Review of the Canon 5D Mark III

[sc name="affiliate disclosure"]Several years ago I wanted to take my photography to another level. I had experience with entry level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. After hearing about Full Frame cameras, I wanted to test the image quality from these cameras. After doing some research I decided on the Canon 5D Mark III. Below is my review of the Canon 5D Mark III.

Sample Photos

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Price

At the time of this writing, the Canon 5D Mark III retails for $2,299.00 on Amazon. The camera dimensions are 152x116x76mm and weighs 950g.

What You Get

Autofocus is one of the 5D Mark III's strengths. It is a favorite choice among sports & wedding photographers. Here are some of the additional features you should expect from the 5D Mark III:

• Battery Life: Up To 950 Shots
• Dual Card Slots: SD Card, Cfast Card
• 61 Focus Points
• 45 Cross Points
• Weather Sealed Body

What You Won’t Get

Because the 5D Mark III was released in 2012, it is missing some modern technology compared to today's cameras. I have noted some of the features missing on the 5D:

• Articulating Screen
• Built-in Flash
• GPS
• Timelapse Recording
• WiFi

Weight is another issue of the 5D Mark III. The body alone of the 5D Mark III weighs 950g. Combined with a lens the weight can be strenuous if you're using this camera at an event or traveling.

Magic Lantern

Among an interesting feature available to older Canon cameras is the ability to use Magic Lantern. Magic Lantern is a third party software enhancement that offers increased functionality to the older Canon DSLR cameras. With the addition of Magic Lantern on the 5D Mark III you gain the following features:

• Intervalometer for Timelapse
• Silent Pictures
• Zebra Overlays for Manual Focus

I found that using Magic Lantern on the 5D Mark III made up for some of the cameras shortcomings.

Summary of My Review of the Canon 5D Mark III

In conclusion, if you're looking for an Full Frame camera the 5D Mark III is a great option. I used the 5D Mark III when I traveled to Australia and loved the images that came out. The 5D Mark III still remains a popular camera even though the 5D Mark IV has been out a year. In today's technological world, where we're searching for the latest and greatest, it's an amazing feet for a camera to be a steady performer for the last eight years.[tg_divider style="normal"]

Sony a7R III Review

[sc name="affiliate disclosure"]The Sony a7R III was released late towards the end of 2017 and replaces the popular Sony a7R II. Sony's product line of A7 cameras are among the only full frame mirrorless cameras on the market. So compared to DSLRs, mirrorless cameras are less heavy and easier to carry around. Along with the Nikon D850, the Sony a7R III was among the top-ranked cameras for 2017. Because of the Sony a7R III's popularity and because it seems like a camera I would purchase in the future, I choose to review it. Hence, below is my Sony a7R III Review.

Sample Photos

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Price:

At the time of this writing the Sony a7R III is priced at $3198.00 for just the body. Furthermore, along with purchasing the camera body, other costs are mainly associated with lenses. Compared to Canon and Nikon, Sony's lenses tend to fall on the expensive side for most cameras.

What You Get

• 10.0 fps continuous shooting
• 3″ Tilting Screen
• 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
• 4K - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
• 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
• 5-axis Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
• Built-in Wireless
• ISO 100 - 32000
• Weather Sealed Body

Battery Life

Another major improvement I enjoyed in the Sony a7R III was the camera's battery life. For years Sony mirrorless cameras always had this drawback. As a result, the new improved battery for the Sony a7R III can last close to 750, therefore eliminating battery anxiety when shooting with the camera. Since battery life was previously a deterrent to the A7 line, I could see many professionals opting for this camera instead of bulky DSLRs.In addition to the improved battery life, other noteworthy improvements of the Sony a7R III are:

• Two Additional Card Slots
• Touch Screen LCD

[gallery columns="2" ids="1991,1969"]Also, I would like to note that the speed of the a7R III in continuous mode is blazingly fast. Since Sony has increased the frames per second to 10.0 fps, most of my photos came out very sharp. In contrast, during my review of the Nikon D850, I noticed one in every few shots using the D850 would be out of focus.

Disadvantages:

I found the LCD screen to be difficult to view on sunny days. As a result, I often defaulted to using the electronic viewfinder. I'm sure there are screen protectors for the LCD that will resolve this issue but using the electronic viewfinder is the perfect alternative. While there have been improvements to battery life, the Sony a7R III still lags behind most DSLRs in the price range.

Time-lapse

Another important feature missing from the camera is a time-lapse feature. Consequently, Sony opted not to include this feature into their newer cameras. While this feature was previously available in through apps store, Sony decided to remove their apps for their new line of cameras. Yet, there is a way to get time-lapse out of the Sony a7R III. This workaround involves using the S&Q mode by setting the fps to 1. So using this setting would produce a movie file of your time-lapse.

Summary: Sony A7R III Review

In conclusion, the Sony a7R III is an amazing camera. One thing that Sony does well is listening to their consumer base. In my Sony a7R III Review, the issues from previous A7r cameras: battery life, additional card slots, and ergonomics were all addressed in this camera. I recommend buying a 128GB memory card if you decide to purchase the Sony a7R III. Most of all You will be surprised at how fast space runs out when shooting with the Sony a7R III. The Sony a7R III is a worthy upgrade from the previous a7R II.[tg_divider style="normal"]

Review of the Panasonic GH4

[sc name="affiliate disclosure"]When I first started researching cameras, I found that mirrorless cameras were increasingly growing in popularity. One of these mirrorless cameras were Panasonic's GH line of cameras. The PANASONIC GH5 is the current model of this line but the PANASONIC GH4 in many ways put the GH line on the map. The PANASONIC GH4 was in February 2014 and replaced the previous Panasonic GH3. Below is my review of the Panasonic GH4.

Sample Photos

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Price & Length

At the time of this writing the PANASONIC GH4 retails for $997.99. As it is a mirrorless camera, the GH4 is built in a compact body, weighing 560g.

What You Get

In my opinion, the ergonomics are the strength of this camera. I like cameras that have buttons placed for each feature. There are some cameras that make you scroll through endless menus in order to find the feature you're looking for. I've noticed entry-level cameras seem guilty of this trend:

• 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
• ISO 200 - 25600
• 3″ Fully Articulated Screen
• 12 fps continuous shooting
• 4K - 4096 x 2160 video resolution
• Built-in Wireless
• In Body Flash
• Weather Sealed Body

4K Video is one of the features that attracts consumers to the GH4. There are also several video editing options available in camera to split and edit video.

What You Won’t Get

The GH4 has a Micro Four Thirds camera sensor. This means the sensor is smaller compared to larger camera sensors such as APS-C and Full Frame bodies. Because of this, you may experience poor low light performance and smaller dynamic range in your photos.

Summary of My Review of the Panasonic GH4

In conclusion, I enjoyed using the PANASONIC GH4. By 2018 standards, it is an older camera but it's still packed with amazing features. Panasonic has since released a replacement for the GH4, the GH5 in 2017. However, if you're looking for a budget camera in terms of video features, the GH4 makes the perfect budget option. I found it to be one of the best options in the micro four thirds class of cameras.

Grade: B+

My Website Goals for 2018

I enjoy creating goals for myself. I think having specific, measurable goals help in measuring your achievements. Looking back at 2017, I found that I didn't write as much as I hoped for when starting my website. One of my website goals for 2018 is to write more blog posts.

Blogging Twice A Week

I found that for the year of 2017, I wrote 30 blog entries. That is close to two and a half posts a month. As I was still new to blogging, I think part of the issue had to do with not having a clear process in mind. I discussed how important research is to a freelancer in one of my recent blog posts. I think after doing some research I found great templates in establishing formats for certain types of blog posts.

Batch Scheduling

In my view, just doing research and having templates available won't help in accomplishing my goal of writing more. I found that I need to have a scheduling plan for my blog posts. Freelance to Freedom's blog post discussed a productivity secret I heard was using batch scheduling. This is the process of devoting a day or week to get one thing done. In my case, I want to write more blog posts so by concentrating a week to writing blog post and then scheduling those posts in advance I think will also assist in reaching my goal.

Summary

In conclusion, my hopes are implementing this plan will help me reach my website goals for 2018. It will be great to look at the end of the year and see how productive I was regarding my blog posts.