I know the 5DMK3 is photography camera first but I was still a little disappointed with the lack of a swivel screen. I am really now unsure on which way to go 5DMK2 or 5DMK3 or just save like mad for C300. What puts me off the 5DMK2 is the fact that it needs CF Cards which are £55+ each and you always need about 10.

The 5DMK3 takes SD Cards which are only £18 each which works out as £360. My mind is spinning is the 5DMK3 worth it at more that double the price?

You're comparing a product at the end of its life (when the price will have dropped) with its replacement. It becomes worth it if the new camera overcomes many of the issues that the 5DmkII has when shooting video. Probably less so if you're mostly shooting stills and the video issues are of less significance to you.

The C300 is very different animal, so probably can't be compared, perhaps the FS 100 is a closer beast at about $1.5k more expensive.

I know the 5DMK3 is photography camera first but I was still a little disappointed with the lack of a swivel screen. I am really now unsure on which way to go 5DMK2 or 5DMK3 or just save like mad for C300...

Tariq -

I would personally not buy the MK2 at this point. Its shortcomings for video are well documented - and the MK3 fixes most of them.

Yes, the 5DMK3's lack of a swivel screen is disappointing, and for GH2 shooters like me, so is its lack if an EVF - so why not just get the MK3 and mount a SmallHD 4" monitor/EVF on top? I couldn't find one at Amazon UK, but at Amazon US, they are $745.

Of course, by the time you add the price of the MK3 to importing the SmallHD, you may as well get a £4700 Sony FS100.

Either way, a lot easier than eating cornflakes for dinner for a year whilst saving up for a C300 :-)

Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution (http://hybridcamerarevolution.blogspot.com)

P.S. - by the way, mods, is it time to change the title of the forum to something like "Canon EOS Full Frame for HD" or "Canon EOS 5D Mk. II and III for HD"?

I have spoken to a lot of people who use the MKII for video and yes the 5DMKIII does fix those issues butif there was an upgrade to fix those issues for £1500 would they pay? I am not too sure they would.

The price just seems to be a bit crazy.

Do we know if the MkIII will avoid the overheating problem? My T2i overheats after about 45 minutes of constant recording. But my T3i has not overheated yet. I know some speculate that the rotating screen of the T3i may factor in to that.

I have the MK2 and it does not overheat like the other Canons seem to do. If you search here on DVinfo, you can confirm that.

The 12 minute limit is a minor annoyance compared to the lack of focus and exposure assist on the 5Dmk2 and that is not fixed in the mk3. Also, they didn't fix the screen changing standard def during recording either. That makes it difficult to judge/adjust exposure or focus using the LCD. You have these conversations in your head: "wait... the subject moved a little, is he still in focus? Rats... I can't tell....the exposure seems off...click click... darn, that's in the soundtrack now". Those are significant issues that don't seem to be fixed in the MK3.

At the price of the MK3 plus the basic additional stuff you'll want for video, there are IMHO alternatives which in my book seem better. If I didn't need the stills, I wouldn't have it at all.

Since you are price sensitive to the point that the cost of media is an issue, it's an expensive base for a kit that will need additional investment as as has been noted by others to solve the above shortcomings ... not to mention a shoulder rig etc. YMMV

Well from a guy that just bought a 5dm2 two weeks ago, I am in between on whether to upgrade. Here are my thoughts:

-I completely agree with you Tariq, the lack of the swivel screen is my only disappointment of the mk3. There are others that are disappointed with other things. I think they are not being reasonable and looking at the camera for what it is. It is a photography camera first, that has a video feature. The bottom-line is if they come out with everything that people want it to do, A. it will not be affordable to its target demographic and B. it will hurt other products that they offer. I think it is a very solid upgrade from the mk2.

-However, I think for me it is something I may get but not immediately. First being that I just upgraded to the mk2 knowing that this was around the corner. Secondly some of the things that were fixed can be achieved with magic lantern. I know many still will not use ML but it is a good program that continues to get more and more stable. Also, the addition of 720/60 fps is great but that can be accomplished with the t3i. I do like the fact that it has a silent dial feature on it. This has been overlooked but is a great feature. When you are shooting/recording you can adjust iso, aperture, shutter or audio levels without getting the clicks in the camera's audio. I think thats really cool for run and gun stuff when you are using the audio from the cam. I think the only thing that will make me upgrade quicker than next year is IQ. The main reason I bought the 5d is for the superior IQ to the t3i/t2i. From a couple of videos that I have seen, it hasn't blown me away. I hear the moire and aliasing is all but eliminated. However, I would like to see some more test and real world applications before dropping $3500. So I do believe I will one day upgrade, but I do want to see this cinema dslr that they hint of. The only thing is that could be maybe a year or two off. Remember everybody thought the 5d was about a year or two late. I think the biggest decider between the 2 is price. The difference between the two is about an L series lens, lol. One is $3499 the other wil be around $2100 after price drop. I think the 5dmk2 at $2k is a steal. So if you have the money I WOULD definitely get the better camera the 5dmk3. But the C300 is way out of my budget and I have no need for it for what I do. I would like to play with one, but I can get too many other things for $16,000. Unless your doing broadcast stuff or work for the big screen, I think it's overkill for web or dvd deliveries.

If you're not tied to Canon because of your lenses, the Nikon D800 may be the camera you should also be considering at the moment.

Hi Brian,
i am about to delve into the DSLR for video market, I have three nice Nikkor SLR lenses and was going to buy the 5D mkiii, however i was surprised at the £3k price point - the D800 is around £600 cheaper, why would you recommend the D800 - is it essentially just a 'bang for buck' scenario?

Incidentally I will be using the DSLR camera for music video, experimental shorts and will use my JVC - hm700 for doc work

It's early days, but if you've got the Nikkor glass I'd be comparing how the the new Nikon performs for video. It seems to have a clean HDMI out, which might be worthwhile for some people. Although it mightn't be so good at low light because of those extra pixels.

I don't think it likely that you will see an articulated screen on a rugged weather-proofed professional stills camera. The screen would get snapped off or the hinge would allow water or dust into the body. It's too much of a point of weakness & any way Live View isn't much favoured by photographers.

As I recall the original price of the 5DII back in 2008 was about £2250 so the MkIII isn't that much of a price hike.

I am disappointed with the bizarre CF + SD configuration on the 5DIII. I would much prefer dual CF like the 1DX. CF are more robust & faster so you can unload files quicker than SD.

The 5DIII is on paper a fantastic upgrade for anyone currently using a 5DII for video. I was about to order a 1DX but it looks like the only big advantage for that model for video is even better low light performance. As the 5DIII is supposed to have improved low light capability compared to the 5DII (which is already amazing) I may be better spending my money on two 5DIIIs rather than a single 1DX.

As I recall the original price of the 5DII back in 2008 was about £2250 so the MkIII isn't that much of a price hike.
The original U.S. price for the 5DII in 2008 was $3299. The 5DIII price of $3499 doesn't really seem out of line; that is 6% higher.

I was a happy early buyer in 2008, and that price held for a long time; I don't remember how long, but probaly a year and a half. There wasn't anything else close to its performance at that price point. Today with more drect competition the $3499 may not hold as long. But I'll probably buy early again; the added capability for stills with much better auto focus and a stop or two in low light, plus the improved codec and less rolling shutter for video are big advancements for me. I also shoot quite a bit of 720p60 so I like this new capability for the 5D.

Charles, I paid $2,699 USD in early December, 2008. As I recall, that was the original price. For an additional $800, it included the kit lens.

The price of the 5D3 is a bit higher than I had expected or hoped.

Also, they didn't fix the screen changing standard def during recording either. That makes it difficult to judge/adjust exposure or focus using the LCD.

Sorry Les, but I think that you are wrong on this point. The M3 now does HD output via HDMI (though not a clean signal) when recording. This is a big fix on the M3.

I had budgeted to get a 1Dx this year, but will now get two 5DM3's instead.

Daniel Weber

Does the 5dMK3 shoot at higher frame rates?
if not, I think the Nikon D800 won this battle

The 5D2 does 720p60. It's not the 1080p60 that we would like, but it's better than the 30p limitation of the Mark II.

Charles, I paid $2,699 USD in early December, 2008. As I recall, that was the original price. For an additional $800, it included the kit lens.

The price of the 5D3 is a bit higher than I had expected or hoped.
Yep, I went back and checked what I paid; $2,699 on 12/2/2008.

And then I found someone who didn't want the kit lens they bought, and I got a nice discount on that.

Do we know if the MkIII will avoid the overheating problem? My T2i overheats after about 45 minutes of constant recording. But my T3i has not overheated yet. I know some speculate that the rotating screen of the T3i may factor in to that.The 5DII was never prone to overheating. we have owned two of them for over three years & I have seen the warning once when it was left on a tripod in full sun in 35C/100F summer heat in the South of France, The T2i/550D is notorious for overheating & to a lesser extent the 7D.

I had budgeted to get a 1Dx this year, but will now get two 5DM3's instead.Until the 5DIII was announced I was dead set on getting a 1DX but now it appears that all of the great new features on the 1DX (better CODEC, electronic level, 720p, no moire or aliasing etc) are all appearing on the 5DIII at half the price. The 1DX is supposed to have even better low light performance & does have dual CF slots rather than the CF+SD arrangement of the 5DIII. The 1DX is even more rugged & weatherproofed. I am struggling to find any more differentiating features that would matter for video.

*Possible* 1DX advantages:
- lower noise (from the higher-end sensor)
- less rolling shutter skew (from the dual channel readout and dual chips)

5D3 advantage:
- headphone jack.
- lower price

Nigel,
One advantage of having the dual card slot with the sd is that you can use the wifi sd cards to tether to an ipad. Its a slick setup for photographers.
D8000 vs mark III reports are that the canon's image quality is better than the nikon with a variable 91Mbit. From everything I've read the uncompressed video doesn't look to really be uncompressed, just a marketing gimmick. But time will tell.
I think most video guys eventually get a monitor, so having a swivel screen is best left up to manufacturers that can do it right, with scopes and focus peeking features, etc.

I found it strange that the Canon 1DX does not have a headphone jack, yet the 'cheaper' Mark III does.

On the subject of over-heating, I've never had a 5D Mk2 body overheat during a variety of expeditions worldwide in different extreme environments.

I was also hoping to see a DX & FX framing option in the Mark III similar to the D4 and D800 bodies. The option to quickly increase the pull on a telephoto lens for long-distance filming without having to change lenses or carry extra-heavy optics, is a big plus factor.

I am really now unsure on which way to go 5DMK2 or 5DMK3 or just save like mad for C300. What puts me off the 5DMK2 is the fact that it needs CF Cards which are £55+ each and you always need about 10.

I don't know what you're filming , but I have 5 x 32Gb CF cards and it's over 8 Hrs of footage, do you really need more than that?
I am also not sure which way to go, 5DIII is a slight disappointmet to me, i wanted 1080 60p, flip monitor, clean HDMI, so I guess for me it'll be FS100, or maybe FS300 after NAB, I don't know;
Tariq, if you even consider C300 as an option and ready to invest over $15K into your camera , do some research around RED scarlet, but I want to tell you, it's not a video camera as we know it "by any stretch of imagination" like one public person used to say :),
it is a real cinema tool.

Sorry Les, but I think that you are wrong on this point. The M3 now does HD output via HDMI (though not a clean signal) when recording. This is a big fix on the M3.

I thought my post was clear I was talking about the built-in LCD screen and not an attached HDMI field monitor. Are you saying the M3 LCD stays in HD mode while recording?

Nigel,
One advantage of having the dual card slot with the sd is that you can use the wifi sd cards to tether to an ipad. Its a slick setup for photographers.
D8000 vs mark III reports are that the canon's image quality is better than the nikon with a variable 91Mbit. From everything I've read the uncompressed video doesn't look to really be uncompressed, just a marketing gimmick. But time will tell.
I think most video guys eventually get a monitor, so having a swivel screen is best left up to manufacturers that can do it right, with scopes and focus peeking features, etc.

I haven't seen any testing comparing the two yet. Do you have some links you can share?

I have an XHA1 that I would like to sell and use the money for a 5DMK3 or 2. I have 5 weddings in April so really would like one before then.

SD Card, Audio Levels, Headphone Jack, and better in low light is that enough? It's so hard to call. The price of CF Cards scares me as I already own 16 SD Cards for my t3i. Please help me decide! I can just about afford the 5DMK3 if I sell the XHA1.

I have an XHA1 that I would like to sell and use the money for a 5DMK3 or 2. I have 5 weddings in April so really would like one before then.

SD Card, Audio Levels, Headphone Jack, and better in low light is that enough? It's so hard to call. The price of CF Cards scares me as I already own 16 SD Cards for my t3i. Please help me decide! I can just about afford the 5DMK3 if I sell the XHA1.

Tariq... If you've got your workflow set, and the cost of CF cards is an issue, I'd wait till after April to switch. What's the rush?

The 5D2 does 720p60. It's not the 1080p60 that we would like, but it's better than the 30p limitation of the Mark II.
I've tried upconverting 720p60 from my Canon XF100 to 1080p60 with virtualdub and the plugin from from Infognition. Sort of a poor man's 1080p60. It actually works pretty well - not like the sharp native 1080 from XF cameras, but definately better than 720. I'd compare it to about what you get native from a 5DII.

I've tried this with 720p60 from my GoPro, and there is really no improvement from 720. So my conclusion had been that you need very high quality 720p60 to successfully upconvert, and when I noticed the 5DIII has 720p60 I've wondered if this would work.

If you're interested used the virtualdub plugin What is super-resolution (http://www.infognition.com/articles/what_is_super_resolution.html). DON'T use their stand along Video Enhancer product - at least I couldn't get it to do a decent job with 720 to 1080.

I haven't seen any testing comparing the two yet. Do you have some links you can share?

Steve, doing more research looks like its still up in the air.

"At this stage all I know is that the signal is a 1080i one that supposedly outputs at 8 bit at 4:2:2. "
DSLR News Shooter | Nikon D4 (http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/category/nikon-d4/)

"The Ninja implements Apple ProRes in hardware to give you real-time, 10-bit recording anytime, anywhere."
Press Release - February 2012 (http://www.atomos.com/press/articles/press004-NikonD4.xml)

Nothing confirmed about moire or jello or resolution.

I have an XHA1 that I would like to sell and use the money for a 5DMK3 or 2. I have 5 weddings in April so really would like one before then.

SD Card, Audio Levels, Headphone Jack, and better in low light is that enough? It's so hard to call. The price of CF Cards scares me as I already own 16 SD Cards for my t3i. Please help me decide! I can just about afford the 5DMK3 if I sell the XHA1.

If you have 5 weddings in one month, you could afford to buy 2 Mk3s. But do you need it, or just want it ?? Personally, I would stick with the equipment you have, If you are getting the work, and everyone is happy, why change ? So many in this game have to have the latest and greatest, waiting from the moment they purchase a camera for its "supposed" upgrade to come along. Its what the whole electronics industry depends on. Any camera I have ever purchased spends a minimum of 3 years working for me. If we were all to rush out and buy the latest cams, there would be no profit at the end of the year. The XHA1 is still a very useable camera, capable of producing stunning footage.

Are the SanDisk Secure Digital High Capacity Card Extreme Video HD 16GB cards good enough to record 1080p video from the 5DMK3?

The main 2 reasons I am buying a 5DMK3 are 1 because it's 2 stops better and 2 I dont have to go and buy a bunch of CF Cards as I have so many SanDisk ones.

Thanks

The main 2 reasons I am buying a 5DMK3 are 1 because it's 2 stops better
I'm sorry, what does that mean?

I believe he is referring to the 5D MKIII documented low light capability is 2f stops better than the previous 5D2 model. If you shot at 800 ISO max now you can go to 3600 ISO and still be just as clean noise wise.

I like this feature too, I am just a tiny bit concerned about the resolution not being that great. All of the videos they are letting out and none have been 1080p All-I. So I am still on the fence a little and wondering if I should cancel my pre-order. $3500 is a lot of money to me.

Are the SanDisk Secure Digital High Capacity Card Extreme Video HD 16GB cards good enough to record 1080p video from the 5DMK3?...

Tariq - if you're talking about this card, with an advertised 30MB/s read/write speed, you should be fine.

Canon USA says (http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2012/5d3_hd_video_features.shtml):

HD 50 fps or 60 fps recording places the greatest demands on memory card speed, especially during ALL-I recording. Required read/write speed during HD 720p ALL-I recording for CF cards is 30 MB/sec; for SD cards, 14MB/sec..

Please et us know how your new Mark III works out when you get it.

Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution (http://hybridcamerarevolution.blogspot.com)

I believe he is referring to the 5D MKIII documented low light capability is 2f stops better than the previous 5D2 model. If you shot at 800 ISO max now you can go to 3600 ISO and still be just as clean noise wise.

wow, that would be awesome, need to test that as soon as it's available

Apologies for the poor original post, but yes the 5D MKIII documented low light capability is 2f stops better than the 5D2. I will be placing my order today. I charge around £850 per event so after 4 events the camera should pay for itself and hopefully by my main tool for the next 2-3 years.

I believe he is referring to the 5D MKIII documented low light capability is 2f stops better than the previous 5D2 model. If you shot at 800 ISO max now you can go to 3600 ISO and still be just as clean noise wise.I am sure that is just a typo but that should be ISO3200. As we are already happy shooting at ISO3200 with the 5DII (provided it's correctly exposed) that means we could be shooting at ISO12800 & thus shooting at F/2.8 rather than F/1.4 which will make it easier keeping the scene in focus.

I believe he is referring to the 5D MKIII documented low light capability is 2f stops better than the previous 5D2 model.
All the pixel peepers on the stills sites seem to be saying they see a 2/3 stop improvement. Do you know where the 2 stops is documented?

It was from all of the original canon video reviews. I also saw it the evening of the launch by a original canon engineer/representative. He said that it was 2 stops cleaner, and made the comparison that I gave ISO800 = ISO3200 now in cleanliness. If you want just do a search on vimeo about canon mkIII reviews and you should find it. It was most of them telling what the benefits over the 5d2 were. I am headed out but I can look them up again if you need me to.

I am sure that is just a typo but that should be ISO3200. As we are already happy shooting at ISO3200 with the 5DII (provided it's correctly exposed) that means we could be shooting at ISO12800 & thus shooting at F/2.8 rather than F/1.4 which will make it easier keeping the scene in focus.

Yes it was a TYPO! Thanks for the correction!

The 2/3 stop is coming from pixel peepers on the dpreview forum - but in looking at this it is for RAW photos. The balance of the 2 stops that Canon talked about is from improved noise processing, and is available with JPEG and video. So yes, it looks like we should be seeing really good low light performance with video.

That makes sense, I just read something about that too. The only thing that I saw that put me slightly on the fence is because people were talking about it being a tad softer than the 5d2. But after explanations about 5d2 having faux sharpening from camera processing and the 5d3 being able to sharpen lines to 1px wide I kept the preorder. We will see!

I placed my order yesterday; the good news is the camera should arrive by the 16th! Of course my deposit is refundable so I won't be picking up till I have seen some reviews online. If I am happy I will go in and pay the reminder and if not it's a 5DMK2 for me! Please canon doesn’t let me down, I have held off buying the 5DMK2 for over a year and half waiting for this.

This looks nice.

5DMKIII very quick video 3/3. Patrick Bonetta on Vimeo

My 5DMK3 should be ready to be picked up this week and am still so nervous.

What is spinning round my mind is should I buy the 5MK3 body only or for the same price
5DMK2 + 24-70mm f/2.8L and 9x32GB Transcend CF Cards?

I already have a 35mm 1.4 Samayung.

The deposit is refundable...I was thinking about waiting till over the weekend as more reviews may be out then.

Tariq, dont depend on reviews, they are simply an opinion that one person has of a piece of equipment. Handy to get a general idea of whats on offer. The only way to see if something is for you, is to test it out for yourself. Would you really buy a relatively expensive camera on the say of somebody else ? Why not wait a while and hire one for a weekend, and test the hell out of it. Satisfy yourself fully before you buy. You have good enough equipment to fulfill your current obligations, why rush, hell, there is bound to be something better out in the near future. If you need it, buy it, but never on somebody elses say so.

Where have you ordered you 5DMK3 from? When you said that it would arrive by the 16th I assumed that you meant the 16th April. As far as I know while stores may receive stock before the date Canon have embargoed all sales until 22nd March.

The 5DMK3 is better in so many ways compared to the 5DMK2. It would be a mistake that you will regret if you were to buy into old technology. I am not a big fan of the 24-70mm F/2.8L lens & with the improved low light capability of the 5DMK3 will be using the 24-105mm F/4L IS which comes as the kit lens at a good price. If you buy a 5DMK3 you will probably be able to pick up the 24-105mm F/4L IS cheap as many people buy the body with kit lens & then sell the lens.

My 5DMK3 should be ready to be picked up this week and am still so nervous.

What is spinning round my mind is should I buy the 5MK3 body only or for the same price
5DMK2 + 24-70mm f/2.8L and 9x32GB Transcend CF Cards?

I already have a 35mm 1.4 Samayung.

The deposit is refundable...I was thinking about waiting till over the weekend as more reviews may be out then.

Tariq,

I have been using the 5D mk2 for 2.5 years and I have rarely been disappointed in any aspect of it. For the price, it is a phemomenal camera with very few drawbacks. I absolutely love the camera. It has done many incredible things, without the slightest problems. Over 20,000 video files shot through it. That being said, as I look at the upgrades, and would buy the Mark 3, without question. But that's me.

Where have you ordered you 5DMK3 from? When you said that it would arrive by the 16th I assumed that you meant the 16th April. As far as I know while stores may receive stock before the date Canon have embargoed all sales until 22nd March.

The 5DMK3 is better in so many ways compared to the 5DMK2. It would be a mistake that you will regret if you were to buy into old technology. I am not a big fan of the 24-70mm F/2.8L lens & with the improved low light capability of the 5DMK3 will be using the 24-105mm F/4L IS which comes as the kit lens at a good price. If you buy a 5DMK3 you will probably be able to pick up the 24-105mm F/4L IS cheap as many people buy the body with kit lens & then sell the lens.

Jessops, I would like to look at the 24-105 on the 5DMK3 as the lens will effectively be a 24-105 f.2.8 on the 5DMK3 because of the extra 2 stop advantage the 5DMK3 brings us. Having a lens that versatile will be a massive advantage. If only there was a 16-105! Just a quick update, I had just tested both lenses and allthough the 24-105 does have a better zoom I prefer the bokeh on the 24-70.

And yes you are right the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens is £100 cheaper if purchased with the 5DMK3 from Jessops. Still would like to wait to see if the 2 extra fstops that I am hearing about is actually true.

Lenses are the most important part of any equipment, so if you do not yet have the best lenses for your needs or type of photography/filming, then I would suggest that you would be better off with the Mark II plus 24-70mm L or 16-35mm L lens.

That is of course, if you have enough money spare to afford the Mark III + 24-70mm... :)

There are some great features of the updated Mk3 version, such as easier continous filming, ability to use normal cable/wireless shutter release to control video start/stop, less problem with moire, up in resolution, and a few other great additions... but is it enough to fork out all the extra dosh? That is only a question that you can answer.

...I would like to look at the 24-105 on the 5DMK3 as the lens will effectively be a 24-105 f.2.8 on the 5DMK3 because of the extra 2 stop advantage the 5DMK3 brings us.

That is not quite true in reality, and will only be viable at the upper end of the ISO spectrum. At any medium-low ISO settings filmed in low light levels, the fast f1.2 - f/2.8 aperture lenses will still be needed for clean images or video.