Yesterday Canon announced their long awaited updates to the wonderful EOS 5D camera, the EOS 5D Mk III. Sadly, I was not invited to the launch event, and so I’m unable to give you my impressions based upon a hands-on experience with the camera.
Here’s a brief list of the camera’s key features:
- New 22.3 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
- New DiG!C 5+ processor
- New 61-point High Density Reticular AF system
- Multiple Exposures – an EOS first
- Inbuilt HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode – an EOS first
- Intelligent viewfinder with 100% coverage
From reading the specifications, there seem to be some very worthwhile inclusions in this new body, although some of them, such as multiple exposure and GPS , only bring the specifications up to what other manufacturers have been offering their users for many years.
Offering 22.3 megapixels, there is a very high level of resolution available here. This may be i mportant when you want to produce a very large enlargement from your photos, but while megapixels are important in terms of image quality, they are not what the marketing people would like you to believe. A high megapixel count, on its own, does not make a great camera.
And regardless of how good a camera might be, it is still you, the operator, that will dictate the ultimate quality of the images.
I’m a little bit concerned at the inclusion of the HDR mode. While HDR can be a useful feature in the photographic process, it’s too often abused by those users who think it’s cool and can make their images look better. I’ve somewhat concerned that many will think that this is an instant way to turn their images into “art”. I’m afraid that it takes a lot more than a bit of “clever” processing of a photo to create a work of art.
And while we’re on the subject, what in the world is an “Intelligent” viewfinder?
I’m sure that this will be a great camera, and I am most definitely looking forward to getting my hands on a review unit.