Quote by Michael R: "I expect to spend the rest of 2012 working extensively with the D800/E, and it will be the benchmark from now on against which I measure other cameras that cross my desk. In fact, I believe that this camera is so exceptional, in so many ways, that it will force the rest of the camera industry to up its game – big time."
Michael's area of expertise is landscape photography where edge to edge sharpness is a primary concern, so of course he's going to lean towards the Nikon - smart choice. In studio, the 5D3 is more than sufficient. If a client demands high detail then DSLR's are scuttled in favor of Medium Format Digital over both of the reviewed cameras. The average output for my clients is 27" x 40" and the 5D files perform nicely in this range.
I agree with most here in that Nikon's sensor has forced Canon to up its game. Win-win for everyone.
jamesf99 wrote:
I hope you're not defensive about it, but Nikon just produced a better (for many/most people) camera, at a better price point, and the market is responding. it's really that simple.
Agreed. There is absolutely no point in being sensitive about which camera is better.
I am invested into Canon, and I will continue to shoot Canon for now, but that does not stop me from realizing that Nikon really did "win" this round. The new exmor sensor is simply amazing!
But this just means that Canon will have to try harder for their next sensor, which I am sure they will.
jamesf99 wrote:
You can't get exact numbers, but Amazon updates their list of sales every hour for all cameras. The highest the 5d3 has been (up through yesterday) was 18 or 19. The D800 has been 4 or 5, well ahead of nearly all the starter cameras. Easy to check.
I hope you're not defensive about it, but Nikon just produced a better (for many/most people) camera, at a better price point, and the market is responding. it's really that simple.
On amazon.co.uk, searches for canon 5D mark 3, canon 5D mark iii, canon 5d mark iii body only return nothing. If they don't have it in their catalog, not sure how they can rank it in sales
Michael's area of expertise is landscape photography where edge to edge sharpness is a primary concern, so of course he's going to lean towards the Nikon.
I agree with most here in that Nikon's sensor has forced Canon to up its game. Win-win for everyone.
A couple of comments. Doesn't every photographer want "edge to edge" sharpness?
Also, Canon upping it's game sounds nice......but.......it might take 3 or 4 years for that to happen. Much too long.
I just skimmed through the review quickly...a couple of things that struck me as a bit odd in the 'conclusions'...
First, they seem to be criticizing the high ISO IQ of the camera. I think most who have used one would agree it's sort of a strong point of the 5D3. It's ironic to me that in their review of the 5D2 they seemed very happy with its high ISO IQ...and with the successor model where Canon seems to have upped the performance a bit further they're not happy...?
Second, they were quite critical of the 5D3 JPEGs siting as one of the negatives in their conclusions that "Destructive noise reduction results in mushy JPEGs, even at base ISO". Interestingly...when they reviewed the 1D4 they praised the JPEGs saying "Excellent JPEGs that make the most of the camera's resolution"
...but when I compare the 5D2/5D3/1D4/1D3 JPEGs with their studio scene comparison tool the 5D3 seems to compare very favorably to the others...including the 1D4...?
jamesf99 wrote:
You can't get exact numbers, but Amazon updates their list of sales every hour for all cameras. The highest the 5d3 has been (up through yesterday) was 18 or 19. The D800 has been 4 or 5, well ahead of nearly all the starter cameras. Easy to check.
I hope you're not defensive about it, but Nikon just produced a better (for many/most people) camera, at a better price point, and the market is responding. it's really that simple.
No, just being scientific. I've been tracking the DSLR category in USA amazon.com, and the relative position of the D800, 5D3 body only, and 5D3 with kit lens has been relatively fixed. I see no basis for the claim that the Nikon has been wildly outselling the 5D3, which is a very different claim from "Nikon just produced a better (for many/most people) camera, at a better price point".
In any case, despite the future possible upgrade path to the superior Nikon fullframe D800, etc., the current bestsellers in the DSLR category are the Canon Rebel T3 and T3i, and then they reappear on lower the list as separate items with the body+lens deals.
What does edge-to-edge sharpness have to do with a high resolution sensor?
This horse has been beaten to death over and over. It is more than just getting old or stale. I would strongly suggest for folks that feel that Canon current offering is too short, for whatever reasons, then please just switch to Nikon. I would if I felt that way, plain and simple. Just bite the bullet and put the money where your mouth is. I commend folks that decided to do that. There is nothing wrong with that and the financial setback and inconvenience, if any, is temporary. You will keep your sanity level that way and it is worth more than money alone.
jj_glos wrote:
Got actual figures on that? The 5D3 isn't even in the Amazon charts here in the UK...
I also wonder how many people got tired of waiting for Amazon to deliver, cancelled their orders, and bought from other suppliers. I know I did. And given Canon's bias away from large etailers (they probably get a higher price from a smaller dealer) I suspect a lot of other people did also.
I have a 5D3. I've never used a D800. I'm sure it is a great camera. I am sure sick of the flame wars though. I did not design or manufacture the 5D Mark III so I cannot take any criticism of it personally. I suppose I chose to buy the 5D, so my choice could be criticized, but that was mostly due to it fitting my needs and my investment in glass. I am happy that Nikon users have such a great camera. I expect to see better photos coming from their side from now on.
facedodge wrote:
I have a 5D3. I've never used a D800. I'm sure it is a great camera. I am sure sick of the flame wars though. I did not design or manufacture the 5D Mark III so I cannot take any criticism of it personally. I suppose I chose to buy the 5D, so my choice could be criticized, but that was mostly due to it fitting my needs and my investment in glass. I am happy that Nikon users have such a great camera. I expect to see better photos coming from their side from now on.
I'm in the same boat. Both of these cameras are so good that if one can't get the job done, then buying the other one won't help. I'm extremely happy with my 5DIII bodies, personally.
Most of the flaming and criticism comes from people who would never consider switching brands, they just want to score "points" by claiming victory over the other brand. It's very similar to politics.
deepbluejh wrote:
Most of the flaming and criticism comes from people who would never consider switching brands, they just want to score "points" by claiming victory over the other brand. It's very similar to politics.
Scoring point by claiming victory over the other brand? Jaime, you lost me here.
"I would strongly suggest for folks that feel that Canon current offering is too short, for whatever reasons, then please just switch to Nikon. I would if I felt that way, plain and simple. Just bite the bullet and put the money where your mouth is. I commend folks that decided to do that. There is nothing wrong with that and the financial setback and inconvenience, if any, is temporary"
Depends if you are a pro and get tax breaks, or are a wealthy amateur. Personally I've spent the last 4 years or so building up my Canon lens collection and would take a serious four figure hit (£) if I changed. Carrying on using my 5D2 won't exactly be a hardship, but I would hope that Canon's sensor division has caught up with Sony/Nikons by the time the 5D4 arrives. I will stay with Canon that long in that hope. Part of me does think it unlikely that Canon won't bring out a high megapixel body in the meantime, but it is less clear to me that it will have a comparable price point and sensor performance to the D800. For the 5D3 the issue was sorting the AF, for the 5D4 it had better be resolution and DR, because Nikon are already there.
correct!