Canon 5D Mark III First Impressions Review

Conclusion

The Canon 5D Mark II is arguably one of the most successful cameras of the decade, incorporating videography into a DSLR as seamlessly as any camera before it. The result was a smash success and the adoption of the Mark II in professional video workflows across the industry, in addition to its prowess as a lighter professional full-frame DSLR.

The 5D Mark III improves on the 5D Mark II in nearly every conceivable way, with more sophisticated video control and compression, faster shot-to-shot times, better image processing, an improved autofocus system, and more powerful processing across the board.

The increase in resolution to 22.3 megapixels should not hinder the camera in the low light department either, with Canon-provided samples showing a nearly two-stop improvement over the Mark II's noise reduction abilities. The camera also benefits from the developments Canon has made in ergonomics over the last few years, bringing many of the best features of the prosumer Canon 7D to the full-frame professional space.

In truth, the Mark III is not a revolutionary camera, but more a refinement of an already successful formula; it's the combination of some of the advancements put into the flagship Canon 1D X along with a great deal of features first seen in the prosumer Canon 7D. There are plenty of things the 1D X has that didn't make the step down (the 100k-pixel metering sensor, for example), but we're betting the 5D Mark III's sub-$3500 price is going to fit into far more budgets than the $6800 1D X.

All in all, the 5D Mark III may not turn the photography world on its ear the way the Mark II did, but it's a worthy update that adds many of the features Mark II users have been asking for. What's more, it represents a real and valid alternative to the Canon 1D X at a little more than half the cost. With performance upgrades also in tow, we're excited to see just how far Canon has pushed the 5D series in its third iteration.