Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Nikon D800, and the winner is…

…Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III!!

I compared tech specs of both cameras, and there is not much to investigate. The advantages of the EOS 5D Mark over Nikon’s D800 are evident

  • Light sensitivity: 25,600 vs 6,400 (2 f-stops more)
  • Auto Focus: more advanced (most advanced in this price category, and more cross-type focus points (41 vs 15, grabs focus in difficult situation where the D800 can’t)
  • Overall Auto Focus points: 61 vs 51 (more accuracy)
  • LCD screen: bigger, higher resolution (1,040k dots vs 921k dots, that’s 10% more)
  • ISO boost: 2 f-stops better (50-102,400 vs 100-25,600)
  • Shooting speed: 6 fps vs 4 fps (50% faster than the D800)
  • Video: more modes
    • Canon: 1920×1080 at 30/ 25/ 24 fps, 1280×720 at 60/ 50 fps and 640×480 at 30/ 25 fps
    • Nikon: 1920×1080 at 30/ 24 fps and 1280×720 at 60/ 30/ 24 fps
  • Video #2: NTSC or PAL
  • Video formats: MPEG-4 and H.264 vs H.264 only
  • Supported cards:
    • Canon: CompactFlash (CF Type I), CompactFlash (CF Type II), SD, SDHC, SDXC
    • Nikon: CompactFlash (CF Type I), SD, SDHC, SDXC
  • Connections:
    • Canon: Proprietary, Accessory shoe, USB, HDMI, 3.5mm stereo audio, Flash Sync
    • Nikon: USB, HDMI mini, 3.5mm stereo audio
  • Size: 5D Mark III thinner (3″ vs 3.2″, 10%) and smaller (152x116x76mm vs 146x123x82mm, 10%)
  • EOS system family: more lenses

Now let’s see where Nikon’s D800 shines out:

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EOS 5D Mark III best DSLR for shooting video (says Gizmodo)

I totally agree with gizmodo, and I add: the EOS 5D Mark III is kicking the Nikon’s D800 in the back. :-)

It may be that Nikon’s D800 is selling better than Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III (as lots of blogs report), but no camera is getting that much attention by film-makers as the 5D Mark III. And that’s not wondering: Canon’s new FF flagship is an outstanding cam, not only for stills, but also for video. It was the former model, the EOS 5D Mark II, that started to be a valid alternative for indie film-makers. Cheap(er) alternative to the much more expensive gear you had to chose from (read Sony, Panavision, RED). While being thought (and touted) as a camera for still photography, the 5D Mark II rapidly became a film-makers darling. Not only for indie movie-makers: the 5D Mark II was used to shot shows like House and Saturday Night Special, and to shot the action scenes in Captain America. This happened not just because of the surprising video-capabilities of the 5D Mark II, but also because you had access to Canon’s rich and extensive offer of lens for the EOS system. Now we have the 5D Mark III, and the story gets into a new chapter. Read on after the break.

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Image Detail Comparison: EOS 5D Mark III matches RED Scarlet-X at 2K

–vs–

Canon’s new full-frame camera vs. RED’s resolution champion – that’s something for movie makers. A comparison concerning image details between the EOS 5D Mark III, the EOS 7D and the Scarlet-X done at cinema5d DSLR film forum by user  Sebastian, which has also some interesting thoughts about the EOS 5D Mark III (from a film-maker’s point of view).

That means a full-frame sensor (5D3) vs an APS-C sensor (7D) vs a smaller than APS-C sensor (Scarlet-X), using a  Canon zoom 24-105mm f/4.0 L (5D3), a Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 (7D) and a Contax Zeiss 28mm (Scarlet-X) – this was done to match the shots (but filmed sections are not 100% identical, not a real problem in my opinion).

The footage of the Scarlet-X was recorded @2k and scaled down to HD. Not only the 5D Mark III matches the Scarlet-X concerning image details, but there is also less noise.

Read the cinema5d forum post clicking here. The original files used for the comparison can be downloaded:

EOS 5D Mark III file 1
EOS 5D Mark III file 2
EOS 7D file 1
EOS 7D file 2
RED Scarlet-X files (zipped)

Latest pics uploaded to flickr and eBay live-ticker for EOS 5D Mark III click here, and for EOS 7D click here.

EOS 5D Mark III price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA EOS 7D price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

 

Rolling shutter jello comparison: 5D Mark III vs Sony Nex 7

Photographer Mike Kobal did an interesting test using a EOS 5D Mark III and Sony’s NEX 7 to demonstrate the rolling shutter effect. Mike’s premise:

Keep in mind this is an extreme test to demonstrate the rolling shutter effect, no one in their right mind would pan like this. However, there are plenty of real life situations when the jello effect suddenly becomes a problem, a fast train or car passing will have leaning windows and elliptical wheels, or watching a chase scene with moving camera and subjects will make you dizzy. Until we get global shutters, the jello effect is CMOS sensor’s biggest Achilles Heel.

If you never heard about the rolling shutter effect, the short video that follows will give you an idea. Otherwise jump over and read on.

You may wonder why two cameras not in the same league are compared. It makes sense, since theoretically the Nex 7 should perform better because of its smaller APSC sensor (the rolling shutter effect increases with sensor size).  The EOS 5D Mark III was set to 1080/24P, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 1/50th, F/8, white balance 5600K, Picture Style Neutral. The NEX 7 to  1080/24P, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 1/50, F/8, Picture style Portrait. Sharpening, contrast, saturation have been turned down to zero on both cameras.

Let us first have a look at Mike’s video:

The weird thing is that the EOS 5D Mark III performs better that the Sony NEX 7, which is surprising to some degree. Mike writes:

Surprise, the 5D3 kicks Nex 7′s gluteus maximus, I sure didn’t expect that from the FF sensor, either the Canon is very good or the Sony just terrible, your pick :) !

If you have a look at the crops below you can clearly see that the NEX 7 produces more moire than the EOS 5D Mark III

Credits: Mike Kobal

Yeah, what shall I say? Maybe that the EOS 5D Mark III is a great great camera? :-)

There are much more test pictures and crops you can analyze in Mike’s post (which is absolutely worth to be read: click here).

BTW, Mike has also a post about his brand new EOS 5D Mark III (click here) and provided us a nice unpacking video:

For EOS 5D Mark III sample pics and information click here.
For order and pre-order option, and lot more about the EOS 5D Mark III click here.
EOS 5D Mark III price check (click on the shop name): B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Have a nice day (or night)… :-)

Canon 85mm f1.8 vs Nikon 85mm f1.8: A lens-battle

Image credits: Chris Gampat

This is from a post by our friend Chris Gampat over at thephoblographer.

He used a Nikon D700 with the new Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G and a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. It’s not a comparison between cameras but among lenses. As Chris writes:

[…] I decided to put the two lenses in a non-scientific and totally practical test using all available light at around 7pm in NYC and only shooting at f4 and wider for a portrait.

Regarding ergonomics, Chris says that

Both lenses focus extremely fast, though in real life practice I felt that Canon’s 85mm f1.8 is still the current champ. Indeed, it has often been touted as the company’s fastest focusing lens. A known problem with it though is the color fringing wide open; but this is also a problem that plague’s Nikon’s optics […]

Note that Canon’s EF 85mm f/1.8 dates back to the times when we were using film-cameras, and that Nikon’s 85mm f/1.8 is a rather new lens.

The test-shots where made during the golden hour, using ISO 800 on both cameras:

I set both cameras to aperture priority and focused on the same spot of Dennis’s eye. Though their meter readings were very slightly off in aperture priority, it should be noted that in general, Canon and Nikon do have slightly different metering algorithms and this is just part of how they work.

He shot using the aperture range from f/1.8 to f/4. I post some of the test pics shot by Chris. Please visit his site and read the post to get the whole picture (and to see the test images at higher resolution).

First two shots at f/1.8, Nikon’s 85mm on the left and Canon’s 85mm on the right side (image credits: C. Gampat)

 

 

Next two shots, at f/4, Nikon on the left, Canon on the right side

  

 

All pics were shot in aperture priority mode. You can see that the images shot with the 5D Mark II are little bit darker (it is known that Canon cameras tend to underexposure). Also, to me the bokeh obtained from the Nikon lens looks better (but I probably shouldn’t say that :-) )

The discussion is going on. Join it in the comment section of Chris’ post (where you will find more information by Chris itself).

EOS 5D Mark II price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA EF 85mm f/1.8 USM price check B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

For more 5D Mark II sample pics and information click here. You may also want to have a look at our eBay live-ticker below for possible 5D Mark II deals.

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Comparison: G1X vs 7D – Surprising!

 

    

I found an interesting post on dpinterface with an in-depth image comparison between Canon’s G1 X and EOS 7D – two players in different leagues. Lets first see the basic tech specs for both cams:

  • EOS 7D
    • 18.0 Megapixels
    • 3.0″ LCD
    • HD Video Recording
    • Selectable Video Exposure + Frame Rates
    • Dust & Weather Resistant
    • 100% Viewfinder
    • Self Cleaning Sensor
    • High Sensitivity (ISO 12800)
    • 8fps Burst Mode
  • Powershot G1 X
    • 14.3Mp 1.5″ CMOS Sensor
    • 3.0″ Vari-Angle LCD Screen
    • 28mm Wide Lens with 4x Optical Zoom
    • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
    • Hybrid Image Stabilizer
    • Optical Viewfinder
    • 12,800 ISO
    • 1080p Full HD Video
    • High Dynamic Range Scene Mode
    • Manual & Numerous Other Shooting Modes
 The next chart illustrates the respective sensor sizes:
Credits: DPreview

Definitely gear aimed at different using-scenarios. Another thing to keep in mind is the difference in aspect ratio of the sensors (G1X 4:3, 7D 3:2).  The lens used on the EOS 7D was the Canon EF 24-70 mm f2.8L USM. So we have a 14MP sensor against a 18MP one, which is also 27% larger than the one mounted on the Powershot G1 X. The comparison in summa:

  • Dynamic range: very close
  • Detail level: 7D clear winner (no wonder: bigger sensor, higher resolution, and – to some matter – an L lens)
  • High ISO noise: not really comparable since on the 7D noise reduction was disabled, which is not possible on the G1 X (NR set to standard). However, high ISO noise is very good on the G1 X. Would have been better to do this comparison using RAW files.

The conclusion:

The Canon PowerShot G1X actually produces image quality that is very close to that of the Canon EOS 7D; not identical but very similar. The Canon G1X produces photos with, overall, better out-of-the-camera sharpness but less color saturation and slightly less detail, though the difference isn’t really obvious unless you inspect really fine detail as shown in the examples above. Even that can be overcome by shooting in RAW or tweaking the camera’s settings to increase saturation and sharpness.

The PowerShot G1X definitely outperforms other prosumer models and compact cameras of its class thanks to its premium larger-than-average image sensor. If you want a relatively compact (though the camera will not fit in your pants pocket at all!) camera that delivers digital SLR or ILC level image quality without the hassle of something the size of an actual SLR, consider taking a look at the Canon PowerShot G1X.

Read the post here.

Hold one, there is more. The same guys did also a comparison between the video modes of the Powershot G1 X and the EOS 7D. The Powershot G1 X comes with 1080 full HD, stereo recording, 24 fps (720p standard HD and VGA give you 30 fps). The EOS 7D comes with 1080 full HD, mono recording, 24 or 30 fps at 1080p. Ok, let’s go with the videos, first the one shot with the Powershot G1X.

Next, the video made with the EOS 7D (1080p at 30fps).

All in all, the Powershot G1 X doesn’t stay that much behind the EOS 7D. Read the post here.

Finally, we have the usual services for you.
If you want to see some Powershot G1 X samples click here, for EOS 7D samples click here. This is an automatic service retrieving the latest pics uploaded to Flickr.
EOS 7D price check (click on the shop name): B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Powershot G1 X price check (click on the shop name): B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

The next two boxes are based on our eBay live-ticker with selected deals. Check them to see if you find what you are looking for.

EOS 7D eBay live-ticker:

Powershot G1 X eBay live-ticker:

Have a nice day wherever you are…
:-)

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