Before anyone gets crazy there is no official word on if and when to expect a 5D Mark III. I say this because I don't want Canon to yell at me for talking about things that don't exist. However the 5D Mark II was one of their most successful DSLRs ever, so I would be shocked if they decided not to make a successor. Also this isn't imminent, I know a lot of people are whining that a new 5D camera needs to come out now, but we're still selling plenty 5D Mark IIs and are about to get another shipment of bodies in soon, so I can't see a new 5D coming out right away. Stranger things have happened, but it isn't likely. However the day will eventually come, so for all you Canon shooters out there, what would you like to see in the new 5D camera? There are going to be a lot of opinions and I'll give you mine after the break.
Here is what I think Canon will do with the EOS 5D Mark III.
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- A new focusing system similar to the one found on the 7D.
- Mo Megapixels Mo Problems!? No not really, but some would argue that Megapixels have already reached the point of absurdity. Many photographers I know shoot their 5D Mark II cameras on sRAW (10MP) to conserve space. However it is nice to have the extra resolution for making big prints. And as muscle car owners always used to say "There's no replacement for displacement" Expect the 5D Mark III to have anywhere from 28-32 Megapixels.
- ISO Range from 100-12,800. Maybe a boost to 102,400 even?
- More video flexibility and options beyond what has already cropped up (horrible pun intended) in the t2i, 7D, 60D, etc… That being said, don't expect 2k+ video or RAW video. Those are just fanboys' wet dreams. Someday, but not quite yet.
- Improved AF during video recording and live view. This is pretty much a no-brainer. There is a lot buzz about other companies providing cameras that do effectively autofocus during live view/video recording.
- At least one thing we aren't thinking of now. Canon has played their hands pretty conservatively over the last year, so I would expect a big splash with the new 5D Mark III. Perhaps it will be the new 24-70 f/2.8L II? I think it will be a killer camera feature we aren't expecting.
Ok so those are the realistic upgrades, and I'm sure I'm missing some other nifty things like SUPER HDR that they will probably include as well. I'm concerned mainly about core features. Here is the list of stuff that would be nice, but probably won't be seen in a 5D series body.
- Dual card slots. Canon seems to be intent on saving this for the 1D/Ds cameras. Although we may see a CF/SD combo in the next 5D, especially for video recording.
- 100% Viewfinder. Again many users wouldn't appreciate this feature as much and it will likely be kept to the 1-Series.
- 1D/Ds AF System. Am I broken record here? Canon saves the professional AF system for their professional cameras. Nikon broke this trend once with the D700/300 having the same AF as the flagship D3, but it doesn't seem like something that Canon has in their playbook.
- Pop-up flash for wireless flash control. I think this feature could be likely. It's pretty clear weather sealing/construction is not a priority in the 5D line, so adding a pop-up flash would give users the ability to trigger their off camera speedlites ala the t3i, 60D, and 7D.
- The Articulating LCD screen. This will be one of the most heavily debated features. Video professionals would love it. Photographers just see it as something that could potentially compromise the reliability of their camera. I said right now there's about an 80% chance the 5D Mark III will not have an articulating screen.
So what do you think? Tell me what features you want in the 5D Mark III!