Canon® EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Roadmap to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Camera Controls Overview

Front of the camera

Top of the camera

Back of the camera

Side of the camera

Lens Controls Overview

Viewfinder display

Quick Control screen

Camera menus

Chapter 2: Camera Setup and Image Playback

Setting Up Media Card Recording and Using Eye-Fi Cards

Managing dual media card recording

Working with Eye-Fi cards

Setting Image Quality and Processing RAW Images In-Camera

JPEG format

RAW capture

RAW+JPEG

Processing RAW images in the camera

Improving Image Quality

Reducing digital noise in the camera

Correcting vignetting and color fringing

Working with Folders and File Numbering

Creating and selecting folders

Setting and changing file numbering

Miscellaneous Setup Options

General setup options

Adding copyright information

Copying one or more images to the other media card

Image and Movie Playback Options

Image magnification

Side-by-side image comparison

Image playback with Quick Control access

Searching for and moving through multiple images and movies

Protecting and Erasing Images and Movies

Erasing images and movies

Protecting images and movies

Chapter 3: Working with Exposure

Setting Exposure Objectives

Defining exposure goals

Practical exposure considerations

Choosing an Exposure Mode

Going fully automatic

Taking creative control

Setting the ISO Sensitivity

Metering Light and Adjusting Exposures

Using metering modes

Evaluating exposures

Modifying and bracketing exposures

Creative Exposure Techniques

Making multiple-exposure images

Shooting HDR images

Selecting a Drive Mode

Chapter 4: Getting Sharp Focus

Understanding the Autofocus System

Cross-type sensors

High-precision and dual-cross-type sensors

Lens groups and available AF points

Setting Up and Using Autofocus

Choosing an autofocus mode and an AF point

Focusing with AF area selection modes

Focusing on Action

Using the AF Configuration tool

Adjusting Case parameters

Customizing Autofocus and Lenses

Autofocus functions

AF Microadjustment

Chapter 5: Getting Great Color

Working with Color

Choosing a Color Space

Comparing color spaces

Setting the color space

Setting the White Balance

Setting a Custom white balance

Setting a specific color temperature

Fine-tuning white balance

Working with Picture Styles

Choosing and customizing Picture Styles

Registering a new Picture Style

Using the Picture Style Editor

Chapter 6: Customizing the EOS 5D Mark III

Exploring Custom Functions

Custom Function groupings

Custom Functions specifics

Setting Custom Functions

Registering Custom Modes

Customizing My Menu

Chapter 7: Shooting in Live View

About Live View Shooting

Live View Features and Functions

Live View focus options

Aspect ratio

Exposure simulation

Silent shooting modes

Metering timer

Using a flash

Working with Live View

Setting up for Live View shooting

Shooting in Live View

Chapter 8: Making Movies

About Movies

Video standards

Video on the 5D Mark III

Setting Up for Movie Recording

Choosing the resolution and exposure mode

Menu setup

Focusing options

Setting the ideal shutter speed

Color, audio, and lighting settings

Recording Movies

Starting the recording

Playing back movies

Tips for better movies

Chapter 9: Working with Flash

Deciding Whether to Use Flash

Calculating Flash Exposure

Using E-TTL II Technology

Radio versus Optical Speedlite Systems

Comparing radio- and optical-based Speedlites

Multicamera remote shooting

Working with Speedlites

Setting flash options

Flash function settings

Flash Exposure Lock

Setting Up Wireless Flashes

Using a one-light setup

Setting up multiple Speedlites

Chapter 10: Exploring Lenses and Accessories

Evaluating Lens Choices for the 5D Mark III

Types of Lenses

Zoom lenses

Prime lenses

Working with Different Types of Lenses

Wide-angle lenses

Telephoto lenses

Normal lenses

Macro lenses

Tilt-and-shift lenses

Image Stabilized (IS) lenses

Hybrid IS for macro shooting

Doing More with Lens Accessories

Lens extenders

Extension tubes and close-up lenses

Appendix A: How to Use the Gray Card and Color Checker

Glossary

Canon® EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide

Charlotte K. Lowrie

Canon® EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide

Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46256
ww.wiley.com

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Unless credited otherwise, all photographs Copyright © Charlotte K. Lowrie

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-16911-7

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Charlotte K. Lowrie is an award-winning photographer and writer based in the Seattle, Washington, area. She has more than 30 years of photography experience, ranging from photojournalism and editorial photography to stock and wedding shooting. Her images have appeared in national magazines and newspapers, and on a variety of websites, including MSN.com, www.takegreatpictures.com, and the Canon Digital Learning Center.

Charlotte currently divides her time among maintaining an active photography business, teaching photography, and writing books and magazine articles. Charlotte is the author of 16 books, including the bestselling Canon EOS 7D Digital Field Guide and 14 other Digital Field Guides. In addition, she teaches monthly online photography courses at BetterPhoto.com. Visit her website at wordsandphotos.org.

Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Courtney Allen

Project Editor

Kristin Vorce

Special Help

Carol Kessel

Technical Editor

Jon Canfield

Senior Copy Editor

Kim Heusel

Editorial Director

Robyn Siesky

Business Manager

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Senior Marketing Manager

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Vice President and Executive Publisher

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Graphics and Production Specialists

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Quality Control Technician

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Proofreading and Indexing

BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

This book is dedicated to my family, and it is dedicated to God, the source of all inspiration.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to the entire team at Wiley for their hard and excellent work on this book. And to recognize the immediate team, I was fortunate to have Kristin Vorce, one of the best editors on the planet, as editor on this book. I appreciate the fine technical editing by Jon Canfield, and the eagle-eye copy editing by Kim Heusel. And, of course, it’s a pleasure to continue working with Courtney Allen, acquisitions editor. It takes a team to create a book, and we had a marvelous team.

Also thanks to my small circle of longtime photographer friends, my photography students, and the photographers on photography forums — all of whom so generously share their photography experiences and insights. And thanks to the good people at Kenmore Cameras for getting new gear to me as quickly as possible.

Introduction

Welcome to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide. This book is written and designed to be a go-to guide to help you get the most from Canon’s latest digital SLR.

If you’ve used the camera for any amount of time, then you know that this 22.3-megapixel camera delivers superb image quality and speedy performance at 6 frames per second. Under the hood of the 5D Mark III, you get the latest iteration of Canon’s venerable DIGIC processor, DIGIC 5+, which is 17 times faster than the DIGIC 4 processor. And of course, you get 14-bit files that provide smooth tonal gradations and rich color. The 5D Mark III features Canon’s new and advanced autofocus system with a high level of control so that you get the best results.

Two new creative options — Multiple exposures and HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooting — are both fun and practical additions. Both modes offer a variety of options for the final look of the images. The HDR image series can be processed in the camera or later in the HDR program of your choice. While the 5D Mark III is a fully capable still photography camera, it is also an exciting storytelling tool with its high-resolution video capability. Now you can plug in headphones to the camera and monitor audio during recording and playback. Audio levels can be controlled manually during recording. And with the new touch pad functionality of the Quick Control dial during movie recording, you can make camera adjustments silently. Additional new video options include one of two compression methods and a new timecode feature that offers four options for flexibility in arranging clips. You may have already learned that there are new features built in every nook and cranny of the camera. All in all, the 5D Mark III is a camera that opens new doors for your creative expression.

For professional photographers, the 5D Mark III is a great primary or secondary camera that is versatile enough to shoot the most demanding assignments with a shutter rated at 150,000 actuations. For aspiring professionals, the 5D Mark III is an ideal segue to advance their work. The camera offers a full complement of creative controls, high resolution, and all of it in a lightweight yet well-sealed and durable camera body.

The challenge for new 5D Mark III photographers is putting to use all that the camera has to offer in everyday shooting. That’s where this book comes in — it’s designed to be your single resource. Here you’ll learn not only what the camera features and options are, but also get suggestions on when and how to use them — all without needing to refer back to the camera manual (although I encourage you to read the manual).

This book offers suggestions for setting up the camera and using its full complement of features. You can use the suggestions as described, or you can use them as jumping-off points for your specific shooting needs. Either way, putting the camera to work for you makes your shooting more efficient so that you can concentrate on the creative work of exploring subjects, lighting, and composition.

Writing camera books for a specific audience of readers is always a challenge. Inevitably, readers will range from seasoned professional photographers to those who buy the 5D Mark III as their first digital SLR. This book is skewed toward readers with previous photography experience, from intermediate to advanced photographers. However, I know from experience that some novice photographers will buy this book, and I want the book to be useful to them as well. So I try to include brief explanations of terms and concepts.

One question you may have is whether this is the type of book where you can skip around reading chapters in random order. You can, of course, read in any order that you want, but try to read Chapters 1 through 5 first. These chapters provide the foundation for learning and using the camera, setting up a good workflow, and getting great color. From there you can explore Live View shooting, video, flash, and lenses in any order that you want.

Finally, I want to thank the many readers who have contacted me over the years. Your questions, suggestions, and ideas for previous books continue to influence the content of the books that I write today. Thank you for your feedback and ideas.

The team at Wiley and I hope that you enjoy reading and using this book as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.

Wishing you many beautiful images from the 5D Mark III,

Charlotte

Chapter 1: Roadmap to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

If you’ve used the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, you know that it delivers high-resolution images and snappy performance. Equally important, the camera offers a full complement of creative controls. And by now, you also know that the Mark III fits comfortably in the hand with good heft to provide stability during shooting. Controls on the back of the camera are streamlined, clearly labeled, and within easy reach during shooting. The exterior belies the power under the hood with Canon’s latest autofocus and metering systems and the very fast DIGIC 5 image processor. On the 5D Mark III, everything seems new, including the revamped camera menus. This chapter provides a roadmap to using the camera controls and the camera menus.

Like the street sign in this image, this chapter is designed to help you find your way around the 5D Mark III easily and quickly. Exposure: ISO 200, f/8, 1/640 second.

Camera Controls Overview

There are several main controls that can be used together or separately to control many functions on the 5D Mark III. Once you learn these controls, you can make camera adjustments more efficiently. Here is a summary of the controls:

▶ Main dial () and Quick Control dial (). Use these controls to make changes to the four dual-function buttons located above the LCD panel, such as the AF-Drive button (Autofocus mode and Drive mode). You use the dial to change the first function in the button name. So for the AF-Drive button (), turn the dial to change the Autofocus mode and the dial to change the drive.

1.1 The Main dial

This holds true for the Metering Mode/White Balance button () and ISO/Flash Exposure Compensation button () above the LCD panel as well. Some camera menu screens, such as the Quality screen, also use the dial and dial for selecting different settings. You can also lock the dial to prevent unintentional setting changes on the Custom Function, C.Fn2: Disp./Operation menu tab using the Multi-function lock option.

1.2 The Quick Control dial

▶ Setting button (). The button confirms changes you make to many menu items, and it opens submenus. On the Quick Control screen, accessed by pressing , you can select a setting using the , and then press to display all the options for the setting.

▶ Multi-controller (). This eight-way control functions as a joystick when it is tilted in any direction, and as a button when it is pressed. The is the primary control on the Quick Control screen. You can also use the to select the AF point, move through an image in magnified view during playback, and move the autofocus point in Live View. It also works to navigate through the camera menu tabs and options.

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!