Canon EOS 5D Mark III Incredible ISO 12800 Performance a Smashing Hit

Back in 2009 when I wrote I Jump. Do You? in an effort to demonstrate my newly acquired 5D Mark II’s ISO 6400 performance and AI Servo tracking capability, some readers suggested that the test was flawed. That was then, this is now. III years on (pun intended) and again I find myself holding a 5D Mark III at the same sports hall where I conducted the 2009 test and I’ll let you be the judge of this test: EF 70-200mm f/2.8, @ ISO 12800, 1/500 sec, Auto White Balance.

Of course, I know that 600 pixel wide images do not mean anything until you see one of reasonably large size to pixel peep. For that, I include an unedited RAW converted JPEG image (1.4 MB) that I think is good enough to show you just how clean ISO 12800 is (remember, though the venue is a dedicated badminton court its lights are rows of fluorescent lights not spot lights that you’re probably used to seeing at world class tournaments). Many thanks to Cyril who took charge of the 5D Mark III while I was getting an intense workout!

Click on image to see a larger version (1000px) of an unedited RAW-to-JPEG file (1.4 MB)

 This 620 pixel wide image is post-processed for contrast and colour like I always do.  The EXIF files show ISO 12800, 1/500 sec, Auto White Balance. If you’re a seasoned photographer these numbers tell you a lot.

On another occasion, I took the unusual step of fitting a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens to the 5D Mark III to shoot badminton because where I was allowed to sit during the tournament, that focal length made the most sense. Read more in my other post EOS 5D Mark III + EF 50mm f/1.4 at ISO 12800 for Sports Photography?

Chung Hua Middle School KB contestant Edward reaching for the shuttlecock captured using EF 50mm f/1.4 at ISO 12800 f/2.5 1/1250 sec.

Using multiple AF points in the EOS-1D X and 5D Mark III | Even more incredible: Canon EOS-1D X

Related EOS 5D Mark III stories
Canon EOS 5D Mark III: Improvements That Matter. Or Not.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III: File Name Customization and Other Features That Make Sense
Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro Lens an Appetizing Combo (Shooting Food at ISO 6400)

Canon EOS 5D Mark III: Does the “Possible Shots” Limit of 1999 Bother You?

Expanding the matter of the Possible Shots counter capping to just “1999” where I wrote in the image caption, “I guess this is a easy firmware fix should Canon decide it’s needed.” a visitor posted the following comment:

“About the image counter, I doubt it can be made to show more than 1999 with a firmware upgrade. The available symbols on the LCD screen cannot change (this is not a dot-matrix screen that could display any symbol made of dots) and it looks like the first of the four digits is too narrow to be able to display anything except “1″. There is just not enough space between the left bracket and the second digit.” — Stefan

The image counter on previous 5D models including the Mark II were limited to just 3 digits. This can be quite annoying when you have a large capacity flash card and all the camera ever shows is 999. On the 5D Mark III this is expanded to four digits. Currently display is limited to a strange 1,999.

Interesting comment I can neither agree not disagree given my limited knowledge of how LCD works. This just piques my curiousity more. It goes without saying that the actual number of possible shots also depends on how much charge the LP-E6 battery has. For the purpose of argument, it is assumed a full charge. The counter limit here is a factory designed limit and why it stops at 1999 is puzzling. It does not actually bother me for now but someday when my CF cards get bigger to the tune of 32GB or 64GB this limit may become a source of annoyance.

Using a SanDisk Extreme 16GB CF Card, I set image resolution to the smallest possible JPEG so the number possible shots would go into several thousands. However the number the camera is able to display is limited to just 1999 as seen in the photo of the 5D Mark III above.