Like to win a 5D Mark III?

BorrowLenses is celebrating their 5th anniversary with a contest for a brand new Nikon D800 or a Canon 5D Mark III.

Given my history of having the delivery date of my 5D Mark III postponed over and over again I might stand a better chance of winning one instead :-)

Canon EOS 5D Mark III (body only)

There's no turning back now - I've clicked the order button for my new Canon EOS 5D Mark III :-)

The availability of the 5D Mark III is more scarse than confirmed Yeti sightings, but there's a chance it willl ship on May 23th.

In reality I'm not that concerned with the shipping date since the outdoor showjumping and dressage season have started. The limitations of my old D70s were all related to poor lighting - and I won't need to shoot in those conditions until October when the indoor season starts.

This is by far the most expensive item I've ever purchased online, and I'm not even done shopping yet.

So far I've only ordered the body and a new Compact Flash (CF) card - The CF card I had in my Nikon  D70s was only 1GB. It held 178 NEFs which was sufficient for a "normal" day shooting horses, but the size of the RAW images in the 5D Mark III is just so much bigger that I would run out of space very fast.

Next stop on my shopping spree will be a lens, a protective lens filter and a SDHC card for the other slot in the camera.

The final item, for now, will be a backpack large enough to hold the camera with the lens attached, and possibly with room for D70s with it's kit lens.

I've finally decided on my next new camera - the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

My first DSLR was a Nikon D70s which I have now outgrown. I'm not a professional photographer, I'm not even an expert photographer, I'm more of a happy amateur that have bumped his head against the limitations and constraints of his current camera.

Initially I looked at the reviews of the Nikon D800 and D800e, but somehow I ended up looking at the 5D Mark III as well.

I knew I couldn't justify getting a D4 or a 1D X, but both the D800 and the 5D Mark III was within budget.

• Deciding on the new camera: Check
• Getting the wife to think it's necessary and not just nice to have: Check
• Getting it delivered: .....

The availability of the 5D Mark III at the moment is nothing to brag about, and very few shops will commit to a shipping date - I guess they are all just waiting for their ordered units to ship from Canon.

I'm placing my order today with the company I think has the new camera in store relatively shortly... and then I'm keeping my fingers crossed.