Canon 5D Mark III Review

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Basic Specifications

Full model Canon EOS 5D Mark

name: III

Resolution: 22.30 Megapixels

35mm
Sensor size:
(36.0mm x 24.0mm)

Kit Lens: n/a

Viewfinder: Optical / LCD

Native ISO: 100 - 25,600

Extended
50 - 102,400
ISO:

Shutter: 1/8000 - 30 seconds

6.0 x 4.6 x 3.0 in.

Dimensions:
(152 x 116 x 76 mm)
 33.5 oz (950 g)
Weight:
includes batteries

Availability: 03/2012

Manufacturer: Canon

Canon 5D Mark III

Full specs:
specifications

22.30 35mm
Canon EF
Megapixels size sensor

5D MARK III 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.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Canon 5D Mark III initially started shipping in April of 2012, though shipments were temporarily

halted while a light leakage issue was resolved in early units; body-only street prices in early 2013

range from US$2,600 - US$3,300, with most authorized dealers hovering around US$3,000.

IMAGING RESOURCE RATING

5.0 out of 5.0

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Sony A99

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Nikon Df
$2793.15 (9% more)

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5D MARK III VS DF
Nikon D610

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5D Mark III vs D610

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5D MARK III VS 6D
Canon 1D X

$4676.36 (46% more)

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5D Mark III vs 1D X

Nikon D750
$2030.54 (25% less)

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5D MARK III VS D750

Canon EOS-1D C

$7999.00 (68% more)

18.1 MP (23% less)

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5D Mark III vs EOS-1D C

Nikon D4S
$5996.95 (58% more)

16.2 MP (38% less)

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5D MARK III VS D4S

Leica S (Typ 006)

$13995.00 (82% more)

37.5 MP (41% more)

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5D Mark III vs S (Typ 006)

Nikon D7100
$796.95 (219% less)

24.1 MP (7% more)

Also has viewfinder

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5D MARK III VS D7100

Sigma SD1

$1930.94 (32% less)

14.8 MP (51% less)

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5D Mark III vs SD1

Sony A77
$697.33 (264% less)

24.3 MP (8% more)

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5D MARK III VS A77

Pentax 645D

$3524.65 (28% more)

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5D Mark III vs 645D

Leica S-E (Typ 006)

$16900.00 (85% more)

37.5 MP (41% more)

Also has viewfinder

12% larger

5D MARK III VS S-E (TYP 006)

Sony A77 II

$913.10 (178% less)

24.3 MP (8% more)

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5D Mark III vs A77 II

Canon 5DS R
$3964.58 (36% more)

50.6 MP (56% more)

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5D MARK III VS 5DS R

Canon 5DS

$3761.22 (32% more)

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Canon 70D
$1015.80 (150% less)

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Nikon D5200

$472.28 (438% less)

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5D Mark III vs D5200

Canon 7D Mark II
$1524.21 (67% less)

20.2 MP (10% less)

Also has viewfinder

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5D MARK III VS 7D MARK II

Suggestion for improvement? Head over here.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Review

By Shawn Barnett, Mike Tomkins, and Zig Weidelich

Preview Posted: 3/2/2012

Shooter Reports added: 7/9/2012

Reviewed: 01/08/2013

Video page added: 01/27/2013

Though Canon makes many excellent digital SLR cameras for pros and consumers, none has reached

the superstar status of 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. The Canon 5D Mark

III raises the game in terms of overall camera performance, from frame rate to autofocus, 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 two models were

brought over from the company's APS-C cameras, thus covering much less image area in the

viewfinder.

Other additions include a DIGIC 5+ processor, which is said to be 17 times more powerful than the

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. We'll go over the other features in more

detail below, but the 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 viewfinder coverage with an adjustable LCD grid and AF

overlay; a 1.5 percent 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 the Mark II, only a little heavier. The grip is

sized right for the camera body, though somewhat large for small hands; it fit my medium-sized

hands comfortably. Canon specs the body weight at 30.3 ounces (860g) body only. That's 1.7 ounces

(50g) heavier than the 5D Mark II. Dimensions are 6.0 x 4.6 x 3.0 inches (152.0 x 116.4 x 76.4mm).

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 digital SLR 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 moves 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 Canon 5D Mark III resembles the 7D more than the 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, and finally the Playback and 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 the 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 thumbgrip on the right is a little better than on the 5D Mark II, with a more comfortable taper

down the length of the back, rather than a simple arc that didn't match the contours of the thumb.

[UPDATE 4-11-2015: To see the 5D Mark III paired with the new EF 11-24mm f/4 L lens click here!]

Brief Field Test and Intro

by Shawn Barnett

As soon as we got the Canon 5D Mark III in our hands, we went to work shooting it. That didn't stop

when the lab closed that evening, though, because I took the camera home to my basement studio

and shot a slew of portraits of my girls, using the 24-105mm f/4 lens.
I set the incorrect white balance for my lights, making the straight-from-the-camera JPEGs you see

below warmer than they should be, if not objectionably so. But I processed the image above from raw

and like the results. I also like the warmer look seen below, so I'm torn. In both cases, the Canon 5D

Mark III captured some very nice images, but it wasn't just the camera; the background, models,

lights, and I had something to do with it too, not to mention mommy's wardrobe ideas and ample

props.
 f/7.1, 1/125, ISO 100 f/7.1, 1/125, ISO 100 f/7.1, 1/125, ISO 100

f/6.3, 1/125, ISO 100 f/7.1, 1/125, ISO 100 f/7.1, 1/125, ISO 100

My overwhelming impression was that the 5D Mark III excelled for one main reason: It slathers your

subject with autofocus points. Because so many of those points are cross-type, there's no more need

to focus with the center point 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 sometimes prefer 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 bad news 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 the 5D Mark III compared to the Canon T3i and

Olympus Pens I usually carry.

About the best thing I can say about the 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.
We wanted to get the opinion of some working photographers as well, so we put the camera into the

hands of Jeffrey Kuo and Ellis Vener to get their thoughts. They used the camera in their pro work and

wrote down some of their experiences with the Canon 5D Mark III, so be sure to check it out below.

Portrait Shooting with the Canon 5D Mark III

by Jeffrey Kuo

As a wedding photographer I'm forced to shoot in a wide variety of lighting conditions. I shoot with

the Canon 5D Mark II. While it's a great camera, some of the Mark II's features force me to

compromise how I usually capture the hundreds of important, but fleeting moments of a wedding day.

Now that I've spent some time with the Canon 5D Mark III, I can say that I'm incredibly impressed

with the improvements made over the 5D Mark II.

Ergonomics. There are quite a few improvements, and we'll take them a few at a time. First, I

appreciated how the Canon 5D Mark III felt more solid. The 5D Mark III'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 long periods. On
the 5D Mark II, with a heavy lens such as the 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 the grip after several hours of

shooting; 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 the Mark II to the Mark III. First, the power

button moved to the mode dial, similar to its placement on the Canon 7D. While I prefer turning on

my camera with my shooting hand, I generally leave it on (it doesn't drain the battery much unless its

in Live View mode) and can understand Canon's move to separate the now-programmable main dial

lock from the power switch. The Mode dial now has a lock to prevent accidental mode switching,

something that would sometimes happen to my 5D Mark II when moving around during a wedding

day, or when placing my camera in a backpack or roller for transportation. There is also a new

magnification button for zooming on image playback, one that appears in a new location, a feature I'll

touch upon in more detail below.

Menu System. The menu system is displayed beautifully on a gorgeous 3.2-inch LCD. While similar to

the 5D Mark II and the 7D, the menus are divided into color-coded subgroups. For a photographer

who doesn't have time to read all the menu options, being able to navigate quickly to the right setting

is critical. Due to the improved autofocus system, Canon has dedicated an entire group of menus to

customizing the autofocus features. All of the Custom functions are now displayed individually, rather

than hidden in subgroups as before. Canon also includes basic information on nearly all of the items

displayed in the menus, accessed by pushing the Info button, conveniently located next to the Menu
button. While I spent some time with the instruction manual, the in-camera information often

provided sufficient explanation on what each setting controlled for on-the-go customization.

My biggest gripe about the menu system is that there is still just one user-defined Custom menu

page, restricting you to six items in the Custom menu. I populated mine with items such as LCD

brightness (set to turn brighter when showing photos to clients under bright sunlight, and lower to

conserve battery or to save your eyes in low light), Highlight alert (useful for the photographer,

sometimes confusing for clients), Beep (useful in portraits, annoying at events), Custom white

balance, Battery info and Card format.

While it's only 0.2 inches larger (3.2 versus 3.0-inches on the 5D Mark II), the LCD display on the 5D

Mark III seems much larger, thanks to its 3:2 aspect ratio, which matches that of the camera's native

image aspect ratio. Compared to the screen on the 5D II, photos completely fill the screen, so the

effect is that of a significantly larger screen at the old aspect ratio.

Shooting Impressions

During my time with the Canon 5D Mark III, I shot in several places: around my home casually; I

found a singer performing in a dimly-lit cafe; I shot a wedding, a session with pets indoors; and also

shot a quick portrait session.

If there's one feature that makes a camera sound more professional, it's the shutter. I noticed that

the Canon 5D Mark III's shutter felt and sounded snappier and more responsive from first shot. Both

the shutter lag and the viewfinder blackout times are improved; it's quite noticeable compared to the

5D Mark II. The camera now also includes a silent shooting mode for a quieter shutter, great for

photographers trying to capture moments without distracting their subjects or calling attention to

themselves.

The autofocus system is one of the new features that everyone should be very excited about. On the

5D Mark II, I usually used the center cross-type AF point when shooting critical moments. Nearly

every wedding photographer I've spoken to who uses the 5D Mark II only trusts the center AF point.

This limits a photographer's ability to compose a shot on location. It often forced a photographer to

shoot center-focused and possibly at a wider focal length and then crop creatively in post-production

or center-focus and recompose, sometimes missing the shot or losing critical focus at wide apertures.

The 5D Mark III is the camera I wish my 5D Mark II was. The AF system on the Mark III is more

accurate in any AF mode, benefitting from the 61 AF points provided (up to 41 of which are cross-

type). I used the zone-AF mode most frequently, with the camera locking focus with any of my lenses

quickly anywhere within the AF-selectable zones. Only rarely did I switch to single-point AF to force

the camera to focus on exactly what I wanted, for instance if the AF zone was focusing on an object
that had more contrast behind my subject. The bottom line is that the new and improved autofocus

system provides the confidence a professional needs to know that he's getting the shot he's being paid

to capture.

One of my favorite new additions to the autofocus system is the "Orientation-linked AF point" setting,

which allows a user to set separate AF modes and points for the camera when shooting in both

landscape and portrait orientations. Being able to set a single AF point on the eyes of a subject in

portrait-orientation while using zone-AF modes for landscape-oriented photos dramatically improved

my ability to shoot in fast-paced situations without being distracted by constantly switching AF points

manually.

The ISO performance on the 5D Mark III is nothing short of incredible. I was able to shoot indoors

without flash at ISO 12,800 with noise and detail levels similar to ISO 3,200 on the 5D Mark II. With

ISO performance this good and the rising popularity of portable LED video lights, a portable

continuous-lighting setup comes within the realm of possibility, avoiding the tedium of wireless strobe

systems.

When using the Auto-ISO feature, you can set the slowest shutter speed you want the camera to use

(I used 1/125 of a second) before it chooses to bump up the ISO. With ISO performance this good up

through ISO 12,800 or even ISO 25,600, Auto-ISO becomes an option I would use more often (you

can also set the lowest and highest ISO you want to allow Auto-ISO to use in the camera settings).
One change that was hard to accept was the new magnification button. The 5D Mark III is the first

Canon to move the image playback zoom function away from the two top-right buttons (the AE-lock

and AF-select buttons) to a magnification button located immediately above the Playback button, left

of the LCD (as it appears on Nikon SLRs). It drove me crazy when I first used it, especially since I'm

accustomed to zooming in to check critical focus with my shooting hand rather than having to use

both hands (one to hold the camera, one to zoom). The default setting for the magnification button is

to zoom in to the center, which made no sense to me if my focus point was not in the center. Once I

changed the setting to "Actual size (from selected pt)," I absolutely loved the new magnification

button, which would zoom in to 100% at the focus point I used to shoot the image, allowing me to

check critical focus immediately and quickly (you can find the various options explained on page 252

of the manual). Zooming in and out of the image is now controlled by the top dial near the shutter

release, which was faster and more responsive than pushing or holding the top two buttons (AE-lock

and AF-select buttons) to zoom in and out. What's great about the zoom button is you can push it

directly to start image playback zoomed in without touching the playback button. A one-button press

allows me to check critical focus at least twice as fast as on the 5D Mark II!
Another new addition is the ability to shoot to two memory cards with one slot holding a CF card and

the other an SD card. I shoot in raw+JPG on my 5D Mark II to minimize risk of data corruption. In

case a memory card or file is corrupted, I can try to recover the smaller JPG file and vise versa (a

fellow photographer told me this has saved him in the past). With the two card slots, though, I set the

camera to record raw to the CF card (saving space those JPG files would eat up), while I had the

camera save JPG files to the SD card for backup. I could have also increased the storage capacity by

having the camera write to the SD card after the CF card was full to reduce unnecessary card

switching. Another benefit of shooting JPG to the SD card is that more laptops and tablets are coming

with a built-in SD card slot, enabling a photographer to upload photos quickly to share or allowing the

photographer to access photos if their CF card reader was lost or damaged on a trip.

One thing I don't like about the dual-card setup is the camera's inability to remember which card it

should default to for image playback when both cards are in the camera. If you remove the CF card to

load photos after a day of shooting, and close the memory card bay with the backup SD card still in

the camera (it's meant for backup only so chances are I would only load the CF card's raw files from a

shoot), the camera will default image playback to card slot 2. When you place a CF card back into card

slot 1, the camera does not switch default image playback back to card slot 1, which could be cause

for confusion if you continue shooting with the same SD card as a backup card only. At best, it's still a

minor annoyance having to go into the menu to switch image playback back to card slot 1.

I love that the Canon 5D Mark III uses the same Canon LP-E6 battery pack as its predecessor, which

is great for 5D Mark II photographers who invested in spare batteries for their 5D Mark II. I noticed

the battery seemed to drain faster in the 5D Mark III than in the 5D Mark II based on the number of

shots and the remaining charge reported by the camera (about 550 photos with 37% remaining,

though I did use an image-stabilized lens which is powered by the camera battery, so that could have

shortened the battery life). That seems to differ from the higher battery life reported in CIPA testing,

where the 5D Mark III scored 950 shots to the 5D II's 850 shots. Despite this, the battery still

performs well and is capable of lasting though plenty of shots.

Weddings. My favorite feature of the 5D Mark III was definitely the improved AF system. When

shooting a wedding, I sometimes shoot two to three of the same photo to ensure an in-focus shot with

my 5D Mark II, which leaves me with more post-processing work, sorting through similar photos.

Combining the accurate off-center focus points with the AI Focus mode allowed me to capture a bride

walking down the aisle without necessarily having to shoot and compose with the center focus point,

as I normally do with the 5D Mark II. 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.

Portraits. Again, the AF system made shooting portraits more enjoyable and more reliable for

capturing images with a sharp focus on the subject's eyes. When shooting a portrait, especially at

wide apertures, nothing is more aggravating than missing the focus just slightly and ending up with

the focus on the nose instead of the eyes. With the new AF system, I had more confidence while

shooting and could compose using an AF point directed at the eyes in the upper third of the frame

because I no longer had to use a center AF point and recompose (which could potentially result in

back-focused shots depending on focus-and-recompose technique).

 f/2.8, 1/125 second, ISO 12,800 Same shot with white balance, brightness, noise
reduction, and sharpening applied to raw file

Indoor Performances. I stopped by a cafe to visit a singer who I've photographed in the past. As

luck would have it, the cafe (already dimly lit) turned the lights down for the performance! The AF

system and the amazing high-ISO performance of the 5D Mark III made it possible for me to shoot

without a flash, which would have been unacceptable to the audience enjoying the music. All of my

shots were taken at ISO 12,800; I could not have captured these photos with my 5D Mark II. My

favorite feature again was the orientation-linked AF setting that enabled me to shoot landscape and
portrait oriented images without switching my AF zones/points back and forth every time I changed

orientations.

Pets. Working with pets is another passion of mine, and challenges me in ways that benefit my

wedding photography as well. My favorite new feature for shooting pets was again the AF system,

especially the faster cross-type points that are away from the center zone. The fact that the side focus

points focused as quickly as my 5D Mark II's center focus point meant I was able to capture shots I

otherwise would have missed. With pets, split-second focusing is a significant benefit because of their

unpredictable movements and reactions. Using the 5D Mark III's high ISO sensitivities to increase the

shutter speed also meant I could freeze the action even indoors 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.

The overall experience I had with the Canon 5D Mark III was incredible. I shot with more confidence

in the autofocus system and captured a high percentage of in-focus shots regardless of which focus

point/zone I used. I was able to capture indoor scenes with significantly lower noise than the Canon

5D Mark II. I really enjoyed the orientation-linked AF setting for on-the-fly shooting at either

landscape or 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 photographers who are paid to capture critical,

fleeting moments, the Canon 5D Mark III is a powerful tool, and a significant upgrade to its

predecessor, yet priced affordably when compared to the Canon 1D-series cameras.

In the field with the Canon EOS-5D Mark III

by Ellis Vener

While on the surface it appears that the obvious camera to compare the Canon 5D Mark III to is the

5D Mark II, having had the opportunity to shoot with a late pre-production model for about ten days

on a variety of assignments I have a different perspective: Until a much higher resolution 36x24mm

(AKA "Full frame") Canon DSLR shows up the 5D Mark III is the logical successor to the EOS 1Ds Mark

III.

I base that conclusion on the evidence: Like other 1D/1Ds series cameras it sports two media slots.

That may not seem like a big deal to a casual user, but it is a standard feature on DSLRs meant

primarily for professional photographers, like the 1D, 1Ds, D3 and D4 models. Now this feature can be

found on smaller-bodied cameras as well like the 5D Mark III and D800. While high quality CF and SD

media has been pretty reliable for years, write errors can and will occur, so I always have my cameras

write to both cards. Beyond creating in-camera backups as you shoot, doubling up on media creates a

couple of other options: recording raw and JPEG files on separate media or having the second card

provide additional capacity.

Other points to consider:

• The improvements in autofocus, shared with the 1D X, seem more like an evolution from the

1Ds Mark III AF system and a couple of quantum level jumps past the 5D Mark II Autofocus

capabilities.

• The same goes for the metering, although it's not quite as extreme a change, especially with

regards to E-TTL flash metering and control.

 • The improvements in weather and dust sealing are more in line with what is found in the 1D

and 1Ds-series offerings.

While the 5D Mark III's megapixel count is only a tiny amount larger than the 5D Mark II or 1Ds Mark

III, high-ISO performance is in a different class altogether. Dynamic range and color relationships are

better as well: at ISOs above 1,600 the signal is cleaner in the shadows and lower midtones.

Overall, putting their best current technology in a smaller body the makes Canon 5D Mark III less

expensive to manufacture and distribute and its comparatively lower price will appeal to more

customers (Compared to the 1D series, that is). That has to be an idea that appealed to Canon's bean

counters as well.

During my ten days with the camera I shot a wide variety of projects: A school age soccer team's first

game of the season; A class portrait; Orchids at the Atlanta Botanical Garden; A collection of figurines

from around the world for a book; A fireworks display; Photojournalistic documentation at a Sunday

school; and also some casual snap shooting. In general the camera handled all of these situations the

way you'd expect a 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 have always found it disconcerting the way the info displays in a Canon DSLR's

viewfinder go dark when you change shooting mode.

Before going out and making actual photographs I did some very low-light (but full-dynamic-range)

testing to see just what the practical ISO limits were in worst case scenarios, and then tested the full

ISO range in a more typical low-light situation to see what the base-level noise and dynamic range

responses were as I moved up the ISO scale.

Rather than rely on Adobe's standard camera calibration profile in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw

to interpret color, I created a custom profile for the camera--a simple process if you have a current

Xrite ColorChecker 24 patch target and either Adobe's DNG Profile Editor or X-rite's ColorChecker

Passport software--both are free downloads.

As of deadline, Canon had not updated their DPP raw processing software to handle the 5D Mark III's

.CR2 format, so I used Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.1rc as my raw processor.

In my tests there appeared to be no practical difference in image quality (looking at color, detail,

dynamic range, and signal to noise ratio) with settings between ISO 100 to 800, and this held true in
real world situations. Well, there is just a touch of noise in dark colors at ISO 800, but unless you are

doing nose-to screen pixel peeping at 100% or greater magnification you won't see it. For most

general low-light purposes I felt comfortable going up to 6,400 with minimal amounts of luminance

noise reduction in Lightroom. This wide usable range makes for a real world difference in image

quality in other real photographic ways: shorter shutter speeds that freeze motion better combined

with moderate apertures mean greater depth of field; that means better action shots, and also lower

energy demands on flash batteries. In other words, ISO settings become a creative tool: if you have a

short enough shutter speed to freeze motion and want shallower depth of field at a specific shutter

speed just use a low ISO number, or if you want greater depth of field and still want to stop motion

you can crank up the ISO (within reason) and not lose much, if any, technical image quality.

At the other end of the sensitivity scale ISO 12,800 and 25,600 produce a grainy impressionistic look

in the highlights and mid-tones (see http://tinyurl.com/fresson) but you will see color freckles down in

the shadows and blacks will be noisy and relatively weak. Unless that is a deliberate style choice on

your part (and I encourage you to play) use of the ultra-high-ISO settings should be limited to when

you have no other choice.

Autofocus. Real world autofocus performance is also improved over the 1Ds Mark III, as well as the

5D Mark II, especially when tracking action sequences and in low light use. This is to be expected as it

uses the same system the forthcoming 1D X uses. For best AF performance you need to do your own

tests with your own gear and tune your camera to your lenses with the built-in autofocus micro-

adjustment tool and optimize specific lens and camera body combinations. I use the LensAlign MkII

from Michael Tapes Design. One thing I don't recall seeing in other cameras I've used up until now is

the ability to set different AF micro-adjustment setting for both the short and long focal length

settings of a zoom lens. That is a pretty nifty feature. If you really are a hardcore sports photographer

the 1D X is a better choice, if for no other reason than its greater maximum frame rate and larger

buffer.

Metering. Canon continues to evolve its evaluative metering system--no surprise there--but where I

see a real jump is in how well the E-TTL flash control system works, especially with multiple Canon

Speedlites. As the new 600EX-RT Speedlite and transmitter system was not available when I wrote

this, I used a combination of 580 EX II and 430 EX II Speedlites for a commissioned still-life project.

To get the master flash off camera I used a 33 foot long cable from www.ocfgear.com, and the other

three Canon Speedlites were set into Remote mode.

I used a variety of light modifiers from Chimera, Honl, Lastolite and Rogue to shape the light. One

thing about working with small smart lights is that they are a heck of a lot easier and faster to move

around and adjust for different effects than monolights or pack-and-head systems are. Married to the

5D Mark III's ability to make ultra-clean images at ISO 800 and you get a very versatile, if not

inexpensive, lighting kit. This is not to say big lights do not have their place in a lighting kit, just that

these other options open up with the camera's high ISO capabilities.

You can see the results on my site here. The figurines in the collection range in size from sixteen

inches to an inch-and-a-half in height or length. Exposure for all photos was ISO 800, f/11 @ 1/200

second. To keep color balance even throughout the series, even though the flashes were in E-TTL

control mode, I shot a frame of the white balance target in Xrite's ColorChecker Passport as reference

at the beginning of the day-and-a-half-long session. When I began processing the raw files in

Lightroom 4 this frame was used to set white balance for the entire session.
Even with the E-TTL metering changing energy levels based on the lighting effect and subject

reflectance, according to Canon's Technical Information Advisor Chuck Westfall, "Canon added a

feature called automatic color temperature compensation to its EX-series Speedlites starting with the

580EX. With this feature, a circuit in the flash reads the battery power level and the flash duration for

every shot, and then applies a color temperature compensation factor to the white balance data in the

resulting image files. This has the effect of equalizing the color temperature for all flash photos taken

with the 580EX or newer Canon Speedlites with EOS digital SLRs."

All I can say is that whatever is going on under the hood, the system works very reliably.

Speaking of color, my only real problem came about while shooting a casual snapshot portrait in very

mixed (tungsten, fluorescent and possibly LED) lighting. Even when using the custom camera

calibration profile created for this camera and carefully white balancing the frame, the results were far

too red. The solution was to slightly dial down the red saturation in the camera calibration tab;

however, I do not recommend that as a general strategy to color balancing a photo. Only to touch the

camera calibration sliders in an emergency.

Of the special features found on the Canon 5D Mark III, the one I relied on most during my time with

it is the dual-axis level indicator. I played some with the in-camera HDR features (there's a nice

selection of options, but pseudo HDR tone mapping doesn't exactly rock my world), and I did not test

the camera's video capabilities. The 3.2-inch (diagonal) 1,040,000-dot LCD screen on the back of the

camera is gorgeous to look at, and so is the new menu structure, once you get the hang of the menu

organization. The "Q" button makes it easy to see and set up all of the camera systems.

In short, the Canon 5D Mark III performance matches the assumptions of what an unreasonably

critical working pro photographer should expect from a top-of-the-line DSLR in 2012. 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 it appears to be on paper; especially

if you already have a 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 the pentaprism for one thing) but with one major exception it is fine.

That exception is the viewfinder. In itself it is pretty good, with its new 100% coverage, but as

someone who wears glasses I find it hard to see the entire frame, so I'd like the viewfinder to be more

eyeglass-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 33.5MB each) to both the CF and the SD media so you'll likely get 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 lineup in a substantial way.

Canon 5D Mark III Technical Info

The 5D Mark III's 22.3 megapixel, full-
frame CMOS image sensor has a pixel
pitch of 6.25 microns. Although
resolution is almost unchanged, it now
features eight-channel readout, gapless
microlenses, 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 are
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 the 5D
Mark III uses only a single processor,
Canon says it's 17 times more powerful
than the 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.
The Mark III's 61-point autofocus sensor
is also borrowed from the EOS 1D X. As
in that camera, there are 41 cross-type
points, of which 20 work to f/4.0, and 21
are f/5.6 capable. Of the latter, five will
work as high-precision points to f/2.8.
The remaining points are horizontal line-
types, sensitive to f/5.6.
Also new since the 5D Mark II is Canon's
AI Servo III, which is quicker to start
tracking your subject, and should handle
momentary obstructions between
camera and subject more gracefully.
Like its predecessor, the 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.
The 5D Mark III's 63-zone dual-layer
iFCL metering sensor was first seen in
the EOS 7D. The top layer is sensitive to
red and green, while the bottom layer
detects blue and green. This full-color
metering allows better subject detection,
information which is also fed back to the
autofocus system to further aid subject
tracking.
As well as evaluative, partial, and
center-weighted, there's also a tighter
1.5% spot metering mode.
The 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 three frames per
second.
The 5D Mark III's viewfinder now has
100% coverage, slightly upgraded from
98% in the previous model. As in the
EOS 7D, there's an on-demand grid
function, and you can also display the
locations of the 61 focusing points.
Of course, there's still a monochrome
status display on the top deck, as well.
Like the 1D X, there's a 3.2-inch Clear
View II LCD panel with a high resolution
of approximately 1,040,000 dots.
The EOS 5D Mark III's video
functionality is similar to that of the 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. The 4GB recording limit is gone,
and you can save clips as long as 29
minutes, 59 seconds 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.
Dual card slots mean that the 5D Mark
III 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 to 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 reduced-res raw
files on the other.
As well as the previously-mentioned
microphone and headphone jacks, the
5D Mark III also offers up 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.
The 5D Mark III takes the same LP-E6
battery pack as the 5D Mark II, letting
you save a little money if you're
planning on upgrading 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°F / 23°C. This can be
 approximately doubled by shooting with
two packs, using the BG-E11 battery
grip.

Although the target market is clearly The Mode dial has a central locking
experienced photographers, the 5D Mark button, as seen on the 60D. (This was
III caters to the occasional time when also available as an option on the 7D
you want to lend your camera to a less- and 5D Mark II, but here it's the
experienced photographer, perhaps to default.)
get in the shot yourself. The Full Auto
mode has been upgraded, and Canon
says it will now do a better job of
recognizing the appropriate scene type.

A new Rate button to the left of the LCD On the top deck, you can now assign the
provides instant access to image rating Multi-Function button to instantly switch
functionality, letting you assign between raw and JPEG shooting with a
anywhere from one to five stars for each single press.
image. The 5D Mark III also adopts
Canon's Q button, just to the right of the
LCD, for quick-control functions.
The EOS 5D Mark III's body includes weather-sealing to a level said to be better than that of the 5D

Mark II, but not to the same degree as an EOS 1-series body like the EOS-1D X.

There are quite a few significant changes to the 5D Mark III's firmware, as well. For the first time in

an EOS model other than the 1-series, the 5D Mark III can now capture 2, 3, 5, or 7 shots in a

bracketed sequence. This will be particularly useful to fans of HDR photography, and if you don't want

to deal with processing HDR images yourself, there's also an in-camera three-shot HDR mode, a first

for an EOS model. Four different processing effects are available. You can also opt to have the source

images saved along with the HDR shot, so if you're not satisfied with the result achieved in-camera,

you can reprocess the HDR on your computer.

The 5D Mark III also offers up a multiple exposure function. Just like the 1D X, you can combine up to

nine frames into a single exposure in-camera. There's also a dual-axis level display, similar to that of

the EOS 7D.

In Playback mode, you can now process raw images in-camera, and take advantage of the lens

correction functions when doing so. Among the user requests that Canon has 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 four characters of

image file names.

Alongside the 5D Mark III, Canon has The 600EX-RT has a guide number of 60
launched a new flagship flash strobe. meters / 197 feet at maximum zoom,
The Speedlite 600EX-RT allows not only and has a zoom range of 20 to 200mm.
the line-of-sight optical wireless It also has a more rugged shoe mount,
functionality of existing units, but also a and ships with a gel filter holder and
new two-way radio connectivity, with 30 tungsten / fluorescent filters.
meters / 98.4 feet range. Remote
camera triggering is possible from a
flash strobe. 15 radio channels are
available (plus auto), and up to 15
Speedlite flashes can be used on a
channel, in as many as five 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.

There's also a new ST-E3-RT The 5D Mark III uses a new BG-E11
transmitter, similar to the existing ST- battery grip, which includes a duplicate
E2, but with support for the new two- multi-controller for portrait shooting.
way radio system.
 There's a new WFT-E7A wireless file
transmitter that also supports the EOS
7D and 60D, and includes 802.11a/b/g/n
Wi-Fi and gigabit Ethernet.
An external GP-E2 GPS receiver connects
to the camera via USB, and mounts on
the hotshoe or off-camera. As well as
recording latitude, longitude, altitude,
and UTC time in the EXIF header of
images, it has a compass function, and
can capture GPS track logs.

Canon 5D Mark III Demonstration Videos

We shot some videos to illustrate the Canon 5D Mark III's various new features, as well as a video of

how the Canon 600EX RT's radio flash works with the 5D Mark III.

First, Chuck Westfall demonstrates the Canon 5D Mark III's various autofocus patterns:

Then he runs through the standard and silent shutter modes:

Next Chuck shows us the HDR menu:

Chuck demonstrates the new Comparison feature in Playback mode:

Finally, Chuck goes over the options available with the Canon 600EX RT radio flash:

A new version of Canon's Digital Photo Professional software ships with the 5D Mark III. As well as

supporting new features of the camera, it adds a Digital Lens Optimizer function for still images. This

refers to a built-in database that allows automatic correction of both spherical and chromatic

aberration, astigmatism, curvature of field, diffraction, and low-pass filter effects.

Canon expects to ship the 5D Mark III in the US market from the end of March 2012. Pricing is set at

around US$3,500 body-only, or US$4,300 in a kit with an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.

The BG-E11 grip is priced at around US$490, and the WFT-E7A wireless file transmitter at about

US$850. The GP-E2 GPS receiver costs around US$390. All three accessories ship from April 2012.

Finally, the new Speedlite 600EX-RT costs US$630 or thereabouts, and the new ST-E3-RT transmitter

is priced at approximately US$470. These will be available alongside the camera itself in March.

Canon 5D Mark III Image Quality Comparison

Below are crops comparing the Canon 5D Mark III to its predecessor the 5D Mark II, as well as to

other recent full-frame DSLRs: the Canon 6D, Nikon D800, Nikon D600 and Sony A99. Though we

normally start with ISO 1,600 here, we thought we'd start with the base ISO to show the best each

camera can do.

NOTE: These images are best quality JPEGs straight out of the camera, at default settings including

noise reduction. All cameras in this comparison were shot at f/8 with a Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG

Macro lens, one of the sharpest lenses we've ever tested on SLRgear.com.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Canon 5D Mark II ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 100 Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 100

The 5D Mark III shows slightly improved contrast and certainly higher resolution than its
predecessor. The mosaic crop is noticeably sharper, and the pink swatch has excellent
detail, while the red leaf swatch is pretty respectable. Otherwise, it's not a huge change
at ISO 100 from the 5D Mark II, though default sharpening is higher.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Canon 6D at ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 100 Canon 6D at ISO 100

Very similar results here. The 5D Mark III's 22-megapixel sensor captures a touch more
detail than the 6D's 20-megapixel imager, but it's extremely close. Some of the
increased sharpness in the Mark III's shot is doubtless the result of its slightly stronger
default sharpening. The 6D appears to resolve the threads in the pink fabric a touch
better, though that may just be a slight difference in focus. Practically speaking, both
cameras produce nearly identical output.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Nikon D800 at ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 100 Nikon D800 at ISO 100

As expected, the Nikon D800's 36-megapixel sensor captures noticeably more detail at
base ISO, resolving the thread pattern in the red leaf swatch which the Canon cannot.
The Nikon also does a better job capturing the texture in the wall behind the bottles,
while the Canon's noise reduction blurs much of it away. Nikon's approach to sharpening
is more conservative, with less obvious sharpening halos. The D800's default contrast is
also lower, and color warmer.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Nikon D600 at ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 100 Nikon D600 at ISO 100

The differences between Canon and Nikon's approach to image processing continue
here, but the 5D Mark III's 22-megapixel resolution is more closely matched to the 24-
megapixel D600 this time. Bright sharpening halos are again immediately evident in the
5D Mark III's images when compared to the D600, and the D600 renders the red leaf
swatch better, though it does generate some noticeable moiré. The Canon's higher
default contrast and sharpening give its images a bit more "pop."

Canon 5D Mark III versus Sony A99 at ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 100 Sony A99 at ISO 100

The Canon's higher contrast and stronger sharpening are again obvious here in the
bottle crops, but both cameras capture similar levels of detail. The 24-megapixel Sony
A99 renders the red leaf and pink swatches a little better, though.
Most digital SLRs will produce an excellent ISO 100 shot, so we like to push them and see what they

can do compared to other cameras at ISO 1,600, 3,200, and 6,400. Recent advances in sensor

technology have made ISO 1,600 look a lot more like ISO 100, but there are still cameras whose

quality starts to fall apart at this setting. We also choose 1,600 because we like to be able to shoot at

least at this level when indoors and at night.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Canon 5D Mark II ISO 1,600

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 1,600 Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 1,600

Your eyes can see clearly the benefit of the 5D Mark III over the Mark II here,
particularly in the mosaic image. There's more contrast and sharper detail. The
exception is the red leaf swatch, which while somewhat cartoonish in the 5D Mark II's
rendering, is softer in the 5D Mark III's version.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Canon 6D at ISO 1,600

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 1,600 Canon 6D at ISO 1,600

Results here are again very close, as you'd expect for siblings using similar sensors and
image processors. Resolution and contrast are a touch higher from the 5D Mark III, but
the two cameras' images are otherwise very similar.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Nikon D800 at ISO 1,600

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 1,600 Nikon D800 at ISO 1,600

The difference between Nikon and Canon in their approach to sharpening and noise
suppression is rather stark in these crops. The Nikon D800 elects to do less sharpening
and noise suppression, and apparently less processing in the red channel, resulting in
more luminance noise in the bottle shoulder crop, a softer mosaic image and a sharper
red leaf swatch, while the 5D Mark III does the opposite.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Nikon D600 at ISO 1,600

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 1,600 Nikon D600 at ISO 1,600

Nikon's more balanced approach to noise suppression is evident across all the image
elements here, while Canon applies more noise suppression to some areas than others,
and also sharpens more aggressively. Hence the sharp mosaic image and soft red leaf
swatch from the 5D Mark III. Unfortunately, moiré is still visible in the Nikon D600's red
leaf swatch.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Sony A99 at ISO 1,600

 Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 1,600 Sony A99 at ISO 1,600

The Canon 5D Mark III's images have less noise, as well as more aggressive sharpening
and higher contrast, leaving the Sony A99 images looking a touch soft in comparison.
While the Canon does a bit better here, both cameras perform very well indeed.

Today's ISO 3,200 is yesterday's ISO 1,600 (well, almost), so below are the same crops at ISO 3,200.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Canon 5D Mark II ISO 3,200

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 3,200 Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 3,200

Here's a dramatic demonstration of the improvements both to the sensor and the noise
suppression technology found in the 5D Mark III. The 5D Mark II's images look
downright hazy by comparison.
Canon 5D Mark III versus Canon 6D at ISO 3,200
Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 3,200 Canon 6D at ISO 3,200

Again, not a lot of difference between the two siblings here, so save some money and go
with the Canon 6D if you don't need the extra speed and features the 5D Mark III offers.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Nikon D800 at ISO 3,200

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 3,200 Nikon D800 at ISO 3,200

At ISO 3,200, approaches continue to diverge. Luminance noise is even more obvious in
the Nikon D800's shadows, and flecks of chroma noise also appear in the mosaic image,
yet the red swatch still has thread detail, whereas the Canon 5D3's more aggressive
noise suppression continues to blur the leaves. On the other hand, the 5D Mark III's
rendering of the mosaic image looks like it would print very well, but keep in mind that
the D800's resolution advantage allows for larger prints.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Nikon D600 at ISO 3,200

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 3,200 Nikon D600 at ISO 3,200

Nikon's approach is again more even than Canon's. The 5D Mark III images are cleaner
and more contrasty, but contain less fine detail. The D600's images are noisier, but the
camera is still resolving most of the "grout" lines in the mosaic while leaving some of the
color left by the offset printing process. The red leaf swatch detail is noticeably better
from the D600, though moiré is still visible.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Sony A99 at ISO 3,200

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 3,200 Sony A99 at ISO 3,200

The Canon 5D Mark III pulls ahead of the Sony A99 a bit more here, with noticeably
cleaner, more contrasty images. Both struggle to maintain detail in the red leaf swatch,
though.

Detail: Canon 5D Mark III versus Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 6D, Nikon D800,

Nikon D600, and Sony A99

 Canon Canon Canon Nikon Nikon Sony
5D Mark III 5D Mark II 6D D800 D600 A99
ISO 100 ISO 100 ISO 100 ISO 100 ISO 100 ISO 100
ISO 3,200 ISO 3,200 ISO 3,200 ISO 3,200 ISO 3,200 ISO 3,200
ISO 6,400 ISO 6,400 ISO 6,400 ISO 6,400 ISO 6,400 ISO 6,400
Detail comparison. High-contrast details are hold their sharpness more as ISO rises, so they're worth a look as
well. Thanks to higher levels of contrast as ISO increases, the Canon 5D Mark III does well compared to all other
contenders, and does much better than its predecessor. The Canon 6D is a close second, as expected, with the
Sony A99 pretty close behind. Lower contrast and color moiré from the Nikons hold them back a bit here, but their
performance is still very good. Unsurprisingly, the 5D Mark II trails in this group as it's also the oldest and lowest in
resolution.

Canon's 5D Mark III indeed looks quite improved over the 5D Mark II, despite the slightly smaller

pixel pitch. It also shapes up well against Nikon's 24-megapixel D3X, an impressive feat. Even if they

were playing a bit of catch-up, it seems we can say they've caught up quite well.

Canon 5D Mark III Print Quality

Good quality 30 x 40 inch prints at ISO 100/200; ISO 3,200 shots still

looked good at 16 x 20; and ISO 51,200 made a good 4 x 6.

ISO 100 images were incredible at 30 x 40 inches, with crisp detail and

gorgeous color rendition.

ISO 200 shots also looked great at 30 x 40 inches.

ISO 400 shots look spectacular at 24 x 36 inches.

ISO 800 images started to show a very slight indication of softness due to noise suppression, but all

major elements still looked quite good at 24 x 36 inches.

ISO 1,600 images were a little softer in the red leaf swatch, but other than that, these images still

looked good at 20 x 30 inches.

ISO 3,200 shots started to show a little more loss of detail in reds and other low-contrast elements,

and shadows started to show a little more luminance noise at 20 x 30, but prints looked better at 16 x

20 inches.

ISO 6,400 images lost more detail in the red swatch, and luminance noise got a little darker and more

prominent. 16 x 20 inch prints are still usable, but we preferred 13 x 19 inch prints.

ISO 12,800 images had shadow noise that was reasonably controlled at this size, and fine detail was

good. For rendering of reds, we preferred the 8 x 10 inch print here.

ISO 25,600 prints a nice 5 x 7.

ISO 51,200 shots were usable at 5 x 7, but really better at 4 x 6.

ISO 102,400 shots were just a little too fuzzy in the shadows to be called usable at any size, and is

best avoided altogether.

Overall, the Canon 5D Mark III did quite well in our Print Quality test, with all but the highest ISO

setting able to produce a good quality print at sizes people commonly use (and some uncommonly

large ones, too). Even ISO 51,200 made a good 4x6-inch print!
In the Box

The retail package contains the following items:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera

• Eyecup

• Body cap

• LP-E6 lithium-ion battery pack (7.2V, 1,800mAh)

• LC-E6 battery charger

• AV Cable

• USB cable

• Neckstrap

• EOS Digital Solutions Disk

• Manuals and warranty info

Recommended Accessories

• Large capacity, high-speed CompactFlash or SDHC/SDXC memory cards

• Extra battery

• Lenses

• Flash

• Large camera bag

Canon 5D Mark III Conclusion

Pro: Con:
Very high resolution Dynamic range not as good as competitors (deep
Great image quality shadow noise is rather high in raw files)
Excellent hue accuracy Auto and Incandescent white balance are quite warm
Superb high ISO performance in typical indoor lighting
Real-time chromatic aberration and corner shading Default noise reduction a bit high, loses detail even
compensation at low ISOs, flattens subtle detail quite a bit at higher
Exceptional prints up to 30 x 40 inches ISOs
ISO 51,200 shots produce a good 4 x 6-inch print Default sharpening is heavy-handed, produces
Wider range of bracketing options noticeable halos
Very responsive, fast autofocus No built-in flash
61 autofocus points, 41 cross-type No built-in AF assist lamp
AF points cover more of the full-frame image area Distortion correction available only when processing
than past 5D models raw files, not while shooting, nor in JPEGs
Separate wide and tele AF microadjustments HDR images are a little soft
63-zone dual-layer metering Moderate noise suppression in videos creates a
HTP and ALO help with difficult lighting slightly artificial look (possibly related to its excellent
Support for MRAW (10.5MP) and SRAW (5.5MP) files moiré suppression)
Good burst performance for its class (6fps) Internal mic is monaural, not stereo
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
Headphone jack for audio monitoring
Ability to adjust audio levels during video recording
Very good video detail
Excellent control over moiré 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
Excellent audio quality

As one of the true superstar digital SLRs retailing for a medium-high starting price, the Canon 5D

Mark III deserves close scrutiny, and it's lived up to our expectations. Replete with new features, the

Canon 5D Mark III's most important one is its 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's

covered the right base first, so one needn't worry too much about image quality, even as 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.

The Canon 5D Mark III caters to a split market, on the one hand admirably serving still

photographers, while on the other serving as the 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. Our tests show that the 5D Mark III makes significant strides in

removing moiré effects, some of which we saw in the 5D Mark II, and more recently in the Nikon

D800 and Sony A99. As a result the 5D Mark III's video is improved overall, though perhaps with a

slight bias toward noise suppression, and avoiding moiré 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. (Visit the video page for details and sample videos.)

We wish the 5D Mark III included a pop-up flash, given the well-heeled superset of customers who will

buy the camera because it's "the best one." Nikon uniquely understands this, including a 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 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.

Ultimately the Canon 5D Mark III really is a true superstar camera, an easy choice for a Dave's Pick.