So where do I start? This isn’t going to be a review that you’d typically see online, as this camera has been available for about a year now. However, I thought I’d share my experiences and thoughts as I stepped from a crop-sensor Canon 40D to a full frame Canon 5D Mark III. After all, I’m sure there are others that might be looking to move forward to a much more capable camera body, but a little hesitant as to whether they will see any benefit.
My experiences and thoughts regarding the 5D Mark III
will stretch over several articles, throughout the next few weeks. There will
be no rhyme or reason for when I post an article, although I have several
either ready, or nearly completed. So rest assured they’ll be a lot of
information I’ll be posting as time goes on, although I’ll be covering the
basics in the first few articles.
Hopefully I can point out some features that I have found
useful, and give others an insight or tip that maybe they haven’t discovered or
thought of using yet. As I’m still learning the capabilities, I know I will
never touch on all it has to offer, but I’ll try to cover what I do know as
completely as I can. If there’s something specific someone would like to see,
let me know in the comments and I’ll try to tackle it. I’ll also throw the fact
out, that in no way am I associated with Canon. So my opinions and thoughts are
mine, and mine alone. If I like something, you’ll hear about it. If I see
something I feel is a shortcoming (and I have seen a few of those), I’ll point
those out too.
I should also mention that my Canon 40D still produces
excellent images, and even this past spring I used it on four separate trips to
Washington D.C. So it’s not like this was a forced upgrade. Even after 5+ years
of use, I’ve never had any reason to complain with its capabilities. I did find
it necessary to have the shutter replaced in the fall of 2012, but it came back
better than new thanks to Canon’s servicing department. I will admit that I
still don’t think the shutter on my 40D should have failed around the 30,000
actuation mark, when it is rated for 100,000. However, I understand that
shutter life is not a guarantee or absolute, but rather a MTBF (Mean Time
Between Failure). Still my gripe there is another discussion entirely.
Despite my 40D still serving me well, a lot has changed
in 5 years and I was being tempted by the features offered by the newer
cameras. Since I tend to shoot a fair amount of landscape photography, I was also
being tempted by the prospect of going full frame. With the 1Dx out of the
question due to price, and the fact I wanted to buy a current model camera as a
major criteria, I was left with two alternatives. I would need to choose either
the 5D Mark III or the 6D.
The Decision
I chose to go with a 5D Mark III as opposed to the 6D for
a few reasons. The primary reason was that this camera was also going to be
expected to also shoot action, as opposed to just landscapes. That’s not to say
that the 6D cannot shoot action, it just means that the 5D Mark III is just
better equipped to do so. I also think that the 6D feels more like the Rebel
series in my hand. The 5D Mark III just feels more solid, and easier to hold,
which was important to me when the body is equipped with a heavier lens.
I should also mention that while the 5D Mark II was
considered a revolutionary camera, even to Nikon owners, the 5D Mark III would
be more aptly described as evolutionary. The 5D Mark III wouldn’t appear to be
a drastic change from the previous version. Not until you got past the first
glance. The benefits of the Mark III are more subtle improvements over the Mark
II. Most notable of these is the enhanced ISO range and greatly improved AF
system.
My 5D Mark III arrived on April 16th. So as
I’m starting to write this, I’ve spent a little over a month with it. The
timeframe seems short, but considering I’ve already surpassed 3,500 shutter
actuations, I’ve already spend quite a bit of time behind the viewfinder. Many
of those shots were photographing while getting used to the camera, but that
still counts. I’m not just holding the button, without aiming, for no good
reason. Most of my shots have been taken in an attempt to walk away with a good
solid keeper.
When I ordered my 5D Mark III, I ordered the version with
the included 24-105mm f/4L IS. However, I began my journey by looking at the
body only version. I quickly reconsidered. Why? My next lens purchase roadmap
had me purchasing a mid-range zoom that would replace my 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
USM in my main camera bag with an L-series lens. My original thoughts were to
look towards the 24-70mm f/2.8 II USM, but the price of that lens would keep it
out of my reach for a while after purchasing the 5D Mark III.
While the extra stop of light offered by the f/2.8 would
be nice, the large ISO range of the 5D Mark III would more than compensate for
that. The f/2.8 would provide a more narrow depth of field wide open, but the
f/4 is no slouch in that department either, especially given the fact that the
longer focal range of 105mm would enhance the depth of field as well. The
bigger zoom range would also prove useful indoors during school events, giving
me some overlap with my 70-200mm f/4L. Not only that, but the 24-105mm f/4
offered an image stabilizer, better matching the existing image stabilized lens
it was replacing.
I’m sure I’ll stir the pot with this one, but I’ve long
maintained that the f/4L lenses are the best ways to get into good Canon glass
at a reasonable price. The images are just as good, you just lose that extra
stop of light wide open. For most people, f/4 is all you’d ever need on most
lenses. So I’d encourage anyone looking at a lens purchase to think about
whether they need a really fast lens, or if the money could be better spent
elsewhere.
So in the end, between the similar focal length of my
existing 28-135mm and the 24-105mm, and the fact that both lenses used image stabilizers,
helped me move in the direction of choosing the 24-105mm f/4 over the 24-70mm
f/2.8. In buying both the lens and the camera together, I saved roughly $500
dollars as opposed to buying them separately. Generally I advise against buying
a body and lens combo, but this was certainly one of those few exceptions.
Battery Grip
One other item that I also ordered with the new body was
a battery grip, the Canon BG-E11. I’ve used a battery grip for years on both my
Canon 40D, and my Rebel XT that predated it. I simply cannot fathom shooting
without one. The camera feels much more balanced with it, especially with heavier
lenses, and it’s much easier to use in portrait mode. There’s also the
additional battery slot offering more shooting time without the need to swap
batteries. So be sure to pick up an additional battery along with the grip, and
I also ordered a second charger as well. It allows me to charge both batteries
at the same time, without having to remember to swap them around at some point.
I am so used to using a grip that I find it hard to
function without it. A perfect example was during my trip to Disney in December
of 2011, even though I tried to make myself use the camera without one, I got halfway to the tram stop from the car
before I couldn’t take it anymore and ran back to the car. I would rather carry
the extra weight and keep the grip installed.
There are aftermarket grips, and I’ve used many of them
on other cameras in the past. Build quality on the aftermarket grips vary
substantially, so I would strongly encourage you to research any aftermarket
grip heavily before purchasing if you go that route. There are poorly
manufactured battery grips out there, and I’ve discovered a few of them myself.
I simply chose to go with the Canon grip this time around to avoid the crap
shoot associated with the aftermarket grips.
Conclusion
So with the camera ordered, delivered, and unboxed… and
the lens and battery grip installed, it was time to sit down and start to closely
examine the Canon 5D Mark III. That’s exactly where we’ll pick up in the next
segment…
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