Canon 5D Mark III preproduction models

[hippoeater]

With the unveiling of the 5Dmk3 and it's specs (which I am completely excited about and have already preordered mine at best buy) what do you guys think were the specifications of the other "test" models that were out there in photographers hands?

I remember reading before (like the new 24-70) that they had multiple variations out testing with pro photographers.

How different do you think the specs were on those cameras? Will we ever find out what else the 5Dmk3 "could've" been?

Just curious!

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I doubt that you will ever know what they tested.  Do you know anything about testing of any previous model?  It never is revealed because it doesn't matter.

[Waterdonkey]

I think this is a case of: New info withdrawal and I'm Jonesing big time too.
I think maybe Mt Spokane Photography might be wrong on this one.  I say this because of the rumored split in the 5D II world- 5D III and 5DX. There could be a couple of bodies still floating around out there. 
I like to think there are two higher MP cams being tested.  4K perhaps?  We all need bigger faster computers and processors to deal reasonably with all the data. 
But to your point hippo eater, it's fun to speculate in the absents of new News.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I think this is a case of: New info withdrawal and I'm Jonesing big time too.
I think maybe Mt Spokane Photography might be wrong on this one.  I say this because of the rumored split in the 5D II world- 5D III and 5DX. There could be a couple of bodies still floating around out there. 
I like to think there are two higher MP cams being tested.  4K perhaps?  We all need bigger faster computers and processors to deal reasonably with all the data. 
But to your point hippo eater, it's fun to speculate in the absents of new News.

What I said was that we will never know the alternate sensors that were tested for the 5D MK III.  Certainly, they tested multiple sensors.  We may have a good guess, but no real information. 

The possibility that another camera is coming out with a different sensor does not seem to be a factor to me.

I'm willing to be wrong.  Tell us what alternate sensors they tested for the D1 X, the 1D MK IV, the 5D MK II, the 7D, or any of the other dozen or more models.  Give us a link to the info.

[Waterdonkey]

"Tell us what alternate sensors they tested for the D1 X, the 1D MK IV, the 5D MK II, the 7D, or any of the other dozen or more models.  Give us a link to the info."

Mt Spokane Photography, This is the point, to speculate, not to have any hard info.

I'm not trying to call you out here but your tone seems so final:

"I doubt that you will ever know what they tested.  Do you know anything about testing of any previous model?  It never is revealed because it doesn't matter."

I was just playing the speculation game with hippoeater.

[AmbientLight]

Well, regarding getting any information about camera model release candidates, which where not chosen, Mt. Spokane Photography has made a really valid point.

Although you may speculate and it is certainly an interesting topic to speculate on, there is not going to be any information about features in the release candidate models for the 5D Mark III, which have been dropped.

What you can also safely forget is that any of those possibly very nice features tested with other release candidates, but having been dropped after review, will suddenly reappear later within the same model. If those features have been removed, they have been removed for a reason. If the features have not been removed, they will appear either with the initial release or as a firmware update or in a later model, but the choice has been made at a certain point and it is quite often final, at least being final for the current model.

As a consequence "It never is revealed because it doesn't matter" is simply true.

Let us therefore turn our attention to features in upcoming models, such as perhaps a 5D-X.

[LetTheRightLensIn]

With the unveiling of the 5Dmk3 and it's specs (which I am completely excited about and have already preordered mine at best buy) what do you guys think were the specifications of the other "test" models that were out there in photographers hands?

I remember reading before (like the new 24-70) that they had multiple variations out testing with pro photographers.

How different do you think the specs were on those cameras? Will we ever find out what else the 5Dmk3 "could've" been?

Just curious!

I wonder if some did have the rumored 6.9fps.
I wish they had been able to get to 6.9fps considering they kept the MP the same. 7fps, 1DX AF would make sense at $3500.

[AmbientLight]

@Hippoeater:
The answer to your initial question you will find to a certain extent as soon as the first firmware updates for the 5D Mark III are out, at least for the features, which have been delayed.

If for example a higher frames per second rate was being tested, I expect you will never find out, because this is not likely to be a feature that can be added with just a firmware update.

Looking at older models you will find that the firmware updates contain three kinds of things:
1) Fixes of some kind to issues not found in initial product testing
2) Additions due to some external cause such as new card types requiring different in-camera software
3) Adding features planned for the model, but which did not make it into the initial release

Since the firmware updates contain descriptions of the changes therein you will be able to identify the kind of feature left out and added later.