Gretta

I also occasionally use a Sigma 8-16 f/4.5-5.6

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Look at fast lenses - f/2.8, 1.8. You can get them used or refurbished for good prices. Take a look at KEH.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Personally, I leave FF DSLR's to those that get paid for a living, or have deep pocket.

I get away just fine with good quality lenses and my Mirrorless camera.

I shoot a ton landscapes, and things that are important to me are:
- weather sealed body and len(ses).
- carbon fiber tripod with a matched ballhead
- nothing unnecessarily heavy or bulky.

You don't need to go all the way to FF to get great shots. If you're interested, my website (click on my user name) has a few, what I consider to be good examples) taken with a smaller camera.

dandi Loc: near Seattle, WA

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

:thumbup:

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Gretta, welcome to the Hog!
WoW, that's almost a trick question!!
There is no doubt that the 5lll will improve the quality of your shots. The 5lll has 20% more pixels, and they are FF pixels, so everything that comes with that. That said, you are paying a lot for a focus system that will do you little good.
You might be better served with a 6d which is as clean and smaller and lighter for travel but will need to carry a separate compact flash like the 270.
Even a good used 5Dll in the $1200 range or less is an extremely good camera and leaves you with money left over to get maybe one super sharp wide-angle prime or a zoom or splurge for the new landscape 11-24 lens. You can't go wrong with expensive glass cause it holds almost all its value, and in some cases actually can go up! Boy(girl), good luck with that one!! ;-)
SS

Pandylou Loc: The Levant

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

Why not rent a better quality lens for a few days, I'm pretty sure 'L' series glass will fit on this camera. You may even find a place that will do a camera / lens combo rental. If it clears what you perceive to be a problem, job done. If not, it's a little more basic and needs to be resolved before splashing the cash on the 5D mkIII.

lukan Loc: Chicago, IL

Get the 5D3. You'll need full-frame EF lenses, not EF-S lenses that work only on APS-C bodies, but your picture quality will improve tremendously. Everything about the 5D3 is better than the T3i, the question is if you actually need it. ;)

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Gretta - As a 5DIII owner - I'll say great idea ... well maybe. You're going to need one / some new lenses in jumping to a FF body from a crop body. If you can't make the camera and lens jump together, you should start with a lens or look at other bodies such as SS's idea for a 5DII or I'd say a 6D or a used copy of the 5DIII.

You might find a better wide angle lens and not as wide as the Sigma will make you happier. You didn't say what your images lack. Your T3i sports an 18MP sensor so the jump to 22MP isn't that big of a difference. The newer processor in the 5DIII also is an improvement, but incremental and not a night and difference.

So, before you start on a big ticket gear acquisition, consider rpavich's comment. I personally wouldn't go back in time in my own story, but I could have been smarter in some decisions such as learning more about better using what I currently had rather than moving on to find the biggest different was price rather than obvious results... I could have learned too that lenses have a bigger impact than new bodies unless I have specialized needs for lowlight or highspeed / action shooting. I could have learned earlier about KEH and used equipment purchases ...

I would have looked at prime lenses earlier too. Canon added an EF-S 24mm f/2.8 late last year that will shoot like a 35mm lens on your current camera. It's cheap (ish), sharp and fast and somewhat wide and the type of idea that might breath unexpected new life into your gear and your resulting photography. Just keeping with Canon there's hundreds of choices and Sigma and Tamron more than double the choices.

Donkas1946 Loc: Southern NH

I would look at a refurbished markiii with the kit lens. You won't be sorry. One thing that no one has mentioned is that there is no built in flash with the markiii. Second choice new 7dii. I would describe the difference equal,to,a 5dmarkiii on steroids. Good luck hope this helpsi

billpan45

Have you considered renting one for a few days?
The 5D3 is heavy. If you like learning about photography, you can start on Auto and learn forever with this camera. It is amazing. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with staying with a camera until you are convinced you have outgrown it's capabilities. Good luck with your decision.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

It a big jump to the III and hopefully get an L lens or two. Yes a large investment but lots of room to grow. I went from a rebel to the 5dIII and never regretted it. As everyone will tell you, quality gear just takes you so far. From then on it's you and composition and when they come together, outstanding.

If your serious about taking your games up a notch or two, go for it!!!

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

For the camera you want, you'll be making a significant investment so I would rent the camera first to see if you even like it. I'm sure many of the UHH'ers can recommend places to rent, or you can go to:
www.borrowlenses.com
and select the 5D3 to rent for 7 days at a cost of $129.00. I don't know what lenses you already have but, according to Canon's website, the 5D3 has an EF mount and will only accept those lenses (p.39 in the camera manual). So, you could rent the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM for an additional $34.00 or the more highly rated EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM for $83.00. You would know within that timeframe as to whether or not you like it. Just a suggestion.....

Here's Canon's website with the specs for the 5D3:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii#Specifications

Chuckwal Loc: Boynton Beach Florida

Gretta
Just upgraded from Canon SL 1 to 6d and find the picture
Quality excellent I photography landscapes ie sunsets and flowers
Had a 50 100 70 300 mm lens. It came with a 24 105 l lens fantastic
Was going to wait on the 5D 3 but had to take baby steps. Did a lot
of reading about the D3 and was a little much for my use the 6D is
a full frame camera. Love it
Chuck