Is it worth upgrading from a 5d MKII to a MKIII?

[Jjtarnow]

I really like the new AF and customization of the III but at the end of the day the most important thing is the picture...is it better? When I say "better" I mean does the III make it easier to get to the finished product? is the user experience better?

What's the MKII body worth?

Lastly, where is the best place to get a low priced legitimate USA warranted body?

[ScottyP]

It should be a better picture, but not for every shooter.  ISO is better, which should be fairly universally helpful.  Higher MP should help you crop more.  The AF might not make much difference if you shoot slow or stationary objects.

[JoeN]

I have never used a 5Dii and I just got my 5Diii so I can't help you with a comparison.  But on the savings side, are you willing to buy a refurbished body?  If you are willing to buy refurbished you can save a significant amount and if you buy refurbished through the Canon Loyalty Program you can save even more but you have to trade in an old Canon body.  Recently Canon has started offering a full 1 year warranty on the refurbished cameras just like the new bodies.  Most reputable dealers will sell the same bodies for almost the same price though they do have sales occasionally, even Canon will offer a discount on certain products sometimes.  If you look around the internet you can find some really low prices but beware.  If the price is significantly lower than the major camera retailers then it is probably a scam.  If you don't know a dealer check out their sales record and you may find some of them have pretty bad records.

[TCampbell]

I own both bodies.  

The 5D III has higher ISO and a _vastly_ better focusing system (and I cannot emphasize that enough... I was doing cartwheels down the hall over this feature alone).  Canon actually has a 47 page book *just* on the auto-focus system in this camera.  See:  http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2012/1dx_guidebook.shtml  (the PDF download is in the lower left corner of that page -- it covers both the 1D-X and the 5D III as the focus systems are nearly identical).

The 5D III menus are also MUCH easier to use -- it provides helpful hints as to what the settings do, graphics to illustrate where buttons are (when you're assigning functions to buttons), etc.

It has a very nice flash control for use with the new Speedlite 600EX-RT.

As for image size -- it's only a very slight bump up from the 5D II and you probably wont notice it.  The ISO performance of the III is a little better than the II but unless you're shooting on the edge, you might not notice that either.  The II was already a solid performer in the ISO category.  I used to think nothing of shooting at ISO 6400 when necessary.  

A used 5D II can go for around $1400-1600... maybe even $1700 (body only -- not with a lens) depending on how heavily it was used, shutter count, and overall condition.  Private seller prices will be on the lower side.  Buying used through a retailer will be higher -- toward the $1600-1700 range.

A "used" camera wont have a warranty... it's probably beyond it's 1 year warranty period.  But Canon "refurbished" cameras DO come wiht a USA warranty.  

You can find the Canon refurb'd bodies (with warranty) here:  http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-5d-mark-ii-body-refurbished

You'll notice the price is $1759 on the store, except note the green text that says you get $100 rebate for any purchases over $500 (and this qualifies).  So once you add it to the cart it's $1659.