Review of the Canon 5DmkIII now with full video review and footage

EDIT: I have now done my full video review and I have changed my opinion on some of what I have written below. Watch the video and see what I have changed opinion wise and do check out the footage!!

The reaction from some quarters to the mk3 has been astonishing. Some rants have been so out of perspective it’s almost chucklesome. A devoted DSLR video community has built up over the past 3 and a half years and followings to certain cameras is reminiscent of MAC vs PC…but we must not forget the most important thing. These are just cameras! You are the most important part!

I will be doing some tweaks to this review (as always) but will be out of contact completely from the 31st March to the 8th of April so I won’t be able to answer any questions during this period.

Canon 5Dmk3 video review from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Journey through New Zealand on the Canon 5Dmk3 from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

The MkII as we all know changed the whole industry enormously. The progressive thinkers amongst us say it was for the better, the more stuck in the mud ones who wanted the industry to never move forward said it was a bad thing. Democratisation of filmmaking and gear for me IS a good thing, as it gives everyone a chance to create rather than only the elite who can afford the gear. Yes, we do end up with a lot of crap, but we also end up with whole lot of great new work that would never have existed had it not been for this revolution. If just 1 out of 100 new shooters is creating said great new work, then that is one more talented individual who has been discovered.

The DSLR video market has been interesting to watch evolve, but it’s been mostly frustrating. We have had incremental improvements in features from Canon, but zero improvement in image quality since day one. Nikon have been incredibly slow to act, despite coming out with the first DSLR with video, the D90. The D7000 was the first half-capable DSLR from them to shoot video, but that has been it! The D800 and D4 I have yet to try. Hopefully soon, but I am hearing incredibly mixed reports.

Panasonic and their consumer “DSLR,” the mirror-less GH2 has been an odd one. Out of the box it’s a nice camera. Nothing incredible. It has taken very talented hackers and programmers to release the potential of its excellent (albeit smaller than we would want) sensor. The detail from it at the high bit-rate of 170mb/s has been astonishing as you can see in my Christmas shootout.

Sony have been very lacklustre. I like the picture out of the mirror-less NEX5N and shot this little piece with it and I love the image, but it has many issues. No audio in, terrible rolling shutter artefacts and low bit rate. I also have the NEX-7, a nicer camera to use but the image quality is not much better, perhaps even inferior? I have some footage that has needed editing for about 2 months now and my review is WELL overdue. I do promise to get it up soon, but it too suffers terrible rolling shutter issues and the low light sensitivity is worse than the 5N due to the increased MP count. I bought and sold the A77. I loved the viewfinder, hated everything else about it. Even though all the Sonys have 50p at 1080p, the bit-rate is halved when you turn that into slow motion, meaning a miserly 14mb/s or less, which falls apart very easily in post. I also could not get an adaptor to use my Nikon lenses with that camera that didn’t have glass in it (softening my lenses) which meant having to buy just Alpha/ Minolta lenses. No thanks.

Large sensor camcorders have come along, first the nice but flawed AF100 (an update must be due soon!). Then the rather excellent but chunky F3, under-performing in camera but with S-Log and a 444 recorder it’s right up there with the best cameras out there. There’s the very impressive image-wise FS100 from Sony again, a pain in the arse to shoot with as there are no ND filters, a poorly placed LCD and a myriad of buttons pretty much all in the wrong places…BUT very impressive never the less, lovely detail and image with 28mb/s 1080p 50fps overcrank. Much better than their DSLRs.

The Canon C300 is the king of the crop for me out of these, not taking into account it’s almost 2.5x more than the FS100. It’s a joy to use, shoots wonderful footage, and has great build quality. It’s just priced out of a lot of people’s budgets. Especially current DSLR shooters.

So along comes the MkIII finally. It’s been 3 and a half years since the release of the MkII and oh does the DSLR video market DESPERATELY need its champion back and better than ever…the question is “is it any better, and if so how much better?”

I received it in Auckland at a Canon sponsored event I am holding about the C300. Canon New Zealand were kind enough to grab me the first one that landed in the country, so I bought it from them and started shooting as soon as I could.

I have yet to edit anything together, as the stuff I have shot so far has been pretty bitty. Mostly of high detailed shots with a few low light ones. Much, much more needs to be shot before I can form a really solid opinion. But I can certainly give you my first impressions.

Thanks to Sarah Estela for her photos here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOOK!! Headphone plugged in whilst recording sound!!

Let’s start with the good stuff. Always good to be positive first…right?

Sound is MASSIVELY improved. We now have a headphone jack. The ability to monitor audio WHILST recording is basic but essential, and this is the first DSLR on sale to do this. I recorded lots of ambient sound with the excellent new Rode Stereo Video Mic Pro. You can adjust levels WHILST recording, and there are meters on the screen. Sound recording in camera is now a reality. Are the pre-amps any better? Hard to tell with the limited sound recording I have done, to be honest. But the systems works well. I will show all this in action in the full review.

No obvious moire or aliasing that I can see. I have not shot a lot of 720p 50p stuff, but from what I have seen it looks a lot better than the 7D equivalent. Great to have it in a full-frame body. I need to fully test moire and aliasing on more man-made things than the nature I have shot. But no coloured moire on water or on other previous culprits have appeared.

Video mode is easy to get to now and there are lots more options, including an i-frame recording format which gives us up to around 90 mb/s compression. Way better than before.

Stills mode is massively improved but that is not the reason I bought the camera. It’s all about the video quality for this review, but wow the stills function improvement is HUGE.

Build quality is just superb. It feels like a solid camera, and so far it has got rather wet due to the New Zealand weather and it is still working just fine!

Low light is ENORMOUSLY improved. I have not gone all the way to 12,800…it’s noisy but usable if absolutely needed. More importantly 3200 is pretty damn nice… the mk2 compared to this is just plain ugly!. We can’t go up as high as an FS100 or C300, both of which look pretty damn good considering the absurdly high ISOs at that level…but this is a big improvement…

No drop in resolution when you hit record on the camera. Very useful for monitoring, but not clean….more on this shortly.

General functionality in video mode seems much better, and we now have clip spanning meaning we can record clips up to a length of 29 minutes and 59 seconds (the limit imposed by the EU for tax reasons to keep duty from being applied to it, as 30 minutes or more would mean it is classified as a video camera meaning more tax). We now finally have a proper over-heating warning on the camera which the MkII didn’t have. Noise would seep into the image when the camera overheated without letting us know!

The not so good stuff

Resolution, as in detail of the image, looks maybe a tiny bit better but that could be purely psychological as I want…no, need it to be!! My good friend and fellow mk3 owner James Miller has posted his thoughts on this and says the Mk3 looks softer than the Mk2! I need to do more testing and side by side to check this out. James, like myself owns an FS100 which is WAY sharper, and he has shot with the C300 which makes the mk3 look like standard definition in comparison. It’s not standard definition at all, and there are reports of about 800 lines being resolved on this camera…but when you use a high end camera like the C300, it’s hard to look at the mk3 resolution and like it. Once you have tasted Hendricks gin it’s hard to drink Beefeater…Gin drinkers will get my analogy! 🙂

For me, resolution was the thing I wanted to really see an improvement with. I shoot a lot of deep depth of field high detailed shots. Yes the moire and aliasing is gone it seems, and this is wonderful, but the detail is rather muddy on high detail shots. There are loads of slightly graded frame grabs below this section for you to have a look at. Heavily compressed though, as the internet here in NZ is slower than a snail on a day off. Once I get my video cut, you will get a better sense. That will be next week as I have work getting in the way! PLEASE CHECK MY EDIT BELOW AS TO REVISED THOUGHTS ON RESOLUTION…

Rolling shutter artefacts seem barely improved. Still clearly visible. A disappointment for sure.

No clean HDMI output. Both the Nikon D800 and D4 have this. Yes, using an external HDMI recorder, especially one connected via the god-awful mini HDMI connector is not ideal (I would rather have a fantastic internal codec) but I want it and this camera needs it. Obviously with the C300 Canon has a market to protect, but these cameras are so starkly different that I don’t see a conflict. Canon….please update firmware to give us this…don’t let Nikon have the upper hand here! 🙂

For the some reason, they have moved the punch in button for focus check from top right to the left hand side. Odd and impractical. It doesn’t work whilst recording still, so no confidence check there.

The Sony NEX 5N, 7 and A77 offer peaking to help us get focus whilst recording. None of that fancy stuff here! A real shame. A Zacuto EVF will help you here.

This camera needs a screen that flips out. Look at this photo below as this shows how I had to shoot today. Silly! From what I gather it is to do with the weather proofing of the camera.

 

Lots of NLEs are struggling with the new codec…this will be addressed with time though.

So that’s it for now. Loads for me to look at and digest. Disappointing in a few areas, very pleasing in others. A bit of a mixed bag really. The problems is that the mk2 blew us away. In 3 and a half years our expectations have been raised enormously. We have been dreaming of things, of improvements…things that won’t make us better shooters BUT will make our life easier. After all, the full frame image for me is still a thing of incomparable beauty that even the C300 cannot replicate!

I will be shooting some more over the next few days with my proper review up after that. I may change my opinion on some of the above…I may not! First impressions are important, but any camera takes time to get to know how to get the best out of it.

In the meantime, is the camera worth the upgrade from the MkII? Well the positives are pretty positive, the sound and lack of moire and aliasing are huge. The big question is really the resolution. I will know more once I have done my side by sides. If you want to order one, then I am always grateful for any purchases made through any of my affiliates. This site is very expensive to run and every little helps! So, thanks! The blog is not my day job. Shooting is, and this takes up almost as much time! 🙂

EDIT: After doing some experimenting do some work on it in post. Bit of grading and post sharpening the footage is coming to life beautifully. Detail that is not there before is coming out….thankfully! I am still shooting footage and testing camera out. I will update this review in a few days…

Check out the before and after below and another shot with sharpness added back in post…works a treat!

 

Straight out of camera
Graded and sharpened in post

 

With sharpness in post added

 

BELOW ARE SOME FRAME GRABS…some minor colour work to make them sexier…compressed though!

 

 

 

 

207 comments

  1. Interesting.

    I picked mine up here in Japan in god awful weather. I experience amazing sunsets here, alas not tonight. I sat wondering what to film as you posted your ‘filming the sunset’ post. Gutted! Weather dull as dishwater.

    Unfortunately don’t have an english language manual so finding my way around the camera slowly.

    Didn’t have a Mk2, but have shot video on 550d and 60d, like you don’t understand the move of the magnify button, was great by right thumb. Was hoping that some customisation would allow it to be changed, as you’ve not mentioned I guess not or not had chance to look.

    Look forward to hearing more thoughts, and getting chance to use mine in anger.

    Keep up the great job on this site Phil.

  2. Even as a food photographer who would use this for double duty (photos/video), this is another review that makes it seem unreasonable for me to drop $1500 more for this cam over the 5dmk2. The fs100 is the “dream” but still out of the budget for a studio of my size.

    I’m going to keep looking for super sales on the 5dmk2 and get one of those. In this economy, you can thrive in business if your dropping $3500 on something thats only slightly better than the same thing for $1900.

    Great blog by the way.

      1. Philip, you have just described my favorite drink ever which as an expatriate Brit living in the US,
        I cannot get! (No Fever Tree, no Waitroses here!!)

        If you visit Houston, bring supplies!

  3. This reminds me of what happened with the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse. People LOVED the ’95 Eclipse because it was AWD or FF, had a great engine and major modding capabilities that made the love of JDM Tuner racers across the world. It was a legendary Japanese sports car of the 90’s, along w/ some Honda models rivaling it.

    Then the long awaited 2006 version came and was a MASSIVE disappointment. Sure, it wasn’t bad in a few areas, but times had evolved by then and Mitsubishi dropped the ball big time in that area. Improvements came very minorly, others were downgrades…it was a mess.

    Talking from game development experience, this is a strong, strong pattern with Japanese business models. They rarely, if ever evolve and take very tiny stepped moves forward. It’s when, and ONLY when their back is to the wall financially that they begin to evolve in a changing market and even then, it’s to meet the base standard. Regain the lost revenue and repeat the same pattern all over again for the next 10yrs.

    Canon seems so similar to this, man. It’s damn sad.

  4. I was really curious what would be your experience over the last few days with the camera. I was hoping you would magically find the answer to what I consider a disappointing picture. I think you nailed the review even after the short time you spent with it and down the road you will look back and say “yep” thats pretty much it. Holding out hope for other options at NAB. Thanks!

  5. Before others jump in:

    “Panasonic and their consumer “DSLR”, the mirror-less GH2 has been an odd one. Out of the box it’s a nice camera. Nothing incredible.”

    – It’s the only camera that doesn’t do line-skipping thus offering much higher resolution, no false colour and alasing problems. Although 5dmk3 seems to have managed to bypass false colour and alasing problems, GH2 still outperforms mk3 in terms of resolution.

    “I bought and sold the A77. I loved the viewfinder, hated everything else about it. Even though all the Sony’s have 50p at 1080p the bitrate is halved when you turn that into slow motion meaning a miserly 14mb/s of less, which falls apart very easily in post.”

    – I thought 50p comes with 28mbps bitrate like 60p does. I’m not sure about this so I could be wrong.

    —————————————-
    One thing I hope you do when you write the official review:

    Can you compare if different Picture Style makes any difference regarding resolution and noise level.

    Most of professional stills photographers don’t even know this but here’s the thing.

    With mk2 and all the other Canon cameras with Picture Style, there’re mainly two types of Pictures Styles. Standard and Neutral. All the other built-in Picture Styles are based on the Standard one.
    Regardless of NR setting, Standard PS smears detail even at ISO 100 in order to reduce noise. For a simple test, take a picture using those two PS and compare the difference. The difference is quite huge.
    It gets even worse when you apply default standard NR setting since it does double smearing. This has been the key reason why Canon cameras do poorly in photography review since default setting of the camera uses Standard PS with standard NR.

    However, until mk2, that didn’t apply to video mode. With mk3, I wonder if it still is the case. If so, it could possibly explain why it’s getting mixed reviews.

    1. Oops, typo.

      Here’s what I meant to say:

      However, with(not until) mk2, that didn’t apply to video mode. With mk3, I wonder if it still is the case. If so, it could possibly explain why it’s getting mixed reviews.

    2. I just completed a controlled studio test of ISO and Picture Styles on the Mark III. You can view an edit of some of the files on Vimeo at: http://vimeo.com/39068026. The compression introduces lots of artifacts…especially in the background so…if you have the bandwidth…download the ProRes444 version with shorter clips that comes very close to the image out of the camera. It’s at: https://public.me.com/cineman1984

      My test yielded over 170 files so I chose a tight edit for this comparison.
      Also, in my preliminary testing, the moire is MUCH improved.
      I’m considering using this camera for a Political Thriller I’m about to make (see:http://www.facebook.com/FalseColors) and am very happy with what I see so far.
      More to come…

  6. Thanks for your initial thoughts Phil, as you are the Sensei of all things DSLR. I’ve read numerous reviews and the overall consensus is one of disappointment. I think all Canon had to really do was do the basic fixes (moire, aliasing) and make it a TRUE 1080p camera, and everyone would have been pretty happy. A flip screen would have been nice, but a 1000 line camera is what everyone wanted.

    And Canon couldn’t even do that probably as a protection to their higher up cameras? Real shame on the company.

    With that said, I have quite a bit of coin saved up, not enough to buy a C-300 (which probably isn’t a good fit for me anyways), but a good chunk for the right camera. I was hoping to buy a 5D3, then the 4K C-DSLR when it came out. But now it looks like I’m going to have to pass on the 5D3 and wait for NAB and hope that Canon does something completely right that is worthy of my hard earned cash.

    I think the best camera right now is the Sony FS-100 with the Metabones adaptor which I might just be forced to buy because I cannot wait for Canon to come around much longer and the wait has been SO LONG. I just dislike going back to the camcorder format after the freedom of the DSLR form. Sigh…….

    But yeah…. like yourself Phil, I really want a TRUE 1080p camera, so the 5D3 is a pass.

    Thanks so much for your review Phil. Honest, yet pleasant at the same time 🙂

    1. And I also wanted to add that the main reason I want the 4K C-DSLR is that I hope it shoots true 2K. Not too concerned about 4K. It would be nice for the big green screen we have at the studio, but I just really want a FULL FRAME camera that shoots 1000 lines of resolution. Not this soft mush.

      And the photo of you rolled over on the ground by the lake shows that yes…. we need a flip screen.

    2. Gene –

      I got my 5D3 for the improvements in low light (noise reduction), moire and aliasing. Those improvements alone are worth the upgrade if you’re using this for pro work.

      If I were you, maybe think about skipping the FS-100 and take a look at the NEX-FS700 coming out in June, That camera will answer most of my prayers! The super slowmo 240fps at 1080p and 4K ready were nearly enough to make me have an accident in my trousers.

      Probably a lot closer to a full 1080 lines too.

  7. Thanks for the review Philip, sadly it’s confirming what I’ve been hearing and what made me cancel my preorder and I still shoot stills a lot so it’s REALLY dissapointed me as it’s obviously a fantastic stills camera. I too was mainly looking for an increase in resolution, from the comparison samples I’ve seen it looks exaclty the same as 5D2 which was around 700 lines, less than the 720P on a GH2, it might look softer than 5D2 at higher iso as it seems to have stronger noise reduction. Considering the processor horsepower, supposed lack of line skipping and resolution ability of GH2 with inferior everything, I can only think Canon have deliberately crippled the resolution to protect the C300 and perhaps the upcoming Cinema DSLR. It looks like the FS100 is still the best option in the ripe $5k market.

    Something else to take a look at when you play with it more, Andrew Reid and Dan Chung have been really struggling with gamma shift with the all-i footage I believe and apparently there’s some weird codec noise in the lows at low iso, worse than the 5D2, hope that gets sorted with firmware and of course, this camera might become a video monster if magic lantern can rescue it.

  8. Thanks for posting.

    No more moiré? Headphone jack? Sold. But yeah, let’s raise a fit about clean HDMI out.

    Long time reader, first time poster – hanks for everything Phillip, it’s been extremely helpful over the years. Next time you’re in Austin I’ll give you a bottle of Hendricks.

  9. Man, I pre-ordered mine the day it was announced and sold my 5D Mark II! This article and other recent articles are definitely making me second guess my options. I mean I do love that the Mark III camera is the 7D and the 5D II put together with a few enhanced items, but now I am wondering if I would be better off picking up a cheap 5D II and 7D off of ebay and calling it good! Man, so far my expectations are slowly dwindling… I wonder how the D800 will compare up against the new 5D III? Tests have proved to be not good, but the fact that Nikon can do what the ywant because of their lack of Camcorder department really intrigues me as to how far they could go with their DSLR’s! What do you think?

  10. Thanx Philip for your first impressions.

    Unfortunately, they’re in line with everybody else’s. Adrew from EOSHD is even more dissapointed. After 4 years Canon has made zero progression in the DSLR video field, possibly to protect their other product lines, a behaviour Canon has previously followed in the past. I wished Canon had Apple’s philosophy: “if you don’t cannibalize yourself, somebody else will”

    At about twice the current price of the 5D2, there’s no point for people to upgrade IMO.

    I’m waiting for the D800 tests. If it performs similarily as the 5D2/3, which appears to be the case, then the Nikon will be a much better deal, as the D800 is a superior DSLR for professional photography. Plus it has clean HDMI and it mounts all those Nikon manual lenses naturally.

    What’s more surprising of it all is that with Canon’s new pricing policy, Nikon is now the cheapest Pro DSLR option, who would have thought! Canon’s pricing for the new bodies, flashes 24-70, 70-200, 200-400…etc is outrageous. The same set -up in Nikon land costs now several thousand € less than Canon’s counterpart.

    I stay by my words when the C300 and new REDs were introduced: nothing has changed. The cameras to go for (buy/rent) are still 5D2, F3 (with SLOG) and ALEXA.

    1. Hi Philip
      I’m someone who is yet to own a HD-DSLR and has been following your site and blogs to get more informed.
      what i find interesting when reading comments like Henry and others is the clear allegiance to a certain brand whether it be Nikon or Canon and the way they take the opportunity to sledge the other brand!!
      it makes me laugh

  11. thank you for taking your time to do this to help the rest of us make an educated decision (as i’m sure it was such a chore *wink). very much appreciated, none-the-less. do you suspect you’ll be using an external monitor in the near future? very interested to see if the signal is still dropped after recording. also, though semi-unrelated, have you heard anything about the d800’s hdmi out? read a few articles saying it’s only 1080i… does this hold water?

  12. Philip,

    I would love to hear your opinion on the 5D Mark III’s internal preamp when you get a chance. It would be nice to know if you can record clean audio in camera without an external preamp. Otherwise there is not much of a point to being able to control audio levels if you always have to set them at 1 notch above zero. It’s nice to at least see audio levels while recording though. Thanks for all your reviews.

      1. Thanks for doing such an in depth video review.
        When you talked about the greatly improved audio in the 5D Mark III, you didn’t mention an improvement in the preamp.
        Does this mean there was no improvement? There is not much of a point to being able to control the audio levels while recording if you always have to set them at 1 notch above zero and use an external preamp.
        It’s a small concern about what I’m sure is an amazing camera, but I would really like to know if the preamp has been improved over the 5D Mark II.

        Thanks again for your wonderful cinematography and reviews,

  13. Although the Mosaic anti aliasing an anti moire filter makes a big mess of your back-focus, it really is the best solution I have used so far. It turns the 5D II into a really nice FF video camera. Ok so you end up spending another 10K on Zacuto / Screens and sound but all that can be taken to the C300 which is probably going to be my next camera.

    Although I’m not sure I will take all the L lenses with me, perhaps just go back to al the nice manual aperture Nikon ED glass from the good old Letus days.

    Curious to see what else you can find though, headphone out is such a stress relief, I would almost switch the II for the III just for that. But no hurry, old stuff doesn’t go up in smoke, or unlearn 30 years of shooting just because there is something new.

  14. I’m going to be needing a second camera to go with my 60d.
    I was tempted when I heard the Mk III was out but I love the flip out screen – I use it all the time!
    I think for now I’m gonna go for another 60d and buy a couple more lenses. Looking forward to a full review – maybe I’ll be persuaded.

  15. While the MK2 will be remembered as the DSLR that changed indi films,

    the MK3 will go down in history as the DSLR that landed with the biggest thud.

    Very disappointing.

    Philip thanks for being honest in your review. You and Canon shooter Vincent Laforete seem honest in your criticism of what “should” have been a superior product.

    Every Canon magazine spread advertises the MK3 as “The revolution in DSLR film-making.”

    But I guess thats marketing for you.

  16. Excellent unbiased first look but not definitive. If we had the GH2 resolution on the Mark III and the codec issues with noise resolved, I don’t think you could keep this camera on the shelves.

    In a way this seems like an artificially limited camera.

    1) Why no use the MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps Codec (Canon XF) They have it why not use it? Less bandwidth, better color, superb BBC ready image. Why re-invent the codec with an H.264 variant that really is quite inferior and wasteful?

    2) As you point out, resolution is not there, every test feels like a Mark II with a slight 1 pixel blur on top. Was this the Moire fix? Big disappointment. Even a modest increase in resolution would have been enough to warrant the upgrade.

    For Time-lapse shooters the ability to have HDR as an option is the only real feature worth the upgrade besides low light. Early HDR time lapses with the Mark III show very consistent results with very minor flickering.

    Seems to be the best Timelapse camera package right now. I’m sure Philip will create epic timelapse work with HDR and why probably all his DSLRs might become Mk IIIs in the not so distant future.

  17. So, I’m officially old in a few weeks but have been clinging to the notion that I’d treat myself to a new camera to mask the depression surrounding said event, and having been inspired since Reverie all those years ago, and having followed Mr B’s blog at least twice daily ever since, I very much fall into the category of ‘over excited schoolboy waiting with great anticipation to hear whether it would be a thumbs up/down from cinematography’s Caesar regarding the MKIII’….

    Am I gutted? Well initially yes… BUT…

    – You can already get the MKIII body only for £2,700 online
    – The D800 seems to have moire issues that will be very hard to work around
    – As far as I know the NIkons can’t be hacked so WYSIWYG for the life of their cameras
    – The GH2 whilst capable of lovely detail doesn’t have the FF look I’ve drooled over since Reverie, and I doubt the GH3 will move away from M43

    So, I’m back to trying to justify the £2,700 and here’s my thought process which I’d welcome thoughts from others on…

    What would I pay for the benefits the MKIII ~does~ have over the MKII

    a) Moire-be-gone – £300 ? (that’s roughly what that filter thingie costs right?)
    b) Sound monitoring – £150 ?
    c) Better control of mic levels £100 ? (b+c being roughly the price of a Zoom H4N without the faff in post)
    d) Better low light / less noise £200-£300+ ?
    e) 2 slots £00.20
    f) Some reduction in rolling shutter £100?
    g) Greatly improved still and AF etc (worth quite a lot to me personally but less say an arbitrary £500 here)

    Nearly impossible to put values on some of these things, but overall when I list everything on paper, and try to think what it would cost to resolve each of these points on the MKII (which I’ve owned and loved), it begins to still feel like the MKIII could still be a worthwhile purchase (for me at least).

    And I’m sure those amazing folks at ML will undoubtedly mop up as much of what Canon failed to deliver in time too..

    Can’t believe Canon didn’t ask Mr B to do a launch video. I think with someone like that producing a Reverie II a lot of use would be more prepared to overlook some of the MKIII short comings.

    In case it’s not already apparent – I LOVE THIS SITE, and am very grateful for everything I’ve learned from it!!
    Thanks Phil – please don’t ever stop your good work!

    Ps. Dumb question – why the high MBps figures given the lack of detail people are reporting? Just inefficient algorithms or more data in other areas?

    1. Buy an FS100 – they are dropping in price and have Superior Color, true 60p at 1080, WAY more lens options, swivel screen, focus peaking, tons more resolution, HDMI out if you want it for uncompressed files, and some awesome picture profiles available.

      Not that much more expensive vs the Canon MushyMK3.

    2. Moire is often due to high resolving power causing the frequency interference patterns. If they have reduced the moire they may have reduced resoltuion in some way such as sensor coating or even clever processing.
      Could explain the trade off.

    3. The Codec is quite good at retaining detail, it’s the camera down-sampling that is getting rid of fine detail before the encoding is finished. In my view the MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps Codec (Canon XF) should have been perfect to standarize on their DSLRs. Edits fast and holds up really good in post.

    4. Thanks for posting some first impressions Phillip. I played with one yesterday at the camera store and agree about the just plain dumb move to move the zoom button to the left hand side of the camera. Was very frustrating trying to hold a 70-200mm lens up with my left hand and have to do some crazy contortionist trick to reach that button to check critical focus. I told the Canon rep there at the time how rediculous it was and he shrugged and said he was a stills guy. I guess that puts it in perspective doesn’t it. I still want one, but the price is an uphill sell when I already own a 5d and a 7d.

    5. Well after a few years of reading Phils Blog and waiting patiently for the follow up to the 5D2 my 5D3 ordered through his afiliate CVP is on it’s way to me…..stuck in Dublin over the weekend as we don’t get Saturday deliveries here.

      So thanks Phil for all the knowledge….going to shoot video (& photos) like there is no tomorrow.

      On a sidenote…..why oh why do Zacuto insist on white on their viewfinders & Red Rock Micro insist on Blue for their equipment handles etc. Black People…..Black.

  18. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Philip. Always a good read.

    I just want to give you a tip regarding the Nikons if you get to test them: I just learned that one can create picture profiles with the bundled View NX software. http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/picturecontrol/application/application.htm

    I was unaware of this up until recently, so I figured I might not be the only one unaware of this and just give you a heads up. For instance I suspect the D7000 might have done better in Zacuto’s latitude test using this feature, as DXO mark rates it at 14stops (for stills)…

  19. Very very impressive indeed! can’t wait to see the end result of your mini test! 😀

    And to your point regarding about the flip screen… I think the only reason why they took that feature out is because canon officials said that it messes up with their weather-proofing capabilities… but non the less, let’s see how both the Mk3 and the D800/D4 fair, side by side 😀

    Cheers,
    VinceCheong

  20. I’m hungry for Nikon D800 footage… As former photographer in the late 80’s and Contax and Nikon (F) user I’m not a Canon fanboy. The video options of the 5D ‘forced’ me to Canon but it will be so nice when the D800 is a good alternative. First things I can see is the prize for both systems.. Nikon+, clean HDMI out Nikon+, Moire Canon +… what;s left? a case with 12 Canon batteries, a set of Leica primes with Canon mount, an interval timer and a remote…

    When I see good results of the D800: I will buy the Nikon. But at this moment I think it;s too early to make a good decision because of the lack of good samples. Who will be the first with good Nikon footage?

  21. Hey Philip. Not sure if youve mention it but does it hav an overheat warning like the 7D?….thats one of the big problems with the MK2 shooting in hot climates. Not knowing when your image is turning to shit.

  22. I’ve done a bit of testing with the 5D3. To get the best results:

    1. Turn off in-camera sharpening (set to 0).
    2. Use IBP mode. I-frame does not get deblocked in PPro CS5.5 and FCP (or there is some other issue).
    3. Batch rename clips from MOV to MPG to work around a PPro CS5.5 bug, or use CS5. Clips will then play real-time. This will likely be fixed with CS6.
    4. Sharpen clips using a convolution sharpen: GPU accelerated “Sharpen” in PPro. I have found Sharpen 30-48 looks good. This will allow trading off low low-aliasing for increased sharpness, depending on the shot.

    Resolution chart and GH2 image compare here: http://cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=39795 (must log in to see images).

  23. Philip, I’m confused.

    In regards to the a77, why would you shoot @ 50p if you plan to have a 25p project?
    If the answer is for slo mo, does that mean you have a problem with all 50p modes?
    Is the problem not the same for the 7D, 60D etc @ 50p?

    Also, are you planning a 5D v D800 shootout?

    Cheers mate 🙂

  24. STUNNING RESOLUTION on a D800 video.

    We’ve mostly been dissapointed with the new 5D3’s video capabilities. On the other side of the spectrum, D800’s shorts shown so far haven’t been much superior either, all of them are quite soft.
    But I just found this one.

    http://vimeo.com/38912704

    WOW. This certainly approaches F3 resolution (I’ve donwloaded the full version). While there are still some minor issues with the image, this blows away everything done with DSLRs so far.
    How did he do it? Did he use an external recorder using the HDMI out? Was it the Zeiss ZFs? Is this a hoax?

    If this is what the D800 is capable of, the 5D3 is cooked and I’m getting a pair of D800 tomorrow.

    Anybody speaks chinese?

  25. Thank you Philip for the honest mini review. I very much wanted this camera as a B cam . Alas, after surfin the web and reading all the currently available reviews I this morning cancelled my pre-order with B & H for the camera! As I am a Sony FS100 owner with a nice set of Ziess glass,I in all honesty cannot go back to a soft image like the MKIII has.

  26. I had been waiting for this camera for a long time now. I had shoot with the 7D in all my film courses in my University here in Puerto Rico but its not my camera. I got a loan to buy this camera but from all that I read I’ am very confused and kind of disappointed because it looks softer than the 5dMarkII. I’m thinking to just buy the GH2 and a slider and then save some for a better camera but I’m still very confused. I really don’t know what to do if wait for the D800 review or 5dmarkIII full review or just get the GH2 and a slider and start shooting with my first own camera. Can you give me you advise?

    Thanks

  27. Just to let you know Philip you can go into the custom buttons menu and make the set button in the middle of the aperture wheel control the mag functions! I hate the mag button on the left as well but the set button is way more comfortable feeling and quick to get to. I actually like it better than where it was on the Mark II and 7D.

  28. How exactly would you say that the AF100 was flawed? DSLR’s are great, but having an actual camera body counts for a lot!

    5D MIII seems interesting. But since i’ve got mostly Nikon mounts, a GH2 or someday GH3 seems to be a better fit for me.

      1. Hi Phil,

        Great article! I raided the piggybank for the camera after upgrading from a T3i and love it! The first
        thing I had to do was set the ‘SET’ button to magnify (having the magnify button on the left makes no
        sense to me).

        I have watched a few of your videos and you recommended some settings for a picture style profile
        on the 5DMKII and I was just wondering if you also had one for the MKIII?

        I use Marvels Cine Picture Style on the 600D which works great.

      2. Philip, when you’ll be testing the cameras at your place, please, include into the test GH-2 (both with standard 40 Mbps and cracked software) and sony fs-100 (with s-log, for ex), perhaps, d800!
        I have compared GH-2 with MRK2 much and haven’t found anything in mrk26 that could be better then in gh-2… Almost in low-light! GH-2 gives much more cleaner picture then mrk2! Could you compare the issue of moire, resolution, holding the highlighting and noising in shadows… Just to understand – what should I buy for the TV-film (I need about 6-8 cameras of the same type for this… and with later possibility to make a screen-version of it…).
        Thank you for all! )))

      3. And – guess – we all need a spec test on rolling shatter on fs100, mrk2, mrk3, d800 and GH-2! )))) I think, there is no sense to include too many cameras in the forcomming tests, because, next-7 are worse then all the listed above (by the whole!)… Perhaps, there could be a sense to include c300 just for compareness with the oldest-bro )))
        Thnx!!!
        Many bottles of spain wine from me! )) Come to Barcelonaa or to Moscow! )

      4. Hi Philip I just received Kessler slider with your signature edition. and I love it. Just need your opinion about Carl Zeiss Lenses I am going to order the Canon 5DMark III. shell I order Carl Zeiss ZE series kit or ZF? which one is better? as I have AG-AF101 as well. so which one is better please help?

      5. Heres the thing I look at footage like this http://vimeo.com/39155559 for the D800 and I think

        it beats the 5D hands down. One of the reasons is because most of the 5D footage has looked soft but

        then I see this http://vimeo.com/39030325 where there is Sharpness 1 baked in and I think it looks

        great. So really if the sharpness is just increased in camera we get a much better image right? Help?

        I don’t want to have sharpen all my videos in post with FCPX.

      6. Hi Philip, could you please tell me where you got that custom mount for the Rode Videomic Pro (pictured in the top pics) also hows the new “Stereo” videomic pro, worth getting, could you put up an affiliate link so if we buy it you get a little something, thanks.

  29. Thanks Philip for all you do in this genre of film-making. Your insights are always much appreciated. My MkIII will be here next week and I am super excited to finally have a new piece of Canon technology in my hands. It’s hard to believe it has taken this long for a new 5D body.

    I am interested in seeing how the sharpness and moire issues compare to the 5DII with the VAF-5D2 filter system. I have been using it for about 4 months with great results. I have noticed in a few other tests that the sharpness does seem reduced in comparison to the 5DII but the moire is apparently gone. This makes some sense since the moire is a product of sharpness and resolution (as well as line skipping). Curiously I wonder if anyone has dabbled in upping the sharpness settings in the picture style settings and observing those results. When using the VAF-5D2 I would up the sharpness to 2 or 3 depending on situations and get better detail but no moire.

    Once it comes in I hope to do considerable side-by-sides with the 5DII vs 5DIIVAF, (RED) Scarlet, AF100, FS100, GH2, EX3 and anything else I can get my hands on.

    Cheers and thanks again.

  30. Thanks Phil. Great screen grabs. And thanks for the update on the sharpening. I got my Mark III yesterday … huge surprise. Loving it. It has surpassed my expectations. By the way, you can program the set button to work as the zoom/focus assist. That was my one big concern, but as soon as I got that done, it’s been a treat. Now just need a new Zacuto Z-finder frame!!
    My first impressions: http://vimeo.com/39103929

  31. Hi Mr Bloom,
    I think you should really test the new builds of Magic Lantern for the 5DII soon. It has a lot of improvements like higher datarate, Focus Peaking, Slow Shutter down to 0.2 FPS for Timelapse, very nice menus and lots more. The developers there are already trying to port Magic Lantern to the new 5DIII as they did for all Canon DSLRs from 500d to the top only excepting the 1d and the 7d. Some of the features of the 5DIII seem to be copies of Magic Lanterns features btw. like audio live control etc..

    Another hint is the Editing software EDIUS from Grassvalley, they have a new public BETA out with incredible realtime functions, all AVCHD is running natively, on my system I get 3 Layers with full colorcorrection plus sharpness added plus vignette plus dissolves without rendereing, and the 3D stuff it can run is amazingly easy to use !

    enough rambling Matthias

  32. I want to start buying some top lenses for my t2i but if I’m planning on spending thousands should I just save up and get a 5d mark ii or iii? Ive been dealing with this dilemma for weeks now. I feel that the t2i gives incredible images and with decent glass I think i’ll be very happy plus it will leave me with more money for shoots and other gear. But if I wait I can have a camera that, with confidence, I can go into professional settings and not be embarrassed. I only make about 3-4k a month with lots of school loans so money is a little tight.

      1. Mr Bloom what can i say, you influenced me in getting the 5DMkii and a whole range of canon L lenses over the last 3 years.. and this review will most likely be the nail in the coffin in me upgrading to the mkiii..

        thank you so much for everything you have done for this community.

        Anthony Kyriazis

  33. Wait, how many watches are you wearing in that black and white picture?

    I’m really looking forward to a more in depth review of this camera. Can’t wait!

    Drew

  34. Hey Philip,
    I was wondering what you think is the best tool for a bit of sharpening in post? I’m only really familiar with the FCP7 tool, not so great. Thanks so much for these first thoughts, can’t wait to see the edit!

    p.s.
    If you come to NY again there’s bottle of gin for ya!

    Cheers,
    Devin

  35. as a professional, the only time it’s acceptable for me to say “we’ll fix it in post” is when i’m cracking a joke. i canceled my pre-order on the 5DM3 because –frankly– it IS a joke. call it chucklesome, but when a $900 camera can outperform a $3500 camera, i’m no longer laughing at what feels like a cheap plastic toy.

    1. Then as a professional Paul you would not be comparing the two. Any professional would take a hell of a lot more than the gh2 having sharper images and everything else A LOT worse into consideration as I said in the video. If you watched it then you would know.

      I love my gh2. I have two. I know what it does well and what it does not do well.

      Too much bitterness and anger from people. Give it a break! It’s just a camera. If you don’t like it then don’t buy it. Nobody is putting a gun to your head.

      1. not anger or bitterness, philip, simply disappointment. i don’t think it was unreasonable of me to expect canon to improve the 5D’s resolution after nearly 4 years. i try to encourage my clients not to use DSLRs to shoot video –successfully, on my current shoot in south africa. shooting instead with the F3 and EX3, we were able to get exactly what was needed, whereas with the 5D we wouldn’t have been able to due to its many deficiencies. the 5D has, however, been a great C cam for shooting time lapses.

        at the end of the day, i want to shoot with the best possible gear i can, although the people who hire me, don’t always want what’s best, they want “the camera with that look everyone’s got right now.” so sometimes you shoot with a package that isn’t ideal, most common these days: HDSLRs. that’s not to say i can’t get great footage with a DSLR, i have: http://vimeo.com/31088290 …and the clients were thrilled.

        i’ve shot footage i love with my fisher price pxl2000, cheap plasticky DSLRs, and also alexas and REDs, so where does that leave the playing field? in my opinion: wide open AND open for comparison. most viewers (and clients) don’t care what camera the footage they’re looking at was shot on, so for me, i’m going to try to maximize my ability to shoot the best footage i can…on any camera, at any price. is the 5DM3 that camera for me? no, which is why i canceled my pre-order 🙂

        lastly, i don’t see the harm in making comparisons, nor the harm in having high expectations from the companies building the gear we use. complacency is a far worse culprit, in my opinion.

        and you were right: i didn’t get the chance to watch your video. my apologies, but the wireless where i’m working is painfully slow and costly, so i’m stuck reading words until i get back to north america.

      2. You have to admit that “fixing it in post” is not what you’d expect for a camera costing $3.5k and above. Unless Canon have explicitly said or indicated somewhere in the marketing of the camera or indeed their manuals that this is the method of getting the best outcome from the video aspect of the camera, and they haven’t as far as I can tell, then this is a disappointing outcome in anyone’s language. You’re not right when you say a camera is just a camera because it would seem that quite a few people have invested in Canon lenses and have had high expectations of what they, some would say reasonably, expected the Mk3 to be. Brand loyalty is still strong. It is still early days to be sure and Canon may have fixes for these issues. Companies can and do make mistakes, put out products prematurely, use users as beta testers possibly knowing full well that the capacity for change is in the firmware. They do this at their peril though. And to your comment that no one is forcing anyone to buy any camera, I think you are being a bit high horsey here. Not many people get to trial these products like you do for a start and if they did they probably wouldn’t buy the Mk3 just yet if indeed ever. I’m sure there are quite a few people who are disappointed that they have jumped in too early on this camera.

        1. Sorry to burst your bubble of misconceptions but like everyone else I bought the camera with my own money which I clearly state at the top of the post. Please read these things clearly. They are important. I didn’t get to “trial” it first

          1. You got it fast tracked for you by Canon NZ is what you said. You are in a much more privileged position than the average Joe when it comes to access these items. Point still stands that “fixing it in post” is unacceptable for such an expensive and most anticipated product. Your review tends to brush this point aside too easily.

            1. I thoroughly recommend reading the top of this post as if you are going to make comments about certain things it’s essential you get your facts correct. I for one would appreciate it as I have taken a lot of my own time to do this for no monetary gain.

              I also clearly say in the video I would much prefer it if it was sharp in camera and not done in post.

              As I said if you are going to make remarks like the previous comment then you need to be accurate otherwise you imply something which is not true.

              Best

              PB

              1. I suspect the the resolution limitations on both the 5DM3 and the Nikon D800 are somewhat due to the massive size of the sensor. Nikon certainly would have nothing to lose but creating a higher resolution image in camera (no C300 to protect) and it’s certainly possible that dealing with the data on a full frame sensor poses some challenges to processing and codecs – resulting in some image trade offs. In short, maybe the softer in-camera resolution on the 5D3 is largely due to the limitations in current technology, especially at the $3000ish price point.

                That said – give me a 5D3 any day over a GH2. Video has always been a world of work-arounds and custom work flows. I see no major issue with sharpening in post – especially given all the camera has to offer. Even at $3500. It’s not as big of an issue as a $65,000 Epic that won’t turn on 😉

                Thanks for the great review.

                Lane

              2. I honestly don’t get what all the griping is about. Yes it would be nice if the mkIII had the resolution right out of the camera. Who cares if you have to sharpen it in post!! You’re editing and grading anyway what’s an extra hald a minute to add a sharpening filter. Everything about shooting with these cameras is a compromise – they’re STILL cameras! If the trade off of being able to shoot footage like this at a fraction of the cost of traditional cinema cameras is a little extra work in post, I’ll take it. But as Philip stated, if you prefer the gh2 to the mkIII by all means shoot with that instead. Great review btw Philip.

              3. Don’t feed the trolls Phil! Thanks for the review. I myself am looking to upgrade from the T2i. Not sure if the Mark 3 is justifying the expense at the moment. Might just wait for a crop body incorporating the new tech (something along the 7D or even 60D price-point and functionality) and then waiting it out for the Canon “C.”

                Have a great rest of your trip, and if you’re ever in Miami, FL I’d love to PA for you, haha!

              4. I honestly don’t understand the types of comments made by some people to your review of the Canon 5D Mark III.
                In my opinion this is by far the best video review you have done. You describe the plus & minus aspects of the Mark 3 and the best ways to obtain top-class results from the camera, and to make the image “sing”.

                Yes, it is true that we all had certainly hoped for a few more positive additions (including some that the D800 now has amongst its armoury); but for what is essentially a top-flight stills camera with added HD video mode, the Mk3, and its younger brother the Mk2, are still incredible tools for the working professional.

        2. People shoot on $40k-60k Red and Alexas that they still fix in post. You can fix any camera in post dude. It doesn’t mean you have to. I have a 7D that I shoot and post and then sometimes if I want to make it look a little different I’ll fix in post. I bet most of your clients would be happy with it’s sharpness out of the box. Philip is stating the pros and cons but at $4000 or less this camera still has many great things that make it worthy of that price.

      3. hi philip,
        i’m curious to know if i violated a posting guideline since my last comment has been “awaiting moderation” for 9+ hours? even though i’m new here, i have read the rules, and was quite sure i was within the bounds of fair play.
        cheers,
        p

      4. Funny thing about the GH2. What I REALLY love about them would be the super small footprint. I have used them in race cars for driver pov,s and on the front inside windows facing the driver. Now I do not need the GoPro,s for these types of critical shots. I only use the GoPro,s if a pov involves a hostile environment i.e crash cam!

    2. “You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” – Steve Jobs

      I guess Canon didn’t listen to Steve, but did listen to what everyone has been asking for over the last few years – and delivered on that.

      Consumers by definition are looking for the next shiny thing to play with and ‘consume’ and they always want it yesterday. Professionals know what they need, and that different jobs require different tools.

      If you need more resolution because your all your work is being shown on the big screen, then Canon offer quality alternatives at appropriate price points. If your work is more likely to get viewed on the web or a TV in someone’s board room then the M3 gives you an stunning aesthetic, which to most pro’s is more important. Your typical indy film fest goer will be more worried about storyline and image style than freezing frames to peep at pixels.

      Professional stills photographers will be very happy to buy this camera without ever touching the video side of things. The fact that we get video on top for free (that in the right hands can be good enough for cinema) and now very good quality audio too… If that’s a joke I don’t get it.

      If you prefer the GH2 – great, enjoy – take a nice holiday with the money you save.

      Personally I’m going to continue to thank Phil for this amazing site that he provides for free – from which I’ve had no end of enjoyment and learned so much. My life is significantly better thanks to him, this site, and of course Canon.

      “If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said ‘faster horses'” – Henry Ford

      Enjoy your Ford motor car and GH3 (and holiday)…
      For me – Here’s to faster horses!

  36. Dear Philip, Thanks for all this work on informing us. 🙂

    Hard question!.. Would you go for MKIII. over Sony’s FS100? What about D4?? D4 is more money.. but it seems to have more to offer.. I am mainly interested in Wedding film, Music video, Documentaries and Short films.. Thank you.

  37. Hi Phil, Thanks SO MUCH for the great review. I was really on the fence about the MK3, but now at least I feel a bit better if I did have to buy it.

    Personally, I’m going to wait until NAB and see if the 4K is announced. Even though you can sharpen it in post, I still would prefer a true HD camera. But it’s nice to know the option exists.

    I think a few things I also really want that are lacking are the Flip Screen and Peaking. Those 2 things are pretty huge. I do have an external monitor, but I like keeping the camera light weight, as I like to do a more hand held aesthetic a lot of times. I find on my 60D with Magic Lantern and Peaking coupled with a Z-Finder, you can really nail focus without and external 7 inch monitor attached to the camera.

    Plus for steady cam and odd angle shots, which I do a lot, a flip screen is a MUST. Sucks to always have to use an external monitor.

    If the 5D3 did have true HD, I would probably have bought it; but for now I’m going to hold off a bit. I think the real reason why the 5D3 was so crippled was not because of the C-300, but because of the up coming 4k CDSLR.

    Once again, thanks for the really useful review.

  38. Thanks for the in-depth review. Very helpful.

    However, I have some trouble with the sharpness discussion. In your profile settings you turn the sharpness all the way down. Then you make the complaint that the image out of the camera is not sharp enough.

    So the sharpness of the camera is there… its just that the in-camera sharpening is not appealing?

    what about turning the sharpness down half way?

  39. I was waiting for your review of the Mark III as I knew you would be fair and honest. Though not in the market for it at the moment, when it’s time will choose the MIII over a used MarkII. Thanks for all you do.

  40. Good write up and video review Philip. Much appreciated. I too have a mk3 and have similar wishes as well as some additional wishes that I’d like to see with this camera. Overall, I like it, I don’t love it but I’m close to loving it lol.

    Keep up the good work my man

  41. Philip,

    I have to say that was one of the best reviews I have seen so far. Thanks and I look forward to meeting you in Vegas in a few weeks.

    Right now I am torn between the Mark 3 and FS100. In our small town we do it all from single man run and gun to fully controlled shoots with full crew. I know they are different tools but if you had to choose one over the other as an all around camera which way would you go?

    Lastly on the headphone jack, does it have enough kick to push Sony MDR-7506 so that you can hear it clearly out in the field?

    Thanks again.

  42. Phillip

    on the Mk3 if you hit the Q button and the audio section is highlighted… then push “set” the meters will come in its own space before you hit record these BIG meters will stay up while recording and allow the user to use the touch dial to adjust…

    have you found a way to boost the level of the headphone output? it is really quiet.

    i found the other day that by using the juiced link with a high output i could lower the noise floor of recorded audio with the camera…

    Just a friendly heads up. I’m feeling much better about my purchase after watching your review.

    Anthony Ladesich
    miledeepfilms.com

  43. I’m still trying to figure out which NLE to go with now that I’m leaving FCP7: Avid, Premiere or FCPX…

    You mentioned that you edited natively in Premiere. How well does Premiere handle the 5Dmk3 footage? Any codec issues? Also, is Premiere you’re NLE of choice, or only for the 5Dmk3?

    Great blog, by the way. Your video review of the 5Dmk3 is very helpful, thorough and educational. Many thanks!

  44. Once again an excellent review Phil. This might be enough to tip me towards the Canon camp.

    There doesn’t seem to be much D800/D4 footage around to compare the 5DMkIII with; do you know if you will be able to test the Nikons?

  45. Thank you Philip for such a lovely review. The choice of Smetana there was very telling to me: you’re screaming for some holidays to rest! Do get them and come back fresh and healthy.

    Well, I finally got the chance to try both the D800 and 5D3. Although just for an hour (each). Not much but enough to get a proper first impression.

    Both cameras are great. The AF has been massively improved on the Canon and it now focuses fast and properly without hunting, just like the Nikon. Build is very good, both on the 5D3 and D800 which feel like tanks, just a notch below the 1Dx and D4, which I could also handheld. The 6 fps on the Canon was a good surprise and honestly it will be enough for Sport/PJ for many, that’s unless you must shoot the Champions League or the Olympics. The Nikon is stuck at 4 fps at full 36MPx, but it goes up to 6 in DX mode and the 1.2 crop has 5fps and 25MPx, which felt and looked surprisingly good and the 1.2 crop wasn’t annoying on the viewfinder, it actually felt like using a Ragefinder camera, with the outer rectangle showing you a bit more than it will be on the final picture.

    Image quality was very good on both but I have to say the 36MPx on the Nikon made shots simply stunning. The OOF parts on shallow depth of field shots looked “dreamy and creamy” just like on Medium Format cameras. It was that good. The D800 will be a strong contender for the entry level MF category. File sizes are huge though. Fortunately there are (lossless and lossy) compressed modes and also 12 bit, which makes for 1/3rd of the size and doesn’t lose much quality, while keeping the full resolution intact, unlike Canon’s sRAW.

    In terms of video, moire and aliasing is indeed solved on the 5D3. But as you comment, image looks quite soft on wide angle shots, oh my. The D800 has some aliasing, much less than on the older 5D2, but the resolution is on another league. I was surprised to see that it looked about as good as the FS100, it is that much better compared to the 5D3. Rolling shutter is also better on the Nikon, on the 5D3 it is just like on the 5D2, unfortunately.
    The Canon seems to have a bit less noise, but the noise on the Nikon is very organic.

    Audiowise, the Canon levels setting is better and works while shooting, but it felt the Nikon had slightly better preamps? Both are not up to pro specs though and a proper external recorder (NOT the Zooms) with true 48v and clean preamps should be used if audio is of any concern.

    Well, after this initial test I’m still very much undecided and will need some more deeper testing. I wish I could melt both bodies into one, that would make for the perfect compact DSLR.

    On the video side, the Canon image is very nice, without moire and less noise, but besides that it’s not an improvement over the 5D2. The Nikon has a very noticeable resolution advantage, you can’t deny that. It has a tiny bit of aliasing though, but IMO it doesn’t ruin the shots the very few times it shows up.

    I don’t know. The D800’s clear resolution advantage coupled with its clean HDMI out might make the Nikon a winner, specially if you could stretch for a SoundDevices PIX-220. Together with the D800 you’d get a killer combo for just €4.5k, as the PIX-220 will add professional grade audio, Time Code, a very needed external screen, long recording times and a proper 422 ProRes file with audio in place, that you can edit out immediately on any MBP on the field.

    Cheers.

  46. Hi Philip,

    Really enjoyed your assessment of the 5DmkIII, and the post sharpening in CS5.5 looks good. I wonder if theirs a similar sharpening tool that works in FCPX as really enjoy editing in that program lately.

    As an ex 570WSP and then EX3 owner I moved to the Canon 60D, Z-FinderPro, Rode VideoMicPro to cut costs with the intention to hopefully upgrade to a 5DmkIII when it was ever released. Since then the Magic Lantern hack added onscreen audio levels, peaking adjust etc to my 60D I just love it even more, and my clients love the image it produces. The only thing its obviously missing is the headphone monitoring so I use a Sescom audio cable.

    I’m still struggling to justify £3000 on the 5DmkIII, and doubt I’ll get a Nikon (unless it proves to be amazing) as all my lenses are Canon L glass. I’m finding myself drawn to keeping the 60D and buying a GH2 body and adapter for my Canon lenses as a second camera, then wait to see what Sony will reveal in the DSLR market???

    1. If the 60D works for you then maybe consider just getting another 60D. I personally love the camera and you’re right, with the ML hack it’s an amazing machine. Folks tend to forget that the GH2, while a spectacular camera, is not as good in low light as even the 60D and finding wide-angle lenses for the 4/3 sensor ain’t as easy as it is for the APSC cameras.
      Me, much as I love the 5d III – and I’ve been lucky enough to shoot with one – I’m hanging back to see what happens with the 60D and 7D updates. They won’t have the same punch as the Mark III but I can live with that. It’s pretty much a guarantee they’ll be better than the present models – which I think are pretty damn good – and any improvement is a bonus.

  47. You are one patient man Phil, just reading what people have said on here makes me laugh so hard at how ignorant and narrow minded people can be and i’m not the one who has put in the hours of my time (without any kind of payment) into this and your hundreds of other great reviews. The people with the negative comments are probably the ones with no life that sit on the net all day comparing camera specs while the true legends like u are out shooting! At the end of the day thankfully there is only a few of these for the thousands of normal people that you have helped bring there creative visions to reality but to those few wankers in the world IT’S JUST A CAMERA ! hahaha cheers mate!!

    1. Let’s give it up for Philip Bloom! Thank god there is someone like philip to devote his FREE time into educating the masses and informing us of new product reviews from various companies.

      PLEASE keep up the great work, I certainly appreciate your hard devoted time that you put in day in day out into this
      web site.

      And as always, if I may……..A very very nice review.

      Thank you!

  48. Mr. Bloom thank you for being a constant professional. I don’t think a lot of your readers understand how much time it takes to maintain a blog like this while continuing to work professionally. Please keep it up.

    Cheers from Cincinnati, OH.
    Gabe

  49. Thank you for this interesting review Philip!!
    As usual, very instructive and well balanced 😉
    I understand the passion in the comments, but those cameras are just tools that need to be treated as such.

    Personally, i believe we lost the DSLR spirit by being too spoiled in the last couple years.
    No matter what, this is a terrific still camera by all standards, a 1dx for half the price boasting wonderful features. Video mode is a bit disappointing on some very specific points perhaps, but we tend to forget too easily the huge improvements in recording length,sound, moire, low light, timecode, body built….on a gorgeous full frame censor!

    Still not satisfied ? Well, Nikon, Sony , Panasonic and Co. are in for some competition, so now we have more choice than EVER to fill our needs, on such a ridicule budget…

    So, i don’t understand how so many people find so much time to complain.
    How about we start to rejoice a bit more?

  50. When Canon released the C300, it introduced the “Cinema EOS” brand. Go to Cannon’s website now and you’ll see a menu choice labeled “Cinema EOS Cameras” — note the plural even though there is currently only one camera, the C300, on offer in this line. Canon are apparently not really marketing the 5DmkIII as a part of the Cinema EOS line.

    I’d guess the rumored the “C” camera in a DSLR form factor, supposedly already “in the wild” ( http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/03/canon-cinema-eos-4k-camera-cr1/ ), will address many of the short comings of the 5DKIII mentioned here. I’d image that’s the market Canon are protecting and that the camera will be priced somewhere between $15,000 and $3,500 US ;).

    Alas it looks like I’ll have to wait a number of months before I can find out if I guess right.

    1. I agree Peter. The timing is perfect; release a slightly updated MKIII and they will sell a crap load of them based on the success of the MKII. Wait a few months and release the “C” with everything we want out of a DSLR format. but that will come at a 7K-8K price range I’m afraid.

      So half the people who got the 5DMKII will sell and get this new one… Perfect marketing.

  51. I dig my Mk3! It just arrived yesterday. Even though I went to college for film production, I spend most of my time as a photographer. I have been waiting for improved video features, but this is still a photography camera and not a video camera. As an event shooter, sweet sweet sweet.

    Thanks for posting the video and pictures. How did you have the camera set-up? Was it neutral or was it Vincent Laforet settings. I watched the video a while ago, but if I remember correctly, it was stated that grading brings out the sharpness… it seems that you are finding that you need sharping on top of the grading?

    http://vimeo.com/37735019

    Where you shooting on all I frames? How did premiere handle that? I guess I will be doing some testing soon enough when it comes to all that… I just need to find time!

    Nice blog. Thanks again!

  52. I’m sure you’ve heard by now Mr. Bloom, as of today (Wednesday, March 28th) that Canon is 100% certain to announce something major at NAB. Not a rumor. I’m pretty sure it’s the 4K EOS. I’ve seen the invite and it says: “The Next Evolution is Here. April 16th, 2012”

    I’m GLAD I held off on the 5D3 because of that. I would gladly pay a bit more for true HD. Never been an immediate adopter. Usually wait a month or so till the reviews come in. But I might just have to buy the 4K EOS the day it comes out.

    Now when it ships is anyone’s guess. Hopefully not too long after NAB. I just can’t wait much longer and I’m hoping to get something Canon because of my lenses as opposed to the FS-100.

    Rumor has it they are in the wild, so if anyone should have one, it should be Mr. P.B. Thanks again for the great 5D3 review. I think your reviews are great because unlike others, you don’t get quite as emotionally wrapped up as some, and give a good objective review.

  53. Thanks for the review Philip.

    I’m always surprised that no one but me is annoyed at the fact that you don’t get much more features but mostly fixes of things that should already been there before and that for more than a 1000$ more. It’s been 3 years, prices on cameras should go down or have many more features… I think Canon just think they can (and they will) get away with that because the MKII has made such a name for itself.

    And I also don’t get this obsession with sharpness. Most of my favourite cinematography is not sharp at all. Defined, yes but sharpness for me is too much like video.

    Can’t wait to see more good examples out of the Nikon D800. Yes it is softer (which I like) but clean HDMI and 36mp for photography. It is the first Nikon to come out that might persuade me to sell all my Canon stuff. (over 20k worth of it…). For video alone, I still would prefer my FS100.

  54. First of all – I am German, so sorry for bad English…

    Thanks very much for Your review, Phil. I´m still not sure what to do. As You said in the video about the evolution of the 5D – “yes and no”.

    On the one hand: These days we´re used to “fix it in post”, either shooting RAW or using flat styles which have to be graded. So I don´t care to do some sharpness in post, that doesn´t take much time time. Grading and editing takes much longer…so what.

    On the other hand: What the f*** is canon doing? Sad enough there is no revolution. But no full HDMI output? Hello, what are we talking about? Brand new product and the first hope is that ML may fix it? DAMN!

    I really wish there would be no doubts to buy the mkIII. But there are many. Especially in times when a new product is getting old after short time. So a new product should be way ahead of the last version. And the mkIII may be far ahead, maybe more than i guess, but I´m still not sure if I should buy the cam or wait for next upcoming (r)evolutions of other cameras.

  55. Great review, Philip! I can’t wait to see this camera put into a number of shoot outs, especially with the FS100! Wondering how if compares in low light and in the detail (post processed). Oh, the guys at the Ranch say hi. 🙂 They all really loved your footage.

  56. Hey Phil,

    I see the debate is still raging, don’t you just want to pull your hair out? I can’t I don’t have much left. We’ve made our peace over at dvxuser (thank Christ) and everyone is now getting on with sharing info to get the most out of the beast. In response to peoples disgust at having to post sharpen…it’s a stills camera! I post sharpen all my RAW stills too as do a lot of pros. If post sharpening is too much hassle for you then there’s plenty of other options, the FS100 for instance or a MKII with anti-aliasing filter. No DSLR has ever been a point and shoot solution….no camera ever made has either! Even the 4k C-DSLR is going to need some massaging.

  57. Ah what lovely pics of NZ 🙂 Does the Mk3 have 48v phantom power? And what of the HDR capabilities? You didn’t mention HDR in your review so I’m guessing it doesn’t work in video mode.. Have done any HDR time-lapse tests though?

    Thanks for taking the time to review the camera and tell us all about it!

  58. Dearest Philip

    I simply don’t know where you find the time (except in crappy motel rooms:-)

    Thank you once again for taking the time to give you perspective. I like the way you always maintain the relevant focus in your reviews – too many bloggers end up comparing thing against their intended purpose. Of course there will be draw back getting the best go two world (I for one spend many hour WISHING it wasn’t like this, but…)

    Maybe I missed it – but do you mention which codec your wonderful test shots were shot in? And also, could you say a word or two on sharpening in FCP (for those of us who haven’t switched yet:-)

    You got me going back in the day – and you keep me running’! Cheers,

    Thomas Roger

  59. You know, Mr Bloom has hammered home something that I did not get until I was involved with different types, styles and or situations that demand various equipment @ any given time! Meaning utilize the tools you have. I have been on jobs where we mixed multiple CMOS based camera,s. I am finding that the editors are we the D.P,s saving grace! Give that editor a good flat picture and he/she will make whatever camera shine! Well @ least with most camera,s

  60. Has anyone hit upon the optimum sharpening settings for FCP7 to bring out the best picture quality using flat in camera settings? ‘Intensity, Amount,& Mix’
    I’m sure someone is more up on this then I am. Any advise much appreciated.

    Philip, once again thanks for all you and your team do to help us on this journey.

    Cheers

  61. It’s funny how some people get excited and how they have a very short memory. When the 5d mark ii came out, it took a long time to get lot’s of things updated by firmware. We’re talking about a fix in moire issues, a awesome performance in low light, the new codec (seems to be much more gradeable), a much faster digic 5+ sensor (just waiting to see what magic lantern guys can do with it!), a very much improved AF system, audio controls and monitoring, 29m59s of recording in full HD (thanks god!), timecode (don’t know how it works), HD output by hdmi to external monitors (not clean, ok, but much better than 480p), among other things. Well, YES, for me, those things are a major upgrade. I mean, ok, they could do it better, but it’s impossible to always have a big breakthrough. Just the lack of moire and aliasing problems are wonderfull, fantastic for a DSLR, it’s always sad to see a beautifull shot ruined because of it, or when you’re in real life interviewing someone with a shirt pattern that shines like a rainbow. We can’t really compare it to the FS100, as we can’t forget that it’s a still camera that shoots video, the FS100 is a video camera, two different markets, two different cameras. And the GH2… Well, for me it is like a lomo camera when you take it in hands, has poor low light capabilities and for those who are really at the market, it makes a huge difference when you say to your client that you’re going to film with a 5D, not to say about stills with the pannie, just forget… I don’t think that it’s going to stop right there, firmware upgrades are going to come and hacked firmware as well. And guys, stop the mantra about apple and rip steve jobs, they make mostly gadgets, not cameras…

  62. Apologies if I’ve missed this along the way – but some bloggers / reviewers have reported ‘fizzing’ / noise even at low ISOs on the MK3, and seem to be saying it’s due to the compression codec being used? I’m wondering whether that might be a faulty unit rather than a general problem with the MK3 – have you encountered this at all during your shooting? If so, is there any way to avoid this from happening? Thanks (and sorry again if I missed this being covered somewhere on the site).

  63. just spoke the a canon rep about the clean HDMI and the swivel screen, clean hdmi they are working on it, the camera swivel, they wont put on because it wont make the camera very durable, i currently have a 1dx on loan from canon, and i love it wish i can talk more about it, but i cant.

  64. Really wish Canon would enable clean hdmi output on this cam through a firmware update. Would be even cooler if they did it for the 7D as well, since it’s already capable of keeping an HD signal while recording. Will they do it? I don’t know. They want to preserve their camcorder department, but I think these new Nikon cameras might give them a run for their money. I hope that the Nikons are amazing. Some real competition to the EOS line will be good for all of us.

  65. Phil, what is the quality of the audio like directly into camera? I would like to streamline my equipment and get rid of the external recorder. What are your thoughts?

    Also, great road show in Byron Bay the other week. Well worth it because it has already saved me $$ just in your advice on camera equipment and time. Most of all the audio section was great. Fixed an issue I have had with my wireless mic for the past 12 months so it was worth going just to sort that/

  66. Just want to say I love this blog! Amazing work as always Philip!

    I love that the 5d3 is this amazing right out of the box! No hacking needed. I find great soundness of mind knowing my camera isnt going to choke up in a shoot because i hacked its firmware.

    Also shooting at ISO 6400 with clean results is outstanding!

    Not to mention being able to use canons full line of lenses including L glass without an adapter. that alone is fantastic.

    I havnt herd of and hdslr shooting at 90mbs right out of the box.

    When the gh2 can do all this (no hack) i might give it a chance. Oh yeah it will also have to shoot amazing stills as good a the 5d3.

    Sorry gh2 guys but i think we need to clear up (no pun intended) that sharpness isnt everything.

    1. Thanks! I totaly agree with you! I don’t understand all the agressive and negative comments, it was a major upgrade, as I said, this is a still camera that shoots video, Canon will never make it perfect for video as they have other stuff for that, different markets. And I don’t really like that much how the Gh2 footage looks anyway. If you guys want a real video camera for a good price, save some money and grab one fs100, it’s simple like this.

  67. With moire and aliasing smashed and vastly improved high ISO performance, who cares about slightly soft… I’m sure this is due to some lowpass in the processing which I know a lot of people were hoping for anyway…

    Great work Philip, thanks a ton!

  68. They are keeping you busy… I’m already looking forward to your review of the fs700, that could be the one for me! I just can’t cope without xlr! (and like everyone says: keep up the good work Phil!)

  69. I got mine 5dmkIII yesterday and so :
    ONE question to ALL : Why I can’t get the picture out on the HDMI at the same time with LCD on ?! I went through the menu 100 times. Nothing. No review mentioned anythin about this…weird.
    Any ideas you 5DmkIII owners ?!

  70. I too think the 5DMKIII is a huge disappointment.

    Is it a disappointment when thinking about the image it delivers. NO… It is an amazing camera.

    Just as amazing as the MKII… Which IS amazing.

    Only problem with the MKIII is that it deal with NONE of the issues that would actually improve the MKII…
    So the MKIII is a gargantuan disappointment compared to its predecessor.

    Moire… OK… Well, ALL cams… have moire.. It is as sure as digital. Besides.. Moire appears in real life too when the eye looks at certain patterns. So there is no cam in the world that is moire-safe… The operator of t
    he camera eliminates moire… NOT the camera. I operate the 5DMKII every day and make a lot of money with it. And I don’t have ANY moire problems. I do if I don’t watch out… But if I don’t watch out I’ll likely over-expose too… 😉

    Will I be getting a 5DMKIII… no way.

    If they change their sick HDMI policy and gimme 422 clean out I’ll buy 4 in a blink of an eye..
    But I would also buy 4 MKII if it would get that feature…

    The more work I deliver the more I hate the artifacts of compressed video. So many scenarios where I could have gone WAY further in post but had to stop in order to NOT bring about more ugliness….

    As much as I hate to admit it… RED will be my next logical choice… I simply cannot take those compression artifacts no more.
    Be that with LESS or more Moire and anti-aliasing… RED has none of those… And I would rather have a camera break down on me while shooting than soft looking images in post…

    And judging by the amount of movies being shot on REDs, I take that MANY have figured out a way of NOT breaking them while in production ;-)))

  71. Hey Philip,

    First off I want to say thank you for all the work you do and giving filmmakers’ insights to make informed decisions.

    I had a question in reference to the low light comparison test in the video. If adding the sharpening effect in post makes the MKIII footage look the best, what would happen if you added the same effect to the low light test? Would the sharpened image make the noise look more pronounced and unattractive – similar to the MKII?

    Any thoughts?

  72. Philip, are you feelin the MKIII? Like, are you loving it now? I’m glad you found how well it responds to things in post. I’m just about to purchase mine, to make my current 7D a backup/FOV alternative.

    I’m just curious how you’re feeling about it after a little bit more use.

  73. Philip, I am curious to what you did specifically in post such as how much sharpening you put on the footage and what software do you edit on? I just picked up a Mark III with the 24-105 lens last week and so far am loving everything about it. It’s a grand upgrade from a Canon XL2 I’ll tell you that.

    Thanks for a great review and awesome film work!

    Luke

  74. Phillip, would you tell us which sharpening filter (and settings if applicable) you’re using for the 5D Mark lll footage please? I think you said you’re using one in Adobe Premiere. Secondly, which sharpening filter in FCP that you would use to get the same effect? And lastly, would you use the same filter on footage coming from the 5D Mark ll?

  75. Thank You Phillip for such wonderful reviews on so much great equipment!!
    I purchased the Canon 5dMkIII and I am absolutley thrilled with the results I get!! I use the camer to shoot
    extra footage in all my tv shows now!!
    John

  76. The 5Dmarkii shoots beautifull images and video…but I have a question. When using a final cut pro 7 system, how do you export the video without loosing much quality so that when uploaded to youtube, the video remains sharp?

    1. Hi Philip, i have been reading your reviews for some time and find them VERY usefull, honest and respectful for every camera you touch. I was now wiating for your review of Sonys A77 with exitement, because it seems to vewry suitable to us. Then i was verye suprisesd to hear your very short view on it 🙂
      “Loved the EVF, hate the rest ”
      I haven’t been able to touch the camera yet, but hopefully soon, but i have seen several reviews on it from many others going deebly in to it. Could you give us some more info about what you hated about it…?

        1. Thanks Philip for a quick and good answer!
          Sorry about my terrible english in my first reply, it was written in a bit of a hurry!
          Shortly – I come from a video-production background with ENG cameras,
          DVCPRO HD in different sizes. I have so far been experimenting very little
          wit DSLR cameras for my productions, but have been testing different cameras lately.
          Most recent the C300, which I found verye good for handheld use. I loved your litte
          doc ” Diamond Magic” . I do a lot of shooting were I would love to use such a camera
          handheld with no big rig, ekstra monitor etc. Therefore I also found the A77 very exiting.
          I find the C300 a little expensive for experimenting….I also thought of the A77 because it
          can be combined with the FS 700 from Sony. Which lens dit you use for your testing?
          I ‘ ve seen several comments on a pretty desent KIT lens, the 16-50 mm from Sony.
          And frankly, i have seen 4 other reviews of the camera, with different angles, and different
          conclusion, but no one commented on a “bad” image…:-)

  77. Philip, great job and thanks for everything you do to help the community!

    Now here’s my problem — I’m like someone who stumbled into a classroom of higher calculus where the average IQ is about 160, while looking for the remedial math course. I need some basic, simple, and do-able advice or pointers to sites where I can learn how to use my Mk 5 III for video.

    I’m such a beginner, it’s really almost funny. I bought “way over my head” because I had the opportunity, and wanted to get the latest Canon DSLR. But using it? Setting the custom settings for filmmaking? Haven’t got a clue.

    What I need is someone to mentor me, albeit very lightly and by e-mail, or at least point me to some step-by-step text that will teach me how to fish — er, that is, how to set the settings to take the most film-like video possible. My goal is to make short films that are low saturation, high depth of field, and have compelling stories to tell. I can do the stories, no problem. But the technical aspects of the camera leave me shivering.

    So if you or any of the other big-brains who read this want to earn some extra “camera karma” or just do another good turn, please point me in a direction that will help me get my 5 III set up properly. Once that’s done I will experiment and tweak and post on Vimeo, etc., until I have really got the tool working properly for my style. Again, many thanks for your help. I’ve bought quite a bit of equipment simply based on your recommendation, and have never felt I was steered in the wrong direction. Please sir, don’t fail me now! This camera is my biggest investment to date. I intend to use it well.

    ~Russell, New York CIty

  78. http://www.eoshd.com did a review that mentioned some things I don’t remember you addressing. Perhaps you did and I missed it.

    Here is their review.
    http://www.eoshd.com/content/7551/canon-5d-mark-iii-review

    Here are the parts I am wondering about:

    “The video output on the box says 1080p. It isn’t. It is about equal to $600 GH2′s 720p mode and that camera has more resolution in 1080.”

    I’m not sure how he came to this conclusion, but I’m wondering if he is talking about the image before sharpening it up in post. Do you think that is the case?

    The 2nd issue I’m wondering about:

    “The new ALL-I codec is 80-90mbit but has some really terrible fizz and mosquito noise issues

    …Codec fizz

    I have to say the new ALL-I encoder is not actually very good. The FS100 proves that with a good encoder, you don’t need high bitrates for good quality. The 5D Mark III throws 80Mbit intra-frame at a full frame sensor that is almost clean at ISO 3200 yet still manages to generate a ton of fizzing noise over the image in video mode at ISO 100!!

    This is not ISO noise, but codec generated. It is important to note that. It will appear on shadows and under exposed shots even at ISO 100 or 160. The noise reduction setting in-camera doesn’t have an affect. It is more noticeable in motion than on a still frame example….”

    Did you see anything like this phenomenon in your tests?

    Thanks so much, I appreciate all your help, and check your website daily for new content.

  79. How does the sharpening of the image in post effect how people appear? In particular, how do faces come across? Does sharpening have a negative effect on people in motion?

    Have you tried sharpening in any programs other than the one you mentioned in the video?

    Thanks

  80. Hi Philip, I’m new to the site. Thanks for having me. Just curious about the 5D MKIII footage…..the footage you’re cutting to in the video review looks fantastic! However, the same footage in the second VIMEO video below the review, not so much…..???

    1. Hi Philip,

      I think this my first comment on this graet website. Thanks for all your inspiring work and helpful reviews!
      I have read about everyting on the Mark III and the Sony FS100. At the moment I have both camera’s for testing and I still don’t know which one te choose…
      Imagine you were me….and you had to choose between one of thes camera’s. Which one would you pick…honestly.
      Thanks for your help.
      Cheers Tjapko

  81. Wonderful review and as always spectacular footage! Thank you very much for that! Extremely curious about your sharpening workflow in Premiere Pro. Would you mind sharing? Thanks in advance!

  82. hello Phillip, I picked up a 5D mkII in July but had not shot any commercials yet with it till last month. We shot a completely virtual set commercial, all on greenscreen. the VFX supervisor and me where a little worried at first at the compression, but it turned out that the ALL-I codec worked beautifully in after effects to pull the key. We edited the native H.264s in Premiere Pro. Even though I have never commented on your blog a LOT of how we treated the camera and files had to do with stuff I read on it blog so I have to thank you for it. I am very proud of the tv spot we made. Here is the link, hope you can see it, it’s only 20 seconds long! https://vimeo.com/49270513

  83. Dear everyone –

    What card should I get for filming with the MK3?

    Will 60 mb/s write speed by enough? Should I get flash or SD?

    Thanks in advance 🙂

  84. Hello everyone. I am wondering – what card should I use for filming with this camera?! Will 60 mb/s work fine, or should I get faster cards? SD or flash?

  85. Philip. I just took possession of a 5D Mark iii after owning a 7D for a few years. I bought it based on this review of yours. I must say, I have been taking stills since the late 60s and video in the last few years. While I recognize that you, having access to a wide array of cameras may have your issues with this camera, my first afternoon out with it is just beyond belief. Besides the obvious improvements like sound monitoring, this hybrid is the best thing I’ve shot with since Kodachrome on Nikon primes in the 70s. It exceeds everything I hoped for. Thanks for a great review, and I can only say that those of you with an investment in Canon glass, wondering if your 7D cuts it, the answer is, you have another level to go.

  86. Dear Philip,
    thank you so much for all your interesting posts. Very useful.
    I am now thinking to buy a BMCC or a MarkIII.
    One question is very important: Is there a possibility – through third-party firmware (like ML)- to record out of the HDMI on an external recorder? Thanks sooooo much!!!!!

  87. Hi Philip,

    Many thanks for your review. I’ve since bought my 5Dm3.

    “After doing some experimenting do some work on it in post. Bit of grading and post sharpening the footage is coming to life beautifully. Detail that is not there before is coming out….thankfully!”

    Could you please give me some pointers on how I might achieve this in post?

    Thanks!

  88. Hi, Philip. Just finished watching your 5Dmk3 review. Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge and experience. Do you recall which lenses and Variable ND you used in New Zealand?

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