Don’t be fooled by other Canon Rumours, the 5D Mark III review is here, and it’s better than ever!
When the Canon 5D Mark II was first released, it was groundbreaking. Never before could we shoot full 1080p video in a handheld SLR camera. Three and a half years later, Canon has released the Mark III. Is it three and a half years evolution on the camera? Yes and no. Let me explain.
Let’s start with the good. The sound features on the mkIII are drastically improved. On the previous version, you were left having to monitor audio blindly, which is a terrible way to do things. Now with the addition of the headphone out jack built in, we are able to listen to what’s being recorded. Thank goodness! The addition of manual audio levels is amazing, and seeing the meters on screen while recording is even better! While recording, you can also change the audio levels by using the touch wheel, so if the audio is riding a little too high, you can change on the fly! Sweet!
In regards to picture styles, there is no more moire or aliasing that I can see. This is a fantastic improvement. Before with the mkII, I hardly ever sharpened the footage in postproduction, but now with a clean image straight from camera, I can sharpen without seeing nasty artifacts appear. In regards to sharpening, I do find the 5D Mark III footage a little flat. I don’t see the crisp image found in my c300, and I would never use the in camera sharpening styles. So to add one extra step, I’m sharpening all my mkIII footage in postproduction. It really brings the footage to life, and doesn’t look muddy as the straight from camera clips do. On the downside, rolling-shutter is still there (and probably always will with SLR cameras).
The camera recording time is greatly improved this go around. Now you can record clips continuously up to 29 minutes 59 seconds. Apparently a camera that records over 30 minutes continuously classifies as a full video camera in some countries, so that’s the reason for the maximum clip length allowed. Also the addition of 60FPS at 720p is a nice improvement, but not groundbreaking as this feature has been included on Canon cameras for a while now.
The low light capabilities in the mkIII are a huge improvement. On the Mark II, I found that 1250 ISO was bad. Canon’s noise is ugly, and I found the noise in the shadows at 1250 pretty gross. With my low light tests, I was amazed at 6400 ISO on the mkIII. You can see noise, but it’s not horrendous. 3200 is completely useable, and of course anything below that is very clean!
Now on to the “bad.” The resolution and detail of the image isn’t really a huge improvement from the earlier release. Side by side, both cameras output very similar looking footage, and the specs are pretty much identical. Like I mentioned, rolling shutter artifacts are still there (and just slightly improved, if any).
On the mkII, the output was rather pitiful at 480p. On the Mark III, no clean output is available at 1080p. This is a huge disappointment as both of Nikon’s new releases (the D800 and D4) have this feature. It could be possible with a firmware update, but I’m not holding my breath. Canon definitely missed the mark on this one.
If I’m getting picky, I’d love the ability to “punch in” and see focus while I’m recording, but alas that feature isn’t available. They’ve also moved the punch in button top right to the left hand side. It’s an unnecessary move, but can be changed from the menu settings.
So, in the end, what’s my final conclusion? Is it worth selling your mkII and upgrade to the new, big brother? In my opinion, yes! The headphone out jack is worth the price upgrade alone. If you’re a documentary filmmaker, the low light capabilities are a huge plus, and highly recommended. Sure, there’s nothing truly groundbreaking, but when comparing it to the mkII, which was, it’s hard to compete. The mkII was the first of it’s kind, but the mkIII is continuing the tradition.
Find the best prices on the Canon 5D Mark III from your favourite retailers here:
B&H
Amazon
Adorama
Amazon Canada
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