- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Nikon D4
- Sony SLT-A99
- Nikon D800
- Nikon D600
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)The Canon EOS 5D Mark III's out-of-camera JPEGs offer good colors, tonality and dynamic range with a very smooth highlight roll-off but in terms of pixel-level detail the images are not quite as good as we might expect from a 22MP sensor with a Canon L-lens mounted in front of it.
- 16 MP
- APS-H CMOS
- 3" LCD
Released October, 2009
Rated 100% by by Mark-Kitaoka (Jan, 2010)The dynamic range of the Mark IV in terms of color is FAR superior to the Mark III, but I attribute this to a new sensor and new processors.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III compared to the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
MP22.1
Full frame
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)The HDR mode combines three images taken at different exposures to create a single image with greater dynamic range, plus it offers natural and more artistic looks.
16 MP
APS-H
Rated 89% by by DPReview (Feb, 2010)Frankly there's more to both cameras than just their high ISO performance and, while the Mark IV isn't the best high ISO camera on the market, it's still an exceptionally good one.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 22.1 MP   | 30 MP |
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)Although the specification on the box says 1080p, with regards resolution the 5D Mark III is a huge let down and the $600 Panasonic GH2 offers a far more detailed 'true 1080p' image (whilst maintaining a relatively large sensor for video and interchangeable lens mount).
EOS-1D Mark IV by DPReview (Feb, 2010)This cleaner processing, combined with the sensor's higher resolution makes the result pretty convincing.
sensor size
EOS 5D Mark III by DOBrien--We-review-stuff. (Mar, 2012)If you have the cash and are looking for a full frame with video capabilities, this is an excellent choice with the improvements made.
EOS-1D Mark IV by DPReview (Feb, 2010)Bearing in mind that the Mark IV's APS-H sensor is 56% larger than the 7D's but 40% smaller than the D3S', it's surprising that the differences in noise and detail levels aren't greater.
viewfinder size
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)One figure hidden away in every SLR's spec is the size of the viewfinder (often in a format that makes comparison between competing models impossible).
EOS-1D Mark IV by DPReview (Feb, 2010)The sensor size also has a knock-on effect on viewfinder size.
body size
152 x 116 x 76 mm
156 x 157 x 80 mm
EOS 5D Mark III by C.-Concepcion (Apr, 2012)The camera is not heavy I would say but with the lens and the first all day shooting I felt the weight.
EOS-1D Mark IV by D_Sone--Sone (Sep, 2011)Remember, the air is pretty thin up there when you reach the flagship camera level.
focus points
| 0 | 61 | 70 |
EOS-1D Mark IV by DPReview (Feb, 2010)Interestingly, all 39 points remain cross-type when using Canon's 17-40mm f/4 L, 24-105mm f/4 L IS and various combinations of fast telephoto lenses with teleconverters, despite their maximum apertures being smaller than f/2..
Performance Real world tests of Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
DxOMark image quality
EOS 5D Mark III by MoonX (May, 2012)The color accuracy and vibrancy out of the box is great, even shooting with a "neutral" or "faithful" color setting.
EOS-1D Mark IV by Sam-I-Am--A-Parent (May, 2010)I am pleasantly surprised to see how good very low light pictures look.
DxOMark low light performance
EOS 5D Mark III by DL (Jan, 2013)Canon 5diii (with 28~105mm L, and 70~300mm L lens) to my eyes has most natural color, very sharp, like high end audio tube analog components vs digital sound (Nikon), unbelievable low light performance, great auto mode, great focus speed, you do not need much skill to take great photos.
EOS-1D Mark IV by T.-Harmsen--www.intempus.us (Feb, 2010)I've shot basketball games in dimly lit stadiums, I've shot outdoor (albeit winter) sports, I've shot birds, I've shot in studio and each and every time I'm impressed with the 1D4's performance.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 104 ms | 200 ms |
EOS 5D Mark III by J.-Howell (Apr, 2012)Shutter lag and mirror blackout is now faster than before and leads to a more instant, responsive feel while shooting.
EOS-1D Mark IV by Me (Jan, 2010)With a fast card (60 MB/s or higher), you can lay on the shutter for several seconds on highest quality before it starts to lag.
continuous shooting
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)In terms of continuous shooting the EOS 5D Mark III is not quite on the same level as dedicated sports and action cameras such as Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV, but nevertheless its 6 frames per second in Continuous Hi mode still make it a capable tool for shooting fast moving subjects.
EOS-1D Mark IV by DPReview (Feb, 2010)With one of Lexar's 600X UDMA Compact Flash cards, the camera was still firing at full speed, 30 seconds and 300 frames into a burst.
battery life
950 photos
1,500 photos
EOS 5D Mark III by c|net (Jan, 2009)The Mark II uses a new battery pack, the LP-E6, which seems to last a reasonably long time: it's CIPA rated at between 750 and 850 shots, depending upon temperature.
EOS-1D Mark IV by William-D.-Colburn--buys-things-on-amazon-far-too-often (Jan, 2010)The battery life is supposedly down with the larger sensor.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the EOS-1D Mark IV
| Significantly larger sensor | Full frame | vs | APS-H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 70% larger sensor; higher quality photos | |||
| Much larger screen | 3.2" | vs | 3" |
| Around 10% larger screen | |||
| Better overall image quality | 81.0 | vs | 74.0 |
| Around 10% better image quality | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Mar, 2012 | vs | Oct, 2009 |
| Announced date over 2 years later | |||
| Significantly higher resolution screen | 1,040 k dots | vs | 920 k dots |
| More than 10% higher resolution screen | |||
| Much bigger viewfinder | 0.71x | vs | 0.59x |
| More than 20% bigger viewfinder size | |||
| Much more color depth | 24.0 bits | vs | 22.8 bits |
| Around 10% more color depth | |||
| Significantly less noise at high ISO | 2,293 ISO | vs | 1,320 ISO |
| More than 70% higher low light performance | |||
| Supports HDR | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas | |||
| Higher resolution | 22.1 MP | vs | 16 MP |
| Around 40% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| More phase-detection focus points | 61 | vs | 45 |
| 16 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| Significantly smaller | 152 x 116 x 76 mm | vs | 156 x 157 x 80 mm |
| More than 30% smaller | |||
| Lighter | 950 g | vs | 1,230 g |
| More than 20% lighter | |||
| Thinner | 76 mm | vs | 80 mm |
| Around 10% thinner | |||
Advantages compared to the EOS 5D Mark III
| Faster rapid fire | 10 fps | vs | 6 fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 70% faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| More photos per charge | 1,500 | vs | 950 |
| 550 more shots; Longer battery life | |||
| Slightly better dynamic range | 12.0 ev | vs | 11.7 ev |
| Almost the same | |||
| Slightly less delay taking photos | 104 ms | vs | 120 ms |
| More than 10% less shutter lag; Avoid missing spontaneous moments | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 87.96% | vs | 87.16% |
| Almost the same | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Canon EOS-1D Mark IV | ||
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 | Rated by 177 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Phaseout (Apr, 2012) Rated 100% by by Phaseout (Apr, 2012) Rated 100% by by CanonInBama (May, 2012) | Rated by 16 users at amazon.com Rated 20% by by tomphotos--tomphotos (Jun, 2010) Rated 100% by by O.-Wroe--ozvisuals (Jul, 2011) Rated 100% by by William-D.-Colburn--buys-things-on-amazon-far-too-often (Jan, 2010) | |
image quality
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)The High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode is a new feature on the 5D Mark III and increases a scene's dynamic range by combining several exposures into one.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)When comparing the EOS 5D Mark III to its predecessor it becomes clear that the new model has improved in terms of noise performance, with lower levels of both the grain and the color blotches of chroma noise.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)Admittedly you only need to be concerned about pixel-level detail if you want to display your images at large sizes or crop them significantly, but in any case, if you want the best possible image quality out of your 5D Mark III you will have to add an extra step to your workflow and process your files in a raw converter.
focus
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by rbtk (Oct, 2012)Overall - the 5D3 provide iterative improvement to the 5D2 w/evolutionary improvement to image quality and massive improvement in build and AF performance.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)We tested the EOS 5D Mark III's AF system with a 70-200mm F4L lens at an amateur soccer match, and even with our limited sports shooting skills got a very large proportion of usable shots.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)Since video is not shot with auto-focus on the 5D Mark III, it would also have been preferable to see better manual focus aids in live-view.
sensor
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by rbtk (Oct, 2012)Between it's excellent sensor, wide latitude in ISO options, super fast AF, faster FPS, rock solid build and grip - the 5D3 just feels like a much faster, tighter and fun to use camera.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)With the 5D Mark III's large images files it is advisable to use a fast CF memory card, especially if you are planning to shoot bursts in Raw+JPEG mode.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by powerlifting315 (Sep, 2012)The 5D3's sensor cleaner is quite effective - I have a sensor loupe, and even upon inspecting the sensor that closely I still haven't seen a single particle of dust adhere to the sensor.
low light
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Dr.-Stuart-Gitlow (May, 2012)So far, the 5DIII hasn't let me down in that respect, and is far better than my 50D was in low light or low contrast situations.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 60% by by Jason-Tu--Dog-Photo-Man (Apr, 2012)True, the IOS quality has been raised from 6400 to 12800 low light wise between 1d mark iv and 5d mark iii.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)We thought it would be interesting to see how the Canon EOS 5D Mark III compares to its predecessor, the 5D Mark II, and to its arguably closest rival, the Nikon D800 in low light and at high sensitivities.
autofocus
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by D.-K.-Miles--dkmiles1 (Apr, 2012)For me personally, I would have been happy with the 5D2 plus a great AF, and I got that with the 5D3.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Phaseout (Apr, 2012)Coming from the 7D I enjoyed pretty good autofocus but the 5D Mark III dominates it in every way.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 80% by by Capt-RB (Apr, 2012)So, if you love your 5DII and found the AF good enough, the 5DIII is a mediocre upgrade.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D4 Most shots per battery charge |
 | 2 | Sony SLT-A99 Highest resolution screen |
 | 3 | Nikon D800 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark |
 | 4 | Nikon D600 Least noise at high ISO |
 | 5 | Canon EOS 5D Mark II 5-way tie: Largest sensor |
 | 6 | Canon EOS 1D X Fastest rapid fire mode |
 | 7 | Canon EOS 6D OK benchmarked shot to shot times |
 | 8 | Canon EOS 600D Smallest |
Unanswered Questions
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January 21, 2013
Shutter lag
Will I notice the slower shutter lag difference in the 5D MK III? And does the 1D have better/faster focus accuracy?
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