• The Canon Rumors Forum has officially been shut down as of July 10, 2026.

    All data will be deleted on September 16, 2026.

    the ad free experience will return by July 17, 2026.

5D MK III Soft Images Even When Changing Settings in DPP

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheSkinsFactory
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Sort by date Sort by votes
#43
You guys are on crack, seriously, I've seen endless images that sharp (the D800 sample) from a Mark II.

The problem with the Mark III, isn't the camera, it's the software.

I work in the studio almost once a week for basic beauty headshots for make up artists, and when shooting my 135L on a Mark II, at my usual f/5.6, with the face fully in the frame, it's that sharp, every single time. Of course the file isn't as big, but I'm not printing bill boards. And neither are you. :)
 
Upvote 0
#44
Sandy: It's a different camera with a different processor if I'm not mistaken. How many times have you seen a series of products where the next gen isn't as good as the gen before? I'm not saying this is the case. I'm just saying it's not out of the realm of possibility.
 
Upvote 0
#45
TheSkinsFactory said:
Sandy: It's a different camera with a different processor if I'm not mistaken. How many times have you seen a series of products where the next gen isn't as good as the gen before? I'm not saying this is the case. I'm just saying it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Click to expand...

Of course it's possible, but do you really believe that they would have not figured that out, Software problems aside. If they messed up, they messed up. Fine, but I'm telling you if you want to achieve sharpness and detail, you don't need a Mark III or a D800 to do that. Put any decent lens to F/8 and shoot a portrait at low ISO with decent lighting, and you'll get very high detail and sharpness. I do it with a Mark II every few days... the level of detail is incredible, and gives me a lot to work with.

Of course it's possible. :) As I said above, but we've seen the test photos the day it came out, or just after, from a few sites who had their hands on it for a few weeks or days, and they're tests showed high levels of detail VS. the Mark II. I assume this is the software problem that has been talked about on places like this:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-III-DSLR-Camera-Review.aspx



Which I trust, to read that, and see that it seems to be software related, and nothing so far is a true 100% fix for the solution yet.
 
Upvote 0
#46
Yeah I read that earlier. It's a helpful article.

Your argument of "do you really believe they would have not figured that out" doesn't say much considering they released broken software. Which in my book means they rushed out this product. What else with this camera was rushed just to make sure they came out near the release date of Nikon's D800? I don't like the whole "let's release broken crap and fix it later". That's amateurish. I didn't spend $3500 dollars on beta anything. I want a working product when I'm paying that much money.
 
Upvote 0
#47
This is my first post here and I registered specifically to be able to write this reply. It seems to me a good deal of the softness complaint I'm seeing has to do with mistaking photographer technique with camera performance. This thread is a case in point.

The original dog picture may be soft for reasons other than dpp settings or focus error. A moving subject with a long focal lens, an aperture of 5 and zone autofocus is not the best condition for great sharpness. The depth of field is too shallow, and the angular shake due to following a moving target with a long lens can produce a lot of blur.

On the other hand, the sharpness of the Nikon portrait pose as an example is taken in a controlled environment, with controlled lighting producing subjective sharpness. There is enough DOF to put the whole model in focus. Also, the skin texture hints at a good deal of sharpening applied (something I'm not too crazy about personally).

As someone else said, I have a number of portraits with L135, that look just as sharp (at least at that enlargement ratio), and the camera attached to the lens is an old 5d classic ! On the other hand, when I shoot moving subjects with my 200/2.8, I know I have to have a speed 1/1000 or 1/2000, to avoid any kind of even minute motion blur. The dog picture here is taken at 1/500 if I'm not mistaken. Too slow, and with the shallow depth of field...

There may or may not be a softness issue on some 5diii bodies. But we need to run tests in conditions that allow for the best possible sharpness, in terms of photo technique, before we can draw any form of conclusion.
 
Upvote 0
#48
The camera works fine, you have a working product. :)

The software on the other hand...


Some of the reviews coming in, one I just read posted on this site, shows some pretty impressive detail from a 100% crop of a bird.... looked nice.
 
Upvote 0
#49
For comparison, here's a 100% crop from my favorite hairy girl. Kit lens, f/7.1 @ 1/200th, iso 400, bounce flash a few wb and sharpening adjustments in LR.

Some of the 36mp images I've seen are stunning, but I really can't see anything to complain about when a snapshot from the canon looks like this.
 

Attachments

  • G35C9036.jpg
    G35C9036.jpg
    558.8 KB · Views: 1,130
Upvote 0
#50
I agree with the comment about user error and my dog. I still have a lot to learn about camera operations. There seems to be a learning curve (for me at least) when moving from a 7D to the MK III.
 
Upvote 0
#51
One last thing about the nikon shot mentioned on page 3... nikons are notorious of adding extra processing even to raw files that cannot be undone, that coupled with the fact that we dont know what raw/setting the original photographer used... for all we know they could have taken the sharpness setting up to 50 on ACR... you take a 5d3 and pump that much sharpening and you will get similar sharpness files... When focused correctly, most raw files i've seen online that's downloadable, when put in ACR 6.7 RC beta... files, when given the slightest sharpening, look phenomenal overall. Plus the colors, the pop, the overall affect... this camera when fully mastered, appears to be a spectacular camera... That's not taking anything away from the D800... it's a great camera in it's own right... but keep playing and have a little patience and i have no doubt you are going to get awesome results...
 
Upvote 0
#55
Awin is right. If you look closely (at the Nikon shot) you can see some jagged edges on some of the hairs. This indicates to me that a lot of extra sharpening was applied in post processing.
 
Upvote 0
#56
with it all being so new i wish people would only post images or raws straight out of camera.
posting post processed images is fine for showcasing but none of this is about that its about what the camera can do at a base level. I think everyone know that a little PP can dramatically change an image from its raw state to present it in a completely different light.
leave the processed images for the image gallery at the moment htis is all about the gear and what it can and cant do.
I am concerned this new AF system may be a dud :'(
 
Upvote 0
#58
Are you using a uv filter? I put a uv on my 70-200 2.8 is after getting it. I didnt noticed much at 70mm but at 200mm the shots were considerably softer than I knew they should be. I couldn't figure it out until I realized that I still had a cheap filter on. As soon as I took it off they became tack sharp.
 
Upvote 0
#60
I'd definitely try spot AF, I seem to be getting better results with that. The AF has been amazing for me, even with fast-moving subjects it just nails it almost every time. But when you're messing with really shallow depth of field even if it's back focusing or front focusing slightly it will appear to be "soft." There are so many variables, handheld or tripod, shutter speed, AF settings, etc., I'd just experiment a bit more if I were you. But I'm willing to bet it's not the camera itself that's causing your problems..
 
Upvote 0
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Ebrahim Saadawi
Canon 5D MKIV from a Video Perspective
Replies
55
Views
37K
Josh Denver
J
M
Shooting a 5DSR in M RAW Vs 5D MK III
Replies
22
Views
21K
Mardave8080
M
M
Fake serial number on Canon 5D Mark III on a UK purchase
Replies
8
Views
18K
Mt Spokane Photography
Mt Spokane Photography
K
  • Locked
Another one of those 5D Mark III soft images threads.
Replies
21
Views
29K
Mt Spokane Photography
Mt Spokane Photography
P
  • Locked
5D MK III Focusing Question
Replies
4
Views
3K
sanj
sanj
Top Bottom
Home
Forums
Media
Menu