# Bought a 5D Mark iii Today (YAY)



## b3enthusiast (Jun 8, 2012)

Dear Board,

I've been lurking around this board for a few months reading the posts and I finally took the plunge and purchased a new 5D Mark iii today.

I purchased it at 1:10 PM here in Las Vegas at Fry's Electronics (just south of the airport) and asked them to please plug the battery in for a few minutes and let it charge a little......I bought a couple of 64g memory cards and within 20 minutes I was out the door and went back to my truck to open the box and get the camera assembled.

I didn't have time to read the manual and I cut it awful close, but I put the setting to AUTO and snapped the first pictures of my new camera......please don't be too critical, because I am so pleased that my first pictures were of this beauty:

Sincerely,
B3


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## pwp (Jun 8, 2012)

Is that the POTUS on board? Third window from the front?

Good luck with the 5D3. I gather you bought the kit with the 24-105?
With 128Gb of card space I also gather you're a heavy shooter.

PW


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## Ayelike (Jun 8, 2012)

Congratulations on your purchase. I'm picking up my 5D3 next Friday and I can't wait. Does the President visit for every new purchase of a 5D3? I'll look forward to meeting him.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 8, 2012)

Congratulations. Don't forget, the camera body is only part of the total cost. Learn to shoot raw, and use DPP or purchase a raw conversion/editing software program and you can optimize difficult images.


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## traveller (Jun 8, 2012)

Hope you enjoy it. Is this your first 'serious' camera, or are you upgrading from another DSLR? [I'm not going to criticize anyone's decisions, I'm just curious because of old arguments on the forum before the 5D MkIII was released]


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## b3enthusiast (Jun 8, 2012)

PW......

Yes.....POTUS was on board, he had just finished a speech at U.N.L.V.

And, his cabin is right below the cockpit, so ironically he could've been looking out that third window......

I did get the kit, and the only lens I had was the 24-105.....it was a stretch, and I cropped the pic of the plane in LR.
_______

Ayelike,

Thanks......President Obama seems to do a lot of traveling so it's possible you might get a few pics of him.....good luck on that.

_______

Mt Spokane Photography,

I bought the kit, and plan on buying a macro, telephoto, wide angle L series lenses (in that order).....so, I do have some things I need to acquire.....I didn't have time to learn the settings for the camera yesterday.....but will play around with it and read the manual this weekend when things are less hectic.....thanks for your input.

_______

Traveller,

This is an upgrade from a Nikon D90.......I had a full stable of accessories for it.......I will give the whole setup to my daughter as she is a lover of photography........I followed the debates, and in the Mark 3 was the camera for me......so, the argument is over as far as I'm concerned. : )

Thanks to everyone.
B3


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## RLPhoto (Jun 8, 2012)

Congratulations, you've just purchased one of the most advanced 35mm digital format camera's in the world. It can enable you to take world class photographs with its excellent 22.3 MP sensor hand developed by canon.

Now, Do you have any lenses to go along with you camera? Thats the dilemma...


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## Tammy (Jun 8, 2012)

Congrats! i'm sure you will continue to be happy and impressed with your new gear. =)


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## Dylan777 (Jun 8, 2012)

Great selection ;D

Time to get some L lenses


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 8, 2012)

b3enthusiast said:


> PW......
> 
> Yes.....POTUS was on board, he had just finished a speech at U.N.L.V.
> 
> ...


 
The kit lens is excellent, and you will love it. 

Once you get a FF, focal lengths are suddenly more limited, so you might be looking for longer focal lengths soon. 

Fortunately, there is a good assortment of older Canon telephoto lenses that perform reasonably well on the 5D MK II, so don't be afraid to pay $100 for a old 70-210mm f/4 zoom, its a old push-pull design, but will fill a gap until you can afford a top of the line lens. I gave mine to my daughter and she loves it. Another one, a 100-300mm lens can often be found for $100, and its respectable even though not spectacular. I have had several of both, that came with old film bodies bought on Craigslist.


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## awinphoto (Jun 8, 2012)

Very nice... I shot AF1 in northern nevada at the airport... Dear god almighty security was tight and I had to sneak a peak of the plane running down the runway through a door cracked open only 6 inches at best... and that's with secret service monitoring my every movement. Good shots.


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## zim (Jun 8, 2012)

where’s the green with envy smiley when you need one, enjoy! ;D


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## KyleSTL (Jun 8, 2012)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> The kit lens is excellent, and you will love it.
> 
> Once you get a FF, focal lengths are suddenly more limited, so you might be looking for longer focal lengths soon.
> 
> Fortunately, there is a good assortment of older Canon telephoto lenses that perform reasonably well on the 5D MK II, so don't be afraid to pay $100 for a old 70-210mm f/4 zoom, its a old push-pull design, but will fill a gap until you can afford a top of the line lens. I gave mine to my daughter and she loves it. *Another one, a 100-300mm lens can often be found for $100, and its respectable even though not spectacular.* I have had several of both, that came with old film bodies bought on Craigslist.


Are you talking about the 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM? Or the 100-300mm f/5.6 or 5.6L? I have the former and find the image quality at 300mm to be quite poor. The focus speed, build quality and IQ at <200mm are quite decent for the price, but I think the IQ of this lens is the worst of all the Canon xxx-300mm zooms they have made. I have considered selling it to buy the 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5, 70-210mm f/4, 100-300mm f/5.6, or any of the 75-300mm lenses.

I also just picked up the Tamron 200-400mm f/5.6 for $100, and while the image quality is much better than the 100-300mm USM, the focus speed is nearly unusable, so I might just list it on eBay and make a little profit from the flip (they normally go for $175-250).


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## rcarca (Jun 8, 2012)

I bought one with the same kit lens. I LOVE it ;D

I also have a 7D and had been building up the L glass. I am going to keep the 7D cos I love that as well and I can see good reasons for both. Just v keen now to get something around the 400mm mark, and regret that I will never ever be able to afford anything more chunky from the Canon range. 

I too have watched the debate rage on this forum. I already had some good lenses, I certainly was not about to junk all of that. I have made some kind of commitment to Canon in my mind - albeit when I was a teenager I chose Pentax because of the fantastic ME Super, which was top class at the time. They just lost it and me with some later film bodies. It has been a long journey from a Kodak (who are they?) Instamatic 25 at the age of 5 to a Canon 5DMkiii at the age of 52...


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## Arkarch (Jun 8, 2012)

Hey, I know exactly where that is in Vegas. I was less than a mile away at my office off Bermuda. 

Congrats on the purchase. Its a damn good camera.


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## LetTheRightLensIn (Jun 8, 2012)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> b3enthusiast said:
> 
> 
> > PW......
> ...



personally I'd spend the money on the long zooms and save it on the standard, if anything

why?

the current standard FF zooms from canon are hardly sharpness record breakers, the 24-105 is run of the mill at best for an L, the new tamron 24-70 2.8 has 2.8 and is sharper even if it costs just a little bit more and the tamron 28-75 2.8 is sharper and costs a ton less although with slower AF, no IS, a bit less contrast and doesn't go quite as wide

the canon 70-200 f/4 IS and 70-300 IS L are awesome lenses though and simply better than all the third party or non-L stuff

if the long zoom needs to cost less then i'd get 55-250 or tamron 70-300 vc over the ones you mention


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## b3enthusiast (Jun 9, 2012)

*RLPhoto*,
Thanks for your affirmation of my purchase......I've known for awhile now that the Mark 3 was the one, even though I did a ton of research.......

I only have the kit lens, but I plan to purchase several different L series lenses.

_______

*Tammy*,

Thank you very much.

_______

*Dylan777*,

I plan to purchase a macro lens next month.

_______

*Mt Spokane Photography*,

With the economy in the shape it's in there are many deals on Craigslist, and I do turn there when I am looking for a bargain.....I will keep that in mind as I look for things I need......thanks for the reminder.

________

*awinphoto*,

My daughter was closer to the airport taking photos and Secret Service was everywhere.....and, I am thankful for the job they do.....but, they sure do get in the way of some beautiful pictures sometimes : )

________


*zim*,

As late as last week I was the one green with envy.....now it's someone else's turn. 

________

*KyleSTL*, 

I think you were speaking to a previous poster, but I took your comments under advisement. 

________

*rcarca*,

I probably won't go as far as the mega-committment it takes for the uber-costly L series super telephoto lenses....but I will get what I need to be functional......we all have our comfort zones......and, the 400mm would probably also suit me as well......

________

*Arkarch*, 

Were you watching AFO take off?......I was afraid I wasn't going to get the camera battery charged enough to take the photos......my daughter was down at Sunset and Eastern and caught the landing from a parking lot with a point and shoot......

________

*LetTheRightLensIn*, 

That is good input......I will be buying the telephoto after my macro......so I have a little time to study and research....thanks.....

________

Thanks to all of you for your input and help......

Sincerely,
B3


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## TheFarmer (Jun 9, 2012)

Congratulations!


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 9, 2012)

KyleSTL said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > The kit lens is excellent, and you will love it.
> ...


 
I was replying to the OP, he noted that he was on a budget. You are welcome to the Canon 75-300mm lens, if you think it is great, go for it, I'm not going to knock someone for their choice of lenses, we all have to make buying decisions that are right for us. The 100-300 is weak at 300mm, but its strong at 100-200mm, and its cheap. It and the 70-210mm f/4 which is better, both pickup where his 24-105mm L leaves off. A 200-400mm lens leaves a gap for him to fill.

Obviously, we would like to recommend top lenses, but if he is looking for a place holder to extend his focal length for now, the 70-210 would be my first recommendation.

Here is a cat photo with my 70-210mm f/4 taken a few years back with my 30D or 40D. This is a 100% crop at 200mm and wide open aperture.


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## cayenne (Jun 9, 2012)

traveller said:


> Hope you enjoy it. Is this your first 'serious' camera, or are you upgrading from another DSLR? [I'm not going to criticize anyone's decisions, I'm just curious because of old arguments on the forum before the 5D MkIII was released]


I hear what you're saying, but I've seen this question before, I just wonder where/why it comes up!?!

Why would it possibly matter to *anyone* why the 5D3 or higher would be anyone 'first' camera?

Everyone out there, has different levels of disposable income. To some people, buying a Porsche is the same thing as someone buying their first Toyota. Usually, at least to my observance.....people usually jump into anything they buy, at the highest level they can comfortably afford.

I've posted here about my first ever DSLR camera ever...I got the 5D3...and just could not understand people that seemed to actually deride me for not buying something much cheaper or of lessor capability.

If one can afford one, whether easily or has saved (I'm honestly about half way in this one) for a $$$$ camera like this.....why is there any question whatsoever?

I wanted to start with the absolute best I could afford...and learn and enjoy it for years and years to come. 

I guess I just don't' understand the mentality of why someone (and again, with your disclaimer, not pointing the finger at you on this) would even think to come up with the question of asking why they started with a high level toy/tool?

Do you walk up to everyone person with a Ferrari, and ask them if they started with a Kia?

Sorry...I love this forum, but this is the ONE thing that has just caught my attention, and made me very curious where this type of mindset comes from...I've honestly not encountered it before on any interest or forum I've ever been on..and I'm not a spring chicken.


C

PS....Congrats on your new camera, and WOW...what a cool first set of pics to take with it!!! I know you'll enjoy it...I'm just overwhelmed and having a blast learning about the camera...both for video and stills and how to edit both stills and video.
If you're anything like me...this is going to open up many years of pleasure of learning for the future....I love learning new things....that are fun!


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## V8Beast (Jun 9, 2012)

awinphoto said:


> Very nice... I shot AF1 in northern nevada at the airport... Dear god almighty security was tight and I had to sneak a peak of the plane running down the runway through a door cracked open only 6 inches at best... and that's with secret service monitoring my every movement. Good shots.



You should have distracted them with some Columbian hookers  Works everytime ;D


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## jouster (Jun 9, 2012)

pwp said:


> Is that the POTUS on board? Third window from the front?



With a D800 you could tell......







I kid, I kid!!!!!!!


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## KyleSTL (Jun 10, 2012)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> KyleSTL said:
> 
> 
> > Mt Spokane Photography said:
> ...


Impressive shot. Have you owned any of the other lenses I mentioned? If I do decide to sell off my telephoto zooms, I would like to get the best bang/buck replacement (since they are all in the same price range) and I would value your opinion on the choices. 



LetTheRightLensIn said:


> if the long zoom needs to cost less then i'd get 55-250 or tamron 70-300 vc over the ones you mention


Except that the 55-250mm is an EF-S lens that will not even mount on the 5D3.


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## Ayelike (Jun 10, 2012)

Well on the subject of building the glass collection, when I get my 5D3 (just 5 days to go!) I've got two bits of glass I want to get my hands on but not sure which I'll want first.

Firstly, as I'm moving up to full-frame I'm going to be selling off my 10-22mm EF-S. Now this is going to hurt me because I love ultra-wide angle shots and I'm probably going to have to invest in a 16-35mm f2.8. I was half thinking about getting the 17-40mm f4 but I think in the long run I'll be happier with the f2.8 as it'll go nicely with my 24-70mm f2.8 and my 70-200mm f2.8.

My other thought is at the opposite end of the range. My 70-200mm won't have the reach I'm used to on the 5D3 so I'm thinking about either the 100-400mm or the 400mm f5.6. I think I'm leaning towards the 400mm prime for wildlife and motor sport. Mainly motor sport were the IS won't be as missed as the subjects are moving so fast.

I think I need to just pace myself though and get used to the 5D3. It's a new world of stuff to learn and my 24-70mm is going to be a lot wider than I'm used to so I might change my mind on the order of glass I want.


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## Razor2012 (Jun 10, 2012)

cayenne said:


> traveller said:
> 
> 
> > Hope you enjoy it. Is this your first 'serious' camera, or are you upgrading from another DSLR? [I'm not going to criticize anyone's decisions, I'm just curious because of old arguments on the forum before the 5D MkIII was released]
> ...



It's true, it shouldn't matter what you want to buy or how much you want to spend. It's like when I upgrade my PC (takes 4 - 5 years or so), I buy the best I can at the time. I know that it should last me a few years. If a person wants to buy a 1 series for their first camera, all the power to them. They'll have something they can grow with for years to come. I'm not going to criticize someone for something I don't have or can't buy.


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## KyleSTL (Aug 13, 2012)

KyleSTL said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > KyleSTL said:
> ...



Just to follow up with what I was saying a couple months back:

I did end up finding a good deal on a 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, and find the sharpness and overall image quality to be better. The 70-210 does not have the horrible ghosting on the long end that I saw with the 100-300 USM. The extra 2/3 stop will be nice for less than perfect lighting. Overall I'm pleased with the purchase, and the 100-300mm is already listed on eBay. Thanks for the suggestion, Mt Spokane. Additionally, I sold the Tamron 200-400mm, as I found the AF to be unusably slow. It sold for much more than I paid, so the short ownership was more than worth it.

Eventually I'll step up to a 70-200mm f/4L or 70-200mm f/4L IS, but this will do for now.


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## awinphoto (Aug 15, 2012)

V8Beast said:


> awinphoto said:
> 
> 
> > Very nice... I shot AF1 in northern nevada at the airport... Dear god almighty security was tight and I had to sneak a peak of the plane running down the runway through a door cracked open only 6 inches at best... and that's with secret service monitoring my every movement. Good shots.
> ...



Haha just read your comment today, you know I didn't have any with me, lol. In the shot I did get of AF1 running down the runway, I could see secret service standing on top of the hangers/terminals in the distance... With my 7d at the time and 70-200, i guess it would be easy to assume its a rocket launcher or the like... Oh well... note to self, next time AF1 comes to town, hire hookers...


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