johnmccarthy Loc: North Hampton NH

I have a Canon 5DIII that I bought about 1 1/2 years ago. In the first year, I had to send it back to Canon for repair 3 or 4 times with completely different issues each time.
Of course, it is now out of warranty.
The newest problem is that it won't shoot a run of 7 bracketed photos, and chokes after 4 or 5. No images are saved to the memory card.
I wanted to include this camera body in my real estate photography work, but need a wide angle lens. The Canon wide angle for this work costs $3,000, so I looked for a less costly lens solution. I purchased a new Tamron SP 15-30mm f-2.8 lens. Great lens, although a bit heavy.
The first few times I used this lens, the 5DIII did a great job bracketing 7 shots, and I was pretty happy with the images.
Then, it stopped completing all 7 brackets.
I called Canon support. They argued that it was due to using a third party lens and I should talk to Tamron. I argued that I put this lens on my 7DII and it bracketed 7 shots perfectly.
Canon said that didn't matter and it was due to using the third party lens.
I did call Tamron and they suggested I try a different memory card. I did and it made no difference.
Has anyone else had an issue with shooting brackets with a 5DIII?

Joe Blow

Try bracketing with a Canon lens.

wwjd38 Loc: Wyoming

I’ve never had any problems bracketing with my 5D Mark III, but I only bracket for three and only have Canon lenses.

johnmccarthy Loc: North Hampton NH

I did put a Canon 24-70mm f-4 on it and it did work.
The fact that sometimes the camera will bracket and sometimes will not is where I believe the issue is.
It seems there is always a new problem with this camera. Two months ago, it would continue to fire until I shut the camera off. That seems to have corrected itself.
So now the latest is bracketing.
There is no doubt in my mind this camera was assembled on a Monday and is a lemon. I know a number of people with 5DIIIs who have never had an issue of any kind.

johnmccarthy Loc: North Hampton NH

I was disappointed that Canon was so dismissive about the bracketing issue, blaming the lens manufacturer. B&H recently offered a package that included a 5DIV with a bundle of either Rokinon or Tokina lenses. If the third party argument had any merit, I doubt B&H would be offing this package.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

You might try fewer brackets. If you are doing it for HDR you should be able to get by with 5 or even three*.

* Read the light for the brightest area (probably open windows), read the light for the darkest indoor area, read the over all average for the scene. Set the three brackets for those three values and an HDR should come out fine. You could also do a 5 bracket the same way with the other two shots being 1/2 way between the extremes and the middle shot.
And yes this is easier to do with a handheld light meter instead of through the camera. In fact way back when I took a class that included the Zone System I got a handheld spot meter for doing this. Shaped a bit like a prop department ray gun and had a belt pouch that looked like a holster. I once had a police officer ask what it was and when I showed it to him he suggested I keep it in my camera bag instead of the belt pouch when out and about. Fewer hassles and people reporting a man with a gun that way.

johnmccarthy Loc: North Hampton NH

Love the story about the ray gun light meter!
I brought this 5dIII and Tamron SP 15-30mm lens to a shoot yesterday. It performed just fine for all the 7 bracket interior shots I needed.
I brought it outside for some exteriors and it choked on brackets after 4 or 5 every time.
Took it to a shoot today, wouldn't bracket at all.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

No, all B&H wants to do is move product. If it doesn't work, you can return it.

The, "It ain't OEM so we don't guarantee it will work," line is complete B.S. Like, go away end user, we do not want to bother with you.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

The appropriate Canon lens does NOT cost $3,000 or anywhere near that. Take a look at the 16-35 f4L ($999 list) or the 17-40 F4L ($799 list) both can be purchased used for about half that. I use the 17-40L on my 5D3 regularly for real estate work, sometimes with bracketing, it’s quite satisfactory, and I paid less than $400 for it in immaculate condition.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I have been using my MIII for over 5 years now and never had any issues of any kind, the bracketing works fine, no matter what lens I put on it! It seem to me you've got a lemon!

johnmccarthy Loc: North Hampton NH

TriX, the best ultra wide angle lens for a crop sensor Canon is the Canon 10-22mm. This is my everyday rig.
The best ultra wide angle lens for a full frame Canon is the EF 11-24mm which weighs in at a hefty $2,700. This is why I bought the Tamron.

speters, looking at all the issues this camera has had, and the number of times it has gone back for repair, a lemon is my only conclusion. Last year I was using a SanDisk 128 GB CF card. I bought a Lexar 128 GB and used it for a few months without a problem. I put the Lexar card in one day and it fried the camera electrical system. B&H replaced the card. The new card caused the same problem. I called Canon and they told me to call Lexar. I spoke with Lexar. They replaced the card and I had the same problem. I sent it back to Canon for repair after I did a full camera reset, a procedure I got from a Canon tech a long time ago. That didn't help. Canon repair called and told me they thought it was a bent prong in the CF slot and they would fix it...as a courtesy. Really? They couldn't explain why the SanDisk CF card worked just fine in the camera. This has lemon all over it and Canon just wants to pass issues off to someone else. I am very disappointed.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Did you have this problem before the electrical system got fried? I only ask because gremlins seem to always appear after a catastrophic event like that which no one can ever diagnose completely it seems. Continual repairs for unrelated problems would have scared me off that camera as probably a lemon. Maybe you can talk Canon services into giving you an exchange or deep discount on a refurbished one from their store, given the history of that camera. I would never tell them I was using anything but Canon lenses on the body, regardless my gear status. This gives them an out and excuse to not delve deeper for an answer to the problem.

I shoot before pics of client homes for reference and comparison to finished interior design shots I produce for designers and contractors. The before shots are sometimes shot using 3 brackets, sometimes 5 with a 5D MKIII. I usually use a 16-35mm LII for the before shots and mostly in the 20-24mm range. I would be interested in seeing what your final photos look like using 11-24mm at 7 brackets if you are so inclined to post a couple. I understand the real estate shoot and interior architecture shoot are 2 different animals, but rooms are rooms. Have you ever shot at 3 or 5 brackets and, if so, do you see the difference from 7 bracketed files?

ThreeCee Loc: Washington, DC

I download the pix through the camera softwear. The prongs inside the camera are a weak link.

ncshutterbug

I also have the 5DIII and have never had an issue using either of 2 Canon lenses or Tamron 28-300 lens. When I have any issue with this or my Panasonic camera, I take it to my local store and they are great about letting me try another lens, or whatever I need to do. If I don't understand something they are very patient and explain it in plain english, even though I didn't buy either of the cameras or lenses there. If something needs to be sent off for repairs they will tell me and explain what it will cost. If it's out of warranty they can fix it there. I do hope you get this ironed out, as it's a wonderful camera.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

Never an issue with my III(knock on wood) ever but I do use all Canon L lenses. How wide do you need that cost $3,000??