When Canon announced the new 5Ds and 5Ds R cameras, it stoked the megapixel war flames once again by thoroughly trouncing the resolution of the Nikon D810 and Sony A7R cameras, both of which offer a mere 36MP full frame sensor.

While the 5Ds and 5Ds R are the latest to the 5D line, Canon is leaving the very popular 5D Mark III in the line-up. The Canon 5D Mark III was introduced in March 2012. By Canon’s prior timelines, the 3-year point is the proper upgrade timeframe. However, DSLRs have plateaued somewhat over the past few years and the need to upgrade every 2-3 years is less compelling for photographers and, by extension, camera manufacturers.

Additionally, the 5D Mark III and 5Ds/5Ds R are, in many ways, very different cameras for very different purposes. Even though the cameras are very similar from the outside, what’s inside makes them very different indeed. [Read more…]