Canon unleashes the EOS 5D Mark III

[DPNow]

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The EOS 5D Mark III builds on the performance of the legendar EOS 5D Mark II, offering improved speed, greater resolution, enhanced processing power and extended creative options for both stills and Full HD movies – providing unparalleled artistic freedom for the most demanding photographers.

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[Ian]

This is news many have been waiting for. I'd heard of rumours that there would be a 45 megapixel sensro, but the pixel count is unchanged. So this is a refinement of the Mark II rather than a revolutionary evolution. But is this enough to prevent Canon users moving to Nikon and the 36 megapixel D800?

Ian

[John Perriment]

There is no doubt that Canon and Nikon are the two market leaders, particularly when it comes to full frame DSLRs. Historically they seem to leapfrog each other, taking turns to have "the edge." This can result in users bouncing from one brand to the other, but taking into account changing lenses and accessories every time a switch is made it does become very expensive and counter productive. Each switch comes with a period of adjustment and familiarization for the photographer as he/she gets to drips with a new system.

I keep thinking that the pixel race must be over but the manufacturers do like to prove me wrong. Even so, I'd be surprised if many photographers deserted Canon for Nikon on the strength of 36mp v 22mp. The difference is approximately a 25 inch print at 300ppi without resizing instead of a 20 inch print, but in practice the Canon should easily manage a 36 inch print and the question then becomes just how big do you need to go.

This could even backfire on Nikon; performance of the D800 has yet to be tested and with 36mp noise may well be an issue at high ISO compared to the 5DMkIII. Also the frame rate at full resolution is significantly slower and potential Nikon owners who want a faster camera with better high ISO may feel pushed towards the D4 which is seriously more expensive than a 5DMkIII. If I understand correctly, the D800 does have a crop sensor mode that allows a faster shooting speed but that does seem counter productive on a full frame camera.

One feature of the new Nikon that makes it very interesting to photographers who don't need speed but really do need to produce huge images with maximum sharpness and detail, is that a D800E version will be available without a low pass filter, normally included to prevent moire. This may make it very attractive to studio or landscape professionals.

For me, personally, it is all very theoretical; 12mp is more than enough!

[Pops]

I would be interested to learn just what percentage of photographers actually need to print off at 25"/36". Surely these sizes are only of advantage to commercial photographers!
Nobody I know prints beyond A3

[John Perriment]

Originally Posted by Pops

I would be interested to learn just what percentage of photographers actually need to print off at 25"/36". Surely these sizes are only of advantage to commercial photographers!
Nobody I know prints beyond A3

I would think that virtually all amateurs/hobbyists and most pros would never need to print to those sizes so a camera with that many pixels is a bit of a niche product. On the other hand it does allow for generous cropping in pp. I suppose it does give more choice and greater options so it is to be welcomed but the fact that Nikon's new flagship, the D4, has "only" 16mp does indicate that generally pros don't need anywhere near 36mp.

[OlyPaul]

Originally Posted by Pops

I would be interested to learn just what percentage of photographers actually need to print off at 25"/36". Surely these sizes are only of advantage to commercial photographers!
Nobody I know prints beyond A3

Well the biggest I have printed is 30x20 and that is off 12MP and I have only three of them on the wall, the rest are about the 10x8 size. The family albums consists of 10x8 down to standard print sizes
So I'm guessing that 95% of the population and that includes a lot of DSLR users never print much above standard print sizes, or never print at all and just have them for web use.

And to be perfectly honest my old 5MP E-1 can still satisfy that criteria including most of my own. If your told you need it then most people believe it and must have it.

[Ian]

I am ashamed to say that I missed the direction of Canon's strategy totally and today discovered that the 1DX is designed to replace both the 1D Mark IV and the 1Ds. But as I was chatting to the very charming demonstrator in the Canon stand at Focus today, a pro motorsport photographer shared my lament that the APS-H sensor format in the 1D Mark IV was to disappear as the 1DX is a full frame sensor camera. But he did think the new grip on the 1DX is a big improvement.

Ian