New camera, replace 5D mkII or 6D

[mr tommo]

I'm thinking of getting a 5D mkIII in the next couple of months. I'm really struggling to decide on which camera I should replace.

For Weddings we currently use 5D mkII and a 6D. Really do like the Auto ISO option with the ability to set min shutter speed. Generally means I can go the whole day without worrying about ISO at a Wedding and 9/10 I can pick the camera up and capture a moment before it passes.

Unfortunately the Auto ISO isn't so clever on the 5D MKII. Also the outer focus points never seem quite perfect when shooting at 1.4/1.8 for detail shots.

In short, which camera would you sell out of the 5D MKII and a 6D?

The 5DII was the first camera we bought so it has a little sentimental value that may be clouding my judgement

 

[mr tommo]

I'm thinking that's the best way to go. Seems you can get £800-900 for a 5D2 on ebay.

Not too sure about buying a 5D3 second hand though, there isn't really anyway to get them checked out.

How do you gain access to Talk Photographys trade forums?

 

[mr tommo]

You need a certain post count (250?)

Better get posting then

How have people found the high ISO on 5D3?

Been really impressed with the 6D on my last couple of Weddings.

 

[mr tommo]

I have a 5dmk3 and just ordered a 6D as a second/backup camera

from my research the 6D is ahead on the 5d mk2 especially in low light/high ISO situations.

if i were you i would get rid of the mk2 (but im saying that as someone that hasn't tried the 6D yet)

Yep decided to get rid of the 5d2. I've been using the 6D quite a lot lately and it is really good, I guess I was just being all sentimental as the 5 was the first camera we bought and got us started up!

On the lookout for a second hand 5D III if anybody knows of one going? Will be selling my mark 2 as soon as I manage to find one.

 

[mr tommo]

im quite excited to get mine, especially want to have a play with the built in wifi...

That's an awesome feature. Download the android EOS remote app. We do a lot of estate agent photography with an 8metre high motorised tripod. It's so painless since we switched to the 6D. We use an android tablet and focus in the touch screen and change all settings.

 

[mr tommo]

do you know, can it do it the other way around..

take a photo and it sends it to a laptop ?

ie take a photo at a party and it instantly appears on the projector screen ? ?

I'm almost certain the answer is yes but I can double check that for you in the studio tomorrow.

 

[mr tommo]

I've got the 6D in front of me now.

It can run through Eos utility on your laptop/computer. Displaying image previews as you take them. This requires a wireless network for the camera to connect through though. We currently have a belkin dongle for this. This option works exactly the same as your camera would if it were connected via USB, albeit a little slower!

I thought you might have been able to use an android tablet connected to the projector as it save setting up your own wifi. The smartphone connects directly to the 6D wifi this way. However when you take a photo it only comes up as a thumbnail so wouldn't be any use for your projector idea.

 

[mr tommo]

The first option of it working through EOS utility on your laptop transmits and displays the full image. If you set up wifi with a dongle from your laptop it will display no problem.

It's only the smartphone option that won't.

 

[mr tommo]

Found a second hand 5D mk III

Shutter count 16,000.

Not sure if that's good or bad. Our 5D2 had 26,000 but it only used at Weddings.

 

[mr tommo]

dont think thats too bad ... depends on the price.

£1500 delivered?

 

[mr tommo]

Where is that from Paul?

 

[mr tommo]

Think I've found it.

Not sure what to do now.

18 month old UK model for £1500
Or new import for £1665

 

[mr tommo]

Did you use *-********?

That's who we bought the Sigma 35mm from with no problems. In a pickle now as I kind of semi committed to the second hand one and don't like messing people around

 

[mr tommo]

Gone down the second hand route. 5D Mark III purchased

Now to sell the 5D Mark II

 

[mr tommo]

Yes, should to be supplied on a CD with the camera?

 

[mr tommo]

Did you manage to get it working Paul?

5D III arrived yesterday....

Wedding tomorrow to test it out

 

[mr tommo]

That is a bloody good deal! Will be using a 5D3 and a 6D tomorrow so will be interesting to compare the two

 

[mr tommo]

just tried the wireless on the PC , works very well .. takes a little while to transfer the files if they are full RAW, but i guess that is to be expected..

It's not the fastest, but neither are the proper canon wireless transmitters either. a lot of the stuff in the studio is taken on JPEG, anything that needs to be raw is wired as it just takes too long.

Currently struggling to choose between the 6D & 5DMK3... although I'm swaying towards the 6D for my amateur use.

Seems the primary differences are AF ability & simultaneous shot speed along with a couple of other bits and pieces.

With the 6D being a shade better at high ISOs, which will be great for astrophotography... sacrificing 2MP to get it, but 20MP is enough for me.

Image quality is what really matters to me...

From someone who's used both, quite frequently it seems, is there anything glaringly obvious I'm missing between the two? Especially in terms of IQ?

I will be able to spend the extra for the 5d3, but I'd rather put the money toward some extra glass or something else pretty if I don't need it over the 6D.

Any help appreciated, thank you

I doubt you will notice much difference if you don't need the extra AF.

i not had a chance yet, will play over the weekend.... good luck tomorrow , insterested to hear your feedback comparing the two..

Thanks, went well actually treating myself to a weekend off for a change. Will be reviewing images on Tuesday. Both cameras were being used at the same time so hopefully we have some compatible shots.

 

[mr tommo]

how did you find using the mk3 compared to the 6D ?

Weirdly I've still not reviewed last weeks Wedding photos! Had a quick 5 min flick through today but just not had time at all to look through. From a quick look, honestly can't see any difference on screen.

Why would you buy a FF camera and shoot in JPG only (or any expensive body for that matter)?

I'd say 80% of our stuff is shot in JPEG. Studio portraits are shot in JPEG on a 1ds mkIII, so too is a catalogue we shoot for and we photograph at 150+ nurseries twice a year with basic 60D's. That accounts for around 180,000 images per year that need to be stored for 2 years.

Advantages of Jpeg for us are storage space, the studio stuff doesn't need lots of fancy editing on a white/grey/black background. We print in house up to around 48" x 36" from JPEG and the quality is never in question. The nursery stuff is pretty routine with the same lighting setup, white balance and exposure. The catalogue shots we take also goes straight to web at 2000px high so no need for large files/editing.

All commercial jobs and weddings are done by myself in RAW. Weddings speak for themselves and location commercial shoots don't have all the constants of studio work and often require editing effects/looks dependent on brief.

If time and storage wasn't an issue, everything would be in RAW but quite frankly the majority of our stuff doesn't require RAW.

On a personal level I use RAW exclusively for holidays and general photography.

 

[mr tommo]

how did you find using the mk3 compared to the 6D ?

Since reviewing the photos and getting the wedding blog online, I've got to say I'm very impressed with the 6d.

We go with 2 photographers, one of using a 5D3 now and the other the 6D. The main thing is the focus and number of focussing points on the 5D3 is just superb. I can pretty much take any shot I want now without recomposing, which is also a bit of a necessity when shooting at f1.4 in certain situations.

As for image quality, I genuinely cant tell which is taken with which camera. We will print up to around 30x20 inches on some wedding photos and it really isn't noticeable which camera they are taken with.

Here's a link to the last wedding : http://kandlphotography.co.uk/keele-hall/laura-dom/

Granted they are only 900px wide but there's no way of telling which was shot with which camera. As always, it's all about the lens. In the above link, it's a 60/40 split between the 5D3 and the 6D.