5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more

Brad Ballew · April 23rd, 2012, 10:52 AM

Good point. I agree, a proper comparison is the only way to tell. Is the red tint from the IR filter they put in place of the AA filter?

Nigel Barker · April 23rd, 2012, 12:24 PM

I have now downloaded the 1920x1080 file of that 9 second clip with the OLPF removed. It's not as I expected the raw .MOV file off the camera as I can see from running exiftool that it's been processed by Premiere Pro. The only part of the frame actually in focus is a small portion over on the left that looks OK. The car looks nice & shiny. The pronounced pink/red cast is still present here. Apart from the colour cast it looks no different than I would expect from a 5D3 or 5D2 in bright sunshine. If it's meant to demonstrate improved resolution it's a very poor example. Just stopping it down so more of the frame was in focus would have made for a more convincing demo.

Here is an example of what video from the 5D2 can look like in bright sunshine. Download the 250MB 1920x1080 .MOV file to evaluate the full quality.

Silas Barker · April 23rd, 2012, 12:50 PM

Ok...
So can we come up with a list of pros and cons for the 2 cameras from people who have used the actual cameras? I have the 5Dii and thinking of upgrading. Here is some specs from research I ve done regarding video:

Canon 5DMarkiii
(: No Moire/Aliasing
? Sharpen in post - does this cause problems in grading?
? How does Codec compare? (to 5Dii or Nikon?)
If you own Canon no need to sell your glass..

Nikon D800
(: Higher Dynamic Range (~14 vs 11 on Canon)
(: Has FULL Hdmi output 4:2:2 (zero compression to recorder)
): Moire Shows up (much like 5dii?)
? What's the Codec from the cards?

I never use ISO higher then 800 so I don't really think for professional situations the ISO improvement is that big of a deal - at least for me - I always use lighting.

Charles Newcomb · April 23rd, 2012, 06:22 PM

From time to time I look at footage I've shot with my EX3 and think to myself, "Man... it's as if I were actually standing right there looking at this scene for real. It's that sharp."

The thing is, I jumped on the 5D bandwagon because I absolutely fell in love with those dreamy images that are just outside the realistic ones of life. I'm hooked. And I'm anxiously waiting for Camera Works in Colorado Springs to call and let me know my new MK lll has arrived (it's about 3 weeks late, now).

One other thing: Not to pass judgment, but taking my camera apart to change something I paid a lot of money to get doesn't make much sense to me. If I wanted it to look like a soap opera, I'd use the EX3.

Lastly, my 5D ll had to go into the shop recently because the camera stopped formatting cards. Canon fixed it and returned it quickly and didn't charge a penny. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have happened if I'd ever ran Magic Lantern with it. I can imagine what they'd do if you had pulled the OLPF.

Just my two cents.

Andy Wilkinson · April 25th, 2012, 03:23 AM

Resolution chart, 5DMkIII, no OLPF...

Bob Drummond · April 25th, 2012, 11:56 AM

The video appears to have been removed. Can someone summarize the results?

Andy Wilkinson · April 26th, 2012, 02:29 AM

From memory, basically, no advantage of removing the OLPF that you can't get EASILY with a little post-sharpening a mint 5DMkIII (with the sharpening setting at 0 in camera).

I stress there was no side-by-side comparisons in that particular video (i.e. with and without OLPF), I'm just comparing the chart to one posted by another guy, Jason, a while ago on Vimeo and YouTube of an untouched 5DMkIII. Both were CAPABLE of getting close to around 900 line resolution, maybe a little less, it seemed to me depending on the methods used (no OLPF footage or post-sharpening of footage taken with a native 5DMkIII).

It is worth noting that the guy, Bill, that posted the Vimeo video I linked to above had BOTH filters removed, not just the OLPF. Details were posted on that now removed video page. James Miller and Andrew Reid only removed the OLPF but left the second one in place (which I understand - from my reading - is actually epoxed to the sensor). What difference this makes I would not like to guess at. Time and evidence will clarify. It is still early days, and we don't have all the facts yet, but it seems the potential issues that come with removing the OLPF (IR contamination/colour tint, disabling the dust cleaning system on the sensor, voiding the warranty, not to mention cost - if you get a third party to do it, or risk of damage if you DIY) probably does not justify the benefit. Others may disagree but that's my take right now!

I don't have a 5DMkIII (yet) but sharpening my typical footage in CS5.5 is very, very fast and, of course, can be done on a shot-by-shot basis to the degree needed/wanted (along with any other picture adjustments).

From what I've seen so far (from the brave people that have tried this surgery), OLPF removal is not a route I'll be taking personally if and when I do get my 5DMkIII (or will it be a Black Magic, FS700...or C300...depends how rich I feel when I need to push the button).

Brad Ballew · April 26th, 2012, 10:27 PM

I have no interest in the OLPF removal anymore. After shooting with my camera for a while now, I am very pleased with what I have. I am absolutely loving the images I am getting from this thing. I also just got a Okii USB focus puller which works very well. It lets you program focus points and rack between the two at the push of a button. Very useful for certain shots.

My first day playing around with it I shot a simple short to put it through it's paces. It pulled focus like a champ. Worth checking out IMO.

Kind of goofy, but here is the short I did while testing out the Okii.

Tim Polster · May 2nd, 2012, 09:13 PM

I am following both the Canon & the Nikon but one thing is a huge stop for me, the Nikon glass turns its focus wheel in the opposite direction than the video world. After years of "video camera" use, I do not want to mess with my muscle memory to operate the D800.

Any way around this? Third party lenses instead of Nikon?

Jon Fairhurst · May 2nd, 2012, 10:49 PM

That's certainly an issue. There are 3rd party lenses, but if I'm not mistaken, the Nikon mount versions often turn their focus rings the same way as Nikon. And because of the large flange distance, you're pretty much limited to a Nikon mount.

A reverse crank follow focus is about the only solution I can think of.

Tim Polster · May 3rd, 2012, 09:03 AM

Thanks for your reply Jon. Follow Focus seems to be the best option. I am keeping my eye on both of these cameras.

Matt Lawrence · May 17th, 2012, 01:06 PM

Here's another comparison of the two cameras. Have to say it's the most thorough, and well done, video I've seen so far regarding video performance of the two cameras:

Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D800 Comparison

Charles W. Hull · May 17th, 2012, 09:45 PM

That's very well done, thanks for the link.

Tony Davies-Patrick · May 18th, 2012, 05:13 AM

I agree with Matt, and think that Dave's comparison of the two cameras is the best I've seen. Plenty of interesting facts and very informative.

Maurice Covington · May 20th, 2012, 06:37 AM

Okay so I've read some of the postings within this thread and I have to say that I am not overly impressed with what I have seen from the Nikon D800 or the D4. Given some of the comments regarding the moire, I would be very interested in seeing so footage from the D800E. I've not seen any at all. That being said, Nikon beats Canon flat out when shooting stills. On the other side, I believe that Canon has once again developed a camera that blows the Nikon away. I have tried to post a video from Canon made by someone like the readers of this post or me. If out there, somebody please show me some Nikon footage that is better. I would hate to have to buy two bodies.

April 23rd, 2012, 10:52 AM	#46
Brad Ballew Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Frisco, TX Posts: 65	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more Good point. I agree, a proper comparison is the only way to tell. Is the red tint from the IR filter they put in place of the AA filter?

April 23rd, 2012, 12:24 PM	#47
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more I have now downloaded the 1920x1080 file of that 9 second clip with the OLPF removed. It's not as I expected the raw .MOV file off the camera as I can see from running exiftool that it's been processed by Premiere Pro. The only part of the frame actually in focus is a small portion over on the left that looks OK. The car looks nice & shiny. The pronounced pink/red cast is still present here. Apart from the colour cast it looks no different than I would expect from a 5D3 or 5D2 in bright sunshine. If it's meant to demonstrate improved resolution it's a very poor example. Just stopping it down so more of the frame was in focus would have made for a more convincing demo. Here is an example of what video from the 5D2 can look like in bright sunshine. Download the 250MB 1920x1080 .MOV file to evaluate the full quality. Coffee Time At Golfe Juan on Vimeo

April 23rd, 2012, 12:50 PM	#48
Silas Barker Major Player Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 577	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more Ok... So can we come up with a list of pros and cons for the 2 cameras from people who have used the actual cameras? I have the 5Dii and thinking of upgrading. Here is some specs from research I ve done regarding video: Canon 5DMarkiii (: No Moire/Aliasing ? Sharpen in post - does this cause problems in grading? ? How does Codec compare? (to 5Dii or Nikon?) If you own Canon no need to sell your glass.. Nikon D800 (: Higher Dynamic Range (~14 vs 11 on Canon) (: Has FULL Hdmi output 4:2:2 (zero compression to recorder) ): Moire Shows up (much like 5dii?) ? What's the Codec from the cards? I never use ISO higher then 800 so I don't really think for professional situations the ISO improvement is that big of a deal - at least for me - I always use lighting.

April 23rd, 2012, 06:22 PM	#49
Charles Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Salida, Colorado Posts: 561	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more From time to time I look at footage I've shot with my EX3 and think to myself, "Man... it's as if I were actually standing right there looking at this scene for real. It's that sharp." The thing is, I jumped on the 5D bandwagon because I absolutely fell in love with those dreamy images that are just outside the realistic ones of life. I'm hooked. And I'm anxiously waiting for Camera Works in Colorado Springs to call and let me know my new MK lll has arrived (it's about 3 weeks late, now). One other thing: Not to pass judgment, but taking my camera apart to change something I paid a lot of money to get doesn't make much sense to me. If I wanted it to look like a soap opera, I'd use the EX3. Lastly, my 5D ll had to go into the shop recently because the camera stopped formatting cards. Canon fixed it and returned it quickly and didn't charge a penny. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have happened if I'd ever ran Magic Lantern with it. I can imagine what they'd do if you had pulled the OLPF. Just my two cents.

April 25th, 2012, 03:23 AM	#50
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more Resolution chart, 5DMkIII, no OLPF... 5D3 no OLPF on Vimeo __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

April 25th, 2012, 11:56 AM	#51
Bob Drummond Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 161	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more The video appears to have been removed. Can someone summarize the results?

April 26th, 2012, 02:29 AM	#52
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more From memory, basically, no advantage of removing the OLPF that you can't get EASILY with a little post-sharpening a mint 5DMkIII (with the sharpening setting at 0 in camera). I stress there was no side-by-side comparisons in that particular video (i.e. with and without OLPF), I'm just comparing the chart to one posted by another guy, Jason, a while ago on Vimeo and YouTube of an untouched 5DMkIII. Both were CAPABLE of getting close to around 900 line resolution, maybe a little less, it seemed to me depending on the methods used (no OLPF footage or post-sharpening of footage taken with a native 5DMkIII). It is worth noting that the guy, Bill, that posted the Vimeo video I linked to above had BOTH filters removed, not just the OLPF. Details were posted on that now removed video page. James Miller and Andrew Reid only removed the OLPF but left the second one in place (which I understand - from my reading - is actually epoxed to the sensor). What difference this makes I would not like to guess at. Time and evidence will clarify. It is still early days, and we don't have all the facts yet, but it seems the potential issues that come with removing the OLPF (IR contamination/colour tint, disabling the dust cleaning system on the sensor, voiding the warranty, not to mention cost - if you get a third party to do it, or risk of damage if you DIY) probably does not justify the benefit. Others may disagree but that's my take right now! I don't have a 5DMkIII (yet) but sharpening my typical footage in CS5.5 is very, very fast and, of course, can be done on a shot-by-shot basis to the degree needed/wanted (along with any other picture adjustments). From what I've seen so far (from the brave people that have tried this surgery), OLPF removal is not a route I'll be taking personally if and when I do get my 5DMkIII (or will it be a Black Magic, FS700...or C300...depends how rich I feel when I need to push the button). __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production Last edited by Andy Wilkinson; April 26th, 2012 at 03:07 AM. Reason: Adding info/typos

April 26th, 2012, 10:27 PM	#53
Brad Ballew Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Frisco, TX Posts: 65	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more I have no interest in the OLPF removal anymore. After shooting with my camera for a while now, I am very pleased with what I have. I am absolutely loving the images I am getting from this thing. I also just got a Okii USB focus puller which works very well. It lets you program focus points and rack between the two at the push of a button. Very useful for certain shots. My first day playing around with it I shot a simple short to put it through it's paces. It pulled focus like a champ. Worth checking out IMO. Kind of goofy, but here is the short I did while testing out the Okii. Coca Cola Wars on Vimeo

May 2nd, 2012, 09:13 PM	#54
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more I am following both the Canon & the Nikon but one thing is a huge stop for me, the Nikon glass turns its focus wheel in the opposite direction than the video world. After years of "video camera" use, I do not want to mess with my muscle memory to operate the D800. Any way around this? Third party lenses instead of Nikon?

May 2nd, 2012, 10:49 PM	#55
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more That's certainly an issue. There are 3rd party lenses, but if I'm not mistaken, the Nikon mount versions often turn their focus rings the same way as Nikon. And because of the large flange distance, you're pretty much limited to a Nikon mount. A reverse crank follow focus is about the only solution I can think of. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

May 3rd, 2012, 09:03 AM	#56
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more Thanks for your reply Jon. Follow Focus seems to be the best option. I am keeping my eye on both of these cameras.

May 17th, 2012, 01:06 PM	#57
Matt Lawrence Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 69	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more Here's another comparison of the two cameras. Have to say it's the most thorough, and well done, video I've seen so far regarding video performance of the two cameras: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D800 Comparison

May 17th, 2012, 09:45 PM	#58
Charles W. Hull Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 445	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more That's very well done, thanks for the link.

May 18th, 2012, 05:13 AM	#59
Tony Davies-Patrick Trustee Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Worldwide Posts: 1,589	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more I agree with Matt, and think that Dave's comparison of the two cameras is the best I've seen. Plenty of interesting facts and very informative. Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D800 Comparison - YouTube __________________ www.WILDCARP.com www.NIKON.me.uk

May 20th, 2012, 06:37 AM	#60
Maurice Covington Major Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Plainfield, Illinois Posts: 236	Re: 5D Mk. III vs Nikon D800 - resolution, ISO, rolling shutter and more Okay so I've read some of the postings within this thread and I have to say that I am not overly impressed with what I have seen from the Nikon D800 or the D4. Given some of the comments regarding the moire, I would be very interested in seeing so footage from the D800E. I've not seen any at all. That being said, Nikon beats Canon flat out when shooting stills. On the other side, I believe that Canon has once again developed a camera that blows the Nikon away. I have tried to post a video from Canon made by someone like the readers of this post or me. If out there, somebody please show me some Nikon footage that is better. I would hate to have to buy two bodies. Canon 5D Mark III - Copelandia on Vimeo