Following in the footsteps of the popular 5D and 5D Mark II camera bodies, Canon’s new EOS 5D Mark III features a 22.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, DiG!C 5+ image processor, improved video performance and a new 61-point High Density Reticular AF system.
Apart from an obvious increase in resolution (up from 21 megapixels on the Mark II), processing speed is around 1.3 times faster and the standard ISO range has been expanded by two stops to a standard range of 100 to 25600.
Canon says movie quality has also been improved, “delivering footage with reduced colour artefacts and moiré.” A new headphone jack has been added so users can monitor of audio levels during movie shooting.
The autofocus system has been beefed up and now includes the same number of focus points as Canon’s professional DSLR the EOS 1DX – a total of 61 focus points (with 41 cross-type sensors) and an extra two points left and right of the centre frame.
Continuous shooting speed has been boosted to 6 frames per second (from 3.9fps on the Mark II) and the viewfinder has also been upgraded from 98% to 100% coverage.
The new model also boasts an expanded suite of in-camera processing features including the option to capture multiple exposures and process HDR images. In HDR mode the camera captures three images of a single scene at different exposures then merges them to create a single HDR image. Importantly, the original unprocessed images are saved separately.
Accompanying the EOS 5D Mark III are four new accessories: the BG-E11 Battery Grip (holds two LP-E6 and 6 x AA batteries); Speedlite 600EX-RT (the first Canon Speedlite with wireless radio transmission); WFT-E7 Wireless File Transmitter (supports supports high-speed communication over 802.11a/b/g and n networks); and the compact GPS receiver, GP-E2, to record shooting location and orientation.
The EOS 5D Mark III will be available from late March 2012. Canon says it hasn't confirmed Australian pricing though several websites are reporting a body only price of $4399, and $5499 with the 25-105mm f4L lens. An additional kit, with the new 24-70mm f2.8 L II lens, will reportedly be available in April at an RRP of $6899.
