Canon 5D Mark III Review
Basic Specifications:
Resolution : 22.30 Megapixels
Sensor size : 35 mm
Kit lens : n/a
Viewfinder : optical/ LCD
ISO : 50- 102400
Shutter : 30- 1/8000
Max aperture: n/a
Dimensions : 6.0 * 4.6 *3.0 in. ( 152 * 116 * 76 mm)
Weight : 33.5 oz. (950 gm); includes batteries
Package:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera
- Eye cup
- Body cap
- LP-E6 Lithium- ion battery pack (7.2V, 1800mAh)
- LC-E6 battery charger
- AV cable
- USB cable
- Neckstrap
- EOS Digital Solutions Disk
- Manuals and warranty info
Recommended Accessories:
- Large capacity, high speed compact flash or SDHC/SDXC memory cards
- Extra battery
- Lenses
- Flash
- Large camera bag
Canon 5D Mark III Review Summary:
The Canon 5D Mark III is a true “superstar” camera, with impressive capabilities for both still and video shooting. It suits the needs of well-heeled amateurs and working pros equally well, and while its resolution is only very slightly higher than that of the 5D Mark II, the Canon 5D Mark III offers so many improvements over its predecessor that it’ll be an easy upgrade decision for many 5D Mark II owners.
Pros: Superb still and video image quality; Powerful, fast, and accurate AF system with loads of cross-type points, loads of configurability and great frame coverage; Rugged, weather-sealed body with great control layout and user-interface configurability.
Cons: Dynamic range is limited by noise in deep shadows; Somewhat heavy-handed noise suppression and sharpening at default settings. (Shooting RAW avoids both.); No AF illuminator.
Though Canon matches my excellent digital SLR cameras for pros, none perfects the Canon 5D series. The original 5D's 12.8 megapixel full-frame sensor produced legendary image quality, and the 5D Mark II raised the resolution to 21.1 megapixels and added superb video quality to the mix, creating a sensation in video production.
Canon 5D Mark III raises the game in terms of overall camera performance, from frame rate to auto-focus, while increasing the resolution only slightly by just over a million pixels to 22.3 megapixels. Of all the additional features, probably, the most important is the new autofocus system, brought over from the 1D X, which in addition to having more points (61) and more cross type points (41), covers considerably more of the Canon 5D III's image area, while the AF system of the past 2 models were brought over from the company's APS- C cameras, thus covering much less image area in the view finder.
Other features include a DIGIC 5+ processor, which is said to be 17 times more powerful than DIGIC 4+ processor in the 5D II. The 7D's 63 -zone dual-layer, metering system reappears in the Canon 5D Mark III, instead of the 1D x's 100,000 pixel RGB sensor. Canon 5D Mark III also includes a 150,000 -cycle shutter rating; a new HDR mode. Full HD 1080p video at 24, 25 and 30 frames per second; a 3.2 inch, 1.04M dot-LCD; a new CMOS sensor with higher sensitivity and an eight-channel readout that allows a 6-frame-per-second frame rate; a quick control dial that includes touch capability for silent adjustments while in video mode; multiple raw image sizes; 100-percent view finder coverage with an adjustable LCD grid and AF overlay; a 1.5% spot meter; a dual-axis leveling system; and standard or quiet operation modes.
The size and shape of the Canon 5D Mark III is similar to Mark II, only a little bit heavier. The grip is sized right for the camera body though somewhat large for small hands. It fits my medium-sized hands comfortably. Canon specs the body weight at 30.3 ounces (860 g) body only. That's 1.7 ounces (50 g) heavier than the 5D mark II. Only height and thickness have increased a millimeter or so.
Two minor elements are moved on the front of the Canon 5D mark III: the infrared port is now on the grip (where you'll find it on most every other Canon DSLR with the feature), and the depth-of-field preview button has moved to the grip side of the body. The self-timer lamp moves up to its usual position, and the monaural microphone move from below to above the EOS 5D logo.
The top deck includes a mode dial with the Auto+mode, combined from the creative Auto and Green zone modes on the 5D Mark II. The 5D Mark III's power switch juts out from beneath this dial, as it does from the Canon 7D as well. Also from the 7D is the multi-function button behind the shutter button. Canon has remapped the status LCD.
The control cluster on the back of the 5D Mark III resembles 7D more than 5D Mark II. Even so, keeping with Canon tradition, many buttons have shuffled around, and new ones appeared. Menu and info-buttons are well placed on the upper left side of the LCD.
Five buttons left of the LCD are Creative style, a new Rate button, a Zoom button, the Playback and the Delete buttons. Rather than silkscreen, the logo next to the button, Canon's eliminated the doubt and put the logo right on these buttons. Lower left of the LCD are three holes for the speaker, and a small window for the ambient light sensor, used to automatically adjust the LCD backlight.
Right of the LCD, the controls are nearly all 7D, except for new, more logical position of the quick Menu button, just upper left of the quick control dial. The Movie Record/Live View control includes a switch to select between modes, and a button to either start and stop Movie recording or to start and stop Live View mode. The Quick Control dial turns with its normal coarse click stops, but in Movie mode it also responds to touch for making silent adjustments, whose noise won't appear in the audio track.
The LCD itself is a 3:2 aspect ratio design that's just as gorgeous as recent models have been, with a 1.04 -million dot array.
The thumb-grip on the right is a little better than on 5D Mark II, with a more comfortable taper down the length of the back, rather than a simple arc that didn't match the thumb contours.
Below are technical details and video taken with Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Ergonomics:
There are quite a few improvements I realized. First I appreciated how the Canon 5D Mark III felt more solid. It's grip also fit more nicely in my hands. My fingers wrapped around the grip more comfortably. My thumb rested on a more pronounced protrusion than on the 5D Mark II and was more comfortable to hold for longer periods. On 5D Mark II, with a heavy lens such as Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L or the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, my thumb would start to turn red from the friction of grip, after several hours of shooting. But that didn't happen with the 5D Mark III. This improvement alone illustrates the improvements in handling comfort that Canon has made. I absolutely loved how much more comfortable it felt in my hands. The entire camera is more rounded on all corners than its predecessor, and the battery and memory card bays are now spring-loaded for those of us looking to save a second or two when we have to swap memory cards or batteries. Its improved weather sealing is also a plus.
Canon made a few changes to the button layout from Mark II to Mark III. First, the power button moved to the mode dial, similar to its placement on Canon 7D. While I prefer turning on my camera with shooting hand, I generally leave it on. It doesn't drain the battery much unless it is in Live View mode. I can understand Canon's move to separate the now- programmable main dial lock from the power switch. Mode dial now has a lock to prevent accidental mode switching, something which happens occasionally on my 5D Mark II, when moving around on wedding day or placing it in my backpack or roller for transportation. There is also a new magnification button for zooming or image playback, one that appears in a new location.
The Working:
The images captured with Canon 5D Mark III was very nice, but it wasn't just the camera; the background, models, lights etc. was amazing. This camera impressed me for one main reason : it slathers your subject with auto-focus points. Since so many of those points are cross type, no need to focus with the center point anymore and recompose repeatedly. Just move the AF points as your subject moves. Even as your orientation changes, you can have your AF points or clusters change too, remembering where you last had them set. If you prefer sometimes a single AF point, and at other times want one or even two of the multi-point options, you can set one to each orientation, either left or right. Just turn on Orientation Linked AF point and by rotating left or right, you can have two specialized portrait modes: one for zeroing in on the eyes, another for ensuring most of the face is in focus.
The only setback about the 5D Mark III's excellent array of 61 autofocus points is that it makes the 5D Mark II less of a bargain, at least for me now that I've used the Mark III. My camera bag is also heavier; thanks to the larger glass and heavy body of Canon 5D Mark III compared to the Canon T3i and Olympus pens I usually carry.
The best thing with 5D Mark III is I haven't felt as free to shoot and create in a long time. Despite its deeper menus and greater complexity, once it's all set, it just gets out of your way and lets you work. When a camera manufacturer achieves that, it's harder to say much in a review.
With the new AF system on the 5D Mark III, I found myself trusting the camera to get a good focus much more often, allowing me to move on to the next shot, and spend more time observing my surroundings to get ready for the next beautiful moment.
My favorite feature again was the orientation-linked AF setting which enabled me to shoot landscape and portrait oriented images, without switching my AF zones/points back and forth every time I changed orientations.
Using the 5D Mark III's high ISO sensitivities to increase the shutter speed also meant I could freeze the actions indoor or in shade. I'm sure wildlife and pet photographers shooting in poor lighting situations will benefit from the improved ISO performance and AF system significantly apart from wedding and movie photographers.
I shot with more confidence in the autofocus system and captured a high percentage of in-focus shots regardless of which focal point/zone I used. I was able to capture indoor scenes with significantly lower noise than 5D Mark II. I really enjoyed the Orientation-Linked AF setting for on-the-fly shooting at either landscape/portrait orientations. I felt more secure about my digital files with the dual memory card slots and I loved being able to check critical focus quickly with the magnification button set to zoom in at my focus point. For any photographer, especially who are paid to capture critical, fleeting moments, the Canon 5D Mark III is a powerful tool, yet priced affordable when compared to the Canon 1D -series cameras.
In general, the camera handled all my shooting experiences in a way you would expect any high-end camera to behave, but there were a couple of control placements that baffled me. I don't doubt that more time with it would have made finding certain controls more automatic, but I've always found it disconcerting the way the info displays in a Canon DSLR's viewfinder go dark when you change shooting mode.
Overall, putting their current best technology in a smaller body that makes Canon 5D Mark III less expensive to manufacture and distribute and its comparatively low price will appeal to more customers, compared to the 1D series that is.
It's performance matches the assumptions of what an unreasonably critical working pro-photographer should expect from a top-of-the-line DSLR in 2013. Although it has almost exactly 40% fewer pixels than the nearly simultaneously introduced Nikon D800, unless you regularly make very large prints, that might not be the drawback which appears to be on paper, especially if you have lot of money invested in Canon lenses and lighting. As to how it handles, no camera will ever be perfect for everyone! I'd prefer the Exposure-mode-change switch to be on the right side of pentaprism for one thing; but with one major exception it is fine.
35mm lens, ISO 3200, f 3.5, 1/30sec
Viewfinder is that exception. In itself it's pretty good, with its new 100% coverage. But as someone who wears glasses, it's hard to see the entire frame. So, I'd like the viewfinder to be more eye-glass friendly. Battery life is pretty good- I averaged only around 700 frames before needing to recharge. But I use Live View a lot and was constantly writing the 22.3 Megapixel raw files, averaging around 33.5 MB each to both the CF and SD media. So you'll likely get a more life out of a battery charge if you do things differently. The EOS 5D Mark III is not a revolutionary camera, but one that evolves Canon's DSLR line up in a substantial way.
Image Quality Comparisons:
High contrast details hold their sharpness more as ISO rises when I compared images with Canon's predecessors as well as its other competitors from Nikon and Sony. Canon 5D Mark III does well compared to all other contenders, and does much better than its predecessor. The Canon 6D is close second as expected; with the Sony A99 pretty close behind. Lower contrast and color from Nikons hold them back a bit, but their performance is still very good. Unsurprisingly, 5D Mark II trails in this group as it's also the oldest and lowest in resolution.
Print Quality:
Canon 5D Mark III has an overall good print quality with its high ISO settings. Even ISO 51,200 made a good 4*6 inch print!
Full image, 16-35mm L II at 16mm and f/11.
In-camera multiple exposure feature:
Summary:
Pro's:
- Very high resolution
- Great image quality
- Excellent hue accuracy
- Superb high ISO performance
- Real-time chromatic aberration and corner shading compensation
- Exceptional prints- up to 30* 40 inches
- ISO 51,200 shots produce a good 4*6 inch print
- Wider range of bracketing options
- Very responsive, fast Autofocus
- 61 Autofocus points, 41 cross-type
- AF points cover more of the full-frame image area than past 5D models
- Separate wide and tele AF microadjustments
- 63-zone, dual-layer metering
- HTP and ALO help with difficult lighting
- Support for MRAW (10.5MP) and SRAW (5.5MP) files
- Good burst performance for its class (6fps)
- Excellent buffer depth for JPEGs, good for RAWs; very fast buffer clearing ( supports UDMA 7 cards)
- Dual memory cards (SD and CF)
- Good control placement
- Extensive customization options for user interface
- Clever side-by-side playback option helps with shot selection in the field
- Big, bright 100% viewfinder
- On-demand grid in optical viewfinder
- High-Res LCD is very sharp; great for off-angle viewing
- Solid build; weather sealed; mag- alloy chassis
- 150K shutter life expectancy
- Infrared remote port
- Very good battery life with OVF
- Head phone jack for audio monitoring
- Ability to adjust audio levels during video recording
- Very good video detail and audio quality
- Excellent control over moire in video
- 720P video looks very good, with smooth motion and no degradation of quality for the sake of frame rate
- Rolling shutter artifacts are well controlled
- Night videos are very clean
Con's:
- Dynamic range not good as competitors (deep shadow noise is rather high in RAW files)
- Auto and incandescent white balance are quite warm in typical indoor lighting
- Default noise reduction is a bit high, loses detail even in low ISOs, flattens subtle detail quite a bit at higher ISOs
- Default sharpening is heavy-handed, produces noticeable halos
- No built-in flash
- No built-in AF assist lamp
- Distortion correction available only when processing RAW files, not while shooting, nor in JPEGs
- HDR images are a little soft
- Moderate noise suppression in videos creates a slightly artificial look (possibly related to its excellent moire suppression)
- Internal mic is monaural, not stereo
Technical Info:
5D Mark III's 22.3 megapixel, full frame CMOS image sensor has a pixel pitch of 6.25 microns. Though resolution is almost unchanged, it now features 8 channel readout, gapless micro-lenses and boasts improvements in transistor structure and on-chip noise reduction that should yield improved image quality even for raw shooters.
Two reduced- resolution raw modes also available providing 10.5 or 5.5 megapixel resolution.
Sensitivity ordinarily ranges from ISO 100 to 25,600 equivalents and can be expanded to encompass ISo 50 to 102,400 equivalents. For video mode, the upper limit is capped at ISO 25,600 equivalent.
Canon's Digic 5+ processor first appeared in the 1D x. Although 5D Mark III uses only a single processor, Canon says it's 17 times more powerful than Mark II's Digic 4 chip.
As well as enabling faster 6 fps burst shooting, there's also more power for noise reduction, and canon is predicting a two-stop improvement for JPEG shooting. The greater performance is also used to add real-time chromatic aberration correction for both still and movie shooting.
Mark III's 61- point autofocus sensor is borrowed from EOS 1D X. Like that, it has 41 cross-type points. Of which 20 work to f/4.0 and 21 are f/5.6 capable. Of the latter, 5 will work as high -precision points to f/2.8. The remaining points are horizontal line-types, sensitive to f/5.6.
Also new is Canon's AlServo III, which is quicker to start tracking your subject and handles momentary obstructions between the camera and subject more gracefully.
This 63-zone dual-layer iFCL metering sensor was first seen in EOS 7D. Top layer is sensitive to red and green; while bottom layer detects blue and green. This full-color metering allows better subject detection, info which is also fed back to the auto-focus system, to further aid subject tracking.
As well as evaluative, partial and center-weighted , there's also a tighter 1.5% spot metering mode.
Like its predecessor 5D Mark III has a canon EF lens mount, and doesn't accept sub- frame EF-S lenses. Thanks to its full-frame sensor, there's no focal length crop.
Shutter mechanism is rated as good for 150,000 shots, unchanged from the 5D Mark II. A 'silent' shooting mode reduces operation noise, but reduces burst-shooting speed to 3 frames per second.
The viewfinder now has 100% coverage, slightly upgraded from 98% in previous model. As in EOS 7D, there's an on-demand grid function and you can also display the locations of the 61 focusing points.
Like 1D X, there's a 3.2- inch clear view II LCD panel with a high resolution of approximately 1,040,000 dots.
Of course, there's still a monochrome status display on the top deck, as well.
Video function is similar to 1D X, but with an important addition. A headphone jack for audio monitoring, useful given the ability to adjust audio levels during recording. You can also adjust ISO sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture as the video is captured.
As well as 1080p 24/25/30 fps and VGA 25/30 fps, there's now a 720p 50/60 fps mode. 4GB recording limit is gone; you can save clips as long as 29 min, 59 secs in all resolutions. Compression choices are ALL -I intraframe or IPB interframe, with embedded free-run or rec-run timecode. Canon says that video moire has been greatly reduced since the 5D Mark II.
As well as the previously- mentioned microphone and headphone jacks, 5D Mark III also offers a PC sync terminal, combined standard-def AV output/USB 2.0 high speed port, wired remote control port, and high-def HDMI video output.
Dual cord slots mean that it can now record to either UDMA 7 CompactFlash or Secure Digital cards, including SDHC and SDXC. Interestingly, as well as using the secondary card as an overflow or duplicate, or segregate by file type. You can also record different raw or JPEG types to each card. For example, you could save full-res raw files on one card and reduces-res raw files on the other.
It takes the same LP-E6 battery pack like its previous model, letting you save a little money if you're planning to upgrade from the older model, but have a stack of batteries on hand.
Battery life is rated to CIPA testing standards, at 950 shots with the viewfinder or 200 shots in Live view mode, at 73 degreeF/23 degreeC. This can be approximately doubled by shooting with 2 packs using the BG-E11 battery grip.
Although target market is clearly experienced photographers, 5D Mark III caters to the occasional time when you want to lend your camera to a less-experienced photographer, perhaps to get in the shot yourself. Full Auto mode has been upgraded, and Canon says it'll do a better job of recognizing the appropriate screen type.
Mode dial has a central locking button as seen on the 60D. It's also featured on 7D and 5D Mark II models; but here, it is set default.
A new Rate button to the left of the LCD provides instant access to image rating functionality, letting you assign anywhere from 1-5 stars of each image. It also adopts Canon's Q button, just to the right of the LCD for quick-control functions.
On the top deck you can now assign the Multi-Function button to instantly switch between raw and JPEG shooting with a single press.
Also offers a multiple exposure function. Just like 1D X, you can combine up to 9 frames into a single exposure in-camera. There's also a dual-axis level display, similar to EOS 7D.
In playback mode, you can now process raw images in-camera, and take advantage of lens correction functions when doing so. Among the user requests that Canon heard and answered with the 5D Mark III , there's now a side-by-side comparative playback display, including synced magnification and a histogram function, plus the ability to manually set the first 4 characters of image file names.
Alongside 5D Mark III, canon has launched a new flagship flash strobe. the Speedlite 600EX-RT allows not only the line-of-sight optical wireless functionality of existing units, but also a new two-way radio connectivity with 30 meters/98.4 feet range. Remote camera triggering is possible with flash strobe. 15 radio channels are available with Auto and up to 15 Speedlite flashes can be used on a channel, in as many as 5 groups, with each group separately able to be set to E-TTL or controlled manually. A 4 digit wireless radio ID can be assigned to separate radio networks.
The 600EX-RT has a guide number of 60 meters/ 197 feet at maximum zoom, and has a zoom range of 20-200mm. It also has a more rugged shoe mount, and ships with a gel filter holder and tungsten/fluorescent filters.
There's also a new ST-E3-RT transmitter, similar to the existing ST-E2, but with support for new 2 -way radio system.
It uses a new BG-E11 battery grip which includes a duplicate Multi-controller for portrait shooting.
There's a new WFT-E7A wireless file transmitter that also supports the EOS 7D and 60D, and includes 802.11 a/b/g/n
Wi-Fi and gigabit ethernet.
An external Gp-E2 GPS receiver connects to the camera via USB, and mounts on the hot shoe or off-camera. As well as recording latitude, longitude and altitude and UTC time in the EXIF header of images, it has a compass function, and can capture GPS track logs.
The EOS 5D Mark III's body includes weather sealing to a level better than Mark II. There are quite a few significant changes in 5D Mark III's firmware, as well. For the first time in EOS model other than 1-series, 5D Mark III can now capture 2,3,5,or 7 shots in a bracketed sequence. This will be particularly useful for fans of HDR photography, and if you don't want to deal with processing HDR images by yourself, there's also an in-camera, 3-shot HDR mode, a first for an EOS model. 4 different processing effects are available. You can also opt to have the source images saved along with the HDR shot. So, if you aren't satisfied with the result achieved in-camera, you can re-process the HDR on your computer.
Conclusion:
Replete with new features, Canon 5D Mark III 's important one is , it's full-frame sensor, whose resolution Canon kept to a conservative 22.3 megapixels. The image quality we see is good enough that we can say Canon has covered the right base first. So, one need not worry too much about image quality even ISO rises. There are issues, as with any system, including more limited dynamic range by comparison, and default settings for noise reduction and sharpening are a bit extreme in JPEGs, but most of that can be worked around or avoided by shooting RAW.
Those who handled the camera consistently remarked about the viewfinder experience, particularly the improved autofocus coverage area. The myriad options for adjusting autofocus concentration and emphasis also got high marks.
Canon 5D Mark III caters to a split market, on the one hand admirably serving still photographers, while on the other serving as benchmark camera for digital SLR videography. Canon tuned the 5D Mark III's video capability to include more frame rates and they removed the 4GB file size limit seen in the 5D Mark II. My experience proved that 5D Mark III makes significant strides in removing the moire effects, some of which we saw in 5D Mark II and more recently in Nikon D800 and Sony A99. As a result, Canon 5D Mark III's video is improved overall, though perhaps with a slight bias towards noise suppression, and avoiding moire also means slightly softer-looking videos overall. Mic and headphone jacks add to the party, along with live audio levels control, and the ability to adjust ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, and aperture during capture. Audio quality is quite good, with very little hiss, and rolling shutter is quite well controlled at 1080p 30fps and almost non-existent at 720p 60fps.
We wish the Canon's 5D Mark III included a pop-up flash, given the well healed super set of customers who will buy the camera, because it's the "best one." Nikon uniquely understands this, including pop-up flash even on the competing D800. The good news is the Canon 5D Mark III's low light performance is stunning. So shooting in ambient light is easier than ever. The Canon 5D Mark III is unique in the market in that it's a safe buy, regardless of how you'll use it. So it's easy to recommend.
No comments:
Post a Comment