Finally the long awaited news arrived! Canon’s 5D Mark III has just debuted today. As the release took place earlier today (and due to different time zones this happened some hours ago), posts, comments and images are popping all over the web.
Even though it may seem just a new release in the 5D series, the improvements are so significant that the Mark III should really excel on the few areas where Mark II let some to be desired. Check thisvery nice review from Jeff Ascough.
Some of the differences from Mark II series:- Little difference on handling, since the grip received some new material
- ON/OFF switch was moved to be like the 7D
- Additional button for accessing the quick menu
- Movie mode switch and a recording button enabling videographers to begin shooting immediately when movie mode is engaged
- Variable frame rates range from 24fps to 60fps, and the addition of SMPTE timecode support
- mode dial lock
- New silent shutter mode
- Dual cards – SD and CF
- Improved viewfinder with 100% coverage
- 22 MP sensor
- New LCD is bigger, more defined and matches the ratio of the sensor
- New menu options available, and the menu itself has undergone a complete overhaul
- New and revamped AF technology
Preorder already available
- Canon 5D Mark III Body Only $3499
- Canon 5D Mark III with EF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM Lens $4299
- Canon 5D Mark III Accessories
The full and now official specs are:
- 22.3 Megapixel Full Frame (36 x 24mm) CMOS sensor
- 14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor
- Native ISO 100-25,600 sensitivity (expandable to L:50 H1:51200, H2: 102400)
- Full HD video with manual control
- 61-point autofocus
- Up to 6fps continuous shooting
- Intelligent viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage
- 8.11cm (3.2-inch) 1,040,000-dot screen
- iFCL metering with 63-zone dual-layer sensor
- Shutter durability of 150,000 cycles
- Silent & low vibration modes
- Dual card slots (CF & SD)
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) Mode
- Multiple Exposures
- Comparative Playback function
- Enhanced Weather sealing
- HDR mode with presets
- Min Shutter Speed – 30 sec
- Max Shutter Speed – 1/8000 sec
- Self Timer – 10 sec, 2 sec
- Metering – Centre-weighted, Spot, Evaluative, Partial
- Video Resolution – Full HD 1080
- Connectivity – USB 2, HDMI, Mic Input, Wireless (optional)
- Battery – Lithium-ion LP-E6
- File Formats – AVI, RAW, H.264, MOV, MPEG-4
- Dimensions – 152 x 116 x 76mm
As expected, High ISO performance is a blast (click for full res images)
 |
| ISO800 |
 |
| ISO6400 |
Look at some awesome images from Canon in Japan (including some high ISO): Canon JP
And there is the obvious and excellent comparison by planet5d:
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CRITERIA
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Canon 5D Mark II
|
Canon 5D Mark III
|
D 800
|
|
Price (body only US$)
|
$2,499
|
$3,499
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$2,999
|
|
General/Photography Settings
|
|||
|
Articulated LCD
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
|
LCD Size
|
3”
|
3.2” 1.04 million dots
|
3.2” 921,000 dots
|
|
Image Stabilization
|
Only on lenses
|
Only on lenses
|
Only on lenses
|
|
Max Resolution
|
7360 x 4912
|
||
|
Autofocus points
|
9 points
|
61
Cross points: 21@f6, 20@f4, 5@f2.8
|
51 AF points
|
|
Raw stills support
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
AE Lock
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
ISO Range
|
100-6400 (high ISO up to 25600) (low ISO – 50)
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100-25,600 (expand to 50-102,400)
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100 – 6400 (50 – 25600 with boost)
|
|
Maximum frames per sec
|
3.9
|
6
|
4 fps in FX format, max 6fps in DX
|
|
MicroAdjustment for lenses
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Metering
|
63 Zone Full Color
Metering (same as 7D)
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TTL exposure metering using 91k pixel RGB sensor
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|
|
Sensor size
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Full Frame
|
Full Frame
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Full Frame
|
|
Sensor mp rating
|
21.1
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22.3
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36.8
|
|
Processor
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Digic IV
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DIGIC V +
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Expeed 3
|
|
Lens mounts
|
Canon EOS EF only
|
Canon EOS EF
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Nikon F
|
|
Weather Resistant
|
water and dust resistant
|
Better than 5D2, less than Canon EOS-1D X
|
water and dust resistant
|
|
Memory card
|
1 CF
|
One CF one SD
|
one CF one SD
|
|
Popup Flash
|
no
|
no
|
yes
|
|
Weight (with battery)
|
810g (1.8lb)
|
900 g (1.98 lb / 31.75 oz)
|
|
|
Battery
|
LP-E6
|
LP-E6
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MB-D12
|
|
Battery Grip
|
BG-E6
|
BG-E11
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extra
|
|
Custom Functions
|
3 sets of memorized settings
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Automatic sensor cleaning
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Viewfinder coverage
|
98%
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Ethernet port
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
|
multi-exposure
|
no
|
yes (up to 9 exposures)
|
no
|
|
HDR in camera
|
no
|
yes (5 options)
|
yes
|
|
Horizon level
|
no
|
dual axis leveling
|
dual axis leveling
|
|
Face Detection
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
GPS location
|
external
|
external device
|
external device
|
|
AE Bracket
|
3 frames
|
3, 5, 7 frames
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(2, 3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 2/3 EV steps)
|
|
Shutter life
|
150,000 actuations
|
150,000 actuations
|
200,000
|
|
Silent shooting
|
no
|
yes
|
?
|
|
zoom in camera (not lens based)
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
|
Timelapse support
|
no
|
no
|
yes
|
|
Multifunction lock
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
|
comparative playback
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
|
Video functions:
|
|||
|
Video (1080)
|
29.97, 25 and 23.97
|
29.97, 25 and 23.97
|
29.97, 25 and 23.97
|
|
Video (720)
|
n/a
|
60, 50
|
60, 50, 30, 25 fps
|
|
Video (640)
|
30, 25
|
30, 25
|
24
|
|
Video (320)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
Longest clip
|
approx 12 minutes
|
29 minutes 59 seconds
(split into 3 continuous clips)
|
29 minutes 59 seconds
|
|
NTSC / PAL
|
both
|
both
|
both
|
|
Microphone
|
internal mono only
|
internal mono only
|
internal mono only
|
|
Headphone Jack
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Audio level control
|
yes – pre-recording only
|
yes + while recording
|
yes + while recording
|
|
Video autofocus
|
no
|
no
|
yes
|
|
Dedicated Video button
|
no
|
yes, programmable
|
yes
|
|
Video Recording format
|
|||
|
Video compression
|
IPP
|
IPB or ALL-I
|
MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
|
|
Uncompressed HDMI out
|
no
|
HDMI out but it is compressed
|
yes
|
|
Aperture control in video
|
no
|
no
|
?
|
|
Histogram in video
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
|
Time code support
|
no
|
Rec Run and Free Run
|
no
|
|
Chromatic Aberration fix in video
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
Want to preorder?
