Canon « Tim Burton

4Mar/120

Canon 5D Mkiii

The 5D legacy:

As an owner of the first two I watched keenly as the mkiii was released, and here are my thoughts. I don't intend on covering all the specs, or post the crib sheet, so I'd suggest you look at Canon's site.

Features that mean something to me:

I always felt the focus system on my mk2 was poor considering the position in the market, something that was reinforced when the 7D came out. The new 61 point AF system was a surprise, as it's a near match to the 1Dx (remember only 1D bodies AF to f/8), as I was expecting the mkiii to get the ok-ish system from the 7D.

Also while the mk2 was slightly faster in burst mode than my mk1 it was still more 'studio' then 'action', the 6fps is attractive however I still think it should be up at 8fps like the Nikon D700 was.

While we're on the comparison of the 5D with it's nemesis the Nikon Dx00: The D700 was the agile focusing high speed shooting full frame body that was simply out resolved by the 5D's sensor and pushed into obscurity by the insane success of the 5D in the video market. So I find it amusing the D800 is now mega resolving but slow (4) fps and lesser AF system to the new Canon.

What does it offer the stills user?

Aside the focus and elevated fps, most specs stay relatively unchanged: Slight nudge in resolution, more ISO (we'll see how the relative performance changes) and it's slightly heavier at 950g vs 810g.

The biggest feature for the 'I pay my mortgage with this camera' shooter is the 2nd card slot which I'd use with a 64GB SD card where I'd store a JPEG copy of everything I shoot as a safety net.

Hows about the video user?

There are 3 BIG changes here:

Timecode!!! Yes proper SMPTE timecode so you can sync to other cameras or audio recording devices! This is a major change for anyone in post production working with this material. Sure it's not like you're going to need it for a conform or anything, however it's role in multi-cam shoots and syncing audio should not be underestimated.

Recording time of 30 mins! No more breaks at the 12 min mark!

720p60 - not something I usually care about, but it useful for some slowmo fun as I dont believe in it as a broadcast format.

The C300 is really where the video action is at these day though, and I cant help feel the lack of a clean HDMI out means Canon want to limit the 5D a tad!

So am I buying one?

No.

£2999 is £500 more than I expected and while the price will drop you really have to ask if it's twice the camera the mk2 is? If my bag were stolen tomorrow and insurance coughed up the 3k for a new body, I'd walk into the store to buy another mkii and some lenses and last min change my mind leave with a 1D4 or D800 instead :/