Gear | Announced: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Available for Pre-Order

We are not really gear heads… ok, maybe I am and just in denial =). Early this morning Canon officially announced the long-awaited EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR!

We currently prefer shooting with our 5D Mark II’s over our Nikon gear at the moment, not that the Nikon stuff is bad (their lenses are gorgeous), but the main reason is shooting video with the 5D Mark II as part of our complete wedding coverage at times. Of course, Nikon’s new HD video enabled D800 looks amazing and I’m really excited to start using some of our great Nikon glass more frequently. Last night’s announcement is making a compelling case to stick with Canon even with the D800 on preorder as well. Here are the features for a wedding photographer that we are most excited about for the 5D Mark III:

22.3 Megapixel full-frame sensor
61-point autofocus (YES!!! FINALLY!!!)
Up to 6fps continuous shooting
Native ISO 100-25,600 sensitivity
Full HD video with manual control
14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor
Enhanced Weather sealing
8.11cm (3.2-inch) 1,040,000-dot screen
HDR mode with presets

The two most exciting for wedding photographers are the improved auto-focus system taken from Canon’s flagship 1D series and the improved High ISO performance, two key areas where Nikon is currently winning in the technology side of things. I think we’ve all just learned to live with the 5D Mark II’s shortcomings, because their is no doubt that it still produces amazing images and will continue to do so even with the Mark III comes out in March. With both main camera companies offering brand new high end DSLRs this year, I can say it’s a great time to be a photographer! We have both the Nikon D800 and Canon EOS 5D Mark III on Pre-Order from B&H, I can’t wait to get my hands on them both and do a real comparison! Will we stick with Canon or switch back over to Nikon and dust off our lenses???