Advice would be much appreciated!

[Jon Meddings]

I have a much loved and much beaten up Canon !Ds III with a nice assortment of Canon lenses. I am very happy with the camera and have patiently been waiting for a Canon replacement. I've seen the furor over no replacement body and have really ignored it as it hasn't seemed to matter much to me.  I'm happy with what I've got.

Now the issue that is arising for me is the need for a backup camera.  I have 1.2 million shutter actuations on this beast and am off in January on a remote photo shoot.  I do mostly landscape stuff with about 10% people/animals/moving stuff.

Ideally, I'd love to replace the 1Ds with a newer one and use the old one as backup. However, that is not an option right now.  Here's the options I've considered and would love some advice about:

1. Sony 7ar with an adapter to use the Canon lenses.  Pro's - some increase in resolution, lighter.  Con's - manual focusing but OK for landscape.

2. Canon 5D III - same lenses, same resolution, a bit lighter

In either case I've also wondered about taking the 1Ds in and preemptively replacing shutter assembly and any other replaceable moving parts.

Any words of wisdom from this knowledgeable crowd?

[NancyP]

I am just an amateur, but if you are considering the 5D3 and are not needing fancy autofocus or high framerate, consider also the 6D. The 6D RAW image files are as good as (identical to) the 5D3 files, the high ISO performance is very nice, the 11 point autofocus operates to -1 EV, the live view is very good. For those who have good Canon lenses, the 6D does what you want a landscape camera to do. I like the ergonomics of SLRs. The Sony wasn't out at the time I bought the 6D, so I only considered the 6D vs the 5D3. Perhaps the clinching point was the PRICE, which enabled me to add a clean used Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 to my lens lineup.

People starting from scratch should look at the Nikon D800/810.

[Fine_Art]

You might want to test the A7r's focus peaking to see if it will be compatible with how you work. Sony's live view is pretty good.

[SecondFocus]

I replace my Canon bodies when I need to move up for one reason or another. Not just because there is a new model. My latest move was two 5DMkIII bodies. And in my opinion, if you are happy with your 1DSMkIII images you will be very happy with the 5DMkIII and appreciative of the lighter weight. And you will be very happy with the battery life, smaller batteries and smaller battery charger.

[capital]

  I'm happy with what I've got.

Now the issue that is arising for me is the need for a backup camera. 

... am off in January on a remote photo shoot. 

Any words of wisdom from this knowledgeable crowd?

Not sure if it is wisdom, but have you considered Renting a camera for the period of time needed?

[pluton]

Canon 6D...no brainer.
Canon is seriously overdue for new, modern sensors in a new or updated 24x36 camera.  All eyes are aimed to the big Photokina trade show in September for an announcement from Canon.
Save as much $$$ as possible for that camera.  Plus, the 6D will continue to function as an excellent, compact, low-investment spare body for many years to come.
One would be insane to go on an expensive location shoot with only one body, even if it was brand new.

[Jon Meddings]

Thanks for all the advice so far folks.  I will consider the 6D but must say I am intrigued with the Son A7r and the metabones IV adaptor!

[Paulo Bizarro]

Well, does "remote location" means challenging weather and/or shooting conditions for the camera? If yes, then it is best to get another 1D series camera, why not another 1DSIII?

The 5DMKIII has robust construction, so that would suit you too. As for the 6D, it is not as robust in terms of construction.

[Ellis Vener]

Canon 5D Mark III.
The Sony A7r + Metabones adapter is very tempting - cool new toys always are - but before you go that route ask yourself if you really need or just want  more pixels to start with and whether that want or need matches what your real world needs are for your clients (assuming you do work for clients).

I suspect that which ever new camera you buy will quickly become your primary camera and your workhorse 1Ds Mark III will quickly become the back up camera. That certainly happened with me going from the 1Ds Mark III to a 1D X as a primary camera.

While the EOS-1Ds Mark III and EOS-5D Mark III have the same capture resolution, the 5D MkIII improvements in autofocus, live view functionality, usable ISO range, and user interface are significant, and of course it has a video option. 

[NancyP]

Come to think of it, a 5D3 would quickly become a primary camera and your 1D3 the backup. I would go for the 5D3 as a long-term primary camera, as it is more versatile than 6D (due to better AF) and more ruggedly built. A 6D was the right (everything but birding) primary camera for me, matching my 60D birding/macro camera in build and layout. I am an amateur and am gentle on the equipment (no extreme environments), so consumer-grade build is good enough for me. I don't have a client breathing down my neck for an event job, so back-up isn't crucial.

[Jon Meddings]

Once again thanks to Nancy and Ellis - good points both of you.  I understand the angst between need and want when it comes to pixels but boy sometimes for landscape it sure would be nice!

The 5DIII does sound intriguing.  I guess the other factor in my decision is that my wife shoots with a 5DII.  A III might be a good primary camera for me for a year or so until the 1D landscape becomes more clear and then it becomes primary for her.  I am loathe to invest 1D amounts of dollars in either a 1DX or replacement 1DsIII with replacements for these beasts rumored to be near.....

[george2787]

If you are so happy with the 1ds3 you can get another... Exact same camera, you only need to pack one charger, alredy know the files and how to get what you want out of them. Plus they are crazy cheap at the secondhand market!

[Hans Kruse]

I have a much loved and much beaten up Canon !Ds III with a nice assortment of Canon lenses. I am very happy with the camera and have patiently been waiting for a Canon replacement. I've seen the furor over no replacement body and have really ignored it as it hasn't seemed to matter much to me.  I'm happy with what I've got.

Now the issue that is arising for me is the need for a backup camera.  I have 1.2 million shutter actuations on this beast and am off in January on a remote photo shoot.  I do mostly landscape stuff with about 10% people/animals/moving stuff.

Ideally, I'd love to replace the 1Ds with a newer one and use the old one as backup. However, that is not an option right now.  Here's the options I've considered and would love some advice about:

1. Sony 7ar with an adapter to use the Canon lenses.  Pro's - some increase in resolution, lighter.  Con's - manual focusing but OK for landscape.

2. Canon 5D III - same lenses, same resolution, a bit lighter

In either case I've also wondered about taking the 1Ds in and preemptively replacing shutter assembly and any other replaceable moving parts.

Any words of wisdom from this knowledgeable crowd?

I used a 1Ds mkIII for 5 years and liked the camera very much. I have used now 2 5D mkIII bodies for about 1-2 years and the 1Ds III is now phased out. It's still a great camera. The 5D III does everything the 1Ds III did and more despite the 1Ds III was built better. The 5D III is an amazing camera and the best designed DSLR in my opinion without having the size of the 1Ds III. It's a very fast camera that works with anything you need. So I can definitely recommend to go for 1 5D III. The resolution is even slightly higher. The pixel level quality is a bit higher than the 1Ds III (and the 5D II). It does as the 1Ds III need the optimal exposure to give the best quality.