# 5d MkIII reliability



## mikejkay (Sep 4, 2013)

I am waiting for my new MkIII to arrive and have been browsing the forum to pick up info. Is it my imagination or are a disproportionate number of MkIII's failing. I've read with horror the threads on water damage. This camera is supposedly water resistant. I've even read a post by someone who claimed to have washed his MkII under a gently running tap! I have had A1, T90, F1n, D30, 20D and 7D. All these cameras have travelled the world and spent a lot of time in the far east. Not one has shown any signs of internal water damage. Furthermore I must confess to being a sweaty person. I have had sweat trickling down my arm and dripping onto the camera held in my hand ( and into the viwfinder of a Bronica). I blacklisted Sony when they refused to accept that damage to a screen caused by a sweaty nose was their responsibility. I chuckled to myself and thought that this problem would never happen to me, I used Canon cameras! Will someone please tell me that this is all in my imagination and that I haven't made a terrible mistake.


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 4, 2013)

mikejkay said:


> Will someone please tell me that this is all in my imagination and that I haven't made a terrible mistake.



It's all in your imagination and you haven't made a terrible mistake.


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## kennykodak (Sep 4, 2013)

had one since it came out, no problems, regrets or looking back.


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## ForumMuppet (Sep 4, 2013)

I have a sweaty 5D3 that works GREAT! ;D


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## alejmr (Sep 4, 2013)

ForumMuppet said:


> I have a sweaty 5D3 that works GREAT! ;D


 +1 mine is dented, washed out, dropped and it performs better than new ;-)


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## Skulker (Sep 4, 2013)

I spent a day in pouring rain with 7 photographers. 2 with 1Dx, 2 with 5D3, 2 with 7D's and one poor unfortunate with a D4 (don't bite I jest) The only 2 cameras that had a problem were the 7D's. Both stopped working for a while but came back to life the next morning after a night in the engine room.

So I would guess you will be very happy with it. I know I'm very pleased with mine and hope you will feel the same.


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## LOLID (Sep 4, 2013)

I have left my 5DIII in slight rain for medium exposures + time to fix tripod.. Same in front of splashing / sprinkling waterfalls for quite some time.

I usually pull out my camera raincoat only for long exposure if it is raining.

Never got any issue.


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## CANONisOK (Sep 4, 2013)

I've used my 5D3 in light rain (including at an amusement park with mist coming off of fountains/rides) with appropriately weather-sealed lenses. Ditto for humid rainforest conditions. No problems at all.


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## Chris Geiger (Sep 4, 2013)

I've shot 54 full weddings (average 2000 shots per event) and many smaller events on my pair of 5DIII's. A couple of times I have had a body lock up on me but was fixed by pulling the battery out. I have done a few weddings in light rain without problems. Over all I am very happy. 

Something totally surprising to me, is I have not yet cleaned either sensor. When I was shooting Nikon, I had to clean the sensors every 4-5 weddings. I have not changed the number of lens changes (I shoot the ceremony with 24-70 and 70-200, I shoot the reception with 24-70 and 85 1.4. The 24-70 comes off for ring photos at every event. I shoot the same way but I have no problems at all with the sensors getting dirty.


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## serendipidy (Sep 4, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> mikejkay said:
> 
> 
> > Will someone please tell me that this is all in my imagination and that I haven't made a terrible mistake.
> ...


LOL...+1


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## Waterdonkey (Sep 4, 2013)

I think the key is going to be having a L lens with weather sealing. I'll bet you are good to go with that and a little care on your part.

Oh and I have to +1 what Chris Geiger had to say about sensor cleaning. Knock on wood but 5D3 self cleaning is a little bit outstanding. ;D


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## Northstar (Sep 5, 2013)

In general, I'm happy with my 5d3, BUT, it has had some "buggy" issues from time to time...luckily a simple off/on and a couple times taking the battery out/in has fixed the issue....kind of like a computer in that way.


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## heavybarrel (Sep 5, 2013)

Nothing but good things to say. I took mine to Utah for 9 days, where it was coated with red dust, splashed on, bumped on rocks and bounced about in one particularly grueling 4X4 trip. Each night, it kind of got wiped off with whatever nasty shirt I was wearing that day lol. It also got smashed up a bit when I was trying to squeeze myself through a crevice. It never missed a shot or pooped out on me. The mount is still tight and one of the dials was kind of gritty but that went away too. 

Stop worrying. You're going to love it!


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## distant.star (Sep 5, 2013)

.
Dear Drenched in Sweat,

Congratulations on your wisdom in choosing one of the finest 35mm-equivalent cameras ever produced in the history of the world. Do not trouble yourself with dark imaginings as you await the arrival of this treasure.

All will be fine as you will observe ordinary precautions needed with any sophisticated DSLR camera. Take care to keep the camera out of soaking conditions. Quickly dry the camera if it does get wet. And after a day of wallowing in sweat, give the camera a good, thorough cleaning to remove accumulated mineral deposits.

One word of caution -- do not allow the stunning results consistently produced by this camera to blind you to a normal regimen of maintenance. Such has been the ruin of many a poor boy. Go now and shoot many rising suns.


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## Invertalon (Sep 5, 2013)

I have had my 5D3 since the release and currently have around 70,000 actuations on it. 

No failure at all... But with check/cleans they have done repairs... Replaced mirror box assembly, adjusted AF sensor positioning and replaced some other internal foam pieces and electrical cables. 

As far as water damage, I have used it in snow/rain and my very sweaty hands with no problems. Only the grip material started to peel, so I glued it back on.


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## swampler (Sep 5, 2013)

I've had 1 error 20 and that was just a couple of weeks ago. Had it since they first came out and over 26,000 frames.


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## ForumMuppet (Sep 5, 2013)

Chris Geiger said:


> Something totally surprising to me, is I have not yet cleaned either sensor. When I was shooting Nikon, I had to clean the sensors every 4-5 weddings. I have not changed the number of lens changes (I shoot the ceremony with 24-70 and 70-200, I shoot the reception with 24-70 and 85 1.4. The 24-70 comes off for ring photos at every event. I shoot the same way but I have no problems at all with the sensors getting dirty.


What I gather from this is that guests at a Nikon wedding are generally dirtier than guests at a Canon wedding?


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## mikejkay (Sep 5, 2013)

I'm relieved at the positive response but it makes me wonder why Crank47 did not put up more of a fight when his MkIII failed. See "My dead 5D Mark III Story".
If, as seems possible/likely, the problem was there before he took delivery of his camera how many more duff bodies are lurking out there? After all, internal corrosion in a "new" camera is not something that a buyer can check.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 5, 2013)

There are those who have cameras fail, its a fact. Some of them freak out and make dozens of posts on all the forums such that it appears that lots of cameras fail. 

Neither of my two 5D MK III's, or my two 5 MK II's or my two 7D's, or my 6 40D's have failed for me, in fact none of the 20+ Canon DSLR's I've owned has had a issue.


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## mrsfotografie (Sep 5, 2013)

alejmr said:


> ForumMuppet said:
> 
> 
> > I have a sweaty 5D3 that works GREAT! ;D
> ...



Please describe in detail what you did with it so that other 5DIII users can share the benefit of the same performance improvement ;D


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## mwh1964 (Sep 5, 2013)

You Will be just fine. Enjoy your new camera and stop worrying.


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