Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs. Nikon D800: Battle of the Full Frame D-SLRs

NEWMAYOR

The rivalry between Canon and Nikon is an old one. Each company has recently upgraded its respective prosumer full-frame D-SLR—Nikon replacing the D700 with the D800, and Canon upgrading its EOS 5D Mark II with the EOS 5D Mark III. While neither company scores points for originality in naming conventions, both cameras promise to improve on their predecessors.

0 l8 A% _( C% @/ r3 ^, WEven more than the megapixel count—the D800 sports a 36-megapixel sensor, while the 5D Mark III rocks out with a 22 megapixel-chip—the biggest difference between the two cameras is the lens mount. If you've got a huge investment in Nikon glass, making the jump to a Canon camera, or vice versa, is a somewhat scary proposition. In addition to the extra pixels, the D800 has one other big advantage—its autofocus works continuously while recording video, while the 5D Mark III requires you to hit a button every time you want to refocus while making a movie.

The 5D Mark III does outpace the D800 in continuous shooting—it's capable of grabbing up to 6 frames a second, while the Nikon is limited to 4 frames per second. It can also be set to a higher ISO—up to ISO 102400 in expanded mode, compared to the D800's top expanded mode of ISO 25600. Both cameras have viewfinders that cover  100 percent of the frame, but the 5D Mark III's eyepoint is very slightly longer than that of the D800, making it just a little bit easier for eyeglass wearers to see the entirety of the finder when shooting with the Canon.
2 d+ c) u  N# q0 M: w0 y0 b
And, since this is PCMag, it'd be irresponsible not to mention that the D800 uses a USB 3.0 point for computer connectivity, while the 5D Mark III is still sputtering along with USB 2.0. This is only going to make a difference when the camera is tethered to a computer for studio work, and even then it's questionable as to how much real-world difference the enhanced bandwidth of the USB 3.0 bus will make.

- m, W3 L( J' q! b- m9 }' I7 `http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401087,00.asp
' x+ I: Z3 L; d& G
% q4 a: P! a2 g6 v) @

孤独的牧羊人