Help with Decision for 5D Mark III

[Masha]

Hello, im new to DSLR, decided to get canon 5d mark iii. I need help in making a decision about lenses. As i said, I'm not professional, like to take pics of whatever it is, landscapes, people, animals, buildings, some little details...I love to travel and need some carry around lens which is not too heavy. From what i could get from internet, at the moment im inclined to buy Canon 24/105 f/4 plus Canon 50 f/1.4. Am i going to be "fully" covered for a start up? is it worth checking some other company lenses but Canon? Any other lens I should have instead of the 2 mentioned or in addition, and why? Thank you

[herbert]

Hi Masha,

I would definitely get the 24-105 f4 L. A very good walk around lens.

The 50 f1.4 is a nice lens for low light shooting. But depending on what you want to shoot you have some other options. For portraits the 85 f1.8 is a real bargain in the Canon lens lineup. For wider shooting you could consider an old 28 f1.8 or the brand new 35 f2 IS. The later is not out yet but may be worth waiting for as great low light lens for use indoors.

To cover the longer focal lengths the 70-300 f4-5.6 IS L is a great choice or alternatively the 70-200 f4 IS L. Starting with the range from 24-200/300 will let you establish what focal lengths you use the most and you can expand your lens choice from there.

The nice thing about Canon lenses is that they hold their value very well. So if you do not use one much then you should be able to get 80-90% of the price back by selling it. The same is not true for camera bodies. You should see that investment as a 5 year write off.

Alex

[Colin Southern]

If it were me I'd grab the EF24-105 F4.0L USM - skip the EF50 - and buy an 600EX-RT flash (will be more useful than trying to coax extra light from the 50/1.8).

[William W]

I just spent 8 weeks travelling with one camera (actually two, but one DSLR) – a 5D and the24 to 105/4L.
More than 7000 shots made - 97% were made with that zoom lens: the remaining 3% made with either the 15/2.8 or the 35/1.4L.

I recommend the 24 to 105, on any 5D, for travelling.

***

For “start-up”- I also would recommend a Flash, rather than another lens.

***

You state: “im new to DSLR,” . . . does that mean “I am new to photography”?

WW

[DanK]

im new to DSLR, decided to get canon 5d mark iii.

Masha,

I'm answering a question that you did not ask, but if you are just starting out in serious photography, that is a very expensive camera for a person starting out. You also mention wanting light weight, and full frame cameras like this are heavier--the bodies are heavier, and they require EF lenses, which are often heavier than EF-S alternatives. You might to better by buying a less expensive camera and having money left to buy other things as the need comes up, such as flash equipment, a good tripod, postprocessing software, and additional lenses if you find you need them. The stuff really adds up. If you value my equipment at its original purchase price, my camera body probably accounts for well under 20% of what I have spent in total.

By the way, it is customary on this site to give your real name. We call each other by name.

Dan

[Masha]

Masha,

By the way, it is customary on this site to give your real name. We call each other by name.

Thank you all for ur answers. Dan, Masha is my real name

[Masha]

William, I´ve always been doing photos but not with DSLR, which is a huuuge difference.
I am getting a flash for sure. Which one would you recommend? Canon Speedlite 600EX?

[Masha]

Dan, i appreciate your opinion. If not 5d mark iii, what would be a worth, good result alternative from your point of view?

[William W]

I am getting a flash for sure. Which one would you recommend? Canon Speedlite 600EX?

Yes - Canon 600EX-RT.

WW

[Bobobird]

Welcome Masha,

I moved to a 5D3 after 2 years with a basic 550D.

The decision for me was easy - I wanted a comprehensive focusing system, good high ISO handling, predictable servo and speed capture.

Out of interest what led you to decide on a 5D3 as your first DSLR?

[Masha]

Hey Bobo, I wasnt looking for my "fist" DSLR...I was just looking for DSLR, and if I got it right, 5D3 is one of the best of the kind. Probably I´m being too ambicious But I´ve been wanting to get into photography seriously for a while, always postponing the camera purchase, the classes etc. So I guess if I do this kind of investment at once it will oblige me to dedicate more time to it.

[Colin Southern]

Yes - Canon 600EX-RT.

WW

+1 to that. Interface is great, and if one wants to use more flashes in future, then it's an excellent foundation.

[rpcrowe]

I shoot with a 1.6x system so perhaps I should not get into this conversation...

However, I know that the 5Diii is an excellent camera and that the 24-105mm f/4L IS lens is a good focal length on a full frame camera. I loved using a 105mm lens when I shot full frame film and 24mm is more than wide enough for 98% of my shooting...

One thing that I might mention... Some photographers knock the 24-105mm f/4L IS lens because of the relatively slow f/4 aperture. However, the 5Diii has such good high ISO capability that the f/4 should not be a great problem. The 24-105mm lens would match well on the 5Dii with either the 70-200mm f/4L IS or the 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS lens.

As far as the focal length overlap is concerned, that should be a plus in a one camera system because the overlap between 70-105mm would mean less lens switching.

OTOH, I am an advocate of a two camera system and I would rather (and do) shoot with a pair of 1.6x cameras wearing 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and a 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses. That is just my way of shooting and should not be considered a blanket recommendation for all other photographers...

[Scott Stephen]

I shoot with a 1.6x system so perhaps I should not get into this conversation...

However, I know that the 5Diii is an excellent camera and that the 24-105mm f/4L IS lens is a good focal length on a full frame camera. I loved using a 105mm lens when I shot full frame film and 24mm is more than wide enough for 98% of my shooting...

One thing that I might mention... Some photographers knock the 24-105mm f/4L IS lens because of the relatively slow f/4 aperture. However, the 5Diii has such good high ISO capability that the f/4 should not be a great problem. The 24-105mm lens would match well on the 5Dii with either the 70-200mm f/4L IS or the 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS lens.

As far as the focal length overlap is concerned, that should be a plus in a one camera system because the overlap between 70-105mm would mean less lens switching.

OTOH, I am an advocate of a two camera system and I would rather (and do) shoot with a pair of 1.6x cameras wearing 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and a 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses. That is just my way of shooting and should not be considered a blanket recommendation for all other photographers...

Agreed, plus the extra 2 or 3 stops in quality high ISO/low light ability are not the only "equalizer" that the FF 5D3 has in its favor. It also makes up for the loss of a stop worth of shallowness in DOF on that f4 lens vs an F2.8 lens. The f/4 on a FF will give as shallow or a bit shallower DOF as an f/2.8 does on a crop 1.6, as I understand it.

I plan to evolve into a 2-body setup also, for the same reasons as Richard advocates. I am, however, thinking of making one of them full frame. Want to wait a while, though, to see what the soon-to-be-released next batch of crop and FF bodies will look like in reviews, and then how much they might drop after they have been out 6 months.

[William W]

Every two camera DSLR system requires a lot of thought in the lens selection: a two (working) camera kit is an entirely different instrument, to using only one camera.
A Dual Format, Two Camera Kit requires even more detailed planning of the Lens Cache.

WW

PS Technical note:

The DoF “equivalence” between 135 Format and APS-C Format is about 1⅓stops.
So as an example for the comparison mentioned:
The DoF capacity for any given shot using 24 to 105F/4 lens on a 5D ≡ 15 to 65F/2.5 lens used on a 7D.

[Glenn NK]

Dan, i appreciate your opinion. If not 5d mark iii, what would be a worth, good result alternative from your point of view?

Masha:

You might consider the newly announced Canon 6D - it's getting quite a bit of positive talk on Fred Miranda:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1150348

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1167264

I have the 5DII, and was somewhat considering the 5DIII, but the 6D looks promising instead of it.

The focusing system on the 6D isn't what the 5DIII has, but I don't do any action work, so the AF would be quite adequate for me.

On the matter of lenses, the 24-105 is a natural choice for a FF Canon body. I use it a lot.

Glenn

[Colin Southern]

Lens Cache.

That's a term I haven't heard before - I like it!

Bit like saying "human resources" instead of "workers"!

[William W]

'morning . . . I was being politically correct to the lower order 'L disadvantaged' lenses . . . they have feelings too, you know.

[DanK]

Dan, i appreciate your opinion. If not 5d mark iii, what would be a worth, good result alternative from your point of view?

It really depends on which things will be most important for you. The biggest cost decision is "full frame" vs. "crop" or APS-C. FF cameras weigh a little more, are a little heavier, and cost a lot more. They offer several advantages, in particular, lower noise at high ISO, better detail if you print very large, and shallower depth of field if you want very shallow DOF. (The difference is about one stop.) They have a major disadvantage, apart from cost: less reach. To fill the frame at a given distance with a FF camera requires a lens with a focal length 1.6 times as long, which means heavier and often much more expensive. (APS-C also has some advantages for 1:1 macro, but that is not on your list.)

Another consideration is one that Glenn mentions: how high quality an AF system you need. For landscapes, you can make do with a less capable system than you would need, for example, for sports. The 5DMkIII and 7D are the obvious choices (FF and crop, respectively) if highly capable AF is important to you. If it isn't, you could consider the 5DMkII while they are still available, the 6D, or the 60D (crop).

And, of course, you could drop down to a Rebel, which would give you similar image quality to the more expensive crop cameras, but with less desirable ergonomics and a bunch of other disadvantages.

It's all a matter of what you most prefer. My main point, however, is that doubling the cost of the body, while sacrificing things like additional glass or other equipment, is not necessarily the best path for a newcomer.

[Polar01]

Dan: you stated above that you geta better DOF with a Full feame, I really believe that is incorrect but instead is the lens that creates the DOF.

Cheers:

Allan