Gear Notes - Canon 5D Mark III

Final Gear Note entry from the Digital Shootout 2012

When I first began shooting DSLR's underwater, I started with a Nikon D100, but then switched over to the original Canon 5D when it came out. I quickly became a fan of the Canon and have been shooting it ever since. I dabbled with 5D Mark II a little, moving on the to 7D, used the 550D and the 600D a bit, and am now to the 5D Mark III. When the 5D Mark III came out, I was pleased that Canon took the best of the 7D design and merged it with the best of the 5D Mark II, upping the ante on focus performance with an blazing fast 61 point autofocus system. Top that with a video system that takes advantage of the best low light, high ISO performance in its class and the result is pretty much everything I want in a camera. 

Reef Squid; shot with Canon 5DIII with Canon 8-15mm, prototype Zen DP-100 with removable shade

Did I mention the white balance? I almost feel like there is no need to... Canon white balance - it, well, rocks. Stay tuned to this blog as we edit and post more video from 5Diii - or join us on Vimeo with our Nauticam DSLR Video group.

Tiger Gropuer on Bloody Bay Wall, Shot with Canon 5D III, Canon 16-35mm II, Inon Strobes with Warming Filter

The Nauticam housing for 5D Mark III actually builds upon the success of the housing for Canon 7D, which makes sense give how similar the 5Diii body is to 7D. The familiar port locking system, comfy handles, two stage shutter release, piano keys, and ergonomic design are apparent. The designers, however, didn't stop there... they updated, enlarged and relocated the command dials, added the new style locking latches, and improved the ergonomics that much more.

Bubbles Above a Swim Through; shot with Canon 5DIII, Canon 8-15mm FE, Prototype Zen DP-100 with removable shade

The toughest thing about demo-ing the 5Diii was that we only had two of them. This system was in huge demand. The two housings we had in Little Cayman were both prototypes, but despite that, they worked flawlessly the whole week. I don't think there was a dive when both of them were not in use. 

I hope you will excuse me if I've shown my Canon bias here a bit, but I think it is fair to say that if you want the finest underwater rig for shooting stills and video, look no further than the Canon 5D Mark III in the NA-5DMKIII housing. 

Nassau Grouper Enjoying a Cleaning on Jackson Bight Wall; shot with Canon 5DIII with Canon 16-35mm