Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide

ContentsIntroduction xvi

CHAPTER 1Roadmap to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III 1Camera Controls Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Front of the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Top of the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Back of the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Side of the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Lens Controls Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Viewfi nder display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Quick Control screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Camera menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

CHAPTER 2Camera Setup and Image Playback 25Setting Up Media Card Recording and

Using Eye-Fi Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Managing dual media card recording . . . . 26Working with Eye-Fi cards . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Setting Image Quality and Processing RAW Images In-Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29JPEG format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30RAW capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32RAW+JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Processing RAW images in the camera . . . 36

Improving Image Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Reducing digital noise in the camera . . . . 38Correcting vignetting and color fringing . . . 40

Working with Folders and File Numbering . . . 42Creating and selecting folders . . . . . . . . . 42Setting and changing fi le numbering . . . . 44

Customizing fi le names . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Setting the fi le numbering method . . . 46

Miscellaneous Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 48General setup options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Adding copyright information . . . . . . . . . . 54

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Copying one or more images to the other media card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Image and Movie Playback Options . . . . . . . 56Image magnifi cation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Side-by-side image comparison . . . . . . . . 58Image playback with Quick Control

access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Searching for and moving through

multiple images and movies . . . . . . . . 59Protecting and Erasing Images and

Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Erasing images and movies . . . . . . . . . . . 60Protecting images and movies . . . . . . . . . 61

CHAPTER 3Working with Exposure 63Setting Exposure Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Defi ning exposure goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Practical exposure considerations . . . . . . 64

Choosing an Exposure Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Going fully automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Taking creative control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Program AE (P) mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Shutter-priority AE (Tv) mode . . . . . . . . 71Aperture-priority AE (Av) mode . . . . . . 75Manual (M) mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Bulb mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Custom modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Setting the ISO Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Metering Light and Adjusting Exposures . . . 83

Using metering modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Evaluating exposures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Brightness histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89RGB histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Modifying and bracketing exposures . . . . 91Auto Lighting Optimizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Highlight Tone Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Safety shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Auto Exposure Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Exposure compensation . . . . . . . . . . . 95Auto Exposure Bracketing . . . . . . . . . . 97

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Creative Exposure Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . 99Making multiple-exposure images . . . . . . 99

Setting up for Multiple exposure mode shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Shooting in Multiple exposure mode . 103Shooting HDR images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Selecting a Drive Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

CHAPTER 4Getting Sharp Focus 111Understanding the Autofocus System . . . . 112

Cross-type sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112High-precision and dual-cross-type

sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Lens groups and available AF points . . . 114

Setting Up and Using Autofocus . . . . . . . . . 115Choosing an autofocus mode and

an AF point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Focusing with AF area

selection modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Focusing on Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Using the AF Confi guration tool . . . . . . . 125Adjusting Case parameters . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Customizing Autofocus and Lenses . . . . . . 129Autofocus functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

AF 2 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129AF 3 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131AF 4 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133AF 5 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

AF Microadjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

CHAPTER 5Getting Great Color 143Working with Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Choosing a Color Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Comparing color spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Setting the color space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Setting the White Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Setting a Custom white balance . . . . . . . 150Setting a specifi c color temperature . . . . 153Fine-tuning white balance . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Using White Balance Auto Bracketing 155Using White Balance Correction . . . . 156

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Working with Picture Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Choosing and customizing

Picture Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Registering a new Picture Style . . . . . . . 162Using the Picture Style Editor . . . . . . . . . 164

CHAPTER 6Customizing the EOS 5D Mark III 165Exploring Custom Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Custom Function groupings . . . . . . . . . . 166Custom Functions specifi cs . . . . . . . . . . 167

C.Fn1: Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167C.Fn2: Disp./Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 171C.Fn3: Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Setting Custom Functions . . . . . . . . . . . 178Registering Custom Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Customizing My Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

CHAPTER 7Shooting in Live View 185About Live View Shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Live View Features and Functions . . . . . . . . 187

Live View focus options . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Aspect ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189Exposure simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Silent shooting modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Metering timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Using a fl ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Working with Live View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Setting up for Live View shooting . . . . . . 194Shooting in Live View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

CHAPTER 8Making Movies 199About Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Video standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200Video on the 5D Mark III . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Setting Up for Movie Recording . . . . . . . . . 205Choosing the resolution and

exposure mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Menu setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Shooting 4 menu options . . . . . . . . . . 208Shooting 5 menu options . . . . . . . . . . 209

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Focusing options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Setting the ideal shutter speed . . . . . . . . 213Color, audio, and lighting settings . . . . . . 214

Recording Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Starting the recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Playing back movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218Tips for better movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

CHAPTER 9Working with Flash 221Deciding Whether to Use Flash . . . . . . . . . . 222Calculating Flash Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Using E-TTL II Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Radio versus Optical Speedlite Systems . . . 226

Comparing radio- and optical-based Speedlites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Multicamera remote shooting . . . . . . . . 229Working with Speedlites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Setting fl ash options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Flash function settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Flash exposure compensation . . . . . . 234Flash exposure bracketing . . . . . . . . . 236

Flash Exposure Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237Setting Up Wireless Flashes . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Using a one-light setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239Setting up multiple Speedlites . . . . . . . . 240

CHAPTER 10Exploring Lenses and Accessories 245Evaluating Lens Choices for the

5D Mark III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246Types of Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Zoom lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Prime lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Working with Different Types of Lenses . . . 250Wide-angle lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251Telephoto lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Normal lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254Macro lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Tilt-and-shift lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Image Stabilized (IS) lenses . . . . . . . . . . 258Hybrid IS for macro shooting . . . . . . . . . 261

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Doing More with Lens Accessories . . . . . . 262Lens extenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262Extension tubes and close-up lenses . . 264

APPENDIX AHow to Use the Gray Card and Color Checker 265

The Gray Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265The Color Checker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Glossary 267

Index 277

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CHAPTER 1Roadmap to the Canon EOS 5D Mark IIIIf 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 comple-ment of creative controls. And by now, you also know that the Mark III fi ts comfort-ably 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 fi nd your way around the 5D Mark III easily and quickly. Exposure: ISO 200, f/8, 1/640 second.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide

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Camera Controls OverviewThere 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 effi ciently. 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 fi rst 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.

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 differ-ent 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.

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

▶ Multi-controller ( ). This eight-way control func-tions 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 magnifi ed view during playback, and move the autofocus point in Live View. It also works to navigate through the camera menu tabs and options.

Front of the cameraWhile you don’t see the front of the camera often, the front includes important con-trols including the self-timer, the depth-of-fi eld preview button, the lens mount, and the lens release button. The front of the camera also includes the nicely sculpted grip

1.1 The Main dial

1.2 The Quick Control dial

1.3 The Multi-controller


Chapter 1 Roadmap to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

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that increases control and balance when handling the camera. Here is a summary of the controls on the camera’s front:

▶ Remote control sensor. This sensor works with the accessory Remote Controller RC-6 for remote release of the shutter up to 16.4 feet from the cam-era. Point the remote control at this sensor and press the transmit button. The Self-timer lamp lights when the drive mode is set to one of the Self-timer modes.

▶ Self-timer lamp. In the two Self-timer modes, this lamp fl ashes to count down the seconds (either 10 or 2) to shutter release.

▶ Microphone. The built in monaural microphone is used for recording audio when you’re shooting a movie. You can adjust the recording level and use a built-in wind-cut fi lter to reduce noise from the wind when necessary. Alternatively, you can disable sound recording or use an accessory stereo microphone.

▶ Lens release button. Pressing this button releases the lens from the lens mount. To disengage the lens, hold down the lens release button as you turn the lens so that the red index mark moves toward the top of the camera.

▶ Refl ex mirror. As you compose an image, the refl ex mirror refl ects light from the lens to the pentaprism so you can see in the viewfi nder eyepiece what will be captured by the imaging sensor. The viewfi nder offers approximately 100 percent frame coverage. In Live View and Movie shooting, the mirror is fl ipped up to allow a current view of the scene. If you are using Quick mode focusing, the mirror fl ips down to focus, thereby suspending Live View momentarily. For long exposures, especially with a telephoto lens, you can lock up the mirror to prevent any vibration when the mirror fl ips up to make the exposure.

▶ Lens mount and contacts. The lens mount is compatible with Canon EF lenses. EF-S lenses are not compatible with the 5D Mark III. The lens mount has a red index marker that is used to line up with the red marker on EF-mount lenses.

▶ Depth-of-fi eld preview button. Press this button to stop down the lens dia-phragm to the current aperture so that you can preview the depth of fi eld. As you look through the viewfi nder, the larger the area of darkness, the more exten-sive the depth of fi eld will be. The button can also be used during Live View shooting to preview the depth of fi eld on the LCD. If the lens is set to the maxi-mum aperture, the depth-of-fi eld preview button cannot be depressed because the diaphragm is already fully open. You can also reassign the function of this and other camera controls using Custom Controls on the Custom Functions 2 menu tab ( ).

▶ DC coupler cord hole. This enables you to use household power when using the accessory AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6.



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1.4 EOS 5D Mark III camera front. Inside, the 5D Mark III has new shutter and mirror mechanisms that enable a silent shooting mode for quiet operation of the camera.

Top of the cameraDials and controls on the top of the camera provide access to frequently used shoot-ing functions. And the top of the camera is also home to the hot shoe and diopter control.



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1.5 EOS 5D Mark III top of the camera

▶ Mode dial with lock button. Select an exposure mode by pressing the Mode dial lock release button and turning the Mode dial. Exposure modes are grouped as follows:

• Fully automatic shooting mode: Scene Intelligent Auto ( ).

• Creative shooting modes: Program AE ( ), Shutter-priority AE ( ), Aperture-priority AE ( ), Manual ( ), and Bulb ( ).

• Custom ( ): This group includes three shooting modes that you can pro-gram with your favorite camera settings: , , .



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Just turn the Mode dial to line up the exposure mode that you want to use with the white mark next to the Mode dial.

CROSS REF Exposure modes are detailed in Chapter 3. Chapter 6 explains how to set up the Custom ( ) modes.

▶ Power switch. The power switch turns the camera off and on.

▶ Hot shoe. The hot shoe is where you mount an accessory fl ash unit. The mounting plate has fl ash sync contacts to communicate with the camera. The 5D Mark III is a Type A camera that is compatible with E-TTL II auto fl ash with accessory Canon EX-series Speedlites. When using a compatible EX-series Speedlite, the 5D Mark III offers fl ash confi guration from the camera menu.

▶ Dioptric adjustment knob. Turn this control forward or backward to adjust the sharpness in the viewfi nder for your vision. The adjustment ranges from –3 to +1 diopters. If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses for shooting, be sure to wear them as you turn the dioptric adjustment control. To make the adjustment, point the lens to a light-colored surface such as a piece of white paper or a white wall, and then turn the control until the AF points are perfectly sharp.

▶ Focal plane mark ( ). The mark indicates the equivalent of the fi lm plane and is useful in macro photography when you need to know the exact distance from the front of the image sensor plane to the subject.

▶ LCD panel. This panel displays current camera settings, including the white bal-ance, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, drive and autofo-cus modes, among others, and the camera status for remaining shots, battery level, and GPS device connection.

▶ Metering Mode/White Balance button ( ). Press this button to change the metering mode and/or the white balance settings. To change the metering mode, turn the dial; to change the white balance, turn the dial. The options for each are as follows:

• Metering modes. The choices include Evaluative ( , 63-zone metering), Partial ( , 6.2 percent of the viewfi nder at the center), Spot ( , 1.5 per-cent of the viewfi nder at the center), and Center-weighted Average ( , weighted toward the viewfi nder center and then averaged for the full scene).

• White Balance. Choices include Auto ( , 3000–7000 degrees Kelvin (K)), Daylight ( , 5200K), Shade ( , 7000K), Cloudy ( , 6000K), Tungsten ( , 3200K), White Fluorescent ( , 4000K), Flash ( ), Custom ( , 2000–10000K), and K ( , Kelvin Color Temperature, 2500–10000 K).



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▶ AF Mode/Drive Mode button ( ). Pressing this button enables you to change the Autofocus mode using the dial, or to change the drive mode using the dial. The options for each are listed here:

• AF modes. The choices are One-shot AF ( ), AI Focus AF ( ), and AI Servo AF ( ).

• Drive modes. The drive modes you can choose from are Single ( ), High-speed continuous ( , 6 fps), Low-speed continuous ( , 3 fps), Silent single ( ), Silent continuous ( , 3 fps), 10-second Self-timer/Remote con-trol ( ) and 2-second Self-timer/Remote control ( ).

▶ ISO/Flash Exposure Compensation button ( ). Press this button to change the ISO sensitivity setting using the dial, or to change the fl ash exposure compensation using the dial when a Speedlite is attached to the camera. You can adjust FEC to +/–3 stops in 1/3-stop increments.

▶ LCD Panel Illumination button ( ). Pressing the button turns on an amber light to illuminate the LCD panel for approximately 5 seconds. This is a handy option for making adjustments to the LCD panel controls in low light or in the dark.

▶ Main dial ( ). The dial selects a variety of options. Turn the dial to change the fi rst named option of the dual-function buttons above the LCD panel, to cycle through camera menu tabs, to move horizontally through the autofocus points when selecting an AF point manually, to set the aperture in mode, set the shutter speed in mode and modes, and shift the exposure in mode.

▶ Shutter button. When you press the shutter button halfway, the 5D Mark III automatically meters the light in the scene and focuses on the subject. Completely pressing the shutter button opens the shutter, of course, makes the picture. In continuous shooting drive modes, you can press and hold the shutter button to shoot at 6 frames per second (fps) in High-speed continuous mode, and at 3 fps in Low-speed continuous and Silent continuous modes. In Self-timer modes, pressing the shutter button completely initiates the 10- or 2-second timer, and after the timer delay, the shutter fi res to make the picture.

▶ AF area selection mode/Multi-function button ( ). When you press the AF-point selection button ( ) and then press the button, you can change the AF area selection mode to Manual select: Spot AF, Manual select: Single-point AF, Expand AF area: [4 surrounding], Expand AF area: Surround [8 sur-rounding], Manual select: Zone AF, or Auto selection: 61-pt AF. Chapter 4 details AF area selection modes.



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Back of the cameraA large, bright, 3.2-inch, 1.04-million-dot TFT liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitor domi-nates the back of the 5D Mark III. Thanks to gapless construction between the protec-tive glass cover and the LCD unit, both refraction and refl ection are reduced. The LCD also has a multicoating that protects against smudges and scratches.

Here is a look at the back of the 5D Mark III:

▶ Info. button ( ). During shooting, you can press the button to cycle through these displays: the shooting information screen that details the current camera settings, the Electronic Level, and the Quick Control screen. You can also choose to show no information on the LCD. When playing back images, pressing one or more times cycles through four different playback display modes.

▶ Menu button ( ). Pressing displays the most recently accessed camera menu. To move among the menus, press the Quick Control button ( ), turn the dial, or tilt the .

▶ Creative Photo button ( ). This button is new to EOS cameras, and it offers quick access to Picture Styles, the new Multiple exposure mode, and HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode. Turn the dial to select the option you want, and then press to display camera menus to set up the option. In Playback mode ( ), pressing initiates Comparative Playback mode ( ) so you can compare two images side by side. Press the button again to go back to single-image display.

▶ Rate button ( ). Pressing the button during playback one or more times rates images from one to fi ve stars. The function of this button can be changed to image protection using Custom Control on the menu tab.

▶ Magnify button ( ). Pressing the button and then turning the dial enlarges the image on the LCD up to 10x. Or turn the dial to the left until an index of four or nine images appears.

▶ Playback button ( ). Pressing this button displays the last captured or viewed image. To cycle through images on the card, turn the dial counterclockwise to view images from last taken to fi rst, or turn the dial clockwise to view images from fi rst taken to last. To change the information displayed with the image dur-ing playback, press one or more times.



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1.6 Back of the 5D Mark III

▶ Erase button ( ). Pressing during image playback displays options to erase the currently displayed image as long as it does not have protection applied to it. Batches of images can be erased together by selecting and check marking images.



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▶ Viewfi nder eyepiece and eyecup. The 5D Mark III viewfi nder is an eye-level pentaprism with approximately 100 percent vertical and horizontal coverage. The focusing screen cannot be changed.

▶ Live View shooting/Movie shooting switch, Start/Stop button ( / / ). Setting this switch to the position and pressing the button initiates Live View shooting. The refl ex mirror fl ips up to display a current view of the scene on the LCD monitor. Alternatively, set the switch to the Movie ( ), and then press the button to begin shooting movies. Press the button again to stop shooting in Live View or Movie mode.

▶ AF-On button ( ). Pressing initiates autofocusing in , , , , , and exposure modes, and when you’re shooting in Live View mode ( ) or

Movie mode ( ).

▶ AE Lock button ( ). During shooting, pressing this button enables you to set and lock the exposure at a different point from where you focus.

▶ AF-point selection button ( ). During shooting, press this button and then tilt the to manually choose an AF point. Also press this button, and then press the button to select an AF area selection mode.

▶ Multi-controller ( ). The eight-way functions as a button when pushed and as a joystick when tilted in any direction. During shooting, use it to select an AF point after pressing , to move the AF point or magnifying frame in Live View shooting, or to select and set camera menu options. On the Quick Control screen, tilt the to move among and select shooting and exposure options that you want to change. The is also used to set White balance shift.

▶ Quick Control button ( ). Pressing this button displays the Quick Control screen on the LCD, where you can make changes to the most commonly used camera settings. You can also press to move through the camera menus.

▶ Quick Control dial ( ). The dial selects a variety of settings. The dial selects the second named function for the buttons above the LCD panel. Use it to choose options on the camera menus, and to move vertically through the AF points after pressing . In mode, you can set the dial so it is touch sensitive to make silent changes to settings and options.

▶ Access lamp. This light, located under and to the right of the dial, lights or blinks red when any action related to taking, recording, reading, erasing, or trans-ferring images is in progress. Whenever the light is lit or blinking, do not open the memory card slot door, turn off the camera, or remove the battery.



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▶ Set button ( ). Pressing this button confi rms menu selections, opens sub-menu screens, and, on the Quick Control screen it opens screens from which you can change settings such as the ISO, exposure compensation, and expo-sure bracketing.

▶ Multi-function lock switch ( ). You can program this switch to prevent accidental changes to the dial, the dial, and the . You can set up the use of the switch on the menu tab by choosing Multi-function lock. Then when you set this switch to the left position, you have full use of the dial, the

dial, and the for selecting camera options and settings. Setting it to the right position limits use of the controls to prevent accidental changes to camera settings.

Side of the cameraOn the side of the 5D Mark III is the door for the media cards with slots for a CompactFlash (CF) and a Secure Digital (SD) memory card. The opposite side of the camera houses two sets of camera terminals under individual rubber covers. The rub-ber covers are embossed with descriptive icons and text to identify the terminals.

Here is an overview of each camera terminal by rows.

▶ External microphone IN terminal ( ). This is a 3.5mm external microphone terminal for an accessory stereo microphone equipped with a miniature plug. When you use an accessory microphone for recording audio during movie shooting, the camera automatically switches audio recording to the external microphone.

▶ PC terminal ( ). This threaded, no-polarity terminal enables connection between the camera and studio fl ash units that have a sync cord. Canon recommends using a sync speed of 1/30 to 1/60 second.

CROSS REF See Chapter 9 for details on working with flash units.

▶ Remote control terminal ( ). This N3-type terminal connects with the acces-sory Remote Switch RS-80N3, Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3, or other N3-type EOS accessories.

▶ Headphone terminal ( ). This terminal enables you to plug in stereo head-phones that have a mini plug (3.5mm diameter). With the headphones, you can listen to audio as it’s recorded during movie shooting as well as during playback.



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▶ Audio/video OUT/Digital terminal ( ). Use this terminal when you want to connect the camera to a non-HDTV to view images and mov-ies stored on the media card. Be sure to use only the supplied A/V cable to make the connection. You can connect the camera directly to a computer to download images from the camera to the computer, or to a PictBridge-compatible printer to print images directly from a memory card.

▶ HDMI mini OUT terminal ( ). This terminal, coupled with the acces-sory HDMI Cable HTC-100, enables you to connect the camera to an HDTV. You cannot use the terminal simultaneously with the terminal.

1.7 EOS 5D Mark III terminals



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Lens Controls OverviewUsing the controls on lenses, you can control whether to use automatic or manual focusing, Image Stabilization, as well as other functions depending on the lens you’re using. If you want to switch from autofocusing to manual focusing, you can position the switch on the side of the lens to on lenses that offer manual focusing. Manual focusing includes focus assist. As you adjust the focusing ring on the lens, the focus confi rmation light in the lower-right side of the viewfi nder lights steadily when sharp focus is achieved.

While lenses are covered in Chapter 10, navigating the camera includes being familiar with lens controls, so I include them here.

Depending on the lens, additional lens controls may include the following:

▶ Lens mounting index. The index mark on the lens is red for Canon EF lenses. Just match up with the red mark on the 5D Mark III’s lens mount to attach the lens to the camera. All lenses have a lens mounting index mark.

▶ Zoom ring. Turning this ring zooms the lens to the focal length marked on the ring. On some older lenses, such as the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens, zooming is accomplished by fi rst releasing a zoom ring, and then pushing or pull-ing the lens to zoom out or in.

▶ Focusing distance range selection switch. This switch is offered on some lenses, and it limits the range that the lens uses when seeking focus. For exam-ple, if you choose the 2.5m to infi nity focusing distance option on the EF 70-200mm, f/2.8L IS USM lens, then the lens does not seek focus at 2.5m and closer, and this speeds up autofocus. The focusing distance range options vary by lens.

▶ Distance scale and infi nity compensation mark. The distance scale shows the lens’s minimum focusing distance through infi nity. The scale includes an infi nity compensation mark that can be used to compensate for shifting the infi n-ity focus point that results from temperature changes.



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1.8 Lens controls, as shown on an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens



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▶ Focusing ring. Turning the focusing ring enables you to bring the subject into sharp focus when the lens is set to Manual Focus. Or in Autofocus, you can turn the focusing ring to tweak the focus. Not all lenses offer manual focusing.

▶ Focus mode switch. Choose Manual Focus (MF) or Autofocus (AF).

▶ Image stabilizer switch. This switch turns on or off optical Image Stabilization. Optical Image Stabilization (IS) corrects vibrations from handholding the camera. Corrections are made at any angle or at only right angles.

▶ Image stabilizer mode switch. On some telephoto lenses, this switch enables Image Stabilization for standard shooting and stabilization when you are panning with the subject movement at right angles to the camera.

Viewfi nder displayAlong with a 100 percent view of the scene, the eye-level pentaprism viewfi nder also displays the 61 AF points as well as the current exposure and camera settings.

Looking through the viewfi nder during shooting allows you to verify whether camera settings are as you want or if they need to be changed. In addition, you are alerted when any exposure element you have chosen is beyond the exposure capability of the light in the scene.

Figure 1.9 shows the viewfi nder information and what each element represents.

Quick Control screenThe Quick Control screen, shown in Figure 1.10, is one of the handiest ways to quickly see and change camera and exposure settings with minimum hassle. You can use this screen to bypass the camera menus in many cases to adjust key camera settings as you shoot.



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1.9 EOS 5D Mark III viewfi nder display



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To access the Quick Control screen, just press . Tilt the to select a setting you want to change, and then turn the dial to make the change, or press to display the settings screen where you can choose the setting you want.

Camera menusThe 5D Mark III offers menus grouped as tabs in the categories of Shooting ( ), AF ( ), Playback ( ), Setup ( ), Custom Functions ( ), My Menu ( ), and Movie ( ). Just press the button to open the camera menus.

The menus and options change, based on the shooting mode you select. In mode, the menus are abbreviated and you can make only limited changes to the exposure and camera settings.

But in semiautomatic and manual shooting modes such as , , , , , and all the menus are available.

Tables 1.1 through 1.23 show the camera menus and options that are displayed in , , , , , and exposure modes.

Table 1.1 Shooting 1 Menu ( )

Commands OptionsImage quality , ,

, , , , , , ,

Image review Off, 2 sec., 4 sec., 8 sec., Hold

Beep Enable, Disable

Release shutter without a card Enable (ON), Disable (OFF)

Lens aberration correction Peripheral illumination: Enable, Disable.

Chromatic aberration: Enable, Disable

External Speedlite control Flash fi ring, E-TTL II meter, Flash sync. Speed in Av mode, Flash function settings, Clear fl ash settings, Flash C.Fn settings, Clear all Speedlite C.Fn’s

Mirror lockup Disable (OFF), Enable

1.10 EOS 5D Mark III Quick Control screen



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Commands OptionsExpo. comp./AEB. (This changes to Exposure comp. during movie recording.)

1/3-stop increments, up to +/–5 stops of exposure compensation and up to +/–3 stops of AEB

ISO speed settings ISO speed, ISO speed range, Auto ISO range, Min. shutter spd.

Auto Lighting Optimizer Disable, Low, Standard, High, Disable during manual exposure

White Balance , , , , , , , , (Color Temperature 2500 to 10000 K)

Custom White Balance Set a manual White Balance

WB Shift/Bkt White Balance correction using Blue/Amber (B/A) or Magenta/Green (M/G) color bias of +/–9 levels; White Balance Bracketing using B/A and M/G bias of +/–3 levels.

Color space sRGB, Adobe RGB


Commands OptionsPicture Style Auto ( ), Standard ( ), Portrait ( ),

Landscape ( ), Neutral ( ), Faithful ( ), Monochrome ( ), User Defi ned 1, 2, and 3 ( )

Long exp. noise reduction Disable (OFF), Auto (AUTO), Enable (ON)

High ISO speed NR Standard, Low, High, Disable

Highlight tone priority Disable (OFF), Enable (D+)

Dust Delete Data Locates and records dust on the image sensor so you can use the data in the Canon Digital Photo Professional program to erase dust spots on images

Multiple exposure Press to display the following options for Multiple exposure shooting. Multiple exposure (Disable, On: Func/Ctrl, or On:ContShtng), Multi-expos ctrl (Additive, Average, Bright, Dark), No. of exposures (2 to 9), Save source imgs (All images, Result only), Continue Mult-exp (1 shot only, Continuously)

HDR Mode Press to display the following options for HDR mode. Adjust dyn range (Disable HDR, Auto +/–1 EV, +/–2 EV, +/–3 EV), Effect (Natural, Art standard, Art vivid, Art bold, Art embossed), Continuous HDR (1 shot only, Every shot), Auto Image Align (Enable, Disable), Save source imgs (All images, HDR img only)



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Commands OptionsLive View shoot. Enable, Disable

AF mode Live mode, Live mode, Quick mode

Grid display Off, 3×3, 6×4, 3×3+diag (diagonal X-shaped lines)

Aspect ratio 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 1:1

Expo. simulation Enable, During (depth-of-fi eld preview), Disable

Silent LV shooting Mode 1, Mode 2, Disable

Metering timer 4 sec., 16 sec., 30 sec., 1 min., 10 min., 30 min.

Table 1.5 AF 1 Menu ( )

Commands OptionsCase 1 Multi-purpose setting

Case 2 Choose to have the camera focus track the subject and ignore intervening obstacles

Case 3 Choose to shift focus to subjects that enter the AF points

Case 4 Choose for subjects that accelerate or decelerate quickly

Case 5 Choose for subjects moving quickly in any direction. (Cannot be selected in Single-point AF mode.)

Case 6 Choose for subject whose speed and movement changes erratically. (Cannot be selected in Single-point AF mode.)


Commands OptionsAI Servo 1st image priority Release (priority), Equal priority, Focus (priority)

AI Servo 2nd image priority Speed (priority), Equal priority, Focus (priority)


Commands OptionsUSM lens electronic MF Enable after One-shot AF (ON), Disable after One-shot

AF (OFF), Disable in AF mode (OFF)

AF-assist beam fi ring Enable (ON), Disable (OFF), IR AF assist beam only (IR)

One-Shot AF release prior. Release (priority), Focus priority



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Commands OptionsLens drive when AF impossible Continue focus search (ON), Stop focus search

(OFF)

Selectable AF point 61 points, Only cross-type AF points, 15 points, 9 points

Select AF area selec. mode Manual selection: Spot AF, Manual selec.: 1 point AF, Expand AF area: ( ), Expand AF area: Surround, Manual selection: Zone AF, Auto selec-tion: 61 point AF

AF area selection method ➙ M-Fn button ( ), ➙ Main dial ( )

Orientation linked AF point Same for both vert/horiz, Select separate AF points


Commands OptionsManual AF pt. selec. pattern Stops at AF area edges, Continuous

AF point display during focus Selected (constant), All (constant), Selected (pre-AF, focused), Selected (focused), Disable display (OFF)

VF display illumination Auto (AUTO), Enable (ON), Disable (OFF)

AF Microadjustment Disable, All by same amount, Adjust by lens

Table 1.10 Playback 1 Menu ( )

Commands OptionsProtect images Select images, All images in folder, Unprotect all

images in folder, All images on card, Unprotect all images on card

Rotate image Rotate the selected vertical image

Erase images Select and erase images, All images in folder, or All images on card

Print order Select images to be printed (Digital Print Order Format, or DPOF)

Image copy Copy images between media cards

RAW image processing Select and process images



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Commands OptionsResize Select image and downsize the image to one of the next

smaller sizes

Rating OFF, choose a one- to fi ve-star rating.

Slide show All images, Setup, and Start a slide show of images on the selected media card

Image transfer [Choose images to download to the computer.] Image sel./transfer, or RAW+JPEG transfer (JPEG only)

Image jump w/ Move through images by: 1, 10, 100 (images at a time), Date, Folder, Movies, Stills, Rating


Commands OptionsHighlight alert Disable, Enable

AF point disp. Disable, Enable

Playback grid OFF, 3×3, 6×4, 3×3+diag (with X-shaped diagonal lines)

Histogram disp Brightness, RGB

Movie play count Rec time, Time code (linked to the Time code’s Movie play count on the menu tab).

Magnifi cation (apx) 1x (no magnifi cation), 2x, (magnify from center), 4x (magnify from center, 8x (magnify from center), 10x (magnify from center) Actual size (from selected pt), Same as last magnify. (from ctr)

Ctrl over HDMI Disable, Enable

Table 1.13 Setup 1 Menu ( )

Commands OptionsRecord func+card/folder sel. Record func.: Auto switch card, Record/play: [card num-

ber], Folder [Select or create a folder]

File numbering Continuous, Auto reset, Manual reset

File name Press to display these options: File name [your cam-era’s preset code], Change User setting 1, Change User setting 2

Auto rotate On camera and computer, On computer, Off

Format card Press , choose card, press , to erase all images on the selected card

Eye-Fi settings Option available when an Eye-Fi card is in the SD card slot. Displays options to set up fi le transmission.



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Commands OptionsAuto power off 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30 min., Disable

LCD brightness Auto (three brightness levels), Manual (seven adjust-able levels of brightness)

Date/Time/Zone Set the date (year/month/day) and time (hour/minute/second)

Language Choose language

VF grid display Disable, Enable

GPS device settings Setting for the accessory GPS Receiver GP-E2


Commands OptionsVideo system NTSC, PAL

Battery info. View remaining battery capacity, shutter count, recharge performance, battery registration, and bat-tery history

Sensor cleaning Auto cleaning (Enable), Clean now, Clean manually

button display options Press to display these options: Display camera settings, Electronic level, Displays shooting func-tions (Choose one, two, or all options.)

button function Press to display these options: Rating, (Image) Protect


Commands OptionsCustom shooting mode (C1-C3) Press to display these options: Register settings,

Clear settings, Auto update set. (Disable)

Clear all camera settings Restore the camera’s default settings

Copyright information Press to display these options: Display copyright info, Enter author’s name, Enter copyright details, Delete copyright information.

Firmware Ver. (Firmware version number)

Press to update the camera’s fi rmware after you’ve copied the fi rmware to one of the media cards.



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Table 1.17 Custom Functions, C.Fn1 Menu ( )

Commands OptionsExposure level increments 1/3-stop, or 1/-stop

ISO speed setting increments 1/3-stop (1/3), or 1-stop (1/1)

Bracketing auto cancel Enable (ON), or Disable (OFF)

Bracketing sequence 0, –, +

–, 0, +

+, 0, –

Number of bracketed shots 3, 2, 5, or 7 shots

Safety shift Disable (OFF), Shutter speed/Aperture ( / ), or ISO speed (ISO)

Table 1.18 C.Fn2 Menu ( )

Commands OptionsWarnings ! in viewfi nder When monochrome ( ) is set, When WB is cor-

rected, When one-touch image qual set, When ISO expansion is used, When spot meter. is set

LV shooting area display Masked or Outlined

Dial direction during Tv/Av Normal, or Reverse direction

Multi-function lock Main dial, Quick Control dial, or Multi-controller

Custom Controls Shutter butt half-press, AF-On button, AE Lock but-ton, DOF preview button, Lens AF stop button, Multi-function button, Set button, Main dial, Quick Control dial, Multi-controller


Commands OptionsAdd cropping information Off (OFF), Aspect ratio 6:6 (6:6), Aspect ratio 3:4

(3:4), Aspect ratio 4:5 (4:5), Aspect ratio 6:7 (6:7), Aspect ratio 10:12 (5:6), Aspect ratio 5:7 (5:7)

Default Erase option [Cancel] selected, or [Erase] selected


Commands OptionsClear all Custom Func. (C.Fn) Cancel, OK



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Table 1.21 My Menu ( )

Commands OptionsMy Menu settings My Menu settings. Choose My Menu settings and

press to display these options: Register to My Menu, Sort, Delete item/items, Delete all items, and Display from My Menu.

Table 1.22 Shooting 4 (Movie) Shooting Menu ( )

Commands OptionsAF mode Live Mode, Live mode, Quick mode

Grid display Off, 3 × 3, 6 × 4, 3 x 3+diag (diagonal X-shaped lines)

Movie rec. size 1920 × 1080 with options for 30, 25, or 24 fps, using either All-I or IPB compression.

1280 × 720 with the option for 60 or 50 fps using either All-I or IPB compression.

640 × 480 at 30 or 25 fps using IPB compression

Sound recording Auto, Manual, Disable. Also Recording level and Wind fi lter (Disable or Enable)

Silent LV shooting Mode 1, Mode 2, Disable

Metering timer 4, 16, 30 sec., 1, 10, 30 min.

Table 1.23 Shooting 5 (Movie) Shooting Menu ( )

Commands OptionsTime code Count up (Rec run or Free run), Start time setting,

Movie rec count (Rec time or Time code), Movie play count (Rec time or Time code), Drop frame (Enable, Disable)

Silent Control Enable, Disable

Movie shoot. Btn button, or shutter button and button (to begin recording)


Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide

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