Manual Focus - 5D2 or 5D3?

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SteviePix

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I'm thinking of getting a 5D2 or 5D3 and can't quite decide which would be best for me.

I would use it mostly for landscapes/buildings, macro and some studio type stuff.

My thoughts are to go for the 5D3, however, I have some old CZJ glass that I would like to make more use of, and also I intend to get a Ziess Distagon at some point.

So with that in mind, would it be better to get a 5D2, with the option of fitting a different focus screen to aid manual focus, or is that advantage outweighed by the 5D3's general all round improved performance?

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Steve.
 
Depends how much you think having a split focus screen will aid you, and get the shot.

I'd rather have a sharp in focus shot from a 5dII than an out of focus (but technically superior) shot from a 5dIII.

Obviously if you can focus well enough on the 5dIII, then that isn't an issue.
 
I've got a few Zeiss MF lenses and it's definitely not easy to get accurate focus with the focus screen in the 1Dx (which I assume is the same as the 5DIII). The EE-S (EC-S for the 1srs) is by far the best option for landscape MF and I think this should play a big part in your decision.

Bob
 
If you're going to be mainly using MF then I can't see how the £1000 price difference can be worth it IMHO. There is a slight improvement in noise once above 800iso. IQ wise you'd be splitting hairs. I'd say get a 2 and use the £1000 to buy a Zeiss 21mm.
 
is there any reason that people are recommending the 5d3? I thought the only real benefits were low light, AF, sealing- (all things the OP doesn't seem to require) but in terms of low iso IQ- comparable?
 
I's be very wary of using a 5D III with older manual lenses. The 5D and 5D II are brilliant because you can change the focus screen and change the setting on the camera to match. If you use other models without the changeable screen, the exposure system on the camera won't work that well. That said, I haven't tried this with a 5D III (but this applies to 10D-60D, 5D without the manual focus focusing screen).

I'm skipping the 5D III and will either buy a 5D II (£1130 from Panamoz) or a 6D which uses the same screens as the 5D II.

Happy to be proved wrong about the 5D III! Note: Modern manual focus lenses should work fine on the 5D III as they use a chip with the lens info built in.
 
With manual focus, surely either would be OK? Both have live view. By far the best way of focusing if you have the time would be to zoom in on the live view. You mention landscape, architecture and macro being your main work, so live view would definitely be the way for me.
 
In believe Brightscreen.com makes a replacement screen for the 5D3, I don't know how this affects metering though. Just checking their website they seem to have some problems - the boss just died.
 
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