5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by John Kim

Here's another review of the D800 and Mark 3... but more on their photography features.

John -- when posting a YouTube link, please just post the direct URL of the clip.
That way, it's automatically embedded into your post instead of appearing as an
off-site link. I've already edited your link above... thanks in advance,

[John Kim]

Sure. No Problem.

[John Kim]

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

The Walk With Me short film was OK with a nice 'feel' to it, especially the emotional close ups of the bonds between human and dog at the end.

David filmed the entire sequence with the lens wide open and I felt that the focus plane used was ultra thin throughout when it needn't have been in some scenes. What spoiled the film for me was the fact that the focus wasn't spot on in a lot of the tight shots.

I agree, it could've been more focused during the closeup shots.
But I liked the Nostalgic and dreamy take on it.
I think he just threw that together one weekend.
I don't think he was going for perfection.
Just testing to see what 5D3 is capable of.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

There are quite a few issues ongoing with the Mk3's so-called softness in images and video without the need for the added use of sharpening techniques to produce full quality video clips and still photos.

Bryan Carnathan of The-Digital-Picture has also opened a case with Canon on the problem:

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera Review

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

There are quite a few issues ongoing with the Mk3's so-called softness in images and video without the need for the added use of sharpening techniques to produce full quality video clips and still photos.

Bryan Carnathan of The-Digital-Picture has also opened a case with Canon on the problem:

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera Review

That's an issue with Canon's DPP software & nothing to do with video.

My experience with the camera the video image is that the 5D3 is at least as sharp as the 5D2 & can be enhanced with sharpening in post which would have been impossible with the 5D2.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

The need to actually sharpen every single video clip in post is also an issue, Nigel.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

The need to actually sharpen every single video clip in post is also an issue, Nigel.

It's not an issue if your happy with the image as it is without sharpening. It's not an issue for us either as when we edit we apply a filter of some sort to every single clip even if it's just a broadcast safe filter so adding a sharpen filter is hardly any extra work. If the footage is all 5D3 then in Premiere Pro you just take your sequence & make a nested sequence then you can apply the sharpen filter to the whole sequence as though it were one clip. It only takes a few seconds & I am sure that other NLEs have similar features. I really don't see how this is an issue for anyone. Nobody is just taking the clips straight out the camera they are always edited in some way even if they are not carefully balanced & graded.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

Never say 'nobody'...Life isn't clear cut and the world of photography and filming would be a boring place to be if everyone followed the same rules. :)

Chucking all your sequences together and applying the same strength filter across the board is not always desirable. Some of us have widely varying subject matter to film, and placing extra sharpening filter affects to one clip might not work or even be wanted in another clip.

Everybody has their own way of working with chosen subjects. It is up for each person to make up their own mind of how to work around the limitations of the Mark II, Mark III and D800. Of those three cameras, my preference is for the D800, although it is not clear cut and the Mk2 & Mk3 are slightly better than the D800 in some areas, and visa versa.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

A nice comparison review by Dan Chung on the Mk3 and D800:

DSLR News Shooter | Nikon D800

[Mikko Topponen]

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

Of those three cameras, my preference is for the D800, although it is not clear cut and the Mk2 & Mk3 are slightly better than the D800 in some areas, and visa versa.

I don't get it. For YEARS we've been complaining about aliasing and moire. It has ruined countless shots and caused headaches for thousands. Now Nikon comes out with the D800 which is basically the same as the 5d mark II but maybe 5% sharper. And that sharpness is aliased badly with exactly the same amount of moire as in the old 5d mark II.

And still people want to buy it over a camera that is almost exactly the same, but no aliasing? I don't get it.

The Mark III is a considerable improvement over the D800 just because the moire is completely gone. Also the IPB codec is still measurably better than the one on D800. The ALL-i though does seem to cause some problems.

So let's get this straight. The d800 is very slightly sharper. But it's WAY worse in low light and moire. I choose the latters as being more important.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

Mikko, I work with Canon, Nikon and Pentax equipment. Each have their plus & minus qualities in bodies, lenses and system, and is why I use what is best for my way of photographing and filming subjects. Nowhere have I said that the Canon or Nikon are THE best cameras, only that my preference between the two bodies is for the Nikon.

Moire patterns on jackets & walls ect rarely caused a problem for me with the Mk2, but fine rippling water sometimes did. In this respect, the D800 is better. The D800 also provides many advantages over the Mk3 in terms of both stills and video. Yes, the Mk3 is slightly better in low light and suprior when shooting walls and tweed jackets etc...but not enough reason for me to place it above the D800.

Let's not forget that in reality, most camcorders surpass the Mk3 and D800 in video handling and ease of use. DSLRs are, as we all know, 95% stills cameras with video an added bolt on. The huge benefit in my work to now carry only DSLR bodies over seperate bags of camcorders & DSLRs is mainly due to less weight, less bulk, and the added covenience of not needing to constantly swap between both to photograph and film the same subjects during expeditions.

I still use both Canon & Nikon, but, if I was forced to make a choice between the D800 or Mk3 for my combined stills & video work, then I'd hand back the Canon.

[Jon Fairhurst]

I'm with Mikko here.

When I shoot an 85mm interview and get the eyes in focus with the framing I like, shirt threads are right at the aliasing point and are exactly in the focus plane. Ugh. Same with five o'clock shadow. It's always in focus and looks like hard pixels. And most anything with detail that's in focus will start to dance when the camera moves.

Having the VAF is a breath of fresh air. Yes, it's softer, but much more filmic and pleasing to my eye. But it's a pain to install/remove, doesn't work on ultrawide shots (where everything is in focus), and has other side effects. OTOH, the 5D3 has the benefits without any of the downsides of the VAF.

But I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. After years of seeing too much aliasing, this beholder is glad that it's a thing of the past. :)

[Murray Christian]

That first video was hilarious. With all the Nikon bias gags they should have thrown a few about pronouncing it wrong though.
More of this sort of thing.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

Another Hi ISO range comparison test between D800 & Mark III:

Canon 5D Mark III & Nikon D800 ISO Range Test on Vimeo

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Cool review! Thanks for sharing.

Has anyone tested the uncompressed HDMI out from the D800? How good (or bad) is it?