The BEST camera in the world (well, ok, the best camera I have ever owned), by far, is the Canon 5D Mark III

I’ve had this gadget for a few years news. I first picked it out because I figured I could use it for creating real estate marketing content in my previous career as a realtor but it quickly turned into much, much more than that. From trips to Joshua Tree to shoot the Milky Way to use for YouTube videos and Family Christmas Cards… it continues to cover a wide range of my content creation needs and I’ve only grown to enjoy using it more as I pick up new tips and tricks along the way.

Here are the TOP 3 breakthroughs and TOP 3 speed bumps I’ve experienced since starting to shoot with this gem:

Top Pros:

1) Shooting amazing videos.. not just pictures. In fact, there are quite a few high budget movies that have utilized the same equipment and it still looks great. It is powerful enough to shoot video in lower light situations while not sacrificing quality where most other cameras fail.

2) Shoots RAW images, so you can make TONS of changes in post. It’s also nice to be able to save two formats at the same time with the ability to save them on the same card or separately (requires a CF card in addition to an SD card). I bank a lot of content. Recently, I went into an old project file to find brand content for a potential promotional campaign. Because I saved the RAW image data, I had access to a wide range of editing options that would, otherwise, not have been available to me through the standard JPEG.

3) Automatic leveler.. the LCD screen can tell you if the camera is level when setting up for a shot. In the event where you are just trying to capture something that LOOKS level, it’s useless.. but when you are in a tight spot and might not have the best view through the viewfinder or on the LCD screen, it can be a big help. While not the coolest aspect of the phone, it is a little perk that I have been able to tap into for those times where I felt that the horizon was playing tricks on me and I needed something to help me keep my head on straight (lol, get it? *face palm*).

Top Cons:

1) I have to rely on the LCD screen in situations when I might not really want to. The “Golden Rule of Thirds” is not as intuitive as I would like when utilizing the viewfinder.

2) More quality, mo’ problems. The Alienware Gaming PC that I use struggles with space and import speeds because of my addiction to shooting in RAW and the highest quality JPEG at the same time. This slows down my production process and makes me post less than I would like to be able to.

3) The image stabilizer in the lens can create an annoying grinding noise that can be heard in most of the videos. To be fair, this con has more to do with the lens than the camera itself. Keep in mind though: Because the camera, quite expectedly, has a pretty poor mic built in, you’ll want to make sure that your subject is either mic’d up (or just don’t plan on utilizing the captured audio if you are shooting video in image stabilization mode).

Have you guys used this camera before? What have you found to be a major PRO or a major CON in your purchase? Let me know in the comments below and happy shooting!!!

Quick sidenote about lenses: I can’t speak highly enough of the telephoto lens that I purchased along with the 2X extender. You could always opt for the 100-400 version of the telephoto lens here, which is about the same price as the 100-200 and has higher reviews on Amazon but I think you might end up sacrificing some of the lower lighting shooting potential.. that is, you sacrifice some of the lighting performance for increased zoom.