Kind of off topic but I need advice about my MKIII and if I should upgrade

[k1001]

Has ML reached it's height? does the black magic cinema camera produce better video quality etc. I know it's kind of off topic but I'm in need of advice, I'm not sure if I should take the plunge.

[PaulHarwood856]

Hey k1001,

     I've debated this myself, but keep in mind black magic cameras are really bad in low light. So if you're shooting with good lighting, they produce great images. But if you shoot events and situations with low light, the 5D Mark III will be a much better friend to you. I've used the Blackmagic 4K in a few productions for school. It's a great camera, but also keep in mind you have to purchase a ton of other accessories to make it work. A V Mount Battery is heavy and expensive. The screen's peaking is not my favorite either, and the screen is reflective in bright light, even with a hood on. The 5D Mark III has so much included when adding Magic Lantern, but if 4K is a must, then you won't have regrets when it comes to the Blackmagic's image under good lighting. Hope this helps you out!

- Paul Harwood

[dfort]

If you're thinking about the Cinema Camera or the Pocket Cinema Camera keep in mind that these cameras have much smaller sensors than the 5D3. That changes the look of the footage. I've got a friend who is a professional DP and he commented on how well the BMPCC cut in with the Arri Alexa. Then he went a bought a Sony A7s for himself so go figure. Magic Lantern is more for technically adept users.

[jmanord]

My vote would be the 5dIII. FRSP, trap focus, raw video, full frame, intervalometer, battery life, ergonomics, moire, etc are all in the plus column for the 5dIII when you factor in ML. With tools like MLVFS, the workflows become mostly identical. Image quality can very between the two depending on the shooting conditions. My only warning would be it's hard to go back to lossy video codecs once you've made the switch to raw.