[News] The Canon 5D Mark III Announced!

You heard right: the camera that changed everything has been updated! The preferred video DSLR of the industry just got even better with the Canon 5D MKIII (pre-order at BHphotovideo). But is this new camera good enough to withstand the pressure from Nikon's two new bodies? MAYBE... Read on to find out all the new features, accessories, and how it stacks up against the latest DSLRs.

It is definitely an exciting day for the photography world, and we will be updating this post often as information comes available. And don't forget to vote in the poll at the end!



Canon also released a number of new accessories today! Stay tuned for updates on those. For now, pre-order at B&H:
Canon 600EX-RT Speedlight

Pre-Order links coming for:
Canon BG-E11 Battery Grip ($490)
Canon WFT-E7A Wireless Transmitter ($850)
Canon GP-E2 GPS Unit ($390)
Canon ST-E3-RT Speedlight Transmitter ($470)

First things first...here are your specs:

SPECIFICATIONS
Available Colours – Black
Megapixels – 22MP
Sensor Size – 36 x 24mm
ISO/Sensitivity – 100 – 25600
Autofocus Points – 61 points
Lens Mount – Canon
LCD Size – 3.2″
Liveview – Yes
Viewfinder – Optical TTL
Min Shutter Speed – 30 sec
Max Shutter Speed – 1/8000 sec
Continuous Shooting Speed – 6 fps
Self Timer – 10 sec, 2 sec
Metering – Centre-weighted, Spot, Evaluative, Partial
Video Resolution – Full HD 1080
File Formats – AVI, RAW, H.264, MOV, MPEG-4
Memory Type – Compact Flash, SD Card
Connectivity – USB 2, HDMI, Mic Input, Wireless (optional)
Battery – LP-E6
Battery Type – Lithium-ion
Charger – Includes Li-Ion Charger
Dimensions – 152 x 116 x 76mm
Box Contents – Battery Pack LP-E6, Battery Charger LC-E6, AV Cable AVC-DC400ST, Interface Cable IFC-200U, Eyecup Eg, Wide Strap EWEOS5DMKIII, CR1616 Lithium Battery

Unsurpassed Image Quality
22.3 Megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor
DiG!C 5+ Image Processor
ISO 100-25600 (expandable to L:50 H1:51200, H2: 102400)
Full HD Movie (ISO 100-12800 and H:25600)

High-End Features
Silent & low vibration modes
Dual card slots (CF & SD)
High Dynamic Range (HDR) Mode
Multiple Exposures
Comparative Playback function
Improved durability & water and dust resistance

High-Performance Operation
61-point high-density reticular AF (up to 41 crosstype points)
6.0 fps for high continuous shooting
Intelligent viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage
3.2-type, approx. 1.04m dot (3:2 wide) Clear View LCD II
iFCL metering with 63-zone dual-layer sensor
Shutter durability of 150,000 cycles

Now, we like pictures, don't we?

So How Do We Measure Up?:

Opinion:

The Canon 5D Mk III is an amazing camera. The Mk II is still completely relevant, thanks to its full 1080p, but the Mk III builds in ways that really do something for the consumer. Between small but important things like better weatherproofing and the more important 22MP, which allows for a perfect 16:9 3x3 downsampling, Canon has finessed a few fine details that make all the difference. This is made for the DSLR video shooter.

Unfortunately for Canon, at half the price, I don't see how this won't eat up some, if not quite a few, of the 1D X sales. Nikon learned a lesson much earlier that perhaps Canon didn't pay attention to. We'll see what happens... Either way, all the better for the Canon shooter!

Nikon killer? Well, Canon sure stepped it up. I don't see why any dedicated Nikon or Canon users would have any distinct reason to switch everything over (let's face it, there's a ton of work involved in that), but the more reasonable and extremely practical 22MP really shows Canon's commitment to the videographer. Canon's not aiming for fashion/video, but even then, there's not a huge difference between 22MP and 36MP in final image size. The Mk III's image dimensions (5760x3840) are still 80% of the D800's (7360x4912).

Nikon has never been known as the 'cheaper' brand, but with the D700 still in the line-up (it's not discontinued, as the D800 isn't viewed as a replacement, in case you missed that), the Mk II might still kill the D700 even with its new pricing at $2200. I just bought a lightly used D3 for that price yesterday...and that'll still go down within a short amount of time.

I have to highlight a feature here that's quite wonderful: the main rear dial is now touch sensitive. This really helps keep the pressure off of the body during video recording so it can stay more steady when adjusted during operation. I think people will be loving this feature, even for simple day-to-day use...

Promo Video: