Thoughts on the 5D MK III:
Tim had requested I provide some thoughts on the 5D MK III and why I decided on it rather than the Canon 1DX. Gary has highlighted some of its advances in the AF area for action shots (AI Servo) and that is an area I have yet to exercise the camera in. Most of my shooting has been a theater production of Beauty and the Beast Jr. which provided an opportunity to test out several other new advances in the latest of the 5D family. This is not intended to be a complete review of the 5D MK III, but just a few notes on some of the features which make it such a solid choice for me.
As background of course, I have been shooting with a Canon 40D for what seems like an eternity. The 40D was my first DSLR ever and it has served me well. I have had no regrets with it and will be keeping it as a second body. So going from a 40D to a new 5D MK III is quite a jump so obviously there is a great jump in performance between these two cameras in several areas. ; Gary could provide more comparisons on the advancements in the 5D line since he has shot with the original 5D and the 5d MK II. I'm sure there is less of a jump from the MK II, but the improved focus is what many have been looking forward to. ; Below are several areas I touch upon with my thoughts for now, I'm sure I will add to this as my experience with the camera continues.
Image quality - thus far the quality of the image is outstanding on the 5D MK III with dynamic range seeing a boost and overall colors looking crisp and detail being retained in the highlights and shadow areas. ; No complaints here with the full frame sensor delivering that extra detail I was expecting.
ISO - during the course of shooting the theater production, I had the opportunity to test a wide range of ISO settings all the way up to 25600 and must say the images are very useful even at that point. ; Lightroom 4 RC 2 has proven very capable of reducing the noise on these images and providing clean results. ; Canon's Digital Photo Professional is also proving extremely useful and I am surprised how good it handles the noise reduction aspects of the high ISO images. In fact there are some folks on the web who claim DPP is handling these images better than Lightroom right now and I may be in agreement. DPP has been recently updated and is available at Canon's site. I have pretty much ignored this software in the past, but intend to try it out a bit more.
Frames Per Second - now at 6 FPS from previous high of 3 on the MK II I believe. ; This is equivalent to what my 40D is rated at so nothing new here for me. ; I have found the 6 FPS on my 40D quite capable of helping me getting any action shots I wanted, so having that on the full frame with the advanced auto focus should be even better.
Silent shutter - this feature is fantastic, not only for those moments when I might want to be taking shots during quiet sections of a theater production, but I'm certain it will be handy for shows in WDW like the Hall of Presidents and American Adventure.
Rear LCD - night and day compared to my smaller and much reduced resolution screen on the 40D. Images are crisp and clear. ; The brightness can be set manually or automatically set via a light sensor on the back.
Menus - the menus are different than the 40D of course and I'm not sure how they compare to the previous 5Ds but it will take me a little while to get used to them. ; So far I think the changes are for the positive and Canon has made them a bit more efficient. Canon has included a Quick Control button to the right of the rear LCD screen to get through sections of the menu system faster. Although Canon did not provide a Mirror Lockup button as many of us would have liked, the option is now on the very first menu screen/first tab at the bottom making this a quick selection. ; There are 6 main menu tabs with sub tabs below them.
Controls - layout of some of the buttons is different so that is taking me a little while to get used to. ; The buttons near the rear LCD screen on the 40D were along the bottom while the 5D MK III has them along the left side of the LCD. ; The controls in front of the top LCD are the same as the 40D with the exception of the Light button which is all the way on the right as opposed to the 40D where it was located all the way to the left. The same Quick Control button to the right of the LCD screen allows quick access to the shooting functions as well. ; The C1, C2 & C3 custom shooting mode options remain on the Mode Control dial which I like. Gone are the basic image zone selections that are found on the 40D and lower level DSLRs.
HDR - this is a nice option and provides a quick no nonsense way of taking an HDR ; from 3 images which you have the option of saving along with the HDR jpg. ;
AEB ; - For the serious HDR folks this feature will come in handy allowing for up to 7 bracketed shots to be taken. ; Other options are 2, 3 and 5.
Multiple Exposure - 2-9 exposures can be taken and combined into one image. ; I have not tried this yet, but it sounds like many people are finally glad Canon added this feature. ; Apparently Nikon has included this for some time.
Focus - my experience thus far with One Shot focus in low light has been great, no complaints. ; As I said earlier, Gary has more experience with using AI Servo mode which I hear is fantastic. ; So far I have found the option of having so many focus points available useful. ; It seems no matter where I place the focus point, the camera responds quickly. I like the way groupings of focus points are available allowing you to fine tune exactly what you would like to focus on down to one specific point or expanding the focus area so that multiple points in one general area of the image will focus. ; Still playing with AF and getting used to changing AF Area Selections modes using the controls on the fly, but so far this seems like one heck of an improvement over the 40D.
CF/SD Memory cards - The 5D MK III has one CF and one SD card slot. I really hate SD cards and this is one thing I would like to change. ; Having one of each just doesn't make sense to me. ; The only potentially useful thing I have thought of is using one of those Eye-Fi cards in the SD slot to perform wireless transfer to the Mac/iPad/iPhone, but I would really have preferred having 2 CF cards like the 1DX will have. File sizes on some of these 5D MK III images are reaching 40 MB, so I will have to get some larger cards if I want to maintain the number of shots/card I can currently take with my 40D.
Spot Meter on Focus point - This is the one feature I wanted the most, being able to change where the spot metering occurs. ; Most if not all of the 1D bodies can spot meter on a focus point, not just the center spot. ; Even Nikon's D3100, a $500 camera can do this. ; Canon for whatever reason does not seem interested in adding it to non-pro bodies. While I truly wanted this feature, I can do without it. ; I also have access to the Nikon D3100 so that is another option.
Deciding to go with the 5D MK III was not an easy choice as I had several features that at the time I thought would be mandatory for my next DSLR. ; However, when Canon announced that the next pro body (1DX) would cost $6800, it made me realize that going to the next level would require a significant outlay of cash. The 5D MK III is roughly half the price of the 1DX and includes many of the same features. Since I have been saving for sometime and bypassed the 5D MK II and the 1D MK IV when they were released, I actually had saved enough money to purchase the 1DX with a little left over. But I really needed to decide if those few features that I wanted were worth the added cost of $3300 and the answer was it wasn't. Not at this time. ; My living doesn't rely on photography or a camera and putting all my savings into a body just did not make sense. I needed to spend more money on lenses, a lighter tripod, backpack and filters and sticking with the 5D MK III makes this possible.
I also realized that most of my photography involves carrying my DSLR around quite a bit and the added weight of the 1DX would not help in this regard. I do plan on getting the vertical grip for the 5D MK III (when Canon gets around to releasing it) and this will let have the feel of a pro body when I shoot in portrait mode a lot or when I need the extra battery capacity. ; But it also allows me to take it off when Im lugging it in the parks (Disney & National).
So in the end I decided the 5D Mark III will do everything I really need it to do and will allow me to make some lens and support equipment purchases that are long over due. I purchased the 5D MK III kit with a EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens which I did not have, thus getting me started in acquiring quality glass.
Here are some samples of some shots from Beauty and he Beast Jr. and a trip to New York City from earlier in the month. ; All of the Beauty and the Beast shots have been converted to JPG without any noise reduction. ; The NYC shots were processed in Lightroom with NR. Full size JPGs can be downloaded by clicking on the link below the image. ;
Full Size JPG 6400 ISO
Full Size JPG 12800 ISO
Full Size JPG 25600 ISO
Full Size JPG 25600 ISO
In Camera HDR Sample
Tim had requested I provide some thoughts on the 5D MK III and why I decided on it rather than the Canon 1DX. Gary has highlighted some of its advances in the AF area for action shots (AI Servo) and that is an area I have yet to exercise the camera in. Most of my shooting has been a theater production of Beauty and the Beast Jr. which provided an opportunity to test out several other new advances in the latest of the 5D family. This is not intended to be a complete review of the 5D MK III, but just a few notes on some of the features which make it such a solid choice for me.
As background of course, I have been shooting with a Canon 40D for what seems like an eternity. The 40D was my first DSLR ever and it has served me well. I have had no regrets with it and will be keeping it as a second body. So going from a 40D to a new 5D MK III is quite a jump so obviously there is a great jump in performance between these two cameras in several areas. ; Gary could provide more comparisons on the advancements in the 5D line since he has shot with the original 5D and the 5d MK II. I'm sure there is less of a jump from the MK II, but the improved focus is what many have been looking forward to. ; Below are several areas I touch upon with my thoughts for now, I'm sure I will add to this as my experience with the camera continues.
Image quality - thus far the quality of the image is outstanding on the 5D MK III with dynamic range seeing a boost and overall colors looking crisp and detail being retained in the highlights and shadow areas. ; No complaints here with the full frame sensor delivering that extra detail I was expecting.
ISO - during the course of shooting the theater production, I had the opportunity to test a wide range of ISO settings all the way up to 25600 and must say the images are very useful even at that point. ; Lightroom 4 RC 2 has proven very capable of reducing the noise on these images and providing clean results. ; Canon's Digital Photo Professional is also proving extremely useful and I am surprised how good it handles the noise reduction aspects of the high ISO images. In fact there are some folks on the web who claim DPP is handling these images better than Lightroom right now and I may be in agreement. DPP has been recently updated and is available at Canon's site. I have pretty much ignored this software in the past, but intend to try it out a bit more.
Frames Per Second - now at 6 FPS from previous high of 3 on the MK II I believe. ; This is equivalent to what my 40D is rated at so nothing new here for me. ; I have found the 6 FPS on my 40D quite capable of helping me getting any action shots I wanted, so having that on the full frame with the advanced auto focus should be even better.
Silent shutter - this feature is fantastic, not only for those moments when I might want to be taking shots during quiet sections of a theater production, but I'm certain it will be handy for shows in WDW like the Hall of Presidents and American Adventure.
Rear LCD - night and day compared to my smaller and much reduced resolution screen on the 40D. Images are crisp and clear. ; The brightness can be set manually or automatically set via a light sensor on the back.
Menus - the menus are different than the 40D of course and I'm not sure how they compare to the previous 5Ds but it will take me a little while to get used to them. ; So far I think the changes are for the positive and Canon has made them a bit more efficient. Canon has included a Quick Control button to the right of the rear LCD screen to get through sections of the menu system faster. Although Canon did not provide a Mirror Lockup button as many of us would have liked, the option is now on the very first menu screen/first tab at the bottom making this a quick selection. ; There are 6 main menu tabs with sub tabs below them.
Controls - layout of some of the buttons is different so that is taking me a little while to get used to. ; The buttons near the rear LCD screen on the 40D were along the bottom while the 5D MK III has them along the left side of the LCD. ; The controls in front of the top LCD are the same as the 40D with the exception of the Light button which is all the way on the right as opposed to the 40D where it was located all the way to the left. The same Quick Control button to the right of the LCD screen allows quick access to the shooting functions as well. ; The C1, C2 & C3 custom shooting mode options remain on the Mode Control dial which I like. Gone are the basic image zone selections that are found on the 40D and lower level DSLRs.
HDR - this is a nice option and provides a quick no nonsense way of taking an HDR ; from 3 images which you have the option of saving along with the HDR jpg. ;
AEB ; - For the serious HDR folks this feature will come in handy allowing for up to 7 bracketed shots to be taken. ; Other options are 2, 3 and 5.
Multiple Exposure - 2-9 exposures can be taken and combined into one image. ; I have not tried this yet, but it sounds like many people are finally glad Canon added this feature. ; Apparently Nikon has included this for some time.
Focus - my experience thus far with One Shot focus in low light has been great, no complaints. ; As I said earlier, Gary has more experience with using AI Servo mode which I hear is fantastic. ; So far I have found the option of having so many focus points available useful. ; It seems no matter where I place the focus point, the camera responds quickly. I like the way groupings of focus points are available allowing you to fine tune exactly what you would like to focus on down to one specific point or expanding the focus area so that multiple points in one general area of the image will focus. ; Still playing with AF and getting used to changing AF Area Selections modes using the controls on the fly, but so far this seems like one heck of an improvement over the 40D.
CF/SD Memory cards - The 5D MK III has one CF and one SD card slot. I really hate SD cards and this is one thing I would like to change. ; Having one of each just doesn't make sense to me. ; The only potentially useful thing I have thought of is using one of those Eye-Fi cards in the SD slot to perform wireless transfer to the Mac/iPad/iPhone, but I would really have preferred having 2 CF cards like the 1DX will have. File sizes on some of these 5D MK III images are reaching 40 MB, so I will have to get some larger cards if I want to maintain the number of shots/card I can currently take with my 40D.
Spot Meter on Focus point - This is the one feature I wanted the most, being able to change where the spot metering occurs. ; Most if not all of the 1D bodies can spot meter on a focus point, not just the center spot. ; Even Nikon's D3100, a $500 camera can do this. ; Canon for whatever reason does not seem interested in adding it to non-pro bodies. While I truly wanted this feature, I can do without it. ; I also have access to the Nikon D3100 so that is another option.
Deciding to go with the 5D MK III was not an easy choice as I had several features that at the time I thought would be mandatory for my next DSLR. ; However, when Canon announced that the next pro body (1DX) would cost $6800, it made me realize that going to the next level would require a significant outlay of cash. The 5D MK III is roughly half the price of the 1DX and includes many of the same features. Since I have been saving for sometime and bypassed the 5D MK II and the 1D MK IV when they were released, I actually had saved enough money to purchase the 1DX with a little left over. But I really needed to decide if those few features that I wanted were worth the added cost of $3300 and the answer was it wasn't. Not at this time. ; My living doesn't rely on photography or a camera and putting all my savings into a body just did not make sense. I needed to spend more money on lenses, a lighter tripod, backpack and filters and sticking with the 5D MK III makes this possible.
I also realized that most of my photography involves carrying my DSLR around quite a bit and the added weight of the 1DX would not help in this regard. I do plan on getting the vertical grip for the 5D MK III (when Canon gets around to releasing it) and this will let have the feel of a pro body when I shoot in portrait mode a lot or when I need the extra battery capacity. ; But it also allows me to take it off when Im lugging it in the parks (Disney & National).
So in the end I decided the 5D Mark III will do everything I really need it to do and will allow me to make some lens and support equipment purchases that are long over due. I purchased the 5D MK III kit with a EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens which I did not have, thus getting me started in acquiring quality glass.
Here are some samples of some shots from Beauty and he Beast Jr. and a trip to New York City from earlier in the month. ; All of the Beauty and the Beast shots have been converted to JPG without any noise reduction. ; The NYC shots were processed in Lightroom with NR. Full size JPGs can be downloaded by clicking on the link below the image. ;
Full Size JPG 6400 ISO
Full Size JPG 12800 ISO
Full Size JPG 25600 ISO
Full Size JPG 25600 ISO
In Camera HDR Sample
