Canon 5D Mark II vs. Canon 5D Mark III

RosalieAndrea

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I'm an owner of a Canon 60D for about 3 years now and am looking to upgrade to a 5D.
Just wondering for those that have knowledge on these bodies if there's that much of a difference
in the models. I am on a budget and was planning to buy the Mark II, but am willing to save up a bit
more for the III if it's more worth it.
 
What will you use it for? Personally if it is just portraits, the 5DII is super good deal used right now. I would only suggest 5D3 if you use it for weddings. You dont need that good of AF system to shoot portraits :).
 
I'm a well rounded photographer. I get asked to do baptisms, weddings, portraits and such. Is the AF that much of a difference?
 
Here is how I see it.

If you can afford the 5DIII then get it, its well worth the wait for, if you need a bit more time to collect more money then wait and get it.
I personally would go with the 6D over the 5DII, while in some ways is not as good as the 5DIII (more limited AF system and some other goodies) it has stellar low light performance and really is a fantastic full frame camera and much more modern then the 5DII
 
I moved from a 60D to 5D3 back in November. The two big reasons was to-die-for focusing and low light (high ISO) capabilities. Although I was tight on finances, the 5D3 is well worth the expense and exceeded my expectations in every way. Add in the (near) silent mode shooting and the ability to MFA my lenses, and I know the 5D3 is my last camera.

I do have one minor complaint, however. The size and weight 'jump' from a gripped 60D to gripped 5D3 was a bit more surprise than I expected. Having spent about 30 years with ungripped, metal bodied 35mm cameras, the 5D3 still seems 'bigger than it should be', at least compared to full-frame 35mm cameras.
 
I own both cameras. The III gets a nice ISO performance boost (which is what I originally wanted), but it also has a phenomenal focusing system (it basically has the same focusing system as the flagship 1D-X). The III also has a much faster shooting speed as well as a whisper quiet shooting mode (which is nice if you're trying to not be disruptive during a quiet point in a ceremony -- basically it reduces the speed of the reflex mirror so that it doesn't making a slapping sound as it goes up and down.) It has nicer body controls and it has slots for both CF and SD cards (you can use both at the same time if you want.)

The II is still a solid performer and I still use mine. If I'm going to shoot action or if I know I'm going to need the ISO performance then I'll make sure I grab the III. BTW, the II isn't bad on ISO performance and it's much better than most cameras... it's just not as good as the III.

Another option for you is the new 6D. It actually has slightly better ISO performance than the 5D III. The 5D III beats the 6D in almost every other category. But the 6D usually sells for around $1900. The 6D is a bit lighter. Whereas the 5D III has a full magnesium alloy body, the 6D uses both magnesium alloy and polycarbonate -- not as durable but it does shed some weight. The 6D has an 11 point AF system but only the center point is cross-type. One interesting thing about the 6D focusing system is that it is particularly good in low light. It can lock focus at -3 EV... which is pretty impressive.
 

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