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Home » Canon 5D Mark III Debuts March 2nd

Canon 5D Mark III Debuts March 2nd

Lots of excitement across the video and stills blogsosphere with the launch of the Canon 5D Mark III in Shanghai on Friday, March 2nd.

Here’s the official Canon press release on the camera.

The video specs are striking, but the main takeaway is probably its full intraframe mode or I-frame-only recording (stores each frame separately) as well as IPB (interframe) recording; these are essentially two variations of the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec.

Other points of interest to DPs in the crowd include improved noise reduction, longer recording times (29 minutes versus the previous 12-minute limit), built-in mic and headphone monitoring jacks for audio, twin memory card slots, and an effective ISO of 25,600. The new CMOS sensor is about 1 megapixel larger than that in the Mark II; many bloggers find it refreshing that Canon didn’t enter the race for a higher megapixel count. This essentially means that the camera’s low-light capability won’t be compromised: you can push it to a 102,400 ISO if you like.

Also promised are reduced moire and color artifacting. Camera usability comes in for a welcome upgrade via the larger 3.2-inch Clear View II LCD which offers a reflection-resistant coating for bright conditions, and some 1,040,000 pixels for more detailed viewing.

For photography, one striking feature is the multiple exposure capabilities first intro’d on the 1D X. You’ll be able to combine up to nine separate frames into one, using a choice of four compositing options: Additive, Average, Bright and Dark.

Andrew Reid on EOSHD has the most relevant posts for anyone involved in DSLRs for HD production. Reid notes that the camera “compares favourably to the $5000 Sony FS100 because you are getting a full frame sensor and a much more compact, ergonomic body for less money.”

EOSHD also offers a page of three sample videos shot with the new DSLR.

B&H Photo, of course, will sell plenty of these new DSLRs; the company blog spots the use of the new DIGIC 5+ image processor as “one of the largest improvements” over the 5D Mark II, as it offers “increased speed and power as well as higher ISO sensitivity and better noise reduction.”

Camera Labs goes into a detailed analysis of the new camera’s specs.

Engadget shows video of an early hands-on demo of the camera and says that Canon’s PR folks noted that “JPEG shots are roughly two stops cleaner than that of the Mark II” (okay, we know you’re all shooting stills in RAW), and “the amount of noise you’d see at 6,400 with the II only creeps up to the III at 25,600.”

Canon Rumors offers up a list of retailers offering pre-orders on the 5D.

Back to EOSHD for this comparison of the video chops of the Canon 5D Mark III and Nikon’s latest, the D800.

We’ll keep updating this blog post with the best info we can glean about the Canon 5D Mark III.

About Dan Ochiva

New York City-based journalist and NYCPPNEWS founder Dan Ochiva writes and consults on film, video, and digital media technology.

Community & Partner Links

How Sony’s New Virtual Sound Technology Can Change How We Hear Films

Kami Asgar and Jessica Parks are post-production heavyweights who work with major studios, namely Sony. As a sound designer (Asgar) and as a post executive (Parks), their collective resume touches on everything from Apocalypto to Grandma’s Boy to Venom.

Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it’s never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.

Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School’s site.

NJ – Governor Murphy signs $14B Incentive Program Bill – the NJ Economic Recovery Act of 2020

 Film tax credits — amending existing programs to include provisions for so-called New Jersey film partners and New Jersey film-lease partners and allowing an additional $200 million of tax credits annually over 13 years.

Click this link if you want to read the full article on the Lexology site. http://bit.ly/35NtDx6

Film Commish announces date for production restart

In her December 18, 2020 news update, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo announced that the Film Office is now accepting permit applications for production activity that begins on July 27th.

She also announced awards now (Awkwafina) and more. To read all of the Film Commish’s bloggy sort of news column, click here.

Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.

To read the full article on The New York Times’ site, click here.

If you want to start production, here’s the latest news from the Mayor’s Office

Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.

For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.

Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan

Nikon has fallen on hard times as of late as its camera sales have cratered, and now there’s a new indicator of how dire its financial situation is: the company is reportedly pulling the plug on making cameras in Japan after over 70 years of doing so.

To read the full article on Petapixel’s site, click here.

NVIDIA Uses AI to Slash Bandwidth on Video Calls

NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality

What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.

To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.

 

 

 

Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers’ Suit Over Virus Relief

Law360 (October 9, 2020, 5:22 PM EDT) — The Motion Picture Industry Health Plan’s board can’t be sued under ERISA for allegedly flouting its duties when it relaxed plan rules in response to COVID-19, a California federal judge has ruled, nixing a proposed class action filed by two cinematographers who still couldn’t qualify for benefits.

In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors’ motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols’ Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.

Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others “out in the cold” in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.

But Judge Klausner agreed with the board’s contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don’t act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.

Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.

Russo Brothers Received Close to $50 Million From Saudi Bank

Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo photographed at the PMC Studio in Los Angeles for the Variety Playback Podcast.

The Russo brothers, directors of the all-time top grossing film “Avengers: Endgame,” quietly secured a roughly $50 million cash infusion for their production company AGBO from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, multiple sources tell Variety.

In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers’ Los Angeles-based shop.

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