Canon USA Announces EOS 5D Mark III

[Brian Brown]

I guess the big question for me is to pick between Canon or Nikon FF bodies (5D3, 1Dx, D800, AND D4). I love the idea of crop modes on the Nikons. And would probably jump to that camp were it not for the thin codec. Granted, clean-HDMI out leads to some amazing options for recording, but overkill for what I shoot and how fast I have to turnaround an edit.

I've been a 7D shooter for two years now. 95% video and 5% stills on paying work. No matter what FF body I get (or which brand), I've got to invest in some new glass anyways. My Tokina 11-16/2.8 and Tamron 17-50/2.8 IS are EF-S lenses and won't work on a FF body. I also own several vintage lenses (a mix of Nikkor, Pentax, and Vivitars), and all of these can be modded to any of the bodies.

Reduced moire is the biggest reason for me to upgrade. I want to see a side-by-side of Canon vs. Nikon on brick walls and houndstooth jackets. And some raw footage of each would be awesome so I could compare codecs.

[Jacques Mersereau]

Sorry guys, no real pleasant surprises. YMMV.

[Emmanuel Plakiotis]

For those whose interest on 5DIII is mainly for video, $3,5K is very close to the dedicated competition (AF101 $4.3K, FS100 $4,7K) and more expensive than the main antagonist (D800 $3K).
Spec wise it lacks the clean HDMI out and windowing of the cheaper D800 and all the goodies of the slightly more expensive AF101 and FS100. Her only advantage is its supposed better low light capability. So on paper it doesn't seem very good value for money.

Of course if the quality of the image turns out to be exceptional, the above argument is mute.

Its a wait and see game until shipping days.

Since NAB is around the corner, I have a feeling that Sony and Panasonic will retaliate sooner than expected :)

[Tim Polster]

Two things would really improve the MKIII's prospects for me:

If the I-Frame codec is actually 4:2:2 and if Magic Lantern could find a way to take the overlay off the HDMI feed.

The bike footage looked like it had a brighter gamma than the MKII which is a good step forward. But to be honest, after alomost four years I was hoping for a slam dunk upgrade. I think Canon might have been a bit too conservative/complacent here.

[Dylan Couper]

Ah nevermind... At least no one has said "How come it no has 4k an teh RAW videeos?" yet.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Originally Posted by Tim Polster

The I-Frame codec is actually 4:2:2 ...

Wow, at 100Mbps Intra and 4:2:2 that would make the video BBC broadcast quality, but still the D800 has uncompressed HD out...

[Emmanuel Plakiotis]

Sareesh,
Although English is not my native language, I think Tim's sentence was an implied question and not a fact.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Originally Posted by Josh Dahlberg

Oh Sareesh, I guess we'll have to agree to differ on this one. I happen to own a GH2 but in my opinion the 5DII's image is much prettier (I miss mine).

My impression of the GH2 is the exact opposite!

What I hate most is the super-shallow DOF look (of FF cameras) that is popular nowadays.
The D800 can shoot in DX mode. In this mode, the camera will use roughly 16MP (or so I've read) for video, which equates its resolution with the D7000, or slightly better than the 7D - theoretically.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Plakiotis

Sareesh,
Although English is not my native language, I think Tim's sentence was an implied question and not a fact.

You are right, but luckily my answer can go either way. :)

It is hard to imagine Canon releasing a broadcast quality intra frame DSLR when their $16,000 baby barely makes the grade.

[Tim Polster]

Your right but it also makes little sense to have an I-Frame 4:2:0 codec be your answer to uncompressed HDMI output. It would be nice if Canon put the 50mbps 4:2:2 codec in the camera since the MKIII will cost as much as an XF100.

[Brian Brown]

Sareesh, you're teetering on the edge of trolling, here. If you don't like the look of FF, prefer the look of your GH2, and think that the C300 "barely makes the grade", then what are you really contributing here? Each camera is vastly different than the next, and tailored to vastly different market segments. Until I've filmed something similar with each of them, I'll withhold judgement.

As video shooters, we tend to forget that, other than the C300, the entire EOS line are first and foremost stills cameras with a tacked-on video capability. And (I'm guessing) 95% of their market buys these cameras for taking stills... with the video as a bonus. Shooting video with a stills camera will always introduce compromises. I, for one, and willing to make them to get a filmic image. I know many pros that are not.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Sareesh Sudhakaran

It won't be a big improvement over the GH2, which is a third of the price.

The GH2 is an ergonomic nightmare. In my hands it feels like a tiny little plastic toy.

Originally Posted by Sareesh Sudhakaran

How many professionals shoot video at ISO 1600+ on a regular basis? I will be impressed if the noise is somewhat like the C300's (color-less) at ISO 3200 or thereabouts, though.

I shoot events like weddings & use ISO3200 with the 5DII all the time. The image is clean & noise free when correctly exposed.

Originally Posted by Sareesh Sudhakaran

I'll reserve judgement on the codec until the actual tests come in. To be honest, the GH2 looks a far better camera for video than the Mark III.

The GH2 has higher resolution & a cleaner image but it just doesn't have the beautiful lush look of the 5D's full frame sensor coupled with lovely 'L' lenses

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Steve Game

So there will be a feeding frenzy for information around the Canon stand at the 'Focus On Imaging' show tomorrow at the NEC in Birmingham, - that is if Canon don't change their mind and not turn up like last year!
Although I'm not interested in buying one, I'll probably check it out.

Steve

I just had the latest Canon Professional Network newsletter by email saying that they will be showing the 5DIII at the NEC & that CPS members can book in to attend a special technical overview.

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by Brian Brown

Sareesh, you're teetering on the edge of trolling, here. If you don't like the look of FF, prefer the look of your GH2, and think that the C300 "barely makes the grade", then what are you really contributing here?

I agree, Brian. We have a no bashing policy here and Sareesh is skating very close to the limit. It seems this always happens when new gear is announced. Sigh.

-gb-

[Greg Harris]

I have my on order. I'll be shooting 70% video and 30% photos. Maybe a few time lapse shots here and there. What memory cards would you guys recommend me getting?