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    Real-world Canon 5D Mark III image and video samples show off ISO improvements

    Real-world Canon 5D Mark III image and video samples show off ISO improvements

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    The first real-world photo and video samples from the Canon 5D Mark III are starting to show up around the internet. Perhaps the most impressive improvement over the Mark II is its high-ISO performance for video and photos.

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    Gallery Photo: Canon EOS 5D Mark III hands-on photos
    Gallery Photo: Canon EOS 5D Mark III hands-on photos

    Now that the Canon 5D Mark III is officially on sale, various publications are putting the camera through its paces, and we're getting a glimpse at what it can do in the wild. Easily the most impressive upgrade to the 22-megapixel shooter is improved noise reduction during HD video recording. Vimeo user Saika has a great video comparison showing how much cleaner clips from the Mark III are compared to the Mark II. Canon claims its new sensor and DIGIC 5+ processor offers significant improvements over the previous model when it comes to shooting high-ISO video, and we're certainly seeing a marked improvement in this comparison. We have a feeling a lot of 5D Mark II videographers are going to want to make the upgrade for the noise improvements alone. You can check out the video embedded below.

    If images are more your thing, DPReview has a gallery of 30 photos taken around London, plus a handful of studio images testing the camera's ISO. The website does note that its photos were shot with a pre-production camera running final firmware, though it thinks the image quality is pretty close to what production models will output. Camera Labs and LetsGoDigital both claim to have final production models of the Mark III, and are offering some nice comparisons of the camera's ISO performance in the real world. Camera Labs includes a shot taken at the Mark III's maximum extended ISO of 102,400. While definitely noisy, the photo is still detailed and we wouldn't hesitate to crank the camera up that high if it meant capturing a moment in low light.

    Lastly we have Photography Blog, with a gallery of 63 images and a full-HD movie sample. While the photos look good, the handheld 23-second clip isn't exactly impressive, which we hope is due more to an inexperienced operator than the camera's abilities.

    While many of the sample images, taken under good light, look they could have come from any current DSLR, the real high point of these examples is the 5D Mark III's high-ISO performance for both video and photos. If you're looking to shoot clean stills and video in low light, the $3,499 Mark III is probably worth a close look.