Full, official press release with all of the (accurate!) details plus several pics, located here:

Canon U.S.A. Announces the EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera at DVInfo.net (http://www.dvinfo.net/news/canon-usa-announces-the-eos-5d-mark-iii-digital-slr-camera.html)

-- no more 4GB clip length limit (record HD up to 30 min. per clip)
-- borrows numerous video features from forthcoming EOS 1DX flagship
-- dual card slots (CF + SDXC, but no rollover HD recording between them)
-- has a headphone jack (finally!)
-- but still no clean output over HDMI
-- $3500 body only; $4300 kit w/ EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens

Sorry Jon -- we're linking to our own copy of the press release.

First thing that may disappoint some video shooters, still only 720 60p ?

And of course, nothing over 60 fps.

Sure would be nice to have video resolution higher than the 5D II.

No problem, Chris. The word is out!

Less moire and color artifacts. Check.
ALL-I encoding. Check.
720p60. Check.
29 minutes with auto file spanning. Check.
Timecode. Check.
Dual card slots. Check.
Headphone jack. Check.

If the moire reduction and codec improvements are serious, this camera will rock!

The question for a would be "mkII upgrader" like me is, IS THIS BETTER THAN 5D MKII+VAF5D2+ML UNIFIED ?

:)

still only 720 60p ?Huh? It was 1080p before and it's 1080p now.

If you're referring to the frame rate, it is 1080p30 (+p24 & p25) and 720p60 (+p50).

You won't ever see 1080p60 on one of these until it becomes a broadcast standard...
in other words, not anytime soon. Maybe on a Cinema EOS product, eventually,
but not in the regular EOS lineup.

If the moire reduction and codec improvements are serious, this camera will rock!

Yes... The press release claims moire, false colour and other artifacts have been virtually eliminated. Is this likely to bode well for resolution too? The 5DII lags a long way behind more recent DSLRs such as the GH2 in terms of resolving power in video mode. I'm hoping along with suppression of nasties, the 5DIII offers a much more detailed image.

As expected, there's no clean HDMI output. IMO, if the new ALL-I codec is good enough, it won't matter. The reality is that portable HDMI recorders also compress the video. Realistically, who will cart around a RAID for true uncompressed capture? Also, HDMI isn't that robust. Given the same quality codec, it's cheaper and better to record into the camera than over HDMI.

The exception would be in a green screen studio. I can see an HDMI RAID capture there...

Here's a sample video!
- Moire reduction looks real.
- Compression looks to be improved.
- Still some rolling shutter, but definitely reduced.

Nice!

Canon EOS 5D Mark III - EOS Digital SLR Camera - Canon UK (http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/EOS_5D_Mark_III/)

Does that mean there's still a down-converted image out of HDMI port?

Yes - that's my biggest question, too. When you hit record, does the HDMI drop to 480p like the 5DII? Or does it stay at HD like the 7D?

As expected, there's no clean HDMI output. IMO, if the new ALL-I codec is good enough, it won't matter.

From DP review's brief hands on:
"you'll fit 22 minutes of All-I footage on a 16GB card"

By my rough calculation that means it's a approx 100mbps codec. If well implemented Jon's comment is right on the money, it could be ideal.

Excuse my ignorance, but can we assume this would still be a 4:2:0 codec?

When you hit record, does the HDMI drop to 480p like the 5DII?No -- it does not. My understanding is that it stays in 1080p over HDMI out while recording.

(but ... with overlays, unfortunately)

I'm in. Sent my order into B&H... like 392,000 other people probably also did. :)

On the 5D2, one can press the AF button on the top of the camera and select face detection. This removes all overlays. The image is scaled to a 1620 x 910 window. Previously, that additional line skipping made the image look terrible. With the VAF-5D2 anti-aliasing filter, my initial results look pretty good.

Note that the magnification buttons do not work in this mode. To zoom in for focus, one would need to choose a different AF mode, zoom, focus, go back to face detection, and start the HDMI recorder.

It's possible that the 5D3 will have a similar arrangement, but without the need for a VAF-5D2 filter.

It's not 1080p, but for delivering 720p web video, it could be pretty killer for compositing or subtle grading projects.

EDIT: In face detection mode, a box pops up if it sees a face! Only use for establishing shots with no faces!

However, if you move the zoom box out of the way and turn your lens to MF (AF will show a gray boxes on the focus points), you can get 2.08:1 widescreen at 920 pixels wide. And you can film faces!

Josh, doing simple maths:16384Mb/1320sec=12.4MB/sec or 100Mbit rate.

For an intraframe codec is not a lot. Space wise the interframe codecs are usually 2.5x more efficient than intraframe, so apart from editing, i dont think there will be that much improvement over the IPB compression. By comparison the yet to ship 1Dx claimed 6min per 16Gb, which translates into 360Mbit which is better than most codecs available. Of course it also depends on the codec used. I'm not sure if both cameras use the same codec in the ALLI mode. Does anybody have a better insight?

This also means that the 1Dx have a clear advantage in video mode over 5Diii.

I noticed a estimated selling price of $7K being mentioned on one forum, I expect rumours will float around for a while regarding the price.

Although, that particular price could be because of possible confusion with the 1Dx.

Sample movies posted here, 3 different genre's showing brick walls, cobbled stones, fabrics, VFX shots Night time videos, and Behind The Scenes videos.

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/samples/eos5dmk3/

Brian,

I just checked and saw 3,499...

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) 5260A002 B&H

That's a pretty good price. My 5d2 is closing in on 3-years old. And over 20,000 video clips. At least I know there's a hell of a nice replacement ready.

I think the person in that case may have done a quick google and came up with the 1 Dx by mistake. That happened to me, then I double checked again and changed the post when I couldn't find the 5D Mk III at B & H at that time.

Hey! I just saw on the end of the Mario&Nette where they show scenes with lenses used they Posted EF 24-70mm f2.8L IS II USM ! Not just once but twice, Does that mena that the New 24-70 NOW has IS ?! whooohoo!

I was all ready to order a 1DX but the 5DIII ticks nearly all the same boxes video-wise plus adds some plus points of its own e.g. headphone socket. The 1DX has mega-awesome high ISO & shoots to 2xCF rather than the bastard CF+SD of the 5DIII. It's now a tough choice as the 1DX is double the price & not actually shipping yet (I've been told late March/April) whereas the 5DIII is supposed to ship late March.

I am somewhat surprised at the short lead time between announcement & planned ship date. The 1DX was announced last year & I have handled what looked like a production model at BVE in London a few weeks ago. I suppose that the 5DIII is going to be produced in much higher volume than the 1DX.

My 5DII has served me very well over the last 3+ years but this looks to be a really significant & worthwhile upgrade.

My understanding is that it stays in 1080p over HDMI out while recording.

(but ... with overlays, unfortunately)

great for focusing with a monitor!
do you know if it can record video with the crop/magnification like T3i?

Sample movies posted here, 3 different genre's showing brick walls, cobbled stones, fabrics, VFX shots Night time videos, and Behind The Scenes videos.

Canon?EOS 5D Mark III?Sample Images & Movies (http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/samples/eos5dmk3/)

There are some wonderful shots in "Color of Hope" and "Mario & Nette" - they look very crisp and deal with lots of tricky patterns/textures.

Just a pity they have been reduced to 1/4 resolution. At full resolution these clips would tell us much of what we need to know. Looks promising though.

Some of the shots in both would be a moire breeding ground on the 5DII.

For $3,500 I don't see how this can be much of an improvement over the Mark II. Right now, the Nikon D4 is probably the most interesting camera, with a clean uncompressed HDMI out at a staggering ISO range.

Frankly I don't fathom Canon's pricing structure. After all, it is first and foremost a still camera, and it's not much of an improvement over the MII. What's even more curious is that the 5DII will continue to be in production.

I'm betting on Nikon this time around. They have no video line to look after, and I can't wait to watch their next iteration.

Will it still be susceptible to overheating in the video mode? And to repeat a previous inquiry - is it 4:2:0 video?

For $3,500 I don't see how this can be much of an improvement over the Mark II.

The 5DII was a groundbreaking camera but had several key hinderances in video: it seems practically all of these (bar ergonomics, it is a still camera after all) have been addressed. To what extent remains to be seen, but for many of us an upgrade from the 5DII is a no-brainer. Jon has already covered this but, to recap:

* Moire, false colour, aliasing well controlled
* reduced rolling shutter
* Headphone jack and much improved audio control
* Improved codec
* 12 minute limitation removed
* HD monitoring via HDMI
* And we can assume improved low light
* Better LCD and video controls

These issues could be a nightmare on the 5DII - it's hard to see how this can't be considered a major upgrade.

Presumably detail/resolving power has also appreciably increased (the 5DII was only a shade better than SD after all). And this isn't touching on the improved still specs.

The Nikon's may be nice, we'll have to wait and see. We do know the bit rate they record to internally is much more limited. The side by side comparisons will be intriguing indeed.

I'm very thankful (and surprised) Canon have retained the 5DII battery! Good stuff.

* Moire, false colour, aliasing well controlled
* reduced rolling shutter

It won't be a big improvement over the GH2, which is a third of the price.


* Headphone jack and much improved audio control

It's still not a professional setup, and on a serious shoot one will still need additional audio gear.


* 12 minute limitation removed

Already available on the GH2/D4 and D800.


* And we can assume improved low light
* Better LCD and video controls


How many professionals shoot video at ISO 1600+ on a regular basis? I will be impressed if the noise is somewhat like the C300's (color-less) at ISO 3200 or thereabouts, though.


* Improved codec
* HD monitoring via HDMI

These issues could be a nightmare on the 5DII - it's hard to see how this can't be considered a major upgrade.


The only real world improvements I can see - but one can hardly call this a major upgrade. Hell, the 7D already has HD HDMI. It's a case of paying $1,500 extra just to reduce the pain a little.

I'll reserve judgement on the codec until the actual tests come in. To be honest, the GH2 looks a far better camera for video than the Mark III.

To be honest, the GH2 looks a far better camera for video than the Mark III.

Oh Sareesh, I guess we'll have to agree to differ on this one. I happen to own a GH2 but in my opinion the 5DII's image is much prettier (I miss mine). However, I eventually gave up on the 5DII because of the aforementioned issues - particularly moire - which Canon claim to have resolved.

The GH2 has a whole bunch of baggage of its own. For a start the codec (yes I've tried the hacks but they are unreliable), noisy shadows even at comparatively low ISO, reds that bleed, no head-phone jack, consumerish build quality, very limited DR, harsh highlight treatment, tiny battery capacity, fiddly controls, ridiculous 2.5mm mic jack, unpredictable colour shifts, no-fast IS zooms... I could go on.

The GH2 is a great camera to throw in a bag and take everywhere, it's tiny! I'll probably keep mine, but unless Canon have got things horribly wrong given these specs and the FF sensor the 5DIII should eat the GH2 for breakfast.

So there will be a feeding frenzy for information around the Canon stand at the 'Focus On Imaging' show tomorrow at the NEC in Birmingham, - that is if Canon don't change their mind and not turn up like last year!
Although I'm not interested in buying one, I'll probably check it out.

Steve

I guess the big question for me is to pick between Canon or Nikon FF bodies (5D3, 1Dx, D800, AND D4). I love the idea of crop modes on the Nikons. And would probably jump to that camp were it not for the thin codec. Granted, clean-HDMI out leads to some amazing options for recording, but overkill for what I shoot and how fast I have to turnaround an edit.

I've been a 7D shooter for two years now. 95% video and 5% stills on paying work. No matter what FF body I get (or which brand), I've got to invest in some new glass anyways. My Tokina 11-16/2.8 and Tamron 17-50/2.8 IS are EF-S lenses and won't work on a FF body. I also own several vintage lenses (a mix of Nikkor, Pentax, and Vivitars), and all of these can be modded to any of the bodies.

Reduced moire is the biggest reason for me to upgrade. I want to see a side-by-side of Canon vs. Nikon on brick walls and houndstooth jackets. And some raw footage of each would be awesome so I could compare codecs.

Sorry guys, no real pleasant surprises. YMMV.

For those whose interest on 5DIII is mainly for video, $3,5K is very close to the dedicated competition (AF101 $4.3K, FS100 $4,7K) and more expensive than the main antagonist (D800 $3K).
Spec wise it lacks the clean HDMI out and windowing of the cheaper D800 and all the goodies of the slightly more expensive AF101 and FS100. Her only advantage is its supposed better low light capability. So on paper it doesn't seem very good value for money.

Of course if the quality of the image turns out to be exceptional, the above argument is mute.

Its a wait and see game until shipping days.

Since NAB is around the corner, I have a feeling that Sony and Panasonic will retaliate sooner than expected :)

Two things would really improve the MKIII's prospects for me:

If the I-Frame codec is actually 4:2:2 and if Magic Lantern could find a way to take the overlay off the HDMI feed.

The bike footage looked like it had a brighter gamma than the MKII which is a good step forward. But to be honest, after alomost four years I was hoping for a slam dunk upgrade. I think Canon might have been a bit too conservative/complacent here.

Ah nevermind... At least no one has said "How come it no has 4k an teh RAW videeos?" yet.

The I-Frame codec is actually 4:2:2 ...

Wow, at 100Mbps Intra and 4:2:2 that would make the video BBC broadcast quality, but still the D800 has uncompressed HD out...

Sareesh,
Although English is not my native language, I think Tim's sentence was an implied question and not a fact.

Oh Sareesh, I guess we'll have to agree to differ on this one. I happen to own a GH2 but in my opinion the 5DII's image is much prettier (I miss mine).

My impression of the GH2 is the exact opposite!

What I hate most is the super-shallow DOF look (of FF cameras) that is popular nowadays.
The D800 can shoot in DX mode. In this mode, the camera will use roughly 16MP (or so I've read) for video, which equates its resolution with the D7000, or slightly better than the 7D - theoretically.

Sareesh,
Although English is not my native language, I think Tim's sentence was an implied question and not a fact.

You are right, but luckily my answer can go either way. :)

It is hard to imagine Canon releasing a broadcast quality intra frame DSLR when their $16,000 baby barely makes the grade.

Your right but it also makes little sense to have an I-Frame 4:2:0 codec be your answer to uncompressed HDMI output. It would be nice if Canon put the 50mbps 4:2:2 codec in the camera since the MKIII will cost as much as an XF100.

Sareesh, you're teetering on the edge of trolling, here. If you don't like the look of FF, prefer the look of your GH2, and think that the C300 "barely makes the grade", then what are you really contributing here? Each camera is vastly different than the next, and tailored to vastly different market segments. Until I've filmed something similar with each of them, I'll withhold judgement.

As video shooters, we tend to forget that, other than the C300, the entire EOS line are first and foremost stills cameras with a tacked-on video capability. And (I'm guessing) 95% of their market buys these cameras for taking stills... with the video as a bonus. Shooting video with a stills camera will always introduce compromises. I, for one, and willing to make them to get a filmic image. I know many pros that are not.

It won't be a big improvement over the GH2, which is a third of the price.The GH2 is an ergonomic nightmare. In my hands it feels like a tiny little plastic toy.
How many professionals shoot video at ISO 1600+ on a regular basis? I will be impressed if the noise is somewhat like the C300's (color-less) at ISO 3200 or thereabouts, though.I shoot events like weddings & use ISO3200 with the 5DII all the time. The image is clean & noise free when correctly exposed.
I'll reserve judgement on the codec until the actual tests come in. To be honest, the GH2 looks a far better camera for video than the Mark III.The GH2 has higher resolution & a cleaner image but it just doesn't have the beautiful lush look of the 5D's full frame sensor coupled with lovely 'L' lenses

So there will be a feeding frenzy for information around the Canon stand at the 'Focus On Imaging' show tomorrow at the NEC in Birmingham, - that is if Canon don't change their mind and not turn up like last year!
Although I'm not interested in buying one, I'll probably check it out.

SteveI just had the latest Canon Professional Network newsletter by email saying that they will be showing the 5DIII at the NEC & that CPS members can book in to attend a special technical overview.

Sareesh, you're teetering on the edge of trolling, here. If you don't like the look of FF, prefer the look of your GH2, and think that the C300 "barely makes the grade", then what are you really contributing here?

I agree, Brian. We have a no bashing policy here and Sareesh is skating very close to the limit. It seems this always happens when new gear is announced. Sigh.

-gb-

I have my on order. I'll be shooting 70% video and 30% photos. Maybe a few time lapse shots here and there. What memory cards would you guys recommend me getting?

Hey! I just saw on the end of the Mario&Nette where they show scenes with lenses used they Posted EF 24-70mm f2.8L IS II USM ! Not just once but twice, Does that mena that the New 24-70 NOW has IS ?! whooohoo!

Don't hold your breath there Ted - I think that might be a mistake. they also have the 16-35mm as an IS lens too showing there!

Huh? It was 1080p before and it's 1080p now.

If you're referring to the frame rate, it is 1080p30 (+p24 & p25) and 720p60 (+p50).

You won't ever see 1080p60 on one of these until it becomes a broadcast standard...
in other words, not anytime soon. Maybe on a Cinema EOS product, eventually,
but not in the regular EOS lineup.

Apologize for my nomenclature. I also was confusing my 5D II frame rates with my 2ti frame rates. I had forgotten that only the T2i had 720p60.

Point is that with the T2i, T3i, and 7D, some users what 1080p60, primarily to improve slow motion effects.

I have that capability on my lowly VG20, (unless Sony is not providing true 1080p60 ????) and wonder why Canon hasn't seen fit to increase that capability.

That is only point I was making.

Frankly I'd like to see frame rates higher than 60p for slow motion, but I seriously doubt Canon will do that in a regular EOS camera. Cinema EOS, well maybe there's some hope... but I wouldn't hold my breath just yet.

As video shooters, we tend to forget that, other than the C300, the entire EOS line are first and foremost stills cameras with a tacked-on video capability. And (I'm guessing) 95% of their market buys these cameras for taking stills... with the video as a bonus. Shooting video with a stills camera will always introduce compromises. I, for one, and willing to make them to get a filmic image. I know many pros that are not.

It HAS to be more than 5% of 5D Mark II owners that bought the camera for video. I have to think it was at least 25% of 5D Mark II sales were because of video, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was all the way up to 50% of the sales. (I bought my 7D mostly because of video.)

Canon has to have the numbers on this & I'd love to see the data. I wouldn't be surprised if Nikon, Sony, Panasonic & others have done massive market research into the EOS HD cameras too.

The 5D Mark III is an improvement on video, but I see the biggest thing missing is the clean HDMI.

If Canon has prevented a clean HDMI because they don't want to hurt XF300 or C300 sales, then I think Canon has already lost. These cameras do not compete with each other, they compliment each other.

Panasonic's AC130, AC160 & HPX250 compliment each other, instead of compete with each other. Because of this, we get better cameras.

Since there is clean HDMI (or better HD-SDI) being offered from Panasonic, Sony & Nikon, I think Canon might lose the title of king of the hill of HDSLRs, as it seems like to me these other companies are paying attention to what is happening...

It isn't a revolution, it is an evolution.

Agreed on the higher FPS point - Offering 720/120p would be phenomenal, but we will probably have to wait for the next C300 revision. Hopefully by then Ill be able to afford the current C300 haha