SHOOT OUT – Galaxy Note 3 VS Canon 5D Mk III

It’s not often that you’ll hear anyone ever compare a phone camera to an ‘actual’ camera (point and shoots don’t count).

Let alone an acclaimed DSLR that’s been used in Hollywood films like Black Swan (2010), Captain America (2011) or Iron Man 2 (2010); or even for television shows like House (Season 6, 2010), or  24 (Season 8, 2010).

But, yep…someone actually compared the two. That’s a $4000 camera compared to a $600 phone.
And you know what? The Galaxy Note 3 actually held it’s own.

Galaxy Note 3

Photographer and videographer Alec Weinstein (from marsmining) was looking to buy a new camera, on discovering that the Galaxy Note 3 filmed in 4K he went straight out and bought one. So he made a video comparing the new Note with his old camera, the Canon 5D Mk III and despite the obvious (that the Canon would outshine the Note 3 by strides), Weinstein found it was a little harder to define which produced the better footage.

The good people of Lensvid made these points about the comparison:

• You can definitely see the difference in resolution between both cameras – even when not watching it on a 4K screen and in 100% magnification (there are simply more details and the image is sharper on the Samsung).
• The Samsung small sensor can’t really keep up with dynamic range of the 5D MKIII – you can see it in the highlights in several examples.
• There is way shallower depth of field in the 5D MKIII (although these examples where made so you are less likely to notice that – we did anyway – and you should too).
• Non of these examples are in low light or difficult lighting conditions – if they were – the Samsung would probably fail – big time (again small sensor can’t keep up with a Full Frame one).

After watching it we kind of felt like Mugatu.

So now you watch it and as you do, try to guess which vid was taken with which camera.

Then let us know your thoughts either below or on the V&F Facebook page.

 Feature image by Chad Soriano