For your consideration today Highpants would like to present two promotional video’s for your consideration. Both videos were produced by top notch cinematographers who had been handed the next generation D/SLR camera’s to produce a promotional video. Who produces the best promo video, the Nikon D800 or the Canon EOS 5D Mark III? That is the question to be considered.

Can the Canon continue its reputation for superb video or will Nikon’s technological powerhouse take the lead. Undoubtedly both camera’s produce spectacular broadcast quality video that when put in the hands of a professional can produce amazing results, as the video’s demonstrate.

Profession quality video production using D/SLR camera’s just got more interesting. Independent movie production houses and small movie studio’s have a new weapon of choice. Blurring the line between still shot camera and video camera both the D800 and 5D Mark III represent the best of the best when it comes to D/SLR camera’s, that cost less than houses that is.

The Contenders, Rumble In The Urban Jungle
In the red corner weighing in at 850 grams we have Canon’s latest 5D Mark III. In the yellow corner we have Nikon’s new 800 pound gorilla, the D800.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III: Radball

“JOY RIDE” HD Movie – by Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Nikon have pulled out all of the stops for the D800 in an attempt to leapfrog their nemesis the Canon 5D, in this case the new 5D Mark III . Nikon have especially paid attention to video functionality for the D800, managing to swing from almost ignoring video to professional quality video in one foul swoop.

With a new generation 36.3 megapixel full frame sensor and Nikon’s latest image processing silicon, the EXPEED 3 image processor Nikon has pushed the technological boundaries. The new sensor and process can shoot at 4fps in burst mode, 5fps with the optional battery pack.

Designed for versatility and high performance, the D800 is equipped to handle massive amounts of data with ultra-fast speed and also offers superior image quality. Supporting ISO sensitivities from 50 to 25600. In addition, videos can be filmed in FX- and DX-based movie formats, creating true cinematic experiences. See “The Making Of” video at the end of the article for a cinema photographers take on the new features.

Nikon’s have always been well known for producing incredibly sharp details, the new D800E adds to this reputation by disabling the aliasing and moiré pattern reduction operation performed by the optical low-pass filter, ensuring what you see is what you get.

The D800 has completed the video revolution at Nikon, not doing things by halves the D800 is now a complete package able to excel at still or moving image art forms.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

The Canon 5D through its generations of D/SLR is considered by many to be the D/SLR of choice for video and time-lapse photography.

With new SMTP time-coding functions, new compression modes and new slow-motion shooting modes the Mark III builds on the 5D’s already impressive reputation for shooting video. Other smaller tweaks have been made to improve the useability for cinematographers, a second audio jack for monitoring headphones along with silent audio adjustments are just the tip of the iceberg. See “The Making Of” video below for a cinematographers take on the new features.

Canon hasn’t neglected still photographers with the Mark III either. The new 22.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor and fast DiG!C5 image process allow for up to 6 fps burst mode along with improvements to the standard ISO range of 100-25600 (L:50; H1:51200; H2:102400). According to Canons site you’ll be able to push your photography to new heights with numerous creative features such as HDR and Multiple Exposure modes. The EOS 5D Mark III has refined the high-performance DSLR camera category.

Canon have taken another evolutionary step with the 5D Mark III, with many small improvements adding up to an incredibly flexible and powerful camera that will take a take a beating in the field and keep on snapping.

Availability and Conclusion
Of course the battle can’t really begin until both the D800 and Mark III are available. The Nikon is currently being rolled out around the world, most of the larger markets can already purchase the D800, world wide release should be completed by the end of March. The Mark III is sitting in the wings ready to steal Nikon’s thunder, due to hit the market any day now, with retailers listing the end of March as the worldwide availability date.

Purely a subjective test technically both videos are a spectacular example of what these new models are capable of. A drool inducing preview of what these new technology powerhouses have in stall for us.

On paper, going by the numbers, you may think that Nikon has taken this round of technology one up-man ship but D/SLR’s are an incredibly complex beast. Especially since the output of a D/SLR is pictures and not numbers. The race is actually a lot closer than the numbers might suggest .The videos themselves provide the perfect evidence for such a point.

No doubt if you already find yourself committed to either the red or yellow camps there is little here that will change your mind. If you are deciding weather to go Red or Yellow then the videos are a good place to start but then you must also consider useability, interface and lenses of course. The price of both camera’s will be close to $3,000 USD or $4,000 AUS.

Both cameras are hardy high technology shooters for getting the best shots in the field. Both models are extremely capable video shooters able to compete with profession quality video cameras. In all honesty owners of both battling D/SLRs should be equally happy that they have the latest leading edge snap happy technology in their hands.

Reference: Canon 5D Mark III
Reference: Nikon D800

The Making Of Video’s

Canon EOS 5D Mk III – BEHIND THE SCENES, RADBALL MOVIE

Nikon D800: Short Film (Behind the Scenes)