March 1st, 2012 was the big day, as Canon unveiled the new EOS 5D Mark III to compete with Nikon’s D800. Both companies makes top notch Digital SLRs, from my view there is no “better” one. 2012 is just a great year for photographers, don’t you think? Here are the comparison in specifications below, after the break.
| Model | Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Nikon D800 |
|---|---|---|
| Effective Pixels | 22.3 megapixels | 36.3 million |
| Sensor Size | 36 mm x 24mm | 35.9mm x 24mm |
| File Format Still Images | JPEG, RAW (14-bit Canon Original) M-RAW S-RAW RAW+JPEG M-RAW+JPEG S-RAW+JPEG | JPEG: JPEG-Baseline Compliant with fine (approx 1:4), Normal (approx 1:8) or Basic (approx 1:16) Compression NEF (RAW): lossless compressed 12 or 14 bit, lossless compressed, compressed or uncompressed TIFF (RGB) JPEG: JPEG-Baseline-Compliant; can be selected from Size Priority and Optimal Quality |
| Picture Control | Auto Standard Portrait Landscape Neutral Faithful Monochrome User Defined 1-3 | Landscape Monochrome Neutral Portrait Standard User-customizable Settings Vivid |
| Storage Media | CF Cards (Type I) Compatible with UDMA CF cards SD, SDHC, and SDXC Memory Cards | CompactFlash© (CF) (Type I, compliant with UDMA) SD SDHC SDXC |
| Card Slot | 1 CompactFlash (CF) card and 1 Secure Digital (SD) card | 1 CompactFlash (CF) card and 1 Secure Digital (SD) card |
| Viewfinder Frame Coverage | Approx. 100% vertically and horizontally (At approx. 21mm eyepoint) | FX (36×24): 100% Horizontal and 100% Vertical Approx. 1.2x (30×20): 97% Horizontal and 97% Vertical Approx. DX (24×16): 97% Horizontal and 97% Vertical Approx. 5:4 (30×24): 97% Horizontal and 97% Vertical Approx. |
| Viewfinder Magnification | 0.71x Approx. | 0.70x Approx. |
| Lens Compatibility at a Glance*** | Canon EF Lenses (excluding EF-S Lenses) | AF-S or AF lenses fully compatible Metering with AI lenses |
| Fastest Shutter Speed | 1/8000 sec. | 1/8000 sec. |
| Slowest Shutter Speed | 30 sec. | 30 sec. |
| Top Continuous Shooting Speed at full resolution | High-speed: Maximum approx. 6 shots/sec. Low-speed: Maximum approx. 3 shots/sec. Silent continuous shooting: Maximum approx. 3 shots/sec. | 4 frames per second |
| Exposure Compensation | ±5 stops in 1/3 or 1/2-stop increments | ±5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV |
| ISO Sensitivity | SO 100-25600 (in 1/3-stop or whole-stop increments) ISO speed expansion possible to ISO 50, 51200, and 102400 | ISO 100 – 6400 Lo-1 (ISO 50) Hi-1 (ISO 12,800) Hi-2 (ISO 25,600) |
| Dynamic AF Mode | 61-point (up to 41 cross-type points) One to five cross-type AF points at f/2.810 to 20 cross-type AF points at f/4 and 15 to 21 cross-type AF points at f/5.6 | Number of AF points: 9, 21, 51 and 51 (3D-tracking) |
| Focus Modes | One-Shot AF Predictive AI Servo AF AI Focus AF Manual focus | Auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A) Continuous-servo (AF-C) Face-Priority AF available in Live View only and D-Movie only Full-time Servo (AF-A) available in Live View only Manual (M) with electronic rangefinder Normal area Single-servo AF (AF-S) Wide area |
| Maximum Autofocus Areas/Points | 61 | 51 |
| Built-in Flash | No | Yes |
| Flash Compensation | ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments | -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV |
| White Balance | Auto (AWB) Daylight Shade Cloudy Tungsten light White fluorescent light Flash Custom (Custom WB) Color temperature | Auto (2 types) Choose color temperature (2500K–10000K) Cloudy Direct Sunlight Flash Fluorescent (7 types) Incandescent Preset manual (up to 4 values can be stored) Shade |
| Live View Shooting | Photography Live View Mode Movie Live View Mode | Photography Live View Mode Movie Live View Mode |
| Movie | 1920×1080: 30/25/24fps 1280×720: 60/50fps 640×480: 30/25fps | HD 1,920×1,080 / 30 fps HD 1,920×1,080 / 24 fps HD 1,280×720 / 30 fps HD 1,280×720 / 24 fps HD 1,280×720 / 60 fps |
| Monitor Size | 3.2 in. diagonal | 3.2 in. diagonal |
| Monitor Resolution | Approx. 1.04 million dots | 921,000 Dots |
| Monitor Type | TFT | TFT |
| Playback Functions | Single image, Single image + Image-recording quality/shooting information histogram, 4- or 9-image index magnified view (approx. 1.5x-10x) rotated image (auto/manual) image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen by shooting date, by folder) two-image comparative display slide show star rating | Auto Image Rotation Full-Frame and Thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar) Histogram Display Image Comment Movie Playback Movie Slideshow Playback with Zoom Slideshow Highlights |
| Battery Life (shots per charge) | Approx. 950 (Viewfinder Shooting, At 73°F/ 23°C) Approx. 850 (Viewfinder Shooting, At 32°F/ 0°C) | 900 Battery Life (shots per charge) (CIPA) |
| Approx. Dimensions | 6.0 x 4.6 x 3.0 in. (152.0 x 116.4 x 76.4 mm) | 5.7 x 4.8 x 3.2 in. (144.78mm x 121.92mm x 81.28mm) |
| Approx. Weight | 30.3 oz. (860g) body only | 31.7 oz. (900g) body only |
| Price | $3,499.00 | $2,999.95 |
