Canon 5D Mark III Review (2020) – Is It Still Great?
The short answer is: Yes it is! The Canon 5D Mark III was our first professional camera body. After more than 4 years of consistent use, we’ve come to the conclusion that just about every photographer should have a DSLR camera body like this.
In this article, you can read our review of the Canon 5D Mark III after our long time of use.
Now, you should know, it’s not the newest camera model, but the key features are very similar to the newer Canon 5D Mark IV. Our focus here we will be to look at this camera is an authentic way, discussing both it’s pros and cons, and showing you how you can use it to take better photos yourself.
The Mark III is fairly old at this point. In fact, it came out in 2012! That is a whopping 7 years ago. We picked ours up over 3 years ago in January 2016. It was practically ancient then, and now it’s even older! Still – it holds up as we still use it to take great photos!!
Why is it Still a Good Time to Buy the Canon 5D Mark III?
The quality of the Canon 5D Mark III has finally come to a nice intersection with the cost of the 5D Mark III. You may need to read that sentence over again…
The Mark III was an appealing camera when we initially purchased it (for $4,000…) as it seemed to be the one so many other wedding photographers were using – the wedding industry being the area of photography we wanted to get into, but couldn’t support getting into with just consumer level equipment.
Our investment into the Canon 5D Mark III ended up being worth every penny.
This purchase represented in our brand much courage to put our money where our mouths were.
Now…fast forward a few years from that initial purchase into the beginning of 2019. This is entirely unique time to be looking at the Mark III.
Who is this camera for?
If you’ve made it this far, then, you are probably quite interested in purchasing a Canon 5D Mark III for yourself – or are at least in the process of comparing it to other products out there whether on cost or features.
At the current price point of around $2,000 (click here to check the most up to date pricing on Amazon), it is in a far more affordable range than when it first released.
The main people who should really be buying the Canon 5D Mark III fall into these categories:
- Professional photographers needing a high quality but affordable DSLR
- Hobbyists with a little extra money to spend that want to take their photography to the next level
While a beginner photographer would do well with this in their hands, it’s not really meant for people just starting out. There are far cheaper cameras out there like the Canon EOS Rebel T6.
Canon 5D Mark III Key Specs:
Throwing some of the notable specifications of this camera in here just as a quick point of reference for you. We will actually talk about a few of these items in more depth in the next sections.
- Sensor: 22.3 MP full frame CMOS sensor, 6.25µ pixel size
- Sensor Size: 36 x 24mm
- Resolution: 5760 x 3840
- Native ISO Sensitivity: 100-25,600
- Boost Low ISO Sensitivity: 50
- Boost High ISO Sensitivity: 51,200-102,400
- Sensor Cleaning System: Yes
- Image Processor: DIGIC 5+
- Autofocus System: 61-point high-density reticular AF (up to 41 cross-type points)
- Lens mount: Canon EF
- Weather Sealing/Protection: Yes
- Body Build: Full Magnesium Alloy
- Shutter: Up to 1/8000 and 30 sec exposure
- Storage: 1x CF and 1x SD (SD/SDHC/SDXC compatible)
- Viewfinder Type: Pentaprism with 100% coverage, 0.71x magnification
- Speed: 6 FPS
- Exposure Meter: 63 Zone iFCL Metering System
- Exposure Compensation: ±5 EV (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps)
- Built-in Flash: No
- LCD Screen: 3.2 inch diagonal with 1,040,000 dots
- Movie Modes: 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps), 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
- Movie Exposure Control: Full
- Movie Recording Limit: 30 minutes
- Movie Output: MOV (H.264)
- Built-in Microphone: Mono
- In-Camera HDR Capability: Yes
- GPS: Not built-in, requires GP-E2 GPS unit
- Battery Type: LP-E6
- Battery Life: 950 (CIPA)
- USB Standard: 2.0
- Weight: 860g (excluding battery)
Cons:
Like every camera out there, the Canon 5D Mark III does have some drawbacks. A few of them are fairly trivial such as the lack of full-frame autofocus sensors (most just sit in a small region at the center of the frame instead of around the top, bottom, sides and corners), no Wi-Fi for uploading photos directly to the internet, no GPS location tagging, and no built in flash.
The one area we’ve noticed more of a hiccup ourselves has been in the focusing ability of this camera. Some of this is the result of the lenses we are using – but we do struggle to catch a solid focus at times (regardless of the lens we are using). This is especially noticeable in lower light situations – which does make sense, but it’s been improved upon since the release of the Mark IV.
In 2019, our view of the Mark III’s cons are a bit skewed as we are looking back after having used better equipment. Yes, 100% we would say the Canon 5D Mark IV is a better camera – but it is also much more expensive ($600+ greater as of what we’re seeing right now), and most people aren’t going to be able to tell the difference in image quality anyways.
Why the Cons Do NOT Matter:
Our review is called “Canon 5D Mark III Review – Is It Still Great?” for a reason.
We’re looking at the overall quality and value this camera offers, not whether or not it is perfect.
When it comes to how we actually use this camera, we don’t feel the drawbacks as much as we do when writing them out on paper. The end result – the pictures we’re capturing – are by and large excellent. The image quality holds up even today – we can even blow up our pictures on large prints to hang in our house.
How We Use the Canon 5D Mark III
What is most important to us is how we actually use the Canon 5D Mark III.
As our Instagram portfolio can attest, the majority of the photos we take are of couples and their weddings.
On occasion, we’ll dabble with other special projects like astrophotography in Death Valley, or document our travels around the world such as to Iceland – but through and through, the main reason for investing in so much camera equipment has been to support the quality of images we want to produce.
We can sometimes come across as very serious…almost too serious…but there is a reason for this.
Over the course of 3+ years, we have invested heavily into our photography brand (Hand and Arrow Photography), as well as expanding out into our blog dedicated to providing a valuable resource to other photographers.
While much of this investment is with our time, a good deal of it has also been out-of-pocket. In the ballpark of $30k if we can be real for a minute.
The Canon 5D Mark III body was this catalyst that revealed to us the capabilities of a more expensive and higher quality photography machine.
While initially we still used budget lenses, over time as we expanded our arsenal of “glass,” we found we were able to take quite beautiful images unlike what we’ve ever seen in the past.
It is a unique feeling to have so much technical ability, but to realize the limitations gear can sometimes place on us.
We knew about the Exposure Triangle and how to get a great exposure – and have done this over, and over, and over again on cheaper camera options. The best images we’ve taken on a Rebel still pale in comparison to a pro body like this. They can be great images, but still are noticeably softer, with less detail, and less depth and compression that you can find with a better piece of equipment.
The Mark III, then, quickly became the staple to our photography kit – and we grew our business around it in many ways. It came with us to all the small and inexpensive weddings we shot early on, and was relied on for engagements, family sessions, newborn shoots and so on. The quality of these images was immediately noticeable and helped us grow our portfolio in astonishing ways.
The areas where the Canon 5D Mark III really separated itself from earlier budget-friendly options that we had used was in it’s ability to better adapt to poor lighting conditions.
We mentioned earlier that there were some drawbacks in this area, but it’s still far better than what we were used to. This was in how the camera handled processing of grain as we increased our ISO’s – at times even upwards of ISO 2500 without turning the image into something unusable. With a budget camera, we’d begin to feel the burn even as we got up to around ISO 400 or so.
While shooting in fairly ideal lighting scenarios, you may not feel the pain as badly, once you enter into a dim lit cathedral (and aren’t allowed to use flash, mind you, thanks to certain rules put in place…) – having a camera capable of performing well despite the poor light conditions is essential. It was an immediate victory to go into environments like this and know that, not only do we know how to handle this situation from a technical standpoint, but our camera can also keep up with what is needed.
In a short summary…the Canon 5D Mark III is a camera that performs how we would expect it to perform for the cost, and the currently lower price to access this performance makes it immediately appealing.
Top 5 Features of the Canon 5D Mark III
You could also call this section: Why We Love the Mark III!
Through our assorted use cases, we have made a list of the top 5 features that make the Canon 5D Mark III camera body worth the cost. These are a few of the items we really cared about before upgrading our own camera equipment, and through and through, these are the biggest selling points for us.
1). ISO capabilities
We’ve already mentioned the value of the ability to bump the ISO values on this camera and how this can impact our natural light photography, so will not get into this much more here. It is, however, one of the more critical components of this camera – and being able to shoot in darker environments without a flash necessarily is essential in the type of photography we shoot.
2). 22MP sensor
At 22 megapixels, this camera has the capability to output some beautiful quality images. This is not the only element that ends up making up a high quality photo, however it is a simple measure to reference when comparing one camera to another.
Many camera bodies from other brands output in a similar megapixel range within the same price range.
There are higher quality products out there – including the 5D Mark IV – but the differences are not so significant that you should write off the Mark III’s capabilities in this department. It is still very excellent and your average viewer would not be able to tell the difference.
3). 61 Point Auto-Focus System
The auto-focus (AF) capabilities of the Mark III are quite stunning.
You can leverage all of the points in your focusing scheme, or customize this. Due to the way we shoot, we typically adjust our auto focus to be a single centered point as we find this less distracting, but you can set your AF point(s).
As with any auto-focus system, the number of points doesn’t matter as much as the ability for the camera to focus effectively shot-after-shot. This is something we have occasional trouble with the Canon 5D Mark IV, actually, and is the one particular area where the Mark III surpasses it. We’ve never really had an issue with the AF on the Mark III.
4). Dual card slots
As a professional photographer, writing images we are taking to two disks saves a world of trouble down the road. This is especially true during wedding days, where you can find yourself for shooting straight through 8+ hours in a row. Generally speaking, we will shoot RAW files to our main SD card, and backup JPEG’s to our secondary SD card.
Related post: The 10 Best External Hard Drives for Photographers
5). Silent shutter mode
While not entirely “silent,” the silent shutter mode is a great option when shooting during more intimate moments that require a little reverence such as during wedding ceremonies or reception prayers. It’s really a simple feature, but one that has a genuine practical application on our photography work.
It should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyways, all of these features are not just empty “features,” but have a high quality and function very well.
Professional DSLR Cameras from Different Brands
Before we close things out, we wanted to give you a short list of DSLR cameras from different brands if you’re interested. Canon and Nikon are the biggest players and probably the most comparable in terms of price and quality.
For a DSLR camera alternative, we’ve been hearing great things about the Sony A7R III Mirrorless Camera if that is another route you’re considering.
Final Thoughts
To come back to the topic, the Canon 5D Mark III is a great camera for any photographer wanting to take their photography to the next level. It really is an essential to have a professional camera if you are moving out of the beginner level of photography. It is really a testament to the quality of this product that we can say this – even now.
By the way – all of the photos in this article were created by us using the Canon 5D Mark III.
What is your opinion? Let us know in the comments!
