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Canon EOS 5D Mark III Compared to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II
| Specifications | Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
|---|---|---|
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 | |
| Year Introduced | 2012 | 2008 |
| Megapixels | 22.3 | 21.1 |
| Total Pixels | 23.4 | 22.0 |
| Sensor Size | 36.0 x 24.0mm | 36.0 x 24.0mm |
| Pixel Dimensions | 5760 x 3840 | 5616 x 3744 |
| Pixel Size | 6.25µm | 6.41µm |
| Diffraction-Limited Aperture | f/10.1 | f/10.3 |
| Sensor Readout Speed (ms) | ||
| Sensor Stabilization | N | N |
| Lens Mount | EF (excludes EF-S lenses), TS-E, MP-E | EF (excludes EF-S lenses), TS-E, MP-E |
| FOVCF | 1.0x | 1.0x |
| Image Processor | DIGIC 5+ | DIGIC 4 |
| Autofocus | ||
| Type | TTL-CT-SIR with a dedicated CMOS sensor | TTL-CT-SIR with a CMOS sensor |
| Points | 61 Point / 41 f/4 cross-type AF points inc 5 dual cross type at f/2.8 The number of cross-type AF points will differ depending on the lens. | 9-point AF (plus 6 Assist AF points) |
| Working Range | EV -2 - 18 (at 23°C & ISO100) | EV -0.5 - 18 (at 20°C & ISO 100) |
| Point Selection | Automatic selection: 61 point AF Manual selection: Single point AF (61, 41 cross type only, 15 or 9 points selectable) Manual selection: Spot AF Manual selection: AF point Expansion 4 points (up, down, left, right) Manual selection: AF point Expansion surrounding 8 points Manual selection: Zone AF AF points can be selected separately for vertical and horizontal shooting | Automatic selection, Manual selection |
| Microadjustment | AF Menu +/- 20 steps ( wide and tele setting for Zooms) Adjust all lenses by same amount Adjust up to 40 lenses individually Adjustments remembered for lens by serial number | C.Fn III-8 +/- 20 steps Adjust all lenses by same amount Adjust up to 20 lenses individually |
| Touch & Drag AF | ||
| Eye Detection AF | ||
| Focus Bracketing/Stacking | ||
| Exposure Control | ||
| Metering Modes | TTL full aperture metering with 63 zone Dual Layer SPC (1) Evaluative metering (linked to All AF point) (2) Partial metering (approx. 6.2% of viewfinder at center) (3) Spot metering (approx. 1.5% viewfinder at center) (4) Center weighted average metering | TTL full aperture metering with 35 zone SPC (1) Evaluative metering (linked to any AF point) (2) Partial metering (approx. 8% of viewfinder at centre) (3) Spot metering: (approx. 3.5% viewfinder at center) (4) Center weighted average metering |
| Metering Range | EV 1 - 20 (at 23°C with 50mm f/1.4 lens ISO100) | EV 1 - 20 (at 20°C with 50mm f1.4 lens ISO 100) |
| Exposure Comp | +/-5 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB). | +/-2 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB). |
| AEB | 2, 3, 5 or 7 Shots +/-3 EV 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments | +/- 2 EV, 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments |
| Light Flicker Mode | ||
| Intervalometer | ||
| ISO Sensitivity | Auto (100-12800), 100-25600 (in 1/3-stop or whole stop increments) ISO can be expanded to L: 50, H1: 51200, H2 102400 | Auto (100-3200), 100-6400 (in 1/3-stop or whole stop increments) ISO can be expanded to H1: 12800 and H2:25600 |
| Shutter Speed | 30 - 1/8000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop increments) + Bulb (Shutter speed range available varies according to shooting mode) | 30 - 1/8000 sec. (1/3 stop increments), Bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode) |
| Viewfinder | ||
| Type | Pentaprism | Pentaprism |
| Coverage | Approx. 100% | Approx. 98% |
| Magnification | Approx. 0.71x | Approx. 0.71x |
| Eyepoint | Approx. 21mm | Approx. 21mm |
| Information | AF information: AF point, focus confirmation, AF status indicator Exposure information: Shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level, exposure warning Flash information: Flash ready, flash exposure compensation, high-speed sync, FE lock, red-eye reduction light Image information: Highlight tone priority (D+), maximum burst (2-digit display), card information, Battery check Composition information Grid, electronic level, Warning symbol Displayed if any of the following is set: Monochrome, white balance correction, One-touch recording quality switch, expanded ISO speed, or spot metering | AF information: AF points, focus confirmation light. Exposure information: Shutter speed, aperture value, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level/compensation, spot metering circle, exposure warning, AEB. Flash information: Flash ready, high-speed sync, FE lock, flash exposure compensation. Image information: White balance correction, CF card information, monochrome shooting, maximum burst (2 digit display), Highlight tone priority (D+). |
| DOF Preview | Yes, with Depth of Field preview button. | Yes, with Depth of Field preview button. |
| LCD | ||
| Type | 3.2" (8.11cm) Clear View II TFT, approx. 1040K dots | 3.0" Clear View TFT, approx. 920K dots |
| Coating | Anti-reflection and Solid Structure | Dual Anti-reflection |
| Brightness Adj | Adjustable to one of seven levels | Auto 3 levels + Manual adjustable to one of seven levels |
| Display Options | (1) Quick Control Screen (2) Camera settings (3) Dual Axis Electronic Level | (1) Quick Control Screen (2) Camera settings |
| Flash | ||
| Built-in GN | N/A (ISO 100, meters) | N/A (ISO 100, meters) |
| Built-in Coverage | N/A | N/A |
| Built-in Recycle Time | N/A | N/A |
| Modes | E-TTL II Auto Flash, Metered Manual | E-TTL Auto Flash |
| X-Sync | 1/200sec (EX series Speedlites only) | 1/200sec |
| Exposure Compensation | +/- 3EV in 1/2 or 1/3 increments | +/-2 EV in 1/3-stop increments |
| Hot Shoe/PC Terminal | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
| External Flash Comp | E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support | E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support |
| Shooting | ||
| Shooting Modes | Auto+, Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual (Stills and Movie), Custom (x3) | Auto (Stills and Movie), Creative Auto, Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual (Stills and Movie), Custom (x3) |
| Picture Styles | Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3) | Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3) |
| Image Processing | Highlight Tone Priority Auto Lighting Optimizer (4 settings) Long exposure noise reduction High ISO speed noise reduction (4 settings) Auto Correction of Lens Peripheral illumination Chromatic aberration correction Distortion correction Resize to M1, M2 or S RAW image processing - during image Playback only Multiple exposure HDR images 5 presets | Highlight Tone Priority Auto Lighting Optimizer (4 settings) Long exposure noise reduction High ISO speed noise reduction (4 settings) Auto Correction of Lens Peripheral illumination |
| Abberration Corrections | ||
| Drive Modes | Single, Continuous L, Continuous H, Self-timer (2s+remote, 10s+remote), Silent single shooting, Silent continuous shooting | Single, Continuous, Self timer /remote control (10s), Self timer /remote control (2s) |
| Continuous Shooting | Max. Approx. 6fps. (speed maintained for up to 16270 images (JPEG) or 18 images (RAW)) (with UDMA card) | Max. Approx. 3.9fps. (speed maintained for up to 78 images (JPEG) (310 with UDMA card), 13 images (RAW)) |
| Shutter Lag | 59ms | 73ms |
| Viewfinder Blackout | 125ms | 145ms |
| Live View | ||
| FrameRate | 30 fps | 30 fps |
| Focusing | Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen) Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode, Live Face detection mode | Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen) Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode, Live Face detection mode |
| Metering | Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor Active metering time can be changed | Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor Active metering time can be changed |
| Display Options | Grid overlay (x3), Histogram, Aspect ratios, Dual Axis Electronic Level | Grid overlay (x2), Histogram, data, no data |
| File Information | ||
| Still ImageType | JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.3 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system (2.0), RAW: RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2 (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition), Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant | JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.21 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system (2.0), RAW: RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2 (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition), Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant |
| Image Size | JPEG: (L) 5760 x 3840, (M) 3840 x 2560, (S1) 2880 x 1920, (S2) 1920 x 1280, (S 3)720 x 480 RAW : (RAW) 5760 x 3840 (M-RAW) 3960 x 2640, (S-RAW) 2880 x 1920 | JPEG: (L) 5616x3744, (M) 4080x2720, (S) 2784x1856 RAW: (RAW) 5616x3744, (sRAW 1) 3861x2574, (sRAW 2) 2784x1856 |
| Movie Type | MOV (Video: H.264 Intra frame / inter frame, Sound: Linear PCM) | MOV (Video: H.264, Sound: Linear PCM) |
| Movie Size | 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps) intra or inter frame 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps) intra or inter frame 640 x 480 (59.94, 50 fps) inter frame | 1920 x 1080 (16:9), 640 x 480 (4:3) -30fps |
| Movie Length | Max duration 29min 59sec, Max single file size 4GB | Max duration 29m 59sec, Max file size 4GB |
| Other Information | ||
| Wireless Features | via optional WFT-E7A Wireless File Transmitter | |
| GPS | via optional GP-E2 GPS Receiver | |
| Custom Functions | 13 Custom Functions with 47 settings | 25 Custom Functions with 71 settings |
| LCD Panel / Illumination | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
| Water & Dust Resistance | Yes (equal to EOS-1N) | Yes |
| Sound Memo | No | No |
| Interface | ||
| Computer Interface | Hi-Speed USB | USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (Mini-B) |
| Other Interface | HDMI mini output, Video output (PAL/ NTSC), Headphone mini jack, External microphone (Stereo mini jack) | HDMI mini output, Video output (PAL/ NTSC), Microphone input, Extension system terminal (for WFT-E4) |
| Memory | ||
| Memory Type | CompactFlash Type I (UDMA compatible), SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card | CompactFlash Type I/ II (Microdrive compatible, UDMA compatible), external storage with WFT-E4 |
| Batteries & Power | ||
| Battery | Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E6 (supplied), 1x CR1616 for date & settings | Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E6 (supplied), 1x CR1616 for date & settings |
| Battery Life | Approx. 950 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) 850 (at 0°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) | Approx. 850 (at 20°C) 750 (at 0°C) |
| Power Supply Battery Chargers | AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6, Battery charger LC-E6, Car Battery charger CBC-E6 | AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6, Battery charger LC-E6E/LC-E6, Car Battery charger CBC-E6, Car Battery Cable CB-570 |
| Physical Specs | ||
| Body Materials | Magnesium Alloy body covers | Magnesium Alloy body covers |
| Shutter Durability Rating | 150,000 | 150,000 |
| Operating Environment | 0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity | 0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity |
| Dimensions Inches | 6.0 x 4.6 x 3.0" (152 x 116.4 x 76.4mm) | 6.0 x 4.5 x 3.0" (152 x 113.5 x 75mm) |
| CIPA Weight | 33.5 oz (950g) | 31.9 oz (904g) |
| Accessories | ||
| Viewfinder | Eyecup Eg, Eg-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens with Rubber Frame Eg, Anti Fog Eyepiece Eg, Angle Finder C | Eyecup Eb, E-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens with Rubber Frame Eb, Eyepiece Extender EP-EX15, Focusing Screens Eg, Angle Finder C |
| Wireless File Transmitter | Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7 | Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E4 |
| Compatible Lenses | All EF lenses (excludes EF-S lenses), TS-E and MP-E lenses | All EF lenses (excludes EF-S lenses), TS-E and MP-E lenses |
| Battery Grip | BG-E11 Buy ► | BG-E6 Buy ► |
| Remote | Remote control with N3 type contact, Wireless Controller LC-5, Remote Controller RC-6 | Remote control with N3 type contact, Wireless Controller LC-5, Remote Controller RC-1, Remote Controller RC-5 |
| Other | Hand Strap E2, GP-E2 | Hand Strap E2 |
| Review | Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
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