Preface

Though we will mention subjects such as shooting movies or shooting stills with the Scene Intelligent Auto mode, the audience for this book is expected to be still-photo shooters with a skill set ranging from amateurs with prior DSLR experience to full-time professionals. This book is for photographers who are comfortable with basic photography, but who need an understanding of the myriad features, functions, options, and settings available with the EOS 5D Mk III camera.

The Canon EOS (Electro-Optical System) was introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650, the first auto-focus camera from Canon. Though it appears that today’s Canon SLR cameras are all digital, the EOS technology is still in production as Canon’s current DSLR system. The acronym EOS was chosen to honor Eos, the Titan Goddess of dawn in Greek mythology, and is often pronounced as a word, although some spell out the letters, reading it as an initialism.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is a sophisticated DSLR, more capable (and complex) than the Rebel series of Canon cameras, the two-digit D-series of Canon cameras, and even the 6D and 7D Canon cameras, but certainly not in the same league as the professional 1D cameras. I’ve written this book for photographers who are upgrading to the 5D Mk III with the intent to have them understand the features of the 5D Mk III and how to implement and manage those features. The professional photographers who acquire a 5D Mk III as a backup camera for their 1D-series camera will already have mastered most of these techniques and processes, so I don’t anticipate having too many of them in this audience.

The references to Canon models use the model-designations applied by Canon to the models as sold in the United States. If you have a model intended for a non-US market, it will likely have a different model designation.

Some of the features introduced or enhanced in the EOS 5D Mk III are so complex in function and beyond what we have come to expect from good cameras that they are difficult to adequately describe in words. If I create an interest or curiosity regarding some elegant new feature, you may want to take advantage of some media resources from Canon, which can be found at

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/galleries/galleries/tutorials/eos_5d_markiii_tutorials.shtml

This is a collection of short videos and excellent articles with graphics to help demonstrate difficult concepts as well as the amazing photographic results you can expect using these features.

Technology is evolving so fast that it’s difficult to keep up with all of the relevant photography components that can be affected, even for those whose profession is to write about new advances for the rest of us. The world of flash continues to evolve, with a sudden burst of on-camera controllers for remote units, and new radio-controlled remote units not recognizing the optical-wireless controllers of earlier this year, or requiring reconfiguration away from radio-wireless to be downward compatible.

The sheer number of features available in the EOS 5D Mk III, along with the extensive menus and other controls, tends to overwhelm the mind’s ability to comprehend, recall, and correctly apply the appropriate set of variables for achieving the best possible photos. I encourage you to rely on this book, the Instruction Manual, and the camera’s built-in Help facilities for assistance on those what-and-how concerns, allowing your mind to remain alert for photographic opportunities, compositions, and exposures.