Upgrading From The Most Popular Real Estate Photography Camera

The Canon 5DMkII is the most popular real estate camera used by readers of this blog (17.5%). The 5DMKIII and 6D have been out for quite a while and the 5DMKII was officially discontinued at the end of last year.

So there are 18% or more of us wondering when we get ready to upgrade which is the best upgrade path? I thought it would be interesting to take a general look at the main considerations and get the advice of the readers that have already made an upgrade.

I know, Nikon people will say I should include the D600 and D800. But we all tend to be trapped in a system by the glass we have. The images I’ve seen from the D800 are beautiful. If I didn’t have all this Canon glass I’d be tempted to move back to Nikon. Perhaps a separate post on this subject later.

The video above goes into all the detail comparisons. Here’s how I would summarize the research I’ve done on the differences between the 5DMKIII and the 6D:

1. Price: First of all the 6D is close to half (within $300 of 1/2 price) the price of the 5DMKIII.
2. Image quality: 5DMKIII has better low light image quality than the 6D and 5DMKII. For an actual comparison see this video at 3:50. I’ve heard people argue that 6D has better image quality because it has a newer sensor but this video comparison indicates otherwise.
3. Size and weight:  The 6D  (770 grams) is smaller and lighter than the 5DMKIII (950 grams).
4. WiFi and GPS: 6D has WiFi and GPS built-in and it’s optional on 5DMKIII. Frankly I don’t understand why it’s taken camera manufacturers so long to realize WiFi and GPS should be in every body!
5. Card slots: 6D has only a SD slot while the 5DMKIII has one SD and one CF card slot.

Ultimately this is going to a price trade-off for each one of us. What is the experience of those readers that have already upgraded to one of these Canon bodies.