The Best Bargain Out There Right Now

I came very close to buying another camera yesterday. As close as you can come without actually doing it.

The Canon 5DS R DSLR from 2015—basically a 2012 5D Mark III with a 50.1-MP sensor (which dominated the pixel race in 2015).

It's on blowout sale brand new at B&H Photo for a mere $1,499. Are you kidding me? Considering it listed for $3,900 new, that's beyond a deep discount. Not only is it older now, its strengths matched and exceeded by current competition, but Canon is moving away from DSLRs altogether. The perfect storm for a true blowout sale price. So the former king-of-the-hill prosumer Canon DSLR is now only $100 more than the garden-variety hobbyist 6D Mark II FF that has half as many pixels.

As regular readers know, I've been playing with the iPhone camera a lot lately, and thus I've had a hankering for a while now to balance it out by going the other way. I keep talking about trying a medium format camera, or something else where high quality is part of the point. Something at the other extreme from the phone. You know, so all the ballast isn't over on one side of the hold.

But I didn't know about the blowout price of the 5DS R until Jonathan mentioned it commenting on the "Hypothetical Camera Question" post.

To get a camera that used to cost $3,900 for $1,499 is almost more than my "cheap gene" can pass up. Of course it's not exactly cheap, because I don't need another camera and I know from experience I don't particularly like big SLRs. But I was willing to overlook that because...well, because I overlook practicality when GAS strikes! (If I'm honest.) And the 5DS R is best for one kind of photographer: people who print larger than 13x19". Which I don't. Yet.

Yet?! Be reasonable, Mike.

I think the only thing that will cure my GAS is when they RUN OUT of these. The 5DS's are already gone. Sure the 5DS R's won't be far behind?

I'm still out on the ledge, to be frank. I've been reading reviews for two days. Could it hurt to try it? Just try it? The two little figures on each of my shoulders are whispering into my ears. Don't do it...better hurry...don't do it...better hurry...aaaaaugh....

Mike

ADDENDUM in the light of day early Thursday morning: Take a look at a few pictures. I can't snag them and reproduce them here, so you'll have to click through and see them on flickr. (Left clicking on the link usually gives you an option to open them in a new tab, as you probably know.)

Just look at them holistically...do they work okay as pictures, notwithstanding whether you like them or not? Sharp enough, adequate detail, decent color, unobtrusive bokeh? Do they get across what the photographer was trying to show, do you think?

Cat picture by DizzieMizzieLizzie

HDR Storefront by Gordon McCallum

Small B&W object by Glen Bledsoe

Action shot by Youri Koliada

Kid pic by Gaétan 

We used to say "but how would they print?" except that these days, things usually print better than they look onscreen...we need to pixel peep to tease out the alleged flaws a little better. For instance, this shot by Glen Bledsoe isn't perfect, but it works perfectly well. Nobody minds the slight motion blur, which just indicates, well, motion. It's no worse than 98% of the pictures ever taken in similar situations on film.

Anyway, the upshot is that these were all taken by my current $264 lens, the Sigma 30mm Contemporary, and earlier versions* of my little Sony camera**. When sanity returns I realize I should just take pictures with that, and not get all swept up in the idea of a Canon 5DS R (just because it's "cheap") and EF 50mm ƒ/1.2L (which isn't cheap, except it's a good bargain used).

GAS crisis averted. But it was a close one!

*Respectively: A6500, A6000, A6500, A6000, A6000.

**The A6600.

Book o' the Week

Grit and Grace: Women at Work in the Emerging World. Unfortunately, this will be the posthumous swan song of the indefatigable documentarian Alison Wright, whose untimely death at 60 in the Azores this year meant she never got to see it published. Wright's photography was inextricably entwined with her life's dedication to social justice, a sense of acceptance of humanity, and a roving search for beauty and color.

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Robert: "I have a rule which helps with GAS: 'when in doubt, don't.' If you have waited two days already you are in doubt."

Trevor Johnson: "I bought one from B&H last year. Although I live in the UK, the cost, including all duties, VAT and carriage, came to just under £1,400. And delivery from order to arrival at my doorstep took only three days.

"Why the 5DS R? Because I use the 17mm and 24mm Canon TSE lenses and the 5DS R is still the king of resolution when using them. I have used those lenses on an R5, but the 5DS R has a clear resolution advantage over the R5. It is quite simply a great camera, still extensively used in pro architectural photography."

Jim Kofron: "Buy 10. Think of the money you'll save!!!"

John Camp: "Maybe you don't do big digital prints, but you could—there are all kinds of online printers, and you can get like 24x36 for $65 bucks or so. And it's not like you'd buy a hundred of them, just one now and then when you hit something really good. If you think of yourself as a photographic writer, maybe you need a lot of cameras going through. But if you still foster a photographic picture-taking gene, you should have one good solid high-res camera, that basically you could keep forever."

Alberto Bengoa: "I was in the same boat with the recent closeout discount for the Fuji 50R, originally introduced at $4,500, now sold for $2,800 with a free lens. That's the same price I originally paid for a Canon 5D Mark II in 2009, with a (lackluster) lens thrown in. Long story short, I now own a Fuji 50R."

Ken Bennett: "Don't do it, Mike. Avoid the GAS attack. I have the 5DS and while it was a fine camera, it is nothing really special, and it's 10-year-old tech. The Fuji GFX stuff blows it away."

Tam: "I can’t blame you. I bought an open-box 5DS for something like eleven hundred a few years ago and it’s still my main work camera for product photography and landscapes and portraits and stuff. If you need ninja-level eye focus or ultimate dynamic range for amazing nightscapes there are certainly better choices these days. But if you just need a bangin’ camera body for the buck, it’s hard to beat the 5DS/5DS R."

Aaron: "I chased the high megapixel cameras (for me A7R Mark IV) because I kept thinking 'but what if I want to print large?' In reality I’ve printed larger than 13x19" exactly three times in 20 years of photography. All three are high detailed landscape photos printed at about 24x30 hanging throughout my house. They’re fantastic prints in my humble opinion. I’m still always proud of them every time I walk by. They were all taken with the original Canon 5D—12 MP! So I’ve decided to be happy with my more than capable Micro 4/3 cameras and let the A7R Mark IV go the way of my other completely unrealistic expectations of myself and my photography. (Now check back with me in three months and see if I’ve actually been able to make myself sell the Sony!)"

Bruce Alan Greene: "Go on…get the camera! I’ve been using the 5DS for four years. Bought a used one for…$2,600! It’s a great camera and not so big for me as I often use a 35mm ƒ/2.0 prime lens which is small and lightweight. With 50 MP, one can easily 'zoom' in Photoshop to 50mm or a bit more. Way lighter and smaller than a zoom on a mirror less camera.  :-)  And, dynamic range is better than the reviews describe and I’ve shot many photos at night hand held with success. At the very least, the price of admission will provide content for future stories here!"

Phil Aynsley: "I used the 5DS R professionally for many years, before switching to the R5. It is an excellent camera!"

Gordon R. Brown: "How much is a used Canon 5DS R selling for at Precision Camera in Austin, Texas? A recent Visual Science Lab blog post had pictures of the display cases there filled with used DSLRs that no one wanted. I suspect you could buy one there for less than the new price at B&H Photo."

[Link added by Ed.  —Ed.]

Geoff Wittig: "Hah. Don't do it, Mike. Don't get me wrong, I love the 5DS R. I own two of them, complete with battery grip, L-brackets and lots of lenses, and I still use them all the time. They still yield great results—with a giant asterix. You can get wonderful high resolution files that print beautifully right up to 24x36", if you work within its limits. This older sensor does not like high ISO; noise in the shadows is annoying by ISO 400. Any camera movement will instantly degrade the image, so you must have the camera bolted to a heavy, solid tripod; and use mirror lock-up with a cable release; and focus very carefully. The small apertures needed to maximize depth of field and the low ISO limits mean long shutter speeds, which in turn means waiting patiently for the wind to stop blowing before tripping the shutter. Oh, and it's big and heavy. So there's that. And it doesn't have IBIS. I don't think it will be a good match for your style of documentary, slice-of-life photography. If you didn't bond with the Nikon or Sony full-frame hi-res DSLRs, you won't like this one either."

Comments

[Jay Burleson]

Instead, maybe you should find a used D800 so you can fully remember why you really disliked "big SLR's". ;-)

[Matt O'Brien]

It is good value only if you already own compatible lens and are committed to using dslr cameras and related lens for the foreseeable future. If you have to buy lens for this camera then you are investing in outdated stock and locking yourself into that legacy.

Modern lens are better and lighter and more powerful. I just upgraded from the Sony 70-200f4 to the Sony 70-200f2.8 v2. Several reasons, but 1) not much heavier than the f4. 2) full advantage of f2.8. 3) absolutely incredible responsiveness and focusing speed. To purchase it I traded in all remaining Canon glass I had gathering dust plus my Sony f4 for practical zero nett hit on my credit card.

[Rusty Joerin]

If you follow Kirk Tuck, you will see that the used shelves of camera stores are full of DSLRS that are not moving.

[Mark Sampson]

1) You can write it off on your taxes.
2) You'll have to research and then choose lenses for it (same).
3) Your next columns will write themselves; a) it has gorgeous image quality and b) it's too big for me.
4) Then you can sell it and write about how you miss it.
5) So what are you waiting for?

I'll never buy one, I'm decades too long with Nikons (and I detest Canon's interface), but I always like to hear your thoughts.

[Dan Khong]

Earlier this year, I bought a Canon EOS-RP - a nice size to hold for small hands - and am having lots of fun using various adapters (for M lenses, L39 lenses, M42 vintage lenses) to shoot with it. The price was under $1000.

It's at the tip of my tongue to say it's a Leica M digital camera killer but hesitate because they are not the same in terms of pride of ownership. Nevertheless, all digital cameras have a limited lifespan and every one will conk out one by one. The sad part is that, by then, repairs and parts will not longer be available. It makes little sense to splurge on an electronic camera.

[Yonatan Katznelson]

I have the luxury of not needing any camera, so when I lust after cameras, I don't need to be rational (except about the price). These days, image quality is (for all intents and *my* purposes) a wash, so the main source of my GAS are the haptics. This is why, for example, I prefer the Pan. GX7 to the GX8, and why my current camera is the Fuji XT3.
And this is also why Canon cameras have never appealed to me.

[Thomas Walsh]

If the 5DSR is the 5D III with more megapixels, then I am glad I still have my 5D III. It's a tried and true camera and not unlike the Timex watches,'it's taken a licking and kept on ticking'. The 22 mps are plenty. The added plus is battery life.

[Stephen Scharf]

I didn't say *I* was looking for another camera... - Mike, on Monday.

???

With utmost respect, Mike, you should do whatever you'll find fulfilling, but...I honestly don't know what problem you'll solve by buying another camera that you can't solve with the cameras...you already have.

Maybe this is a "habit" that bears self-reflection, along the sensibilities described by James Clear?

I'm going gently suggest once again that you'll likely find more photographic opportunities, and more fulfillment, by putting those funds towards a week at the Grand Tetons...

all best, Stephen, your friendly neighborhood molecular biologist

[Jeff]

You can probably pick up a used 5DS from a reputable dealer for about $1k. Maybe even from your friends at Lensrentals; as they sell their gear. Unless your GAS is more about obtaining something shiny and new, apart from the (more boring) shooting thereafter.

[Patrick Medd]

Two things that may help?:

1. Warren Buffet’s maxim ‘You’re only saving money if you were going to buy it in anyway’

2. I happened to be reading a short book about Zen Buddhism today, one of the aims, it seems, is not frugality but sufficiency. Buy something of value and treasure it, use it for as long as you possibly can, let it become part of you, do not seek more than you need.

As a fellow sufferer on the road of GAS I offer these not as admonishments, but as ideals that I too am daily failing to live up too.
With best wishes for a successful GAS wrestling outcome-whatever that me be.

[Not THAT Ross Cameron]

LOL, as you’ve stated previously, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.
Say you bought it as NOS. Tried it, and then wanted to sell. What are used prices like? I haven’t looked so don’t know.
It may not be such a bargain by comparison.

Seeing the inverse in Australia in housing & cars. With supply chain issues, new cars take a very long time to deliver, so used cars are now in demand (we’ve been looking). For my budget, I’m about to buy a low Km 15 year old car, trading in on a 10 year old car. It’s crazy.

Housing peaked massively up until a month or two ago.
Great time to sell while values are up. And by comparison, awful time to buy, and yet interest rates are still very low - although now rising.

[SteveW]

I always enjoy seeing Charlie Brown's aaaaugh here at TOP. Lol.

[R. Edelman]

Just think about how much longer Canon will be willing and able to service it. I don't know myself, but maybe five or seven years?
But I agree, it's a great camera, even better at that price.

[Albert Smith]

I'm sure you could buy a buggy whip for half the price when it was clear that the horseless carriage was going to dominate the transportation mode of choice.

I already own a DSLR with killer lenses and can't make myself lug it around since mirrorless came into my life. If one in my brand came up for an equally good price and with me already having all the glass that I'd need, I'd still pass. Don't need two DSLRS collecting dust.

[Ken]

With prices going lower and lower on DSLRs, the used market for selling them is likely dead. If you buy it, it is yours to keep unless you want to sell it back for pennies on the dollar.

[JoeB]

Don't forget the extra couple of thousands for lenses! (but not all at once)

[RR]

Imagine the camera was second-hand, but had never been used. It went from $3900 to $1500 in 7 years, that's a 13% depreciation per year. It's not a very bad price, but it isn't a bargain either. At a more reasonable 18% depreciation per year, it would be at a smidgen under $1000 now. Then again, it's a shop selling it, and they still want to make a decent profit.
Electronics age, and the older the camera the sooner it will become difficult to repair. I believe it doesn't matter that much if it is 'new' old stock or if it has indeed been bought by someone and very lightly used.

[Rob de Loe]

I came very close today to buying a used Ricoh GR III today. I had a GR years ago and thought it was terrific, if limited. I still have large prints made with it on my wall.

Thankfully, the seller had committed to selling to someone else already. I say "thankfully" because I don't need it. All the reasons I quickly invented for why I really needed it were magical thinking. There's a reason I sold the first one, and that reason has not changed. I simply don't need it and won't use it if I buy it.

Stay strong (unless you have an actual problem for which it's a solution, in which case .... ).

[Patrick Perez]

As I mentioned in comments on a different post, I recently availed myself of a factory store sale-priced refurbished OM-D EM1 mkii for $450. I think that's a bigger fall from retail. What I received looks like NOS. As if They don't want to poison their full stock but needed cash from folks looking for bargains.

Patrick

[David Raboin]

Have you looked at Canon's EF 40mm pancake lens? That's all you'd need.

[William A Lewis]

Your argument in favor of that Canon sounds a lot like me when I'm looking at Nikon D610's on Ebay. It's especially hard for me to avoid since I already have a boatload of manual focus Nikkors I use on my D7100.

Good luck wrestling with that temptation. I'd advise at least two falls out of three ;)

[MikeR]

Does it have to be new, Mike?

Check out the used inventory at our friend Kirk's favorite camera store in Austin. Or look into what MPB has. Lots of low mileage items there.

DSLR's are going the way of the buggy whip.

[Peter Komar]

Mike, please stop with all these great teasers to spend our money 😃.
I mean really a Canon DSLR ? Big cameras big lenses, expensive lenses, yeah right sell all my SONY mirrorless stuff for first the OLMPUS OM1 now the Canon. How about a running a bakers dozen iPhone only contest or maybe you should take 3 iPhone photos a day, every day for 3 days, the 3 photos each day = 1 each using the 3 lenses. No more almost buying cameras, take pictures.

[Kodachromeguy]

No, don't bother. What will this achieve photographically that you can't do now? Especially if you do not make giant prints. Do you have Canon lenses? I'd suggest you revive your Fuji system.

[Ben Shugart]

Drop the phone and step away from the computer, Mike. It’s not worth it, man.

[Stephen S.]

The 6D II is half the megapixels, not half the resolution. The 6D II has roughly 73% of the resolution of the 5DS R.

[Peter Croft]

I'm always battling low level GAS, like you Mike, and I've been daydreaming about a new camera for some time. I have an OM-D E-M1 Mk1 and a few lenses, nothing special. But newer and better beckons, as always.

One thing keeps going round in my head: "No-one ever got fired for buying IBM." Substitute Canon and it's the same. Great cameras and the new R line looks good.

But I don't have any Canon lenses, whereas I have four which I could use immediately on a Sony body (one kit zoom and three Zeiss Contax G with Shoten AF adapter). So Sony looks more logical, and an APS-C sensor A6xxx beckons.

But who am I kidding? I used to carry a camera at all times but my phone does the job whenever I feel the need to take a picture now. Since the pandemic set in (I haven't caught it and I'm quad-vaxxed), I go out less and less, concentrating on photo books (historic family photos) and memoir writing. And wasting time on YouTube. I can't justify a new camera. Sigh.

[David Robinson]

To help you along :-) I'd be very interested (really) of a comparison between premium tech from then 2012 / 2015 and premium tech in that category from now. Ease of use to how much actual difference there is in quality of photograph and whatever else you think is worth a look.

[Arg]

Mike, do you know what you can get an A7R II for these days?

Same lens mount as your a6600....tempting.....

Miles better DR than the 5DS R... https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Canon%20EOS%205DS%20R,Sony%20ILCE-7RM2

[Andrew B]

Don't do it. Please. Spending $1500 on something you don't need is still a waste if $1500 however much it was reduced from.

[Jakob]

Mike, I don't understand - why not go for the used market?

I remember another commenter recently mentioned their sub-1000 purchase of a used D810. I'd say this is the best way to purchase cameras as a hobbyist at the moment; go for ~5 year old used high quality DSLR gear, ideally with a matching large market for used older lenses.

Nikon F DSLRs fit that perfectly. I myself bought a D810 for 500 Euros (heavily used at 300k shutter actuations) and had it serviced for 150 Euros. Looks as good as new and works perfectly. I use it mostly with old manual focus lenses that usually cost around 200 per lens - thanks to the lens compatibility, there's a huge back catalog flooding the used market.

[Bob Johnston]

Don't do it Mike. Most of us suffer from GAS from time to time but it's usually a waste of resources. What about lenses? You will need some top end glass to take advantage of the 50mp. If you don't already have them it's going to cost a whole lot more.
You will be buying into a dying system with more megapixels than you need. Think what you could do with that money to give yourself a life experience.

[Rob Campbell]

Don't do it

I've fought - am still fighting - the same spiritual battle with Nikon's D750 and Z5. This, because my D700 froze with its mirror in the up position, giving me a very expensive kind of paperweight. Nikon no longer supports it, and the Spanish importers say it can't be fixed without the missing factory support. Were the D700 still working, it was all the camera I needed. Those two aforementioned cameras are supposed to be possible replacements for it...

I had a lovely HP B9180 Pro A3+ printer that allowed me very nice black/white prints until, you guessed it, just as with the D700, the manufacturer deserted it and it became the de facto heaviest lump of crap in the office, where it lay, metamorphosing from object of love into focus of hatred.

As a result, I came to realise that amateur printing - much as with amateur photography - has no particular benefit to bestow upon the individual's life. It simply forms a secondary, would-be confirming part of a deeper, self-inflicted delusion, is but the extension of the prime deception, that as amateurs, we have something that we absolutely "need to express". In reality, nobody else (least of all other photographers) wants to know anything about what we shoot, and even less about what we print. Worse than the olde worlde slide-show, the poor viewer might even be expected to offer to buy a print, Lord save us! I have boxes of fine, Hahnemuehle prints that I once loved and admired, that I can no longer bear to look at, never mind face the upheaval of digging out of the cupboards, knowing that they will then have to be put right back again from whence they'd just been exhumed.

Realising all of this should make it easy to ignore the thorny subject of replacement cameras. Unfortunately, it still, periodically, leads to about two weeks of intense worrying about it, until common sense prevails and/or something truly important slips unbid into my life and gives me cause for genuine concern. My finger has hovered over the Buy button so often, but I guess that carelessly willing finger can't overcome the basic intelligence that whispers fool, no!

Ask yourself: how would your life be changed for the better if you bought that Canon? As Omar Khayyám might have remarked, that Canon might profit from such a move is neither here nor there.

[Chico Ruger]

What about lenses, Mike? Do you have the lenses for it?

[Rick Popham]

When the Nikon D850 drops to that extent, I might not be strong enough to resist (I have a good selection of appropriate Nikkors) -- even though I'm very happy with my m4/3 gear.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Canon being my anchor brand since forever, I eagerly rented a 5DS R when they were introduced. It’s basically a 5D III with a bigger file…and slightly less versatility. It was fine but didn’t bring anything new to the party. I passed on owning one, and eventually moved into the 5D IV.

Perhaps I’m biased because I’m currently selling my 5D IV and most of my remaining EF lenses this month. But I wouldn’t vote for this “deal”. Rent one if you really itch. But Canon has moved on to mirrorless with their terrific RF line. Better and more versatile in every dimension. If you’re going to genuinely invest in Canon give yourself a solid first step with a lightly-used R body.

[Albert Smith]

MikeR- Please note via the time stamp who made the DSLR=buggy whip analogy first. Great minds...😀

[Kirk]

After many years I have figured out the solution to the pain of G.A.S. Just buy everything you are interested in. All of it. Sure, you'll need extra outlets for all the battery chargers and you'll probably be three or four systems deep on lenses but then you won't have to make any choices.

But really? A DSLR? Seems like a play for becoming retro...

[John Krumm]

I really wish Canon and Nikon had made the leap like Pentax into IBIS DSLR bodies, because then I actually would think about buying one to keep around, and I suspect quite a few other people would too. I know people dismiss Pentax as a serious player, but they were smart with IBIS. Now people who downplayed it are enjoying it on mirrorless cameras and likely would not go back.

[Christopher May]

If you really wanted to go opposite of the iPhone, you could always go with a large format camera. That's about as far away from iPhoneography as one can get. I know a guy that has a really nice Wista:

https://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2020/10/sunday-support-group-score.html

It comes with a delightful little lens, too (just handled one of these gems yesterday, they're stunningly small and light!):

https://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2020/10/new-old-lens-for-the-wista.html

More fun than a chonky, old DSLR by a mile.

[Dillan]

"I'm still out on the ledge, to be frank. I've been reading reviews for two days."

Boy, do I know that feeling! Go spend a day playing pool. Get your mind off it for a while. Afterwards, you might be able to think about it more objectively. I don't think you need a new camera, especially not one from a different system. I bet you don't have any Canon lenses.

[Mike plews]

How is the Canon different from the D800 you couldn't seem to warm up to?.
50mp is not really a big jump from 36. Not being snarky just asking.
I get nasty outbreaks of GAS too. Right now it is for a large format Canon or Epson pigment printer.
I hate to put it this way but one thing about GAS is that it generally passes.

[Malcolm E. Leader]

I paid full price for my 5DsR and no regrets. I mostly do landscapes at ISO 200 and the results are incredibly good. I'm tempted to by a second body. I do print large (24X36) and results are wonderful.

[robert e]

That Sigma appears to have more sharpness than I'd ever need, or would know what to do with, and the bokeh is not bad at all. Is that the lens that rattles when it's off?

[James]

Why though. If you want a full frame Canon DSLR, you can buy one used for so little money.

Mike: Please explain this in a post. Why not buy a used camera? Is this a you thing? Or is it a general principle that should be applied. For my part, I have had plenty of success buying used. Have I been just lucky?

[Earl Dunbar]

Not printing large? Well, I’ve sorta been on a big kick and maybe a high MP camera (though I’ve never been a Canon fanboy, at least except for maybe the F1) would be fun. I mean, the big print of Peter’s bistrot in Paris, taken with my iPhone XS looked kinda good. Try it … you might like it.

[John McMillin]

The Pentax K-1 is considerably more compact that the Canon. It's available used for under a grand. As Mike surely knows, a with a couple of Limited primes, it's very easy to carry and handle. Mine feels like an improved version of my beloved Sony A850