Would it make sense for Canon to Make two 5dm3's ?

jambredz

Veteran
So i was thinking, since the 5d will always be primarily a professional stills camera would it make sense to make a 5d thats more stills based and a version thats more video based? I mean they already have the t3i,t2i,60D all competing in the same market ....even the 7d can kinda be thrown in there (KINDA)...so would it hurt to do this? Whatever moire and other problems could be fixed in the video based version and other features that pro stills guys don't care about or don't want. The gh2 is more geared for video...the 5d is really for stills...so just make a 5d Mark3C (cinematographer edition lol). I just thought it could be interesting.
 
I was pondering that idea today too, but then I came up with, "Why have a DSLR that's optimized for video in a SLR body if the main purpose is video?" Would be nice though... :D
 
Well for me I LOVE the size of the dslr's and the option to go "naked" or build it into a full size rig. When I wana just go on the road quickly and take awesome video...I can grab it. When I want to rig it out for jobs I can. And I still can take decent stills. So what I'm proposing is like gh2 and 5d mark11 mate and make a 5dmark3C
 
I believe there was a test that demonstrated that the GH2 has less aliasing than the AF100 in its video mode. So I'm not sure that a good stills cam and a good video cam have to be exclusively separate at least from what we've seen with the GH2. I would hope the upcoming 5DIII would be at least as good as the GH2 in its video mode if not better.

If the 5DIII has video as good as the GH2, allows audio monitoring/adjustment while recording with LCD displaying levels, and puts out a full 1080 through the HDMI while recording, I think that would be a good start.
 
The thing is which pro stills guy is gonna want a flip out lcd? I'm no pro photog but I duno if I'd want that at all. So the cinema version can have those things.. The 5d is the pro flagship cam...cant piss of those guys :)
 
The thing is which pro stills guy is gonna want a flip out lcd? I'm no pro photog but I duno if I'd want that at all. So the cinema version can have those things.. The 5d is the pro flagship cam...cant piss of those guys :)

The 5D is not their flagship camera. That is the 1D series. The 5D just received the most press in the last few years, it is really prosumer actually.

Will there be two versions of this same camera?

Highly unlikely.

The thing to understand is that Canon thinks in terms of 3 year cycles. Whatever technology they release today needs to be significantly advanced and thoughtful to hold water over the long run. 2 versions of the same camera would really be short term thinking. The hybrid camera was conceived in order to make it still attractive over this longer cycle. I seriously doubt a video dedicated camera would come in a DSLR form factor.
 
I have a feeling that photo pro's would be pissed about a flip out lcd -- which is ridiculous, because they're very useful for both stills and video.
 
I agree - if you don't want to use the facility just leave it in place like a fixed LCD screen! And it's great to be able to flip it around on itself (to have the back facing outwards) to protect the LCD screen against scratches when in transit. The problem is the requirement of a complete redesign of the back of the camera to accommodate the side hinge (means relocating a line of buttons on the current 5DII), but they did it on their latest lesser cameras, so how hard can it be? For an expensive camera that won't be replaced for over two years, they should push the boat out on usability features.
 
I have a feeling that photo pro's would be pissed about a flip out lcd -- which is ridiculous, because they're very useful for both stills and video.

Exactly. I would wager that the 1dsIV ( If there even will be one) will have a flip out LCD. Pros want their gear to be as capable as possible. Just how many pros spend time with their cameras above their heads in a herd of other photographers trying to get a good shot of that elusive subject. A flip out LCD would be ideal for that particular kind of scumbag professional photographer. :-)

A viewing angle other than just behind the camera will help the pro in many circumstances, and may even save a photographer's life in some situations in photo journalism. A flip out LCD enables the still photographer in so many other ways than he would be without it.

Even if they never used it for variable viewing angles, it could be folded so the LCD isn't showing (facing inside the body) so the screen can be protected from scratches in adverse shooting circumstances. Flip out LCD is totally a pro feature for the professional as far as I'm concerned.

I also hope we're past the age where we feel that 35mm FF pro camera has to weigh as much as a boat anchor and be just as big.
 
I was pondering that idea today too, but then I came up with, "Why have a DSLR that's optimized for video in a SLR body if the main purpose is video?" Would be nice though... :D

The Dslr form factor is better than a video camera form factor. It's easier to hold up a square instead of a rectangle.... Personally I hate video camera form factors and love the dslr one. It's so much so that the RED is releasing the SCARLET with a DSLR form factor that will basically be better than most video cameras.

Now to comment on the op's original post , I would say just give us a camera that does both.
 
The risk is they take the 5 chip stick it in a Ex1 shape body and charge $20k for it.. as sony have done

Thats the video version, it would be ok to pay a 25% premium for XLR but not 500% premium

S
 
Sony is coming out with the NXCAM s35 with the sensor of the F3 in a very small form factor at about $ 6000 middle of this year. If it has the base image characteristic of the F3 in terms of Dynamic range, low light etc with the 10 bit uncompressed output I see it a big contender for those primarily into video. The af-100 could have been it, but I think the video division mess it up by using the same look as there ENG video camera. The dynamic range in particular is not very appealing at all, making the images very videoiiii look. For me it will be gh2 and then I will see about the Sony.
 
No way will Canon release two versions of anything.

Remember this:

The 5D is a stills camera, that it also does video is a bonus for some, an irritation for others. I think it very unlikely that Canon would stick a swivel screen on the 5DIII, after all the 5D I/II doesn't even have a pop-up flash.
We may see a sensor with a resolution that makes down-sampling to 1080p easy arithmetically, and possibly a more robust codec, but NOT raw, and they won't do anything to pi$$ off stills photographers who are the primary market.
I think any major advances in Canon's DSLR video will have to wait for the much rumored Digic V processor.

Dave
 
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