Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Mark II

For years now, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been a favorite mid-range digital SLR among serious photographers. The workhorse of a camera took professional-quality images and offered a huge feature set—and did so for a relatively low price.

Then, two things happened: First, Canon came out with an updated version of the Mark II: the EOS 5D Mark III. Second, Canon reduced the price of the Mark II by $500.

Both the 5D Mark II and 5D Mark III are, unarguably, excellent full-feature SLR cameras. But now that there’s a serious 5D choice, which of the two is the better option for you? Spot Cool Stuff takes a look at the advantages of each camera:

Advantages of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a little thinner and lighter than the Mark III. But its biggest advantage is price. The Mark II is a full $1,300 cheaper. Yet, despite that price difference, the cameras share many similarities. But use a CMOS sensor with automatic cleaning. Both feature shutter speeds of 1/8000 to 30 seconds. Both have nearly identical exterior buttons and electronic user interface. Both shoot video in full 1080p HD.

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Advantages of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

So what does spending an extra $1,300+ above the Mark II’s price tag get you? Easily, the biggest advantage of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III is the new full-frame sensor. It features Canon’s amazing gapless micro lens design — the same one that’s used in the $10,000 Canon EOS 1D-X!

The new sensor lets in more light per pixel, a result that’s clearly visible. Shots taken with the Mark III stay remarkably free of image noise as you increase the ISO. We found to the noise acceptable all the way up to 3,200 ISO. In fact, the noise at a shot taken at 3,200 ISO on the Mark III is roughly identical to the same shot taken with a Mark II at 800 ISO. That’s a rather huge performance gap.

Other updates to the Mark III make it a better camera for travel. The Mark III has significantly better weather-proofing than the Mark II. It also offers a battery life that’s about 10% longer.

The other upgrades, most of which are listed on the chart below, might or might not matter to you. Spot Cool Stuff appreciates how the Mark III has a faster start time — four times faster, in fact. Personally, we don’t place much importance on the Mark III’s slightly larger screen, faster continuous shooting (the 3.2 fps of the Mark II is plenty fast for us) and the overkill of 61 autofocus points. For other photographers, those differences might be significant.

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Our Verdict

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is 37% more expensive than the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. So is it 37% better? That depends what sort of photography you want to use it for.

If you often take photos in low light situations, or do a lot of sports or high speed photography, then we strongly suggest spending more to procure a Mark III. For such shots, the quality difference between the Mark III and Mark II is noticeable. Add in all the other upgrades we mentioned, and you’ll find the Mark III more than worth the extra cost.

That said, if you were to take a portrait shot in full light with a Mark II and Mark III you’d see no difference between the two. The experience of using each 5D model — the location of the buttons, the feel of the camera, the feature set — is very similar. In all those ways, Canon’s introduction of the Mark III is a windfall for photographers in the market for a professional quality SLR, as it knocked $500 off the price of a Mark II.

So, unless you are one of those low light or high speed photographers, we say take the discount, buy a 5D Mark II, and be confident that you’re getting an excellent SLR for the money.

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Reviews of the Best Cameras for Travel

LEARN MORE & BUY: MARK II / MARK III  |  JOIN US: TWITTER / FACEBOOK / PINTREST

Purchase locally in: CANADA | CHINA | FRANCE | GERMANY | ITALY | JAPAN | UK | USA