5DMK3 Question

[Tariq Peter]

I know the 5DMK3 is photography camera first but I was still a little disappointed with the lack of a swivel screen. I am really now unsure on which way to go 5DMK2 or 5DMK3 or just save like mad for C300. What puts me off the 5DMK2 is the fact that it needs CF Cards which are £55+ each and you always need about 10.

The 5DMK3 takes SD Cards which are only £18 each which works out as £360. My mind is spinning is the 5DMK3 worth it at more that double the price?

[Brian Drysdale]

You're comparing a product at the end of its life (when the price will have dropped) with its replacement. It becomes worth it if the new camera overcomes many of the issues that the 5DmkII has when shooting video. Probably less so if you're mostly shooting stills and the video issues are of less significance to you.

The C300 is very different animal, so probably can't be compared, perhaps the FS 100 is a closer beast at about $1.5k more expensive.

[Bill Bruner]

Originally Posted by Tariq Peter

I know the 5DMK3 is photography camera first but I was still a little disappointed with the lack of a swivel screen. I am really now unsure on which way to go 5DMK2 or 5DMK3 or just save like mad for C300...

Tariq -

I would personally not buy the MK2 at this point. Its shortcomings for video are well documented - and the MK3 fixes most of them.

Yes, the 5DMK3's lack of a swivel screen is disappointing, and for GH2 shooters like me, so is its lack if an EVF - so why not just get the MK3 and mount a SmallHD 4" monitor/EVF on top? I couldn't find one at Amazon UK, but at Amazon US, they are

$745

 

$745

.

Of course, by the time you add the price of the MK3 to importing the SmallHD, you may as well get a

£4700 Sony FS100

 

£4700 Sony FS100

.

Either way, a lot easier than eating cornflakes for dinner for a year whilst saving up for a C300 :-)

Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

P.S. - by the way, mods, is it time to change the title of the forum to something like "Canon EOS Full Frame for HD" or "Canon EOS 5D Mk. II and III for HD"?

[Tariq Peter]

I have spoken to a lot of people who use the MKII for video and yes the 5DMKIII does fix those issues butif there was an upgrade to fix those issues for £1500 would they pay? I am not too sure they would.

The price just seems to be a bit crazy.

[Bob Drummond]

Do we know if the MkIII will avoid the overheating problem? My T2i overheats after about 45 minutes of constant recording. But my T3i has not overheated yet. I know some speculate that the rotating screen of the T3i may factor in to that.

[Les Wilson]

I have the MK2 and it does not overheat like the other Canons seem to do. If you search here on DVinfo, you can confirm that.

The 12 minute limit is a minor annoyance compared to the lack of focus and exposure assist on the 5Dmk2 and that is not fixed in the mk3. Also, they didn't fix the screen changing standard def during recording either. That makes it difficult to judge/adjust exposure or focus using the LCD. You have these conversations in your head: "wait... the subject moved a little, is he still in focus? Rats... I can't tell....the exposure seems off...click click... darn, that's in the soundtrack now". Those are significant issues that don't seem to be fixed in the MK3.

At the price of the MK3 plus the basic additional stuff you'll want for video, there are IMHO alternatives which in my book seem better. If I didn't need the stills, I wouldn't have it at all.

Since you are price sensitive to the point that the cost of media is an issue, it's an expensive base for a kit that will need additional investment as as has been noted by others to solve the above shortcomings ... not to mention a shoulder rig etc. YMMV

[Keith Betters]

Well from a guy that just bought a 5dm2 two weeks ago, I am in between on whether to upgrade. Here are my thoughts:

-I completely agree with you Tariq, the lack of the swivel screen is my only disappointment of the mk3. There are others that are disappointed with other things. I think they are not being reasonable and looking at the camera for what it is. It is a photography camera first, that has a video feature. The bottom-line is if they come out with everything that people want it to do, A. it will not be affordable to its target demographic and B. it will hurt other products that they offer. I think it is a very solid upgrade from the mk2.

-However, I think for me it is something I may get but not immediately. First being that I just upgraded to the mk2 knowing that this was around the corner. Secondly some of the things that were fixed can be achieved with magic lantern. I know many still will not use ML but it is a good program that continues to get more and more stable. Also, the addition of 720/60 fps is great but that can be accomplished with the t3i. I do like the fact that it has a silent dial feature on it. This has been overlooked but is a great feature. When you are shooting/recording you can adjust iso, aperture, shutter or audio levels without getting the clicks in the camera's audio. I think thats really cool for run and gun stuff when you are using the audio from the cam. I think the only thing that will make me upgrade quicker than next year is IQ. The main reason I bought the 5d is for the superior IQ to the t3i/t2i. From a couple of videos that I have seen, it hasn't blown me away. I hear the moire and aliasing is all but eliminated. However, I would like to see some more test and real world applications before dropping $3500. So I do believe I will one day upgrade, but I do want to see this cinema dslr that they hint of. The only thing is that could be maybe a year or two off. Remember everybody thought the 5d was about a year or two late. I think the biggest decider between the 2 is price. The difference between the two is about an L series lens, lol. One is $3499 the other wil be around $2100 after price drop. I think the 5dmk2 at $2k is a steal. So if you have the money I WOULD definitely get the better camera the 5dmk3. But the C300 is way out of my budget and I have no need for it for what I do. I would like to play with one, but I can get too many other things for $16,000. Unless your doing broadcast stuff or work for the big screen, I think it's overkill for web or dvd deliveries.

[Brian Drysdale]

If you're not tied to Canon because of your lenses, the Nikon D800 may be the camera you should also be considering at the moment.

[Keith Marley]

Hi Brian,
i am about to delve into the DSLR for video market, I have three nice Nikkor SLR lenses and was going to buy the 5D mkiii, however i was surprised at the £3k price point - the D800 is around £600 cheaper, why would you recommend the D800 - is it essentially just a 'bang for buck' scenario?

Incidentally I will be using the DSLR camera for music video, experimental shorts and will use my JVC - hm700 for doc work

[Brian Drysdale]

It's early days, but if you've got the Nikkor glass I'd be comparing how the the new Nikon performs for video. It seems to have a clean HDMI out, which might be worthwhile for some people. Although it mightn't be so good at low light because of those extra pixels.

[Nigel Barker]

I don't think it likely that you will see an articulated screen on a rugged weather-proofed professional stills camera. The screen would get snapped off or the hinge would allow water or dust into the body. It's too much of a point of weakness & any way Live View isn't much favoured by photographers.

As I recall the original price of the 5DII back in 2008 was about £2250 so the MkIII isn't that much of a price hike.

I am disappointed with the bizarre CF + SD configuration on the 5DIII. I would much prefer dual CF like the 1DX. CF are more robust & faster so you can unload files quicker than SD.

The 5DIII is on paper a fantastic upgrade for anyone currently using a 5DII for video. I was about to order a 1DX but it looks like the only big advantage for that model for video is even better low light performance. As the 5DIII is supposed to have improved low light capability compared to the 5DII (which is already amazing) I may be better spending my money on two 5DIIIs rather than a single 1DX.

[Charles W. Hull]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

As I recall the original price of the 5DII back in 2008 was about £2250 so the MkIII isn't that much of a price hike.

The original U.S. price for the 5DII in 2008 was $3299. The 5DIII price of $3499 doesn't really seem out of line; that is 6% higher.

I was a happy early buyer in 2008, and that price held for a long time; I don't remember how long, but probaly a year and a half. There wasn't anything else close to its performance at that price point. Today with more drect competition the $3499 may not hold as long. But I'll probably buy early again; the added capability for stills with much better auto focus and a stop or two in low light, plus the improved codec and less rolling shutter for video are big advancements for me. I also shoot quite a bit of 720p60 so I like this new capability for the 5D.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Charles, I paid $2,699 USD in early December, 2008. As I recall, that was the original price. For an additional $800, it included the kit lens.

The price of the 5D3 is a bit higher than I had expected or hoped.

[Daniel Weber]

Originally Posted by Les Wilson

Also, they didn't fix the screen changing standard def during recording either. That makes it difficult to judge/adjust exposure or focus using the LCD.

Sorry Les, but I think that you are wrong on this point. The M3 now does HD output via HDMI (though not a clean signal) when recording. This is a big fix on the M3.

I had budgeted to get a 1Dx this year, but will now get two 5DM3's instead.

Daniel Weber

[Chris Westerstrom]

Does the 5dMK3 shoot at higher frame rates?
if not, I think the Nikon D800 won this battle