviously my 450d doesn't do video, so it would be a nice addition. The improved video AF means I could sell my video camera (still undecided about that).
I'm not sure my 450d is "holding me back" to be honest. Since learning how to use the histogram of my 450d, my photography has improved loads and i'm sure that most of my previous bad photos were caused by me and not the camera.
 
Ok so your main priority is low light and video. You can get both of these with the 70D. You will also have money left over to spend on lenses. I see from your profile that the only lens you have is a 17-55 F2.8 (which won't work on a 5Diii) so if you go FF you will need "better glass". Yes the 5Diii will give you the better results in the way of low light being full frame, however going from reviews the 6D has better low light capabilities. With regards to focus and metering, what you are shooting isn't that demanding, my 60D never misses a beat even shooting birds in flight and insects, the only failures have been down to user error. There are many Pros, some on here that shoot weddings with 6D's and 60D's. If its good enough for them :) Canon didn't make sacrifices with the 6D, they just went after a different market. For example the 5Diii doesnt have built in WiFi and GPS because most pros dont need it. Likewise how many of us need so many 61 focal points. For me it would be 70D for video, 6D for light light stills. With left over cash to expand the rest of my kit. Or even go mad and get both for the same price as the 5D111 :D
 
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