Buying advice needed 6d vs 5d MKIII

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dlphotography

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Im in need of some advice guys I have been using my 50d for about 3 years now and shoot alot of landscape and portrait photography. Im looking to move into the full frame market and seem to be banging my head against a wall on which to buy, I had a taste of full frame this week using a 6d for a few hours on a Canon training day and thought the images were very good however the camera feels cheap in comparison to the 7d ( i have not had the chance to play with the 5d mk III yet sadly)

Things i love about the 6d
WIFI
Price
Picture quality
HIgh ISO shooting

Things i dont like
The feel of the camera
Less focus points
Sync Speed of the flash being 160/180 (a little confussed into which it is)

So my question is do i buy a 6d or a 5d mK III ? I want a camera that will last me a few years and enable to me to grow my photography further aswell as give me the ability to shoot a few weddings at the end of summer.

Thoughts welcome

Dan
 
I've just upgraded to the 6D from a 40D and don't find the quality inferior at all.

The image quality is superb as is high ISO performance.

You say you are shooting landscapes so the lower focus point count or flash sync speed should not bother you at all.
The focus system my not be as advanced as a 7D or 5DMk III, but works perfectly well if you are not trying to track fast moving objects.
 
I also do alot of portrait / strobist work as stated above so the flash sync is bothering me just how much im not sure grrr lol
 
I was in the same situation as you and in the end I decided to go with the 5D Mark III. The 6D is a cracking camera and great value, but I just wasn't sure if I'd live to regret the choice and wish I'd bought the Mark III.

Some of my reasons for buying the Mark III

  • Improved Weatherproofing
  • Faster shutter speeds
  • Focus points
  • Dual card support
  • Slightly faster FPS
 
Whats your budget?

I have a 6D and love it. Much prefer the feel of it and the usage compared to the 5DMkII. I think everyone will have different opinions here, some prefer the solidity/weatherproofing etc and some will want lighter (me!)

However if money is no object and you can afford the 5D MkIII then i imagine its a better camera. I havent used it but it gets nothing but good reviews from people.

Take the anti 6D reviews you find with a pinch of salt. When i was researching whether to keep the MkII or go to the 6D a lot of the info i came across was nonsense/snobbery i.e. "It isnt Pro enough".

Depends if the extra £ justifies what you need it for ? Both are excellent cameras and it sounds like youve at least had the chance to play/hold a 6D, can you do the same with the MkIII anywhere ?
 
Great input guys iv had the 6d for half a day but sadly no mkiii due to canon forgetting it :(

I totally forgot about weather sealed and with the landscape that is a def bonus.

My budget is 1-3k however I have 1.5k available now but would have to save for mkiii.

So confussed but think the mkiii is winning.

All I need now is a rumour of the mkiv lol
 
I would love the mark 3 but could never justify buying it as I don't work commercially. I think you also need to consider what kind of output you want? Both FX bodies will allow you amazing end results.v No doubt the mark 3 is probably one of the best cameras out there at the moment but is it really worth the money for what you want? If photography is just a hobby, by hobby I don't just mean the occasional holiday snaps then there isn't really any real reason for needing the mark 3 IMHO. Also, with the extra few hundred pounds you would save on the 6D, you could probably get a couple of decent good quality lenses etc, Good lenses are also very important, unless you already have a full range of lenses that you will ever need, I would say go with the 6D and invest your money on some lenses.

You could also consider a good condition mark 2, I know the model is somewhat very old, but I still think it's arguably better than the 6D, they go for around £1k.

My theory with getting my gears is to go for the most expensive I could afford at the time when I need to get it. I only recently bought a Nikon D600, I could have waited and saved up for few more months to get the D800 but I needed and wanted a new camera then and they D600 (I also considered the 6D of course) was what I could afford, now I am happily shooting with it and already thinking about getting some new lenses. If I had set my eye on the D800 (which would probably be in the same class as the mark 3), I would still be waiting and would not be able to invest in more lenses until probably next year.

I think the bottom line is, you would aprobably regret not choosing the other one for whatever reason. The honest truth is, I kind of regret not going for the 6D but I know I would feel the same about the D600 had I gone for the 6D.

With digital cameras, there is only 1 way - down. The prices will drop, more advanced technologies will take over, more mega pixels will come etc. By this time next year, both the mark 3 and 6D with drop in price and there will probably be rumours of their successors coming soon, then we would just be playing the waiting game forever.

Save the money to invest in lenses.
 
I have also just upgraded from 40d to a 6d , couldn't make my mind up between 6d and 5d mmiii, glad i went with the 6D, its a fantastic camera. Probably not quite as sturdy as the 5D MKIII but its still very well made.
I have a friend who is a pro wedding photographer who has purchased 2 6d's he said the lightness is a god send when your shooting all day and they are fantistic for taking pictures in very low light.

When you start paying big bucks for a camera you are paying more for the durability than improvements in image quality and extra features, if your not going to trek around the Amazon rain forest or take pictures from the summit of Mount Everest at -10 i would just get a 6d, you can still use it for sports and wildlife photography you just have to just work a little bit harder at nailing that good shot and you also get the added advantage of GPS and Wifi, i took several pictures at a graduation and within minutes they were transferred from my 6D to my iphone, edited and posted to Facebook and Flickr without a laptop in site!
 
I use a 5D 3 for the occasional paid job and one of the main considerations is the fact that it has two card slots. It's a bit more security if your doing something important. I've used most canon pro bodies and this has the best AF by far (apart from 1DX). I'd recommend it highly.
 
I think the 5D MkIII is the best all round value for money body that Canon make. I bought it for the focussing system. But if I was buying a camera for the use that you describe then I would take the 6D. You dont need the advanced focus system (nice to have admittedly) And could put the money saved towards a lens, etc.

I was on a landscape course recently and someone there had a 6D and the images from it were excellent.

If however you see yourself branching out into other forms of photography where the faster frame rate and focusing would benefit you then get the 5D. It really is an excellent all rounder and whatever Canon bring out in a couple of years time will have to be exceptionally good to better it.
 
Having spent the previous week using a colleagues 5D3 I can testify that it is a superb piece of kit. Great build, all the features you can want and superd IQ. However, end results are virtually indistinguishable from my 6D using the same lenses, plus the 6D is well built enough and has enough features to suit my usage. I have no regrets buying the 6D. I moved from a 40D to 5DII to 7D before having to decide between the 5D3 and 6D. It may not be the best built or have an AF system to match the 5D3, but I do not intend to drop it repeatedly and I shooting single point AF is hard carded into my usage pattern. The 5D3 just spoils me with features I do not really need, or perhaps do not have the skill to make use of:).
 
Wow the 6d has a massive following! Hmm i have a few lenses ATM such as 70-200 l f4 90mm macro 2.8 50mm 1.8 and the other two wont work on full frame, so would be looking for a 17-40l most prob.

Ok now a question on the sync speed of the 6d its max at 160/180 vs 200th on the mkiii this is rather frustrating being a strobist! Can anyone confirm this for me?

Also the wifi teathering whilst using wireless flash issue?

The 6d has moved up in my opinion after ur feedback tho

Hmmm
 
Ok question on buying from digital rev if I buy there I belive the price for 6d is £1100 or close to this , however of I buy from uk retailer il pay £1595 for the body (I have £150 voucher to bring the price to £1450 )

Is it worth the risk of buying from hk? If I take insurance put on the body would this then protect me?
 
I have both... tbh there's little between them until you get in a semi dark environment and then the 6D's focussing system starts to really struggle. Centre point is rock solid but the outer one's are terrible in any environment where you're shooting at ISO 1600 or above.

I've used it now on a fair few jobs and find myself just switching lenses on the 5D MK III when I have the time instead of using the 6D with the lens I want to use already attached.

For portraits etc in good light it's a great body... want to do more like some commercial work in offices that aren't well lit or weddings in dark churches and you'll start to see the limitations of the focus system pretty quickly
 
Still the 6d covers 99% of my needs I think :-/ just waiting to see if anyone can answere the questions above
 
Just got premission from the mrs to splash out! So to fund my5D3 I got a tesco credit card, 0% on new purchases for 18 months!

I went to HDEW, just waiting for the postie now! Upgrading from a 60D but I'll be keeping it as I still love my 17-55 F2.8 and my 8 mm samyang.

To be fair the 6D would probbably have done me but I may not have the chance for a spend like this again!
 
dlphotography said:
Ok question on buying from digital rev if I buy there I belive the price for 6d is £1100 or close to this , however of I buy from uk retailer il pay £1595 for the body (I have £150 voucher to bring the price to £1450 )

Is it worth the risk of buying from hk? If I take insurance put on the body would this then protect me?
Click to expand...

When I recently bought my camera, I was in a similar predicament and my worry was warranty ... what if! In the end, purely for piece of mind, I paid the extra and bought a UK camera with UK warranty. I actually bought mine from PC World/Currys, because Canon supply a 2 years manufacturers warranty through them, they don't with Jessops etc.

I know that other (import) companies offer their own warranties and they may be very good, but as this was such a big purchase, whether via import or not, I played safe.
 
TheAndyA said:
When I recently bought my camera, I was in a similar predicament and my worry was warranty ... what if! In the end, purely for piece of mind, I paid the extra and bought a UK camera with UK warranty. I actually bought mine from PC World/Currys, because Canon supply a 2 years manufacturers warranty through them, they don't with Jessops etc.

I know that other (import) companies offer their own warranties and they may be very good, but as this was such a big purchase, whether via import or not, I played safe.
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my thoughts are will i be stung for the import or vat when it arrives?

I may just buy in uk tbh and pay the extra £400
 
D4rr3n said:
Just got premission from the mrs to splash out! So to fund my5D3 I got a tesco credit card, 0% on new purchases for 18 months!

I went to HDEW, just waiting for the postie now! Upgrading from a 60D but I'll be keeping it as I still love my 17-55 F2.8 and my 8 mm samyang.

To be fair the 6D would probbably have done me but I may not have the chance for a spend like this again!
Click to expand...

Congratulations! This was a one off opportunity for me too. :-)
 
If you don't like the feel of the 6D I wouldn't buy it.

I don't see focus points being an issue if you do portraits and landscapes.
The flash sync is 1/180 sec how much the extra fraction gives you in real life I don't know.

FWIW I have a 6D and think it's great. Love the lack of noise and image quality at high iso. I back button focus using the centre point and recompose or focus manually in live view. Shooting remotely with my phone has been remarkably handy too. The weight and size was also good for me. Obviously your needs may differ.
 
I only ever use the centre point and recompose...on any camera I've owned. Seems to much of a faff to select any other points. I don't think I've missed focus yet. :)
 
It's done a 6d from digital rev with 24-105 for £1619 eeek!

Now just need to sell my 10-20 sigma to buy a 17-40l
 
I have a 5D3 and have had it since march last year. It's by far the best camera I've ever used. It's pretty difficult to find any bad points about it TBH, it's coped with every situation I've thrown it at without any problems. The most difficult shooting with it was at the Waddington airshow a couple of weeks ago when shooting into the sun but I still managed over 2000 good shots out of the 2405 I took.

I took it to a gig last week and the lighting was very bad, only a red rope light around the stage and managed to come back with over 550 good shots from 603 taken. I was using a 24-105 f4L and thought it would struggle a bit when I saw the lighting but it coped very well and got some great shots up to ISO6400 when necessary.

I haven't used a 6D and haven't really got any intentions of getting one in the future but I'm sure they will be good enough to take great shots in most if not all situations. If budget is limited then the 6D would be the one, but if you can afford the 5D3 that's the one I'd go for.
 
I upgraded from the 60D to the 6D in the last month and really love it. The full frame has brilliant bokeh among the other full frame benefits.

To those that say it can't shot sport it can - I used it on Wednesday night to photograph model aeroplane flying and this was one of the results:


St Angelo MFC Flying 17/07 by Exif Data | Stephen Scott, on Flickr

The plane was a 56cc plane (around 2.5m span) and was moving along at a fair old lick with the smoke system going.

The other brilliant thing is the ISO performance although I'm sure the 5D3 is equally good. To be honest I'd have loved the 5D3 for the extra frame per second and the focus points for the flying as I photograph them a lot but couldn't justify the price difference so I generally use the centre point as it was getting dark at the time. It was also my first proper night with the 6D.

Thanks

Stevie
 
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dlphotography said:
Now just need to sell my 10-20 sigma to buy a 17-40l
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Snap.. If only it was full-frame...

Hopefully my camera will be here tomorrow, going to be a change from the 450D!

Let us know how you get on when yours arrives.
 
DHL currently say mine is in the van for delivery. Good luck with yours mate


Thmaga said:
Snap.. If only it was full-frame...

Hopefully my camera will be here tomorrow, going to be a change from the 450D!

Let us know how you get on when yours arrives.
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dlphotography said:
Ok question on buying from digital rev if I buy there I belive the price for 6d is £1100 or close to this , however of I buy from uk retailer il pay £1595 for the body (I have £150 voucher to bring the price to £1450 )

Is it worth the risk of buying from hk? If I take insurance put on the body would this then protect me?
Click to expand...
i bought my 5d3 from digital rev and it is insured with photoguard.

btw my work mate has a 6d and it is a cracking camera but for my needs i needed a better AF system so the 5d3 ticks that box for me.

at the time i got a 5d3 there was no 6d but if i had to choose again today i would still get the 5d3 because of the AF
 
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