Help me decide please?

**latreloar** · 20-03-12, 14:44

I have been hanging around this forum for a while as I am on the verge of crossing over to Canon from Pentax

However, I am going mad pulling hair out trying to decide which body to go for after patiently awaiting the 5D3.

Presently I have a Pentax K20 and desire / need to upgrade because the Pentax does not give me very good low light results in high iso and focus capabilities. I shoot travel, portraits, documentary in natural light - no flash. I am planning to exhibit my work in book form and exhibition eventually A2 print-size possibly.
So, full frame beckons. The 5d3 is everything I wanted but just cannot justify the 3K tag. This leaves me with my indecision on not knowing which camera is best suited for my upgrade, the 5D2, will I see a huge improvement on my Pentax re focussing in low light and possible high iso work? Or, should I go for the 7D for better focussing but not so good iso performance. Lens wise I was thinking of getting the 24 - 70 2.8 EF & 85mm 1.8 as I thought that would cover my needs to start.
Pleease

any advice will be very much appreciated, I have to bite the bullet soon.
Its a lot of dosh to invest and I spend carefully.
Lesley

**Pete W** · 20-03-12, 15:55

Well for your needs I would say Full Frame so as the 5D3 is price wise to much then the 5D2 makes perfect sense.... You will not need the FPS or AF of the 7D for your subject matter, your priority is good high ISO and FF which the 5D2 will give you.

Lens wise I would go 24-70 2.8 EF great lens but given you can only go 2 lenses at present I would plumb for the 70-200 f2.8 instead of the 85 1.8. This will give you all the coverage you should need for your genres

**Lez S** · 20-03-12, 15:55

Originally Posted by latreloar

I have been hanging around this forum for a while as I am on the verge of crossing over to Canon from Pentax

However, I am going mad pulling hair out trying to decide which body to go for after patiently awaiting the 5D3.

Presently I have a Pentax K20 and desire / need to upgrade because the Pentax does not give me very good low light results in high iso and focus capabilities. I shoot travel, portraits, documentary in natural light - no flash. I am planning to exhibit my work in book form and exhibition eventually A2 print-size possibly.
So, full frame beckons. The 5d3 is everything I wanted but just cannot justify the 3K tag. This leaves me with my indecision on not knowing which camera is best suited for my upgrade, the 5D2, will I see a huge improvement on my Pentax re focussing in low light and possible high iso work? Or, should I go for the 7D for better focussing but not so good iso performance. Lens wise I was thinking of getting the 24 - 70 2.8 EF & 85mm 1.8 as I thought that would cover my needs to start.
Pleease

any advice will be very much appreciated, I have to bite the bullet soon.
Its a lot of dosh to invest and I spend carefully.
Lesley

First things first Lesley.

You will not go wrong with the 2 lens's you have mentioned, that's for sure (I love my 85 1.8 in low light) - better act quick if you want the 24-70 though, the price is set to rise to £3k for that very soon.

If reports are correct (and I assume they are looking at some of the sample images I've seen), then the 5D3 will be 2 stops better in low light than the 5D2. That could make all the difference in getting
the shot or not, as well as producing a better print at the size you quote. I'm a firm beleiver in getting what is best at the time of need, it saves money in the long run. The focussing will also be better
on the 5D3 over the 7D. While the 5D2 is good at focussing in low light, it's not the best either (sorry, can't compare it with the Pentax system having never owned one).

It is a big step to make, and the initial cost does instill fear - but what price do you put on getting the results you need.

If the dilema was mine, I think I'd just jump in and get the 5D3, purely because if I missed a shot because of the lack of a feature, I'd really kick myself. (I am assuming from your post that you could
afford the 5D3 if you had to)

**Roy** · 20-03-12, 15:55

There are much more experienced photographers on the forum than me Lesley but I'll start the replies with some questions and comments:

Do you mean the 24-70 MkII or the original?
If you are looking towards A2 exhibition, is IQ your ultimate priority?
Have you considered the 85 1.2 MkII?
Just how important is AF for your work?

Personally, I would not have put the 7D on the list - it's not FF for a start and it's definately more of an action camera than a portraiture camera.

A friend of mine who is a professional photographer runs his business on 5DMkII bodies and makes extensive use of the 135L f2 for studio / location work.

Existing 5DMkII owners are not yet rushing to upgrade their bodies - it remains the excellent camera it was when launched and it's now at quite a reasonable price point.

Edit: well, there were no replies when I started typing ... others are not only better photographers but also better typists!

**latreloar** · 20-03-12, 19:07

Originally Posted by Lez S

First things first Lesley.

You will not go wrong with the 2 lens's you have mentioned, that's for sure (I love my 85 1.8 in low light) - better act quick if you want the 24-70 though, the price is set to rise to £3k for that very soon.

Really?! its listed at 989£ with WEX now, 3K ??? 300% increase OMG!!!

**Roy** · 20-03-12, 19:32

Originally Posted by latreloar

Really?! its listed at 989£ with WEX now, 3K ??? 300% increase OMG!!!

Prices are for the original 24-70 and the new 24-70MkII ...

**Alun** · 20-03-12, 19:37

I agree with the advice Pete has given you. Also, as Les says, if you can stretch to the latest kit then go for it. However, the 5DMKII with the 24-70F2.8L is a great combination. The prices you're seeing are for the current version although the 24-70F2.8L MkII USM has now been released and markets at around 2K: Canon 5175B005AA EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM Zoom Lens#
Alun

**Lez S** · 20-03-12, 19:39

Yes, the MkII 24-70 will VERY soon hit the selves, and it will be £2299 not 3K as I stated - but it's still a hefty jump.

**latreloar** · 20-03-12, 22:15

Thank you very much guys for the replies, you have helped enormously, the 5d2 will do me nicely for a while until such time as I can or want to upgrade. TBH throughout my Pentax days I have alway preferred prime lenses, thats why I really wanted one good prime for portraits hence the 85mm 1.8. I will now and research the difference in the Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 L USM Lenses! It never ends!

**modchild** · 04-04-12, 18:59

To be honest, the best thing to do would be to push your budget and get the 5D3. I've just bought one after selling my 5D2 and 7D and couldn't be happier. When shooting with the 5D2, the IQ was excellent and low light/high ISO is really good but I always felt I needed the AF of the 7D. When shooting with the 7D the IQ was great, as was the AF but I felt I needed the low light/ISO of the 5D2 and the menu was a bit over complicated. With the 5D3, you get excellent IQ, AF, low light/ISO and a menu system that is easy to navigate. Buying the 5D3 is the best thing I've done for my purposes. I'm not a pro and so don't make any steady money from my hobby yet, but I have sold some photos so who knows what could happen in the future.

**latreloar** · 04-04-12, 19:10

thank you, but I ordered the 5D2 about 4 hrs ago! I cannot stretch to the 5D3 yet but hopefully the 5D2 will fulfill my expectations over my Pentax K20D for the time being.
Looking forward to tomorrows delivery!

**Pete W** · 04-04-12, 19:42

Originally Posted by latreloar

thank you, but I ordered the 5D2 about 4 hrs ago! I cannot stretch to the 5D3 yet but hopefully the 5D2 will fulfill my expectations over my Pentax K20D for the time being.
Looking forward to tomorrows delivery!

You will love the 5D2, it is a superb Full Frame Camera