5D MKIII x Nikon x Sony

[Rafael Lopes]

Hi fellas,

If I don't want to shoot raw using Magic Lantern with the 5D MARK III can I simply increase the bitrate? If I CAN increase the bitrate, is is stable? The thing is, I have a Sony A7S, some sony lenses, the Nikon D610 and some nikon lenses but I want one system to rule them all for both video AND STILLS. I was thinking about selling it all and just getting the 5D MarkIII with some primes. I love the D610 for stills and it's not bad for video but the indie/corporate video industry here in Brazil is totally Canon oriented and I've had production companies telling me to shoot with their Canon gear instead of my D610 so all the team's footage is similar. I love the A7S but it's an expensive camera that it's just not tailored for stills when it comes to fast moving subjects (plus the native lenses are big and expensive). I really cannot justify having both systems when I can perfectly have a single one for all my needs. Plus, with Canon if I want to go back to Sony in the future, adapters are making AF on Sony bodies better and better.

P.S - Before anyone suggests it, no, I'm not whiling to spend us$3200 on an A7RII.

[Ryan Douthit]

The 5D MkIII is a huge step down from the A7S for video. I usually try to avoid footage from that Canon at this point.

I own both the A7S and the Nikon D810 (plus an FS700, etc.) and between the two I almost always take the Nikon when I have a dual job of video and stills or just want a B-camera. It's not the sharpest for video, but the colors are lovely and it's way sharper than the 5D.

I'd suggests getting a metabones Nikon to FE adaptor for your A7S and going that route. (Shooting APS-C on the A7S if you have DX glass.)

With the money you save, buy the Nikon FX f/2.8 105mm macro. ;)

That said, at the end of the day you need to buy the camera that will make you the most money. If that's the 5D, buy it (or a C100mkII) and don't look back.

[Rafael Lopes]

Even with magic lantern and higher bitrates the 5D is still a huge step down from the A7s??

Like I've said, there's no way I'm keeping both the A7S and the D610. Actually, the D610 can do nice video but the A7s doesn't meet my needs af wise, so it will go for sure. So I guess the question is where to go videowise between Nikon and Canon.

[Noa Put]

You already answered your own question as the field you work in prefers a canon look so if that determines where the money is coming from then your choice is obvious.

[Ryan Douthit]

Originally Posted by Rafael Lopes

Even with magic lantern and higher bitrates the 5D is still a huge step down from the A7s??

Like I've said, there's no way I'm keeping both the A7S and the D610. Actually, the D610 can do nice video but the A7s doesn't meet my needs af wise, so it will go for sure. So I guess the question is where to go videowise between Nikon and Canon.

Yes. it's clunky to operate, the picture is incredibly soft and the rolling shutter is about as bad as the A7S. It does have nice out-of-the-box color, however. Of course any skilled operator can get good results with pretty much any camera - and there are certainly many great shooters using the 5D. But from a technical perspective it is exceedingly old technology that has a lot of limitations other cameras do not have.