Possible time for a change. Sony / Canon / Nikon ????

[CAP]

Had a little accident on the weekend and dropped my Sony A700 with 5400HS flash fitted resultiing in destroying the mounting foot for the flash and smashing the LCD camera display.
Camera could have sustained more damage unnoticed at this stage so worse possible case scenario could be terminal. I"ll be chasing up repair quotes this week.
The 5400 HS is not really compatible with this camera in auto modes but I have had some pleasing results using full manual camera settings and throttling back the flash output to 1/2 or 1/4 etc. Guessing this older model flash, originally purchased for my 800si film camera, is unrepairable so looks like at I'll need to replace the flash with the newer sony model.
Although the A700 is a pretty handy piece of kit and has some decent features it really does suffer with noise at high ISO, the dreaded intermittent thumb wheel problems etc and a couple other little things that bug me from time to time.
Upshot of this whole ordeal is that now I am thinking of selling off all my Sony stuff rediculously cheap, bite the bullet, and get a whole new kit.
I have been a Minolta / Konica-Minolta / Sony user all my life so have had no experience with other brands
Current Sony offerings don't really look to have resolved the ISO issues so finally starting to look around at the other mobs.

Not wanting to go cheap but not wanting to go overboard either.
(thinking this lot below will cost a fair penny without being stupid)
What I am considering thus far along with reasoning etc
Canon 5D-MKlll - new and funky with all mod cons, reputed exceptional high ISO noise handling, solid and dependable (based on previous versions of this camera)
600-EX flash - top of the range flash that will more than compensate for my recent loss.
EF 24-105 f4L - Good quality everyday lens without going overboard and "L" series (interested to hear any opinions, good or bad, on this lens)
EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6L - Looks to cover the ranges I'm after, again "L" series (interested to hear any opinions, good or bad, on this lens)
Sigma 10-20 f3.5 - I have this lens in my current line up and am more than happy with it

Have only looked into Canon at this time because I know a few with this gear, Also happy to look into "that other brand" but don't have any familiarity with it.
So if any of you Nikon users can suggest something equivalent to above and within a realistic price range, Im more than happy to consider.

[Boo53]

Have you had a look at the A77. I think you would be very impressed. I only have the A65 in the DSLT but I'm very happy with it. Feels great in the hand, controls are in very easily reached locations and quite intuitive.

Noise reduction has improved since the A700, and depending on how often you want to shoot low light the "hands held twilight mode" gives a very good result at the equivalent of iso12600 with no discernible noise.

Also, the A99 (or whatever its going to be designated) FF body is supposed to be released later this month

[Bennymiata]

If you're looking for something with excellent high ISO performance, your choice is very wise, as is the choice of lenses (I have all of these lenses except the Sigma 10-20, where I use a Tokina 11-16 F2.8).

The 24-105 is an excellent everyday lens and I love my 100-400.
They are all very solid and dependable choices IMHO.

I'm saving up now for a 5D3 myself.

[Xebadir]

What I am considering thus far along with reasoning etc
Canon 5D-MKlll - new and funky with all mod cons, reputed exceptional high ISO noise handling, solid and dependable (based on previous versions of this camera)
600-EX flash - top of the range flash that will more than compensate for my recent loss.
EF 24-105 f4L - Good quality everyday lens without going overboard and "L" series (interested to hear any opinions, good or bad, on this lens)
EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6L - Looks to cover the ranges I'm after, again "L" series (interested to hear any opinions, good or bad, on this lens)
Sigma 10-20 f3.5 - I have this lens in my current line up and am more than happy with it

Have only looked into Canon at this time because I know a few with this gear, Also happy to look into "that other brand" but don't have any familiarity with it.
So if any of you Nikon users can suggest something equivalent to above and within a realistic price range, Im more than happy to consider.

First point, given the 5DMkIII is a full frame your 10-20 F3.5 will unfortunately only work on crop mode for that camera. A good alternative for similar range on the Canon is a 17-40 F4L or the 16-35 F2.8L. Price wise you might need to look at sigma offerings if you need to get lower than on manufacturer. A big question to ask yourself is do you need all that focal length in the 100-400 and weigh up your options from there - the 70-200 F4 IS is brilliant.

Ok - A great equivalent Nikon wise is the following team -
Nikon D700 (you can pick these up quite reasonably - if you wanted HDSLR video you would probably need to look at D800 for full frame - with a lower price than the canon, or D7000 for crop)
24-120 F4 VRII - solid midrange zoom.
16-35 F4 VR is a great option with a similar FOV to your 10-20.
Moderate Price - 70-300 F4-5.6 VR, great little lens with the length, decent AF and VR - its never going to give you the snap of a 70-200 but does a good job and won't set you back too much.
Higher Price - 80-400 F4.5-5.6VR, I haven't heard the greatest things about the lens and apparently it is in line for replacement this year.

That should give you some reading material .

[CAP]

Quote to fix the A700 came in and is probably more than what the camera is worth so now getting serious about the new camera.
Didn't help hearing that Sony is about to ditch 1,000's of jobs because they've lost billions of dollars recently, so has made the decision easier.

Pretty much settling on the 5D Mk3 with 24-105 f4.0, 100-400 f4.5-5.6 and 600 EX flash.
Agree that the 10-20 Siggy wont work on this camera so will look for UWA options later on.

[arthurking83]

Yeah Siggy will not work at all on the 5DIII, but can work in crop mode on say a Nikon full frame camera.

On a Canon, a roughly equivalent lens is the Canon 17-40, with a slightly narrower FOV at the wide end, or alternatively for under $1K you may be able to find a Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 II for wideangle work.

As Boo mentioned, I'd be inclined to wait until the A99 is announced too.
Sony have had a good reputation for releasing cheaper priced full frame cameras than the other two.(probably explains the six billion dollar losses! )

[rodw]

As a former Minolta user, I went to a Nikon film body before the digital SLRs really got going. I am waiting for my D800 to arrive. I don't think you would choose the D700 over the Canon 5D MK3 unless you wanted to save $1k or so.

Given that you have broken your camera, I'd say the decision has been made for you as you will be waiitng months to get a D800 whereas I think the Canon 5D MK3 is much more readilly available. I played with it briefly at a pre-release function and it is a very nice camera to hold and use. I think their latest flash you are looking at is controlled by radio not using optical so it is more flexible off camera as it does not need to see the camera.

If you do change your mind, I think Xebadir has pretty much nailed the equivelant Nikon lenses but you could consider the non-VR 17-35 F2.8 which I have which will be cheaper than the 16-35 F4 VR variant.

If you did choose Nikon and started with the D700, you'd save a fair bit of cash you could put towards another lens which could be the 24-70 F2.8 or the 70-200 F2.8 VRII (which with a 2x teleconverter would get you to 400mm with amazing results - and maybe skip the 70-300!).

Either way you go, I am sure you won't be dissappointed.

[CAP]

Have gone for the Canon option as listed above, less the Sigma lens, think it's the best fit for me.
Thanks for your opinions everyone.
Will be a few Sony lens and accessories on cmera market soon for anyone that's interested.