Canon 5D MkIII

If you need quicker focus and more responsiveness, focus and responsiveness that you really need to shoot more than landscape video, look at the 70D.

The 70D has significant advantage over the MkIII or any of the full frame offerings if you were trying to do quality video, or like a touch screen (its nice to tap on a focus point and take the photo... or drag the focus point across the screen in a Video to bring one subject into focus over another). The 70D is probably the best Canon for that purpose.... but others will give you a better still image. Perhaps wait a year and the others may catch up and a killer system emerge

As a MKIII owner, I'd suggest you to seriously consider Panasonic Lumix GH4. It can shoot 4K videos at half the price of MKIII.

Here's a comparison video of GH4 vs MKIII RAW vs MKIII h264.

https://vimeo.com/90809303

4God said:

So I know that there's a lot of video examples of the Canon 5D Mark III with Magic Lantern RAW, but I can't find a whole lot of footage examples not using RAW. Any links out there that can demonstrate the quality of the h.264 files right off the camera? I know ML Raw is amazing but I don't always want to use that workflow. Considering making a purchase soon and really trying to weigh the pros and cons compared to other cameras. Thanks in advance.

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Right now, it's way too expensive for what it is. As a still cameras, it's amazing, as a video camera, there are many better options (cheaper, too). It's like buying a 1DC: it doesn't make much sense anymore.
Depending on what you want to shoot, I'd consider the GH4, BMPC, BMCC, BMPCC. Each have their advantages, and without ML raw, they all run circles around the stock 5D. Actually, the only thing the 5D still has for it is its large sensor (overrated for video, IMO) and sensitivity.

The BMD cameras are certainly excellent for well controlled situations (staged shootings).

The 5D3 takes a little post processing with the h264 output. It's a little soft straight out of camera. Still a great camera for the money. Canon has a test camera in the wild that should be announced soon but it appears to be a crop sensor 7D replacement.

5D3 review with some footage
https://vimeo.com/39292404

for the money, and since you can potentially use your current Canon lenses, I don't think you can beat the quality that can be had from the BMD CC. For $2000, it really seems like the best video camera you can buy (for the non 4k version). The only drawback really, is you will also need to spend another $400-500 on a good camera rig, since out of the box, the BMDCC has absolutely no ergonomics. But even then, you are still under the MSRP of a Canon 5D MK3. The MK3 is certainly a fantastic camera with great low light performance and an incredible amount of third party support and user base, but I agree that the video is a bit soft and the H264 camera encoding is not exactly ideal. I believe the BMDCC can record straight to Apple ProRes which I would absolutely love.

Another option, if you were alright with losing your lens carryover, would be the Nikon D600, which is one of the highest rated cameras of the last 5 years. It will likely be my next camera purchase since I've already got a few lenses for my D5100 and the price has come down quite nicely, resting at around $1500-1600 brand new. They've got a D610 out now, but I don't believe it adds enough over the D600 to make the much higher price worthwhile.

4God said:

Man, the BMPCC in this comparison looks incredible. I'm surprised more people haven't commented as such.



Thanks for this, really liked Phillip Bloom's review and he brings up some good points. Still a difficult decision, so much to consider. I really like the clean image the 5DMK3 produces but that BMPCC is beginning to catch my eye. I guess I should also look at the BMCC (not the 4K version) since I have Canon lenses.

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I'm eyeing the BMCC 2.5K too. It's got a better low light performance than the 4K, and Metabones sells a dedicated speed booster that adds yet another 1.3 stop to that (it's Nikon F only, and I've got a full range of F glass, so it's perfect for me, so I'm partial), which makes it more versatile than the 4K for some things. 2.5K allows for some cropping, and RAW gives much more latitude in difficult lighting. Tough call, but for the current price of a 2.5K, you cannot go wrong. With its defects, it's still a real video camera. The 5D is a compromise.

I think DSLR has had its day. I think it was pretty evident at NAB this year that the rest of the industry is no longer going to sit back and let Canon hog the spotlight. With the exception of the 1DC, video has always been nothing more than a glorified add-on.

The MKIII is too expensive. The 6D is priced right and has better ergonomics for video, but comes in just under the bar in just enough places that it the fact that it has a full-frame sensor alone can't make it outshine the other options out there. The 70D is very nice, but the sensitivity and noise limits of a high megapixel crop sensor put it right next to the 6D for me. Build the exact same camera with a 8-10 MP sensor that has the same lowlight capability as the 6D and can shoot up to 3k at variable frame rates and I'm sold.

I suspect Canon will release a Cinema EOS camera with specs like the above in the ~$2k price range soon to combat BM and others. They would be foolish not to. They've got a bunch of shooters invested in their lens system that are looking at things like the BMPCC and CC and drooling. Canon has the stronger brand though... so it is a simple if they build it, those of us currently invested in DSLR video will come.

I've used the MkIII, BMCC 2,5K and BMPCC and honestly I think my next purchase is going to be the PCC as a B/guerrilla/crash cam to complement our R1.

Dynamic range and overall "look" is amazing for the price. Yes the BMD cameras have some annoying limitations, but so does the 5D. And for the cost of a MkIII body you can have quite a bit of kit to go with your PCC and turn it into a true working cinema cam.

4God - I made an account to answer your original question. I have shot extensively with the 5D mark iii using H.264. This is a film i made which shows how the 5D can look after some sharpening and grading: https://vimeo.com/84928053

I have also shot with the panasonic cameras and the sharpness you get from them is jaw dropping. The 5D, although soft, does sharpen up quite nicely in post. It also offers a very narrow depth of field which you can use to your benefit (or detriment). I would take a good look at a GH4 if you haven't already invested in Canon glass. Another option is to go for a c100 for the ergonomics and great picture quality.

macrolen said:

4God - I made an account to answer your original question. I have shot extensively with the 5D mark iii using H.264. This is a film i made which shows how the 5D can look after some sharpening and grading: https://vimeo.com/84928053

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That was a great short! Beautiful colors, crisp editing kept my attention, and great narrative from the main subject.

Consider the canon c100 c300 or c500. It has video camera ergonomics that beats a dslr hands down, and a beautiful 35 mm cinematic equivalent sensor. Pick up a $250 ninja star and you are recording canon raw from the sensor and transcoding it (up to) prores hq 444.

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ColdCase said:

The 70D has significant advantage over the MkIII or any of the full frame offerings if you were trying to do quality video, or like a touch screen (its nice to tap on a focus point and take the photo... or drag the focus point across the screen in a Video to bring one subject into focus over another). The 70D is probably the best Canon for that purpose.... but others will give you a better still image. Perhaps wait a year and the others may catch up and a killer system emerge

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Disagree.

For quality video, the 70d crop sensor is lower picture quality than the 5dm3 full frame sensor. The 70d is good, but it is in different class. Apples to Oranges.

What do you guys think about the upcoming Sony a7s?

why not get a 5D AND a BMDCC instead of 2 5Ds? You couldn't possibly need more still cameras than you already have available (plus the additional 5D) and you'll benefit from both cameras' strengths. For shots you need more flexibility in post, you can use the BMDCC, and for shoots where you'll need to double duty with stills, use the 5D. Plus, you might need to do some green screen work in the future, in which case the 5D is NOT the right choice. Having a camera with 4:2:2 color space will make keying a lot easier and give you much better results (the BMDCC).