The long awaited Canon 5D mkIII…is it what we were hoping for?

DSLR Gear

We have been waiting for this for some time. Rumours of release dates came and went for well over a year. I don’t publish rumours. If I did, this site would be littered with MKIII posts! There are many sites that do that and that is fine. I would rather deal in facts and actual announced products. Well, today it was officially unveiled. There are many questions I have about it, and I have yet to see any footage PROPERLY (i.e. not compressed)…

The MKIII has been desperately needed by many, including me. Why? The full frame aesthetic is so unique and still has a very clear place for me as a filmmaker.  I own and adore my C300 but really want a full frame Canon DSLR for all my lenses that has next to no image issues and has a wickedly sharp image! Of course it is also much smaller and is perfect for my timelapses. 

From what I have read/ heard, video-wise we have apparently a massive improvement in image quality, not quite moire and aliasing free, but close thanks to a new processor. Minimised jello from the rolling shutter. We have the ability to monitor audio with the much fabled “headphone jack” finally coming to the Canon line. Hurrah! We also have meters on screen and we can change the levels during recording…No news on the quality of the pre-amp. The one in the current Canons is rather…lacklustre. Of course it’s still a 3.5mm input.

We now have clip spanning, so we can record longer than 12 minutes…29 minutes 59 seconds. It won’t go over that due to the ever present EU tax issue. For all but event filmmakers and those long documentary interviews, it’s all we need. 

There is timecode now on the camera, although I am not sure what the implementation of it is. Weather sealing is massively improved but will of course be dependent on your lens being weather sealed too so it won’t let the water in there!

It has been reported that we have a camera capable of two more stops of light sensitivity and low light performance only superseded in a Canon camera by the 1DX

Still H.264 recording, with an i-frame codec version but no word on the bit rate.  50p/ 60p is only at 720p (come on now?), there is also no swivel screen and no ability to make you a better filmmaker by owning one 😉 

What is key for me, and I hope to clear this up soon, is the ability to get a clean 8 bit 422 uncompressed HDMI signal for using external recorders. EDIT: Am told it’s only 720p out…BOO HISS! Hugely disappointing, considering Nikon have this on their D800 and D4 which I hope to try soon!

As soon as I get more info, I will update this blog post! So many unanswered questions that I hope to have answers to soon. BUT I doubt I can really clear them up until I get my hands on one. I am hoping Canon Australia or Canon New Zealand can help here (that is where I am for the next few weeks!). Making any judgement on a camera based on specs alone is a HUGE mistake by anyone. I did that and so did many others with the C300, and that has turned out to be a camera beast which is now my favourite camera!

Price wise, we are looking at around $3,500 for body only…should be available by the end of March…

Naturally I want one, but I would rather test it out first to see how much improved the image is. Image fidelity is everything to me. I just need to ask Canon to let me get my grubby mits on one to see just how well she performs! Most important thing for me is a sharp detailed image with no issues, as I have already mentioned. 

I would love to check this out side by side with the new Nikon D800 and D4 which both have clean HDMI out…might be tricky to get them all in the same room at the same time!

There are some sample videos here…and one embedded below. Disappointing launch videos to be honest. No holy shit “Reverie” here…

Oh apparently it takes rather nice stills too! You can  pre-order it from b&h and from CVP in Europe. I just put my pre-order in…hope it’s good!

Many of you are disappointed. I am not sure what you were expecting. It is after all a stills camera with a video mode. That is what it has to be. The moment the video users outweigh the stills guys, then that could change. But for now, with their amazing C300 prices at 4 times the price of this, there is a clear division in products, and I don’t see how the 1DX fills the middle ground. It doesn’t. 

All I can say is thank god for Nikon on announcing their camera which has created competition in the stagnating DSLR market. Nobody wants a monopoly. Competition makes all companies better. 

It’s also a smashing time to get yourself a MkII, check Ebay, there will be many and it’s still a fookin’ great camera! 🙂

courtesy of engadget.com


EOS 5D Mark III: Radball from Canon France on Vimeo.


 

London, UK, 2nd March 2012 – Canon today announces the latest addition to its worldfamous EOS range with the launch of the new EOS 5D Mark III. The EOS 5D Mark IIIbuilds on the performance of the legendary EOS 5D Mark II, offering improved speed,greater resolution, enhanced processing power and extended creative options for bothstills and Full HD movies – providing unparalleled artistic freedom for the most demanding photographers.

Incorporating feedback from photographers worldwide, the EOS 5D Mark III offers improved performance in virtually every area. A new 22.3 Megapixel (MP) full-frame sensor offers the ideal balance of resolution for stills and HD movies and up to 6 frames per second (fps) shooting, whilst a 61-point AF system and 63-zone metering provide greater speed, flexibility and accuracy. Powered by the latest DIGIC 5+ processing technology, the EOS 5D Mark III also features enhanced video functions, offeringimproved image quality alongside greater audio control – redefining creative possibilities for photographers and amateur videographers alike. “The EOS 5D Mark III represents a big step forward for the EOS 5D series” said Kieran Magee, Marketing Director, Professional Imaging, Canon Europe. “The EOS 5D Mark II is an exceptional camera and we’ve listened carefully to feedback from its passionate community of users to improve performance in every area. This camera has been designed to meet virtually any creative challenge – it’s faster, more responsive and features the tools to adapt to everything from studio photography to creative videography, while producing results of the highest quality.”

Enhanced performance

With its comprehensively upgraded specification, the EOS 5D Mark III is the ideal toolfor the growing number of photographers shooting both stills and movies. It incorporates a number of the features launched with Canon’s revolutionary EOS-1D X,providing vastly improved performance, flexibility, handling and durability. The camera’s newly-developed 22.3MP full-frame sensor provides increased resolution and finer detail, enabling the capture of a wide range of scenes, from sweeping landscapes to beautiful portraits. Higher speed continuous shooting also offers expanded creative possibilities. With an increased 8-channel read out, the camera comfortably handles a maximum full resolution speed of up to 6fps in bursts of 18 RAW images or over 16,000 JPEGs1, without the need for additional accessories. Additionally, the sensor’s advanced architecture offers a huge native ISO range of 100-25,600, expandable to 102,400, making it possible to capture clean, high quality pictures, even in extreme low-light conditions.

 

The EOS 5D Mark III utilises the same 61-point wide-area AF system as the flagship EOS-1D X, providing exceptional sensitivity, precision and speed. One of the most advanced AF systems currently available, it features an impressive 41 cross-type points and five dual cross-type points, providing unsurpassed accuracy across the frame. The customisable AF pre-sets introduced in the EOS-1D X are also available, helping the capture of traditionally challenging subjects, and providing additional reliability in ituations where subject movement can be unpredictable. Highly accurate exposures are provided by Canon’s acclaimed iFCL metering system, which incorporates a 63-zone Dual-Layer sensor linked to each point of the AF system. Focus information gathered from the AF system is analysed alongside colour and luminance signals measured by the metering sensor itself, enabling the EOS 5D Mark III to deliver consistently accurate skin tones and excellent results in a wide range of shooting situations.

Creative performance without compromise

The EOS 5D Mark III features Canon’s latest DIGIC 5+ image processor, which powers a range of new functions without affecting the camera’s performance. 14-bit A/D conversion provides smoother tonal gradation and transitions between colours, while in-camera HDR shooting combines three different exposures and allows one of five preset tone maps to be applied, enabling photographers to capture all the detail in high contrast scenes. With in-camera RAW processing and editing capability, photographers also have the option to immediately begin post-processing their images while still on a shoot. The increased power of DIGIC 5+ also enables a range of tools which contribute to higher image quality. Lens peripheral illumination correction, Lens chromatic aberration correction (lateral and axial) and high ISO noise reduction are all performed in-camera without affecting performance, allowing photographers to continue shooting without any camera lag. Additionally, in-camera image rating via a dedicated button makes it easy for photographers to organise images ahead of post-production. The EOS 5D Mark III features a new Creative Photo button, which enables users to quickly select Picture Styles and capture multiple exposures, as well as offering direct access to the HDR shooting mode. In playback, pressing the Creative Photo button displays a new comparative playback function, displaying two images side-by-side to allow photographers to view, magnify and compare the quality of different exposures mid-shoot. For situations where photographers want to avoid being noticed, such as weddings, the EOS 5D Mark III also features a new silent shooting mode that dramatically reduces the sound of the shutter and mirror, ensuring they can work quietly in the background. A continuous silent mode is also available, enabling photographers to capture fastermoving subjects without attracting attention.

Next generation EOS Movies

The EOS 5D Mark III builds on the reputation of the EOS 5D Mark II, with a range of new features introduced following feedback received from photographers to provide even better Full HD video performance. As well as offering the depth-of-field control loved by video professionals, the new full-frame sensor combines with the vast processing power of DIGIC 5+ to improve image quality by virtually eradicating the presence of moiré, false colour and other artefacts. The addition of a movie mode switch and a recording button also offers greater usability, enabling videographers to begin shooting immediately when movie mode is engaged. Additional movie functions include manual exposure control and an enhanced range of high bit-rate video compression options, with intraframe (ALL-I) and interframe (IPB) methods both supported. Variable frame rates range from 24fps to 60fps, and the addition of SMPTE timecode support provides greater editing flexibility and easier integration into multi-camera shoots. Users can also check and adjust audio during recording via the camera’s Quick Control screen and a headphone socket enables sound level monitoring both during and after shooting. Enhanced processing power provided by DIGIC 5+ also makes it possible to conveniently trim the length of recorded movies in-camera.

Professional build, easy operation

The EOS 5D Mark III has been built to offer photographers easy-handling and robust build quality. Its lightweight, high-grade magnesium body offers advanced weather proofing for protection against the elements, while the construction of the shutter has also been reinforced, with 150,000-cycle durability making it ideal for repeated, everyday use. An enhanced version of the Intelligent Viewfinder featured in the EOS 7D offers approximately 100% coverage, as well as an on-demand grid display via the builtin transparent LCD. The same reinforced 8.11cm (3.2″) Clear View II LCD screen as used by the EOS-1D X provides high quality framing and playback in all conditions. 1,040k-pixels provide the resolution to accurately check image sharpness and focus, while the gapless structure design introduced with the EOS-1D Mark IV prevents reflections and protects against dust or scratches. A headphone socket and locking mode dial have been included, while the inclusion of a UDMA 7-compatible CF card slot plus an SD card2 slot enables shooting to both cards simultaneously, auto switching when the one in use becomes full and the option to copy images from one card to the other in-camera.

Digital Lens Optimizer – new in Digital Photo Professional v3.11

The EOS 5D Mark III comes complete with the most advanced version of Digital Photo Professional (DPP) yet – Canon’s free, in-box software enabling high-speed, high quality processing of RAW images. New in DPP v3.11 is Digital Lens Optimizer – a revolutionary new tool designed to drastically improve image resolution. Digital Lens Optimizer (DLO) precisely imitates lens performance, with a series of complex mathematical functions replicating each stage of the journey of light through the optical path. Using this information DLO can correct a range of typical optical aberrations and loss of resolution caused by a camera’s low pass filter, by applying an inverse function to each shot to take the image nearer to how the scene appears to the naked eye. This creates exceptionally detailed, high-quality images with highly manageable file sizes, providing photographers with maximum image quality and greater flexibility.

EOS System compatibility

As part of the EOS System, the EOS 5D Mark III is immediately compatible with over 60 EF Lenses, including the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM – the new, essential wide-angle zoom lens from Canon’s famous L-series. The camera is also compatible with a newlyannounced range of accessories designed to offer extended creativity, including the Speedlite 600EX-RT – a high performance TTL flash with wireless radio connectivity. Additionally, the new Battery Grip BG-E11 offers greater handling flexibility alongside the ability to double the camera’s battery life.

 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III – Key features:

    • 22.3 Megapixel full-frame sensor
    • 61-point autofocus
    • Up to 6fps continuous shooting
    • Native ISO 100-25,600 sensitivity
    • Full HD video with manual control
    • 14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor
    • Enhanced Weather sealing
    • 8.11cm (3.2-inch) 1,040,000-dot screen
  • HDR mode with presets

146 comments

  1. Aww. You didn’t get a pre-production version, Philip? If this has clean HDMI out, the kit with the 24-70 Mark II could be killer. Still want to see how the moire, AA and ISO noise look, but if those are greatly improved this may be my video camera of choice.

    1. “Unfortunately, there’s still no option for clean HDMI output (which allows the uncompressed video footage to be captured on an external recorder) — when we asked about this, Canon’s reps said “not yet.” However, it does sound like the HDMI signal output won’t downsample from 1080p to 480p when recording, thanks to the DIGIC 5+. Canon’s reps couldn’t say that with certainty, but they suspected it wouldn’t be an issue going forward.

      From The Verge:

      http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/2/2836313/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-official-22-3-megapixel-full-frame-dslr

  3. was hoping you would have a review copy to out some footage, but completely moire/aliasing free? i dont know about that doesnt the scarlett have problems with it too?

  5. It all sounds lovely and I would be very happy to unwrap one of them for Christmas!
    The HDR video interests me, headphone jack and sound levels during record are overdue. Currently using 7D & loving it I’m not about to start a piggy bank for this camera. I would want Magic Lantern for my 7D before this camera (is that a bad thing?) full frame footage from MKII looks killer.. but if i could get the ML for 7d I would be a happy man. Some nice upgrades but 1080 60p would be a deal maker.

    1. Sadly, MAgic Lantern is not available for the 7D and probably won’t be. the 7D has dual processors which make it hard to crack and what makes it dead in the water, it also has a firmware update limit so when trying to crack it the people behind Magic Lantern suddenly got locked out of progressing further 🙁

  6. 2 days before my birthday, it is the camera I have been waiting for.

    Hopefully the guys at Magic Lantern can do their stuff and give us clean HDMI and it is my dream camera.

    Somebody in the UK put up a pre order button somewhere.

  8. What factors could possibly stop this new 5D from achieving image quality on par with the C300?
    I assume the HDMI signal could compete with the C300.
    Low light will be similar I would think…
    Achieving a PP doctored log type output via HDMI “raw” could be very interesting.

  9. What a disappointment – or maybe we expected too much?

    Wiil it make me a better filmmaker? I dont think so

    Already own 2 5Ds and I dont see any obvious reason to upgrade here

    Oh the dilemma! When your in the under 10k market – D800? 1DX? 5DMKIII? Is a wait and see for me (still) But the Nikon is looking good

      1. c300 is a different market really (over 15k). Canon does have a problem though because it cant introduce too many extra video features in the 5D without potentially stealing sales off the C300, and yet the 5D has to compete in the ever crowded DSLR video market. And so then comes the so called Cinema DSLR – ? Where will that sit?

        1. exactly what i thought too…

          c300 is no comparison but has to be “protected” at all costs..

          c300 was a big mistake…being blown out of the water the same day by the scarlet… killing all opportunities to significantly improve the 5d II…

          i would love to see the numbers behind this decision, money made with the c300 against money lost by bad 5d III sales.

          1. seriously? c300 blown out of the water by scarlet? far from it! first off two TOTALLY different cameras for different jobs…secondly the c300 is sold out EVERYWHERE

            i have one…it’s incredible and i have shot with the scarlet.

            1. ok, i may be spoiled by the cameras i use on shoots…
              and the c300 won`t even work on that stuff as a b-camera while the scarlet would.
              IF it works 🙂

              i personally never saw the point in buying any camera over 5k, that stuff belongs in a rental house.
              especially if you consider how fast you have to make money from it before the next/better one arrives.
              there may be business models that justify the investment… mine won`t

              this all started with a dslr that could shoot nice video, and now canon is sacrificing a lot to protect the c300, giving away the lead on this to run around in hollywood with big balls not recognizing they showed up with a mule to that horserace.

    2. I agree…

      Personally, I have yet to be more disappointed by ANY release of any Vendor.

      2 Years we have been screaming for better features. Canon claim “We’ve listened to our clients”…

      Perhaps they listened but they didn’t hear us… AT ALL.

      According to 3 sources, NO CLEAN HDMI OUT…

      Sayonara – 422 Prores recording.

      C300 – nice camera. But the Scarlet DOES blow it out of the water. Scarlet (in a useable constellation) is MORE expensive but SO is the look of the image.

      Canon has lost it.. And I promise you that the next year, you will all see canon scrambling to gain back turnover. While Canon 5Dmkii users screamed – Canon listened with deaf ears.. Only one who HEARD us was the canon competition and better still-camera maker – NIKON.

      They understood WHAT a full frame-H.264-recording camera needs in the hands of a Pro… A way to record HIGHER quality.
      So they gave us HDMI 422 Clean Out…. That alone saves me about 12 hours of transcoding every time I am done with a shoot…

      The canon5dMKii…. Still has one MAJOR advantage over the nikon… It shoots in Gamma-Log-Curve via Cinestyle… And THAT is more important for me now that 422…

      Canon could have easily integrated clean HDMI out. But they wanted to protect their sick horse; C300.

      Wow…. I have waited for this day to come; 2 years. And I got NOTHING !

      I’m done investing in CANON

      PS – Should those sources of dirty HDMI-Out be WRONG… And we do get clean-out… Then this is something different. But the source, in the past has proven highly reliable.

        1. 1st.
          Canon did listen to their costumers, they got rid of Moire and Aliasing, also they greatly reduced
          rolling shutter. True there is no clean HDMI out, but they have still given some control in the compression
          department. But It will be far better than what we have had to work with before.

          2nd
          Canon will at no point go scrambling because of other companies being further ahead in the video department.
          They manufacture Still Picture cameras that do video, Not Video Cameras that do stills. Their Number one
          objective is to still photography, Videography gets second place.
          The C300 is dedicated to Video, and has the features we want (except 10 bit and 1080p slowmotion…and affordability).

          3rd
          These Cameras will get better and better. Look at Nikon, they’re stepping up, Canon will too, but not at
          the same time. We must be patient and not throw curses for not getting Everything on our List.

          -Cheers!

  14. I really can not wait to see how it stacks up against the 5D mk2

    Seriously these last few years have been such an amazing time to be a film maker. I can not wait til you get your hands on one and really test it out. My 7D and 5D aren’t going anywhere anytime soon but its nice to see what else is out there for us DSLR shooters.

  15. I really like the improvements.

    Really want to get it but the Australian price they are talking about is almost $1000 more then the US pre order price…. LAME!

  19. Argh bollocks! Been researching and getting myself in a spin from compiling kit lists. Thought the best way to go was 60D to get me up and running with DSLR film-making and then… of course what you expect to happen, happens.

    I am 50/50 film-maker/photographer with an equal split of indoor/studio and outdoors/wildlife/sport work. A difficult mix to cater for with single camera and only a couple of lenses.

    Although lower spec than most, what swayed me to the 60D was the “swivel screen” as I’m used to some pretty weird shooting positions, and also the price point was a little less intimidating. But it’s hard not to gravitate towards the 5D mark III now, when it’s pretty much hitting all my “if only it hads” that’s I’d been using as reasons to get the 60D over it… other than the fixed screen of course.

    Do you think not having a fixed screen really a deal breaker? I’m just so use to flipping over my camcorders screens when they’re on the ground, up a tree, in a corner…

  20. Great news, some nice improvements but I don’t think I’ll jump on this yet, it has some 7d features but alot of us felt the 5d2 was good enough at the time to warrant the extra coin over the 7d, we didnt need the 61 assist or the 720p 60fps – or a new processor as not editing FCPX projects on this camera, I still don’t need those features, this release reminds me of the S100 update over my nice S95, nothing “killer”. just incremental.
    I want to see the 4k DSLR but in the meantime I’m dreaming of the C300, still looking forwards to Phils review of the Mark 3.
    Really glad I own a 5dmark2, all I need is a mark3 strap and a “mark3 sticker” to stick over my mark2 and I’m good to go with the Joneses.
    This will be lovely new Canon for sure but right now it’s the iPad3 I want and a C300….and Angelina Jolies knee.

  24. Dang it! I was just about resolved to investing in an FS100, now I’m up in arms again.
    Not a bad thing though, this camera looks great.
    Although 720p Slow motion vs `1080p Slow motion keeps me leaning towards the FS100. In addition, I don’t know if the Mark III has 4:2:2 HDMI Recording. That means a lot to me, and I know that the FS100 has it.

    We’ll see when the camera comes out. I’ll probably keep to the Sony though.

    -Cheers!

  25. Intrigued by the “high bitrate” and intra frame codec options.

    With the selectable crop factor, and supposed clean HDMI out, and from sample footage, I’m liking the Nikon D4 more… but are the codec and timecode options on the 5D3 enough to make its crippled HDMI a non-issue?

    Very much looking forward to the inevitable 5D3/D4/D800 shootout

  27. I want to see it reviewed by someone (Philip?) who KNOWS the video aspects of the new MK III:

    !. Does it support 10 bit color instead of 8 bit
    2. Does the audio support 48khz 24 bit
    3. How good is the Time Code?
    4. How well is the Moire effect controlled by the new Digic 5+ chip
    5. How much better is the compression on video (compare the 2) Bit rates?
    6. Does it have auto focus during filming
    7. What does the manual audio control look and act like DURING filming.
    8. Is the noise in low light EVEN better controlled
    9. Is there anything in the New Canon software that can be applied to correcting the Canon Lenses in the MOV file?
    10. Will Canon or some third party EVER give us what we ALL want…. 1080p HDMI output WITHOUT the @#$%$! overlay????

  30. If Canon provided everything on a video shooter’s wish list in the 5D3 there wouldn’t be much of a market for the c300. Provided the camera is “good enough” for encourage 5D2 to upgrade then Canon have done their job well.

    The 5D and all its variants will always be an exceptional stills camera and a pretty good video camera (or back-up as some call it) and not the other way round.

    I won’t be upgrading from my 5D2 because I know paying twice the price will give me results that are twice as good. Law of diminishing returns guarantees that. When it comes down in price by £1000 in a years time, then I might be persuaded.

  31. Well Done Philip! I for one am excited by the announcement and really looking forward to what this new baby can do! Having caught one of your chats at BVE recently I know just how excited you will have been to see the inclusion of the headphone jack! ;o) Safe and successful travels down under!

  32. I think we have to wait and see how this new 96 Mbps intraframe codec works, because it can be pretty damn close to a ProRes file. I am not really sure why everybody is so crazy about jumping into a workflow that requires an external recorder permanently attached capturing ProRes via an 8bit HDMI signal… I think it is more like a patch than a definitive perfect solution…. I definitely prefer having some kind of improvement in the internal codec.
    I also think that it is totally worth the upgrade: the biggest downsides of the Mark II for me where the terrible aliasing and moiré problems and that weak codec. If all ll this is resolved or improved, as it seems to be, I am definitely upgrading.
    And I expect a general improvement of IQ in both stills and video in terms of Noise and Dynamic Range (2 stops better in low light! the MKII was already a beast in this area!)

    1. Agreed but im also very interested to see what the D800 can do so im holding off on any upgrade decisions until we have some field tests on both. We use Canon and Nikon so not fussed on lenses

    2. With Magic Lantern I have been recording 120Mbps since almost two months… There really isn’t that BIG of a difference to 45 Mbps… The BIG difference is the chroma sampling… canons is 420… in dslrs… And THAT is what KILLs the image.

      422/40Mbps Chroma sampling is superior to 1MB/s 420 sampling.

      It is NOT so much about the mops MORE about the chroma sampling.

      422 is NOT optimal… 444 IS. Don’t even begin to imagine what 420 is…. (At least in Post)

      1. God I hope your right about 720 clean HDMI out Phil.

        Some guy called Vincent Laforet said there is no clean HDMI out and whats more claims that Magic Latern won’t be able to work a fix and I quote “w/ regards to how the Canons process the image”.

        I hope he is wrong and that his main job is Stand Up cause I will be dissapointed by that.

        Won’t put me off getting it though.

      2. I am new to videography, but I can’t understand why people are not happy. Looked at it in another way, I can buy a Canon XF100/105 or this new Canon 5D mkIII. To me, this is exciting. If moire and aliasing is resolved, one can do serious cinematic stuff with such cheap solution without having to think about getting artifacts anymore. With lenses, I can go cheap or expensive, and grow as I learn the trade. These are exciting times, not? A few years back, people were shooting DV and HDV with simple 1/3″ chips for this price.

      4. So many people get so crazy just about numbers…as Philip says, image is paramount.
        For what i have seen in the “mario&nette” short, it looks gorgeous!

        Many important video issues have been addressed (moire, bitrate, 29min limitation, audio, timecode, low light… ) and can satisfy the majority of the HDSLR shooters.
        On the sad side:
        —1080 60fps? too bad, but the c300 doesn’t do it either so why expect it in the 5d. (at this bitrate on a DSLR, i would expect overheat anyway)
        —HDMI out ? too bad, but it only concerns a tiny minority HDSLR shooters who really need that quality and can afford external recorder/additional processing power. To be totally objective, this is not really HDSLR territory anymore.

        Of course everybody here focuses on the video side, but from what i have heard in the Pro Photographers world :
        This camera is a REVOLUTION…i guess canon didn’t get it so wrong after all 😉

        I think we should harass Canon in order to get some more features in firmware updates (like the HDMI)
        But at the end of the day, i still consider ourselves insanely lucky to be able to shoot video in such a manner on one of the best sensor on the planet at this price tag!

        1. 5d3 = still photography revolution?!? Been to the preview canon forum lately? Mayhem about how lame this update is.
          Most calling it the 5d2n. The new Nikons, especially the D800 is clearly better spec’d and innovative, such as the E version without an AA filter. High iso improvements are primarily in jpegs, not raw, just like 1D X. I can go on and on.
          Not pretty. New AF is great but slightly crippled compared to 1D X…with 7d’s prosumer metering. Again, the D800 has the exact same AF & metering as flagship D4. Revolution…me thinks not.

        2. there is nothing revolutionary about the 5d3. It is a mix tween a 7d and 5dmkii…

          NO worse than the 5dmkii but calling this a revolution, be that as a still or motion picture camera, would degrade the meaning of the word..

      5. Oh how the masses all turn on the company that has given us an opportunity to create images of a quality we never even thought possible ( for the price).

        Without canon my business would not exist. In the last year i have had THE BEST time, all thanks to Canon.

        The revolution occurred with the 5D Mrk2, now its how smart and creative you are.

        Get out there and Hustle. For the record I use a 60d on occassions as well as the 5d and if you cant get the result you want even using the 60d…. you actually don’t know what you are doing.

        Put your money in the lenses and get on with it.

        1. @EBFLOW

          No one here are griping on the 5DMKII… Great Camera, with room for LOT of improvement, motion-image wise.

          It is just that we thought Canon has listened to us. And they did not.

          As of Today NIKON is king of the DSLR Video Shooting. Check the images (yourself in the store after shooting with it)
          and I promise you that will see it blow the 5d out the rat hole.

      7. Weird, you use a fair amount of slow motion in your films. Seems strange that it wouldn’t qualify as a key function!

        For me, my primary work is in action sports, and therefore it’s pretty high on my wish list. I think it’s about time that these camera manufacturers stopped milking these so called “upgrades”! If you’re needing a camera to shoot motion, this still isn’t beating the GH2 IMO.

          1. The first one that sprung to mind was http://vimeo.com/3222436 and the second was this http://vimeo.com/29758305. They are the ones that I could remember, I’m sure there are many more.

            Slow motion is a big selling point, I don’t really understand what’s to argue about…? I think the fact that your Scarlet review isn’t all that positive with regards to the overcrank and reduced resolution, is confirmation that you agree with FPS being a big selling point.

            I know it is not important for everyone, I’m just saying that for me and many others, it is! And as I said, I think that camera manufacturers should stop milking old technology in the form of a dressed up new camera. 720p is far from good enough.

            I really can’t see anything exciting about this camera. So they have ironed out the horrid artifacts from the mark 2. I don’t see that as a big deal, many other DSLR’s did that quite some time ago.

            I have liked what Canon has done in the past, I just don’t see that they have pushed the envelope on this one, sorry.

        1. If Canon will not give people what they want because they need to preserve those features for their video space I understand that. Its just business. NIKON, however does not have that burden.

          They are free to exploit this and make “their” HDSLR cameras the best on the market @ the 5D price point, where digital film making is concerned.

          They need to just step up and claim this space for their self.

          Steve Jobs said “great artists steel” —– honestly, steel some engineers from Canon and just go for it. Seems to me they would have legions of loyal consumers. Makes perfect sense to me.

          2. It is Picasso said so, Jobs did it just as the great artist =).
            Anyway, the Canon 5d mk iii is not what we all expected. Nikon wins, regrettably.
            Now we have to wait for GH3

  34. my first thoughts I think its a great camera but if you don’t have a serious investment in EF glass, I think the better package will be Nikon D800 with F-Mount glass too early to tell, anyways after all Nikon has nothing to lose they will keep improving their cameras to have better video options they will not impose any limits if they can do something they are going to do it, on other hand if canon did this they will never sell their video Camcorders they have to understand moore’s law or they will be victims of revolution they helped to kick start, I think in 3 years it will be very hard to justify price of a cameras like the 300C, this is what I fell now about 5d mrk3 I cant justify it after 3 years waiting I’m disappointed!!!!

  36. Hi Philip,

    You said the C300 and Scarlet are made for TOTALLY different purposes.
    Can you please -in a nutshell- tell me what are these purposes and how different they are?
    Thanks in advance.

    Lee

  37. Agreed with PBs note that slowmo isn’t that important just nice to have.
    Image quality out of this thing should be fantastic (hopefully better than d800, and even if its not quite up to par with d4, its almost half the price).

    Can’t wait to see some fullres / less compressed test footage and bitrate details. Philip if it passes BBC submission guidelines that is still a big caveat for you even if no 1080 clean hdmi out right?

    You said the C300 internal recording is very comparable to external recording. Let’s hope its the same here.

    1. Philip
      when you do the camera review… please include all the Major camera’s under $6,000, not just the DSLRs. especially the NEX-FS100 and any other camera worthy of mentioning. thanks Clovis

      1. when i do the review it will be just the mk3. how can i possibly do them all? the last shootout i did at christmas took 3 weeks of my time and this is my own time, not paid by anyone. unfortunately that makes it close to impossible to do frequently

        best

  39. I’m really excited about this camera! I’m waiting on a couple reviews from DSLR filmmakers like yourself before I make a decision on which camera to buy though. If you manage to get your hands on one, I’d love to hear about it. In particular, I’d like to see how the improved weather sealing affects how hot the camera gets while shooting. Its not super important, but it is something I’d like to know about before buying. Anyway, I look forward to hearing your opinion about the new model.

  40. According to the Canon site it says 30 fps ALL-I: 11 min. (685 MB/min.) / IPB: 32 min (235 MB/min.)

    So if I do the math right which I probably won’t, that’s 685MB x 8 = 5480Mb / 60 = 91.33Mb per second? So if that’s correct you are looking at almost double the bitrrate. Is this right?

    1. Yes, this calculation is correct.
      But this doesn’t mean much with ALL-I being intraframe and current Canon codec being IP (but not B). IPB can still give better image with less bitrate for static or near static shots, compared to ALL-I.

  41. This actually covers a more than I thought it would…..not really sure why everyone is so full of fanta today with dissatisfied remarks, the new codec is probably way superior to mk2. There’s still a few features about the Nikon that are a bit cooler but I have the strange feeling that the image quality won’t stack up. Hope I’m wrong though. I’m also not sure why anyone is surprised that 60 fps is 720. Apparently 1080 slowmo just insn’t easy to accomplish, it’s still a step up from the 60 fps that I have on my current 5d!

  42. Hi Phil,

    first off, thanks for your inside, as always.

    Second, you mention NIKON stepping up, I’d say, they’re stepping all over… canon.
    422 clean HDMI out means SUPERIOR color sampling. Canon5DMKII is 4:2:0 – and THAT is where all the artifacts come from… I think people misunderstand that when they talk about H.264. DVD = H.264 which is AWESOME quality as long as it aint 4:2:0….

    Nikon offers 422 RAW.. Meaning that for the quality will be superior to any 4:2:0….

    Lots of stuff play a big part, Gamma-Log capabilities, etc etc etc..

    Moire, Phillip, ANY digital camera HAS to display it… It is a matter of architecture NOT at matter of vendor promises. THe very nature of ANY digital camera “offers” moire. it HAS to… research, why moire occurs and you will find that it is a fact. The higher the pixel counter versus the ration of downsampling meaning the higher probability of M. That is why the D800 os being offered is TWO models. Bringing down 38MP to about 2MP WILL give you moire beyond anything you have ever seen with a 5Dmkii… Therefor, the 4D will/should be superior to the D800 (price disregarded)

    I love canon 5dmkii… But the specs of this “new” baby are leaving me numb and as a nun in front of a naked Charlston Heston.

    5DII is delivering amazing picture but I be darned if I am to invest in another 4:2:0 bastard giving me NOTHING not hassle in post.

    Nikon, on the other hand which cameras in STILL are vastly superior to ANYTHING Canon ever made, with 422 are leaving Canon sniffing for worms in the dirt… Canon might be into stills but mind you (if you follow finances) that a BIG part of their turnover came from the 5dMKI movie revolution////

    They just TOTALLY gave that spectrum into the hungry hands of Nikon and RED…

    5DMKIII for 3500… Heheh…

    I’d rather purchase TWO extra 5DMKII as backup and angle cameras… Who cares about I-Frames.. Seriously… if the chroma sampling is STILL 420… jesus !!!!

    ;-)))))

    1. Well said sir!! Totally agreed. I gonna hang on to my Mark 2 for a while, until Magic Lantern gangs crack the code on Mark 3 to allow HDMI uncompressed and better codec. Until then, there is no other review that can convince me that Mark 3 is superior to others camera for its entry price point.

      1. It’s too early for me to jump in, especially at price and the specs. I’ll wait until people tested thoroughly and make good comparison with D800 or D4. Perhaps like I said, if they can put ML on Mark3, i’d rather it’d be a killer camera. For now, I will patiently wait

    4. I don’t think there is a DSLR out there that delivers RAW. Uncompressed maybe but not RAW. Secondly most of the people obsessing over 4:2:2 have no clue what it is, how to benefit from it and that they even need it. For broadcast, corporate, event, documentary, ENG and the rest of the video mediums 4:2:0 is fine. Unless you are doing serious green screen or color grading you don’t need it. Key word being serious. If you shoot the thing right the first time you won’t have to push the codec to the point of it breaking in post. I do minor tweaking and it works just fine. Who is your audience? Everyone thinks they are going to be making the next big block buster. For my work and most any production company I have ever worked with the codec is fine.

    5. the proof will be in the pudding, we really shouldn’t be going to crazy over the numbers here. Uncompressed HDMI out is cool and all but I would much rather a better internal codec. We still dont know what the color space is of said codec, its possibly it could be 422 (hopefully). Comparing to the d800 would you really rather a horrible internal codec and probably 2 stops less low light performance? Lets not forget that, from all many sources the 5dIII will actually resolve 1080 lines of resolution, over the 5dII’s 720 lines of resolution. Something to consider.

    6. Hi Morten;
      I am afraid you are doing some wrong statements and throwing some misinformation all over.
      Nikon’s are not delivering 422 RAW, they are providing a 422 8bit clean signal via HDMI that you can capture with another device in whatever format you want. Quite different I think
      You are also wrong when you are talking about h264 and DVDs. I guess you were talking about BluRay encoding instead. Anyway, BluRays have a nice quality, but not “awesome”, and of course their quality benefits more from high bitrate since they also use 420 subsampling
      On the other hand, chroma subsampling has nothing to do with the majority of artifacts and quality problems that are present in DSLRs. From my point of view, 420 is a minor problem compared to moire patterns, jagged edges, bad aliasing in contrasty lines (like hair or eyebrows, always dancing when in focus), blocky compression, noise levels, 8bit banding. Most of them have been resolved or improved (except for 8bit, although flat profiles help a lot dealing with it). My guess is that the general IQ and noise levels in video is going to be superior. I think that is enough to upgrade. And we will see how good the new codec is.
      The 5DMKIII looks from the specs as a vastly improved version of the MKII. Of course I would have prefer having a clean 422 output, but I am not sure if recording to a separate device via HDMI is an scenario in which I would be comfortable with in all kind of situations. Adding a lot of things more that can go wrong.
      And on top of it all, we still have to see how both (Canon and Nikons) really perform in terms of video. The sensor from the Canon seems to be “video-oriented” in terms of MP count. The one from the d800 is way to big I think. The only video I’ve seen so far (the one with the motorbyke through the city) has some big moire and kind of aliasing in deep shots, although I don’t want to judge from an internet compressed video. If the Nikon performs better, it might be the one I am buying.

  43. One main feature is missing Canon! 8bit 422 HDMI output?????
    Why, why, why Canon?

    Sure Canon, you couldn’t just kill your newborn baby C300……but we want it!!

    I’ll test the Nikon D800 with external recorder and if works and looks as good as it seems I’m afraid your gone for a while Canon, out of my world as my main HDSLR for film. But you are welcome back one day with a new update.

    If Canon want me to by the C300, I’d rather by a Sony F3, that has the power to grow with S-log and 444.

    Sorry Canon it’s a hard world but you are lucky as you have a lot of die hard fans due to the 5DmkII.
    I’m sure the 5DmkIII is a great camera great sensor, great codec, great stills, great great great, but I’m not sure it’s the awaited update we wanted coming 🙁

    Welcome back Nikon, it’s good to have competition so the Canon’s not getting greedy ……………..

  44. I think the fact that they didn’t send a sample to PB is a bit of a worry! Here is someone who has championed the 5D2 and even got it into Lucasfilm for goodness sake! Why are they afraid to give him one? They should have had a pre production model in his hands on the Red Tails set!

    Instead we have that lacklustre launch video. Seriously, what happened at that board meeting?

    Dull media company: “Yeah we’ve got this idea to show off the new camera…err…we’ll get some guys on bikes and ride around… in broad daylight.”

    Canon : “Ok… that sounds a little tired…will you use experimental mounting ideas, creative lenses etc to make it a bit more interesting?”

    Dull media company: “How about we just overexpose in a few places so the highlights look nasty instead?”

    Canon: “Can you at least get Moby to do the soundtrack?”

      1. All the more reason to give it to you. We want to hear what real pros who use all kinds of cameras think. Not from someone who feels obligated to big something up because they are best buddies with the manufacturer.

        I can’t believe they have release so many specs without saying what the data rate for video is. My guess is under the 50mbit threshold for BBC etc.

      3. ask the universe and you shall receive Sir Phillip, Canon will give you a mk3 to try.
        alot of people moaning about this camera, chill out ! don’t buy it if it makes you angry, maybe keep shooting on that Hi8 or granddads Super8.
        I’ll buy a Mk3, I’m onboard with Canon, I’ll buy a Mk3 because I can, so don’t complain that it exists if you want one buy one too, money shouldn’t be a problem for anyone, it’s there go make it.
        The headphone jack on this means very little too me, I won’t be recording final sound on this anyway, but the autofocus and the other bits yeah why not, I’ll take it!
        Looking forwards to Philips review, speaking of Philip has anyone seen Six Feet Under, Billy from it is Philips doppelganger if you haven’t seen this show it’s great, Dexter is Gay and Billy is Bipolar …not that there’s anything wrong with that.
        My grandad died and left his Canon super8 camera behind, he didn’t do much with his gear, he just collected it, you’re all going to die one day so go make something on your f*cking cameras that matters instead of moaning about what they can’t do, it’s 2012 life is ticking, you sad bastards.
        Get lives and get a 5dmkiii and if you like get a Nikon D800 but Nikon is a sinking ship, it’s Microsoft, Canon is Apple and resale is king.

    2. The GoPro (who have amazing marketing videos) would be more suited to dudes on bikes than the 5D. It’s like they were going out of their way to make this camera look unappealing (which it isn’t).

    3. They knew PB would hassle them for not giving us 50fps @ 1080p…

      I thought that bike movie looked like something I dont like to watch.

      Phillips first Canon5DMKII with 24p (the one with the b/w beginning of a cave in the ocean) looks about a billion times better than that bike movie..

      I personally think that Canon’s Cheese just slid off their Cracker 😉

  45. I’ll wait to see what people do with the camera and the images that start showing up on Vimeo before I make any judgements, but just the fact that I’ve seen nothing post launch from a pb or laforet or any big name canon shooter makes me less than excited. And at 1500 more than the mk2 it puts it a bit beyond my budget too. The only vid I’ve seen made with the cam is well, disappointing to be sure. As a food photog and videographer I like the still improvements on specs alone, but without seeing actual video I’m not sure how improved the video side really is.

    That being said I’ll wait for smarter people than me to give their first hand opinions, but that canon didn’t put itin your hands before it was launched makes me skeptical that the vid improvements warrant the $1500 increase.

    1. While a little disappointed in what we all hoped for (insert your top priority here), we haven’t seen side-by-side comparisons yet! And as Rodney Charters always says (regarding specs), “it’s not a science project!”
      I totally understand that 4:2:2 color sampling, higher bit rates, etc. are all important to our workflows and desired quality, but we all started shooting video on something that was never a “proper video camera” – and we all jumped onto a fantastic bandwagon that isn’t all that “easy.” Anyway, I think we wait to see the image comparisons and then decide if Canon is still leading in DSLR video world or, as many of you have stated, left a big hole of unfulfilled dreams for some other manufacturer to take the lead. The revolution is still young! 🙂

    2. I just took a second look at the official Canon video and it FINALLY (after a few looks over the past few days) seemed to go to a full 1080p resolution. Wow. Especially when the color kicks in. The other videos and this one too before this third look were very underwhelming. THE top issue with the Mark II was lack of sharpness on wide shots especially–it was like a film was over the image. But now with a second full screen apparently 1080p image the video seems stunning and MAYBE will live up to what we are hoping for.

  46. Canon $3,500 for a friggin headphone jack?

    After a great run of impresive products Canon – this falls squarely under the heading of LUNCHBAG LETDOWN.

    no 1080p 60 fps, no true HDMI out, etc., etc.,

    I have the money but no need for this minimal upgrade.

  47. I’m waiting for more juicy sample videos for both D800 and 5Dmk3 as well, but I really don’t get the “OMG it has no clean HDMI so it sucks” attitude. You can have uncompressed 4:2:2 over a clean HDMI output, but if your picture is jello-alias-moirè infested and poor performer in low light (and it partly seems the case for D800 so far), well, there’s no clean output that can save you from that and I’d live my whole happy life on that “horrible” 4:2:0 intraframe codec instead!
    Just my 0.02€

  48. Actually, one thing that no one seems to have mentioned… I might just be imagining this… Is the x5 and x10 zoom-to-check-focus button now located on the left hand side, where the Info button used to be? If so, isn’t this pretty damn annoying (unless the buttons are remappable)?

    1. I was exactly wondering the same thing when I saw that Canon changed those buttons locations.

      If we have to press the magnification button at the LEFT side to magnify zoom level to x5 and x10 while using Live View… then that will be REALLY annoying… (even worse if you need to rotate the wheel to change tha magnification!)

      Especially because most of us will use the right hand to hold the camera, and the left to change focus/zoom when recording video in a run and gun situation or simply when taking pictures using the LV mode

      I hope that the “old” magnification buttons will work while in Live View, but they have no loupe icon, so I really doubt about it…

  49. I know this is bound to provoke the gag reflexes of some people, but I really wish this camera had continuous AF in video mode. I really do. I don’t need it all the time, but there are times when it’s extremely handy! It’s a bizarre omission that can only be explained as part of the market-balancing act Canon is now forced to play with so many irons in the fire, and it leaves the door wide open for less self-encumbered camera-makers like Nikon. We shall see!

  50. Where is the Paypal donation button for Phillip’s 5D3 vs D800 comparative?

    After events in the last 12 months, I have to say that Philip appears to be only independent, non biased, agenda-free and truly trustable chap within all the blogospheres and video-related sites. We need his honesty in a head-to-head review of the latest Nikon and Canon DSLRs. Hope this happens sonner rather than later.

    Me personaly, got my all photographic equipment acidentally trashed, and having to start form scratch, Nikon appears to be more attractive at this point, as it’s loaded with features (for pro photographers like myself) and cheaper (who whould have thought that a few years ago).

    Please do get hold of both as soon as possible (read: bribe whoever needs to) and do test them. We need you.

  51. Not sure what all the fuss is about. Most people are going to make video’s that end up on the internet anyway which compresses the hell out of it. If you have the budget for a 3 man crew to operate the scarlet then get that, If you want to run and gun, the 5Dmkii will do the trick, and if you want less skew and 2 more stops of exposure which is huge then get the mkiii. If your making documentaries for or shooting shows for discovery channel or other networks and are a camera operator then get the c300. The Scarlet is a production camera, the c300 and 5D’s are shooters camera’s. And in that world the 5Dmk3 is a huge improvement. Canon jacked the price on the mkiii because it still really doesn’t have strong competition in that market.

  52. It seems the 5DMKIII is what the 5DMKII should have been.
    Headphone jack is nice as well as manual control of audio levels during recording, but is the audio quality any better?
    I’m interested in the release of the 70D or 650D as I think the APS-C sized sensor is better suited for video.

  54. Thanks for the thoughts Philip, I think most of the people complaining will change their minds sooner or later. Some tests I would like to see when you get the camera and maybe some of the other cameras that are coming out

    5d II vs 5d III vs d800 (throw in the 7d or t2i if you want…comparing to c300 would be cool too):

    rolling shutter
    AA
    moire
    resolution
    compression(how far can you push CC in post)
    low light
    DR

    5d II vs 5d III vs 7d:

    compare 5d III resolution at 720 to resolution of 5dII at 1080p and 7d at 720p. (I have heard the down sampling of the 5dIII improves the resolving power of the camera, as we know the 5d II in 1080 mode was only resolving around 720 lines of resolution.)

    5d III
    timecode and how it can be used easily in workflow
    noise structure, is the noise structure more film like?
    audio recording-Improved sensitivity? how does it work with say the rode video mic and rode ntg2 vs H4N
    audio monitoring. Hows the headphone jack, will you need a headphone amp for larger cans? hows the touch wheel for controlling volume?
    HDMI out-how is it for monitoring? does it turn off during rec etc.
    AF in live view faster?

    still features of the camera will be reviewed by plenty of other people. And your tests are often fairly extensive and the results presented well so I look forward to your review and tests.

    Anyone else have anything to add?

  55. I can’t believe all the negative comments this is getting! I’d give my right arm for a 5D MK II nevermind the MK III. Hell i’d love a 5D MK1. The MK II has produced some amazing work, as shown by it’s use in feature length films and hugely popular tv shows not to mention the plethora of fantastic videos on sites such as Vimeo using that camera. There seems to be an element of pixel peeping which happens with still photographers and is just rediculous. The average Joe, which is the person who’s going to be the main viewer of the footage from these cameras won’t have a clue about bit-rates and all of that and will be blown away by what they see.

    This camera will be impressive and in the right hands (such as Philip’s) it will produce some amazing material over the next few years, that I have no doubts about. And at the end of the day that’s all that matters, that people are wowed and impressed with what they see, on their phone/laptop/40ft cinema screen. I can’t afford to get on the DSLR video bandwagon just yet and i’m hugely jealous of everyone who has even a “lowly” 550D.

    These cameras have been a complete game-changer and I think people are expecting far too much. I for one have been hugely impressed by what i’ve seen in the past 2-3 years and i’m excited to see what the future brings.

  56. Phillip! What up? You didn’t even mention anything about Rolling Shutter fix (Fixed or Not)?

    As a vfx artist, these things are important to know.

    Come on man, spill the beans?

    Matt.

  57. Hi Philip,
    Is this codec the same as before? Am I right to sat that it also has the option of a different version with I-frame compression? Do they still do line skipping or do they convert the whole image? It is still 8 bits I assume?
    What about the output from the HDMI; is it now HD and simultaneously out?

  58. I attended Focus On Imaging yesterday, where they had 4 canon 5D mark iii bodies that you could get your hands on.

    Body felt reminiscent of the 7D ‘tank’ feel.

    Button layout is nice, dedicated buttons for live view video/photo, and raw/jpeg just like the 7D.

    The canon rep said the read reset of the sensor was twice as quick as the mark ii, so CMOS wobble is significantly less. So I called him on it and compared direct to a mark ii body. We used the same 70-200m f/4 lens and did a side by side ‘wobble test’. The difference really is night and day, it’s a massive improvement over older bodies, and not something you hear about it spec lists.

    There seemed to be no drop down in res when you hit record, I couldn’t be 100% as I didn’t have an external monitor with me, but like the 7D the screen doesn’t flinch at all when you hit record. Canon rep said that it remains 1080.

    My friend had a quick play with the HDR function, and it looks really good at a glance. You simply set your brackets and take 3 pics in quick succession, and it processes it in seconds. I’d imagine the time taken to process will vary according to subject and shooting format. Keeps source images too.

    According to the rep, onscreen audio levels are present when recording. I didn’t try this out unfortunately (it was a BUSY stand, and I’d forgotten to test this by the time I got my hands on it).

    There was nothing around me to properly test moire and aliasing. had a good look round but nothing to get fair results from.

    Overall I was really impressed. Exactly as you’d expect really. All the great things about the 7D’s ergonomics and up to date features, with a stunning full frame sensor. I’d definitely buy one if I wasn’t saving for an FS100!

    1. Was there anything about a crop mode? Windowing the sensor to the equivalent of apsc? Im not sure if its possible but it would be cool to be able to mount apsc lenses onto the camera for video mode, like the tokina 11-16 or 17-55 2.8

  59. Notice how the horizontal count of 5760 pixels from this 22.3mp sensor is EXACTLY 3 times 1920 ( as in 1920x1080p ).

    There looks like some clever stuff going on in the still and video relationship, I’d expect a sort of binning that would be provide a pretty good image with less or none of the nasty stuff like the MkII suffered from.

    From a purely stills aspect this spec looks spot on for quality and speed/portability. I’m pretty sure I will be getting one sometime in the next few months.

    Canon may have just delivered their best for sometime. 🙂

  61. I can’t get too excited about this camera… But I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic.

    I consider myself first and foremost a storyteller – a filmmaker in a directorial sense. I’m not a full-time cinematographer – though I think I can hold my own in the picture department, my involvement in my films is far more than just creating beautiful pictures.

    That being said, I am still amazed by my MkII. I have yet to to exhaust the creative possibilities of that little camera. 60p, weather proofing, better low light – those are things I don’t really have a need for in what I’m currently doing. Less moire and jello would be nice but even those are not things I run into on a daily occurrence and I’ve figured out ways to deal with them.

    I may change my tune in the coming months and I may even swap cameras if I have the right circumstances… but right now I think I want to spend my money on securing better locations, art direction, and >gasp< lenses.

  62. Sad Sad Sad!
    Nikon leads!
    I stay on my 5dmkII and don’t see any reason to change it.
    We expected too much???))
    HDMI output, headphone jack and 60fps is too much?)
    I think it’s all just a marketing and moneymaking and I really disappointed.
    If it is really just “stills camera with video mode”…so what for to overload it with ‘useless for photography’ features”, and/but require for it 3.5k?)
    If it is Canon’s hint to take a look on C300….hmmmm….its price makes me cry for now))

  65. Quick question forgive me if it’s already been asked.
    Any idea if the Mosaic engineering filter will work with Mark 3?
    Or if you’ll even need it due to the upgrade of it being “the new Mark 3” DIGIC 5, Moire, etc…

  66. Spent 45 mins with the Mk3 at CPS (canon) on Monday.. Looks like some big improvements, Sound and Speed and Focus.. But not sure its a big enough change for me to upgrade yet.- for the type of shooting i do!
    Disappointing to see there were not simple improvements like, Stronger securing of Mini HDMi and USB. (screw in cable securing like old 1DSMK2) and maybe built in wireless, and 1080p export to external drives/backup.. all which is achievable with modern tech!! Nikon are obviously watching closely and maybe slightly leading at the moment.. Philip, as you may hear things slightly ahead of the rest of us.. any news of so called rumoured 5dx? Obviously Canon denied all existence of it.. but there is a big hole between 5d MK3 and 1DX!

  67. Hey Philip, First off big fan, attended your visit at SAE in Australia.

    To most of the people on her I actually think Canon has listened to us, seems that moire, aliasing has been addressed, head phone jack and audio monitoring too, I think we are expecting a lot from below $4k camera. They will not put everything we want in this camera at $4k.

    I guess for me what im most interested in is from the videos online (i know its compressed) that you have seen Philip, do you think the image looks soft? It might just be me or the 720 plus compression but its seems a little softer. Im actually pretty happy with everything else.

    Cheers

    Sean.

  69. data rate with intra-frame compression is said to be 91.3 mbit/s, which is more than enough for me. so HDMI out is no issue here. also both noise quantity and quality look very impressive even at 25600 ISO. if they really got rid of moirè and rolling shutter using their new processor, the image quality will be fantastic (i think / guess / hope) 🙂

  70. I wonder if we’ll be able to import the video this directly into an iPad 3 for quick editing reviewing etc, would be great, i know you can’t import the 5dmkii videos directly but the stills you can.

  71. Of all the post ive read about this 5dmk3, there are commons comments from canon users:

    No 1080p at 60p/50p?!?
    No 4:2:2?!?
    No uncompressed hdmi out?!?
    No audio improvement but a headphone out jack?!?!
    3500 for this?!?!

    Wellif you willing to spend this much for a camera to be used primarily for filming there already exist one that does all of those issues above, and much much more. The Sony FS100 bitches! 1080p 60p/50p! 4:2:2/even 4:4:4 subsmapling when the recorders arrive!! And for audio, DULA XLR inputs. Add to that taht it can use any lens that exist thru an adaptor cause its e-mount. 

    If your looking for innovation in imaging you should be looking more at Sony. Come on, even their $800 ILC Nex 5N can do 1080p 60p! And the image quality looks great!

    1. Am I right in thinking that the FS100 is a 1.5x crop factor sensor? In which case it’s not really a fair comparison, it may have a better codec, xlr ins etc. but it can’t ever match the DOF possibility of the 5D2/3 due to simple physics!

  72. Personally I think its unreasonable to be disappointed when the features of a $5000 video camera (i.e. full HD slow-motion, clean HDMI, etc) aren’t included on a entry-level professional dslr.

  73. Thanks a ton, Philip, for all the great info on your site!!!

    Wondering what you (and others here) think of this video shot with the 1DX:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtlSDqssK2M&feature=player_embedded#!

    It’s the only video I’ve been able to find of footage shot with this camera. Really wondering what the quality difference is going to be between the MIII and 1DX, as I’m sure a lot of people are wondering. I’ve pre-ordered both for now! I would love to see these and the Sony FS100 in a shoot out one day!

    Thanks!
    Erick

  74. Hey Philip,

    Long time reader, first time poster. I’m sure you’re sick of hearing it, but your reviews are simply excellent! If I ever have a question about such and such camera, I’ll check here first to see if you have a review on it.

    Anyway, I’ve got a question about the 5D mark iii which I recently bought. I’m having this weird issue with low ISO noise. It’s a fizzing, tiny-patterned noise that seems very unusual, and as far as I recall, was not present on my 5D mark ii which I sold to pay for the upgrade to the mark iii.

    My question is this – I’ve looked up the issue online and found a few people commenting on mosquito noise or ‘fizz’ at low iso levels, stating that it is an ALL-I codec problem, and not a sensor problem. I know you haven’t run into this as an issue on the model(s) you’ve tested but I’m wondering if you’ve heard similar reports? It seems to not affect all cameras, but I’ve definitely got the mozzy’s here and it ain’t pretty.

    My problem is this: I bought the camera while I was in the US and I’m now back in Ireland facing the difficulty of paying hefty customs and VAT problems if I send the camera back to New York for repair/replacement. If, on the other hand, it’s a bigger issue than just my unit, I’m wondering if I should wait and see if Canon come out with a firmware upgrade for affected cameras? Or should I just bite the bullet and return it. Sigh.

    Anyway, any insights you might have on this pesky problem would be massively appreciated.

    Thanks in advance, should you have a minute to read this….

    ~Justin

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