Canon EOS 5D Mark III User manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
CEL-SS5MA212 © CANON INC. 2012 PRINTED IN THE EU
This Instruction Manual booklet is current as of April 2012. For information on the
camera’s compatibility with any accessories and lenses introduced after this date,
contact any Canon Service Center.
CANON INC.
30-2 Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 146-8501, Japan
Europe, Africa & Middle East
CANON EUROPA N.V.
PO Box 2262, 1180 EG Amstelveen, The Netherlands
For your local Canon office, please refer to your warranty card or to www.canon-europe.com/Support
The product and associated warranty are provided in European countries by Canon Europa N.V.
The “Software Start Guide” is included at the end of this manual.
INSTRUCTION
MANUAL
ENGLISH

2
The EOS 5D Mark III is a high-performance, digital single-lens reflex
camera featuring a fine-detail, full-frame (approx. 36 x 24 mm) CMOS
sensor with approx. 22.3 effective megapixels, DIGIC 5+, approx. 100%
viewfinder coverage, high-precision and high-speed 61-point AF,
approx. 6 fps continuous shooting, Live View shooting, and Full High-
Definition (Full HD) movie shooting.
The camera is highly responsive to any shooting situation at any time,
provides many features for demanding shots, and expands shooting
possibilities with system accessories.
Refer to This Manual while Using the Camera to Further
Familiarize Yourself with the Camera
With a digital camera, you can immediately view the image you have
captured. While reading this manual, take a few test shots and see how
they come out. You can then better understand the camera.
To avoid botched pictures and accidents, first read the “Safety
Warnings” (p.383, 384) and “Handling Precautions” (p.14, 15).
Testing the Camera Before Use and Liability
After shooting, play images back and check whether they have been
properly recorded. If the camera or memory card is faulty and the
images cannot be recorded or downloaded to a computer, Canon
cannot be held liable for any loss or inconvenience caused.
Copyrights
Copyright laws in your country may prohibit the use of your recorded
images of people and certain subjects for anything but private
enjoyment. Also be aware that certain public performances, exhibitions,
etc., may prohibit photography even for private enjoyment.
Memory Cards
In this manual, “CF card” refers to CompactFlash cards and “SD card”
refers to SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. “Card” refers to all memory cards
used to record images or movies. The camera does not come with a
card for recording images/movies. Please purchase it separately.
Introduction

3
Before starting, check that all the following items have been included
with your camera. If anything is missing, contact your dealer.
* Battery Charger LC-E6 or LC-E6E is provided. (The LC-E6E comes with a power cord.)
Attach Eyecup Eg to the viewfinder eyepiece.
If you purchased a Lens Kit, check that the lens is included.
Depending on the Lens Kit type, a lens instruction manual may also be
included.
Be careful not to lose any of the above items.
Item Check List
Battery Pack
LP-E6
(with protective cover)
Battery Charger
LC-E6/LC-E6E*
Interface Cable
IFC-200U
Stereo AV Cable
AVC-DC400ST
EOS Solution Disk
(Software)
EOS Software Instruction
Manuals Disk
(1) Camera Instruction Manual (this booklet)
(2) Pocket Guide
Camera
(with body cap)
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Eyecup Eg
EOS Software Instruction Manuals Disk
The Software Instruction Manuals are included on the CD-ROM as
PDF files. See page 393 for instructions on using the EOS Software
Instruction Manuals disk.
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Icons in this Manual
<6> : Indicates the Main Dial.
<5> : Indicates the Quick Control Dial.
<9> : Indicates the Multi-controller.
<0> : Indicates the Setting button.
0, 9, 7, 8: Indicates that the corresponding function remains
active for 4 sec., 6 sec., 10 sec., or 16 sec.
respectively after you let go of the button.
* In this manual, the icons and markings indicating the camera’s buttons, dials,
and settings correspond to the icons and markings on the camera and on the
LCD monitor.
3: Indicates a function that can be changed by pressing the
<M> button and changing the setting.
M: When shown at the upper right of a page, it indicates that the
function is available only when the Mode Dial is set to d, s,
f, a, or F.
* The respective function cannot be used in the <A> (Scene
Intelligent Auto) mode.
(p.**) : Reference page numbers for more information.
: Warning to prevent shooting problems.
: Supplemental information.
: Tips or advice for better shooting.
: Problem-solving advice.
Basic Assumptions
All operations explained in this manual assume that the power switch
has been set to <1> and the <R> switch has been set to the
left (Multi function lock released) (p.34, 47).
It is assumed that all the menu settings and Custom Functions are
set to their defaults.

The illustrations in this manual show the camera attached with the EF
50mm f/1.4 USM or EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens as an example.
Conventions Used in this Manual

5
For first-time DSLR users, Chapters 1 and 2 explain the camera’s
basic operations and shooting procedures.
Chapters
Introduction 2
Getting Started 27
Basic Shooting 63
Setting the AF and Drive Modes 69
Image Settings 115
Advanced Operations 159
Flash Photography 187
Shooting with the LCD Monitor (Live View Shooting)
197
Shooting Movies 217
Image Playback 243
Post-Processing Images 281
Sensor Cleaning 289
Printing Images and Transferring Images to a Computer
295
Customizing the Camera 313
Reference 335
Software Start Guide 389
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

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1
Introduction 2
Item Check List................................................................................. 3
Conventions Used in this Manual..................................................... 4
Chapters........................................................................................... 5
Index to Features ........................................................................... 12
Handling Precautions ..................................................................... 14
Quick Start Guide ........................................................................... 16
Nomenclature ................................................................................. 18
Getting Started 27
Charging the Battery ...................................................................... 28
Installing and Removing the Battery............................................... 30
Installing and Removing the Card .................................................. 31
Turning on the Power ..................................................................... 34
Setting the Date, Time, and Zone .................................................. 36
Selecting the Interface Language................................................... 38
Attaching and Detaching a Lens .................................................... 39
About the Lens Image Stabilizer .................................................... 42
Basic Operation.............................................................................. 43
QQuick Control for Shooting Functions ....................................... 49
3Menu Operations.................................................................. 51
Before You Start............................................................................. 53
Formatting the Card..................................................................... 53
Setting the Power-off Time/Auto Power Off................................. 55
Setting the Image Review Time................................................... 55
Reverting the Camera to the Default Settings ............................. 56
Displaying the Grid and Electronic Level........................................ 59
Feature Guide............................................................................ 61
Contents

7
Contents
2
3
4
Basic Shooting 63
AFully Automatic Shooting (Scene Intelligent Auto) ...................64
AFull Auto Techniques (Scene Intelligent Auto) .........................67
Setting the AF and Drive Modes 69
f: Selecting the AF Mode ............................................................70
SSelecting the AF Area...............................................................72
AF Area Selection Modes ...............................................................75
About the AF Sensor.......................................................................78
Lenses and Usable AF Points.........................................................79
Selecting AI Servo AF Characteristics (For a Subject) ...................85
Customizing AF Functions ..............................................................94
Fine Adjustment of AF’s Point of Focus (AF Microadjustment) ....104
When Autofocus Fails ...................................................................110
MF: Manual Focusing.................................................................111
iSelecting the Drive Mode........................................................112
jUsing the Self-timer .................................................................113
Image Settings 115
Selecting the Card for Recording and Playback ...........................116
Setting the Image-Recording Quality ............................................119
i: Setting the ISO Speed...........................................................124
ASelecting a Picture Style.......................................................129
ACustomizing a Picture Style..................................................132
ARegistering a Picture Style ...................................................135
B: Setting the White Balance....................................................137
OCustom White Balance ........................................................138
PSetting the Color Temperature ............................................139
uWhite Balance Correction ........................................................140
Correcting the Brightness and Contrast Automatically (Auto Lighting Optimizer) ..142

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Contents
5
6
Noise Reduction Settings ............................................................. 143
Highlight Tone Priority .................................................................. 146
Lens Peripheral Illumination / Chromatic Aberration Correction ........ 147
Creating and Selecting a Folder................................................... 150
Changing the File Name............................................................... 152
File Numbering Methods .............................................................. 154
Setting Copyright Information....................................................... 156
Setting the Color Space ............................................................... 158
Advanced Operations 159
d: Program AE ........................................................................... 160
s: Shutter-Priority AE................................................................ 162
f: Aperture-Priority AE ............................................................. 164
Depth of Field Preview............................................................... 165
a: Manual Exposure ................................................................... 166
qSelecting the Metering Mode.................................................. 167
Setting Exposure Compensation.................................................. 169
hAuto Exposure Bracketing (AEB)........................................... 170
AAE Lock................................................................................... 171
F: Bulb Exposures....................................................................... 172
w: HDR (High Dynamic Range) Shooting .............................. 173
PMultiple Exposures ................................................................. 177
2Mirror Lockup ........................................................................ 184
Using the Eyepiece Cover............................................................ 185
FUsing a Remote Switch ............................................................ 185
RRemote Control Shooting .......................................................... 186
Flash Photography 187
DFlash Photography ................................................................... 188
Setting the Flash .......................................................................... 191

9
Contents
7
8
9
Shooting with the LCD Monitor (Live View Shooting) 197
AShooting with the LCD Monitor ...............................................198
Shooting Function Settings ...........................................................202
Menu Function Settings ................................................................203
Using AF to Focus ........................................................................207
Focusing Manually ........................................................................ 214
Shooting Movies 217
kShooting Movies .....................................................................218
Autoexposure Shooting..............................................................218
Shutter-priority AE ......................................................................219
Aperture-priority AE....................................................................220
Manual Exposure Shooting ........................................................223
Shooting Still Photos ..................................................................228
Shooting Function Settings ...........................................................230
Setting the Movie-Recording Size.................................................231
Setting the Sound Recording ........................................................234
Silent Control ................................................................................236
Setting the Time Code ..................................................................237
Menu Function Settings ................................................................239
Image Playback 243
xImage Playback ......................................................................244
B: Shooting Information Display.............................................246
HISearching for Images Quickly...........................................249
uMagnified View ........................................................................251
XComparing Images (Two-image Display)................................253
bRotating the Image ..................................................................254
Setting Ratings.............................................................................. 255
QQuick Control During Playback ...............................................257

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Contents
12
11
10
kEnjoying Movies ..................................................................... 259
kPlaying Movies ....................................................................... 261
XEditing the Movie’s First and Last Scenes .............................. 263
Slide Show (Auto Playback) ......................................................... 265
Viewing the Images on TV ........................................................... 268
KProtecting Images................................................................... 272
aCopying Images ...................................................................... 274
LErasing Images........................................................................ 277
Changing Image Playback Settings ............................................. 279
Adjusting the LCD Monitor Brightness....................................... 279
Auto Rotation of Vertical Images ............................................... 280
Post-Processing Images 281
RProcessing RAW Images with the Camera .......................... 282
SResize..................................................................................... 287
Sensor Cleaning 289
fAutomatic Sensor Cleaning .................................................. 290
Appending Dust Delete Data........................................................ 291
Manual Sensor Cleaning .............................................................. 293
Printing Images and Transferring Images to a Computer 295
Preparing to Print ......................................................................... 296
wPrinting.................................................................................... 298
Trimming the Image................................................................... 303
WDigital Print Order Format (DPOF) ......................................... 305
WDirect Printing with DPOF....................................................... 308
dTransferring Images to a Personal Computer........................ 309