This past weekend I had the pleasure of renting and shooting a Canon 5D Mark 3. Though I only shot with it for a couple of days, none of which were spent in studio or under scrutinizing test like conditions, I did decide to see how it performs versus the Canon 7D and 5D Mark 2 that we own. There are already a lot of tests and comparisons out there for this, but I’d really wanted to try it myself and test one of the major factors that has interested me to the point of wanting to upgrade - ISO.

I set up a piece of scrapbooking paper on the wall in our dimly lit dining room, pulled out a tripod, and set up one camera at a time. I used the Canon 24-70mm L lens, at f/4, and only adjusted my ISO from there. Each shot’s exposure was determined by the camera, so shutter speed varied (though there shouldn’t be any camera shake, as it was mounted to a tripod and the timer was used to trigger the camera).

As you can see from the photos, the 5D3 clearly exposes more accurately (though covering the eye piece on the 5D2 & 7D may help in that respect). That being said, I rarely shoot without my eye to the viewfinder, so that bit isn't all that relevant to me. What I did see is that the ISO, as expected, is much improved on the new 5D3. In fact, even at an ISO of 12,800, the new 5D3 doesn't appear to be as noisy as the 5D2 at ISO 6400.

Also, I was a little disappointed to see that our 7D seems to create slightly sharper images than our 5D2 - though the 7D is noticeably noisier at varying ISO levels. 

So - from a local photographer who just had the curiosity to see how these three cameras would match up, there you have it. Does this difference in ISO sell you on the new 5D3? If not, I can also tell you that the silent shutter mode on the camera is absolutely wonderful. After shooting a wedding this last weekend, in a very large sanctuary, during a relatively quiet Mass, I was hardly noticeable to the attendees. (And the ability to write to a second card is really a nice back up opportunity!) While I enjoyed all of these things, I'm not quite sure I'm sold to upgrade just yet.. Perhaps when our gear needs replacing or Canon has a nice sale!

Enjoying the photos & comparisons on our blog? Check out the website of Wichita photographers James & Abi Sanny, and let us know what we can do for you!