- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- 22.1 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
Released March, 2012
Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Apr, 2012)Needless to say the Mark II quickly became a firm favourite, not only with still photographers drawn by its fantastic image quality but also video enthusiasts (and indeed professional film and TV production companies) who were keen to exploit the creative opportunities provided by the Mark II’s class-leading (at the time) video abilities and Canon’s vast lens universe.
Conclusion Check out the Canon EOS 5D Mark III
First reviewed March, 2012
Features Key features of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III
22.1 MP
Full frame
Rated 82% by by DPReview (Mar, 2012)With the movie mode/live view selection switch movie mode feels much better integrated into the camera's operation and the switch allows for seamless transition from stills to movie shooting.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 22.1 MP    | 40 MP |
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)Although the specification on the box says 1080p, with regards resolution the 5D Mark III is a huge let down and the $600 Panasonic GH2 offers a far more detailed 'true 1080p' image (whilst maintaining a relatively large sensor for video and interchangeable lens mount).
EOS 5D Mark III by rbtk (Oct, 2012)That said, the 5d3 also has a great sensor - it has excellent color, excellent metering, WB and a more reasonable megapixel count.
sensor size
EOS 5D Mark III by DOBrien--We-review-stuff. (Mar, 2012)If you have the cash and are looking for a full frame with video capabilities, this is an excellent choice with the improvements made.
EOS 5D Mark III by 3-4-Time (Nov, 2012)This is one sweet camera/lens combination, and going from a 1.6 crop body to full frame is just astounding!
viewfinder size
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)One figure hidden away in every SLR's spec is the size of the viewfinder (often in a format that makes comparison between competing models impossible).
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)The size of the viewfinder is a key factor in usability - the bigger it is, the easier it is to frame and focus your shots, and the more enjoyable and involving process it is.
body size
152 x 116 x 76 mm
160 x 157 x 91 mm
113 x 65 x 70 mm
EOS 5D Mark III by C.-Concepcion (Apr, 2012)The camera is not heavy I would say but with the lens and the first all day shooting I felt the weight.
EOS 5D Mark III by john (May, 2012)It also has the right weight to support those heavy L lens and the grip and handling are perfect.
focus points
| 0 | 11   | 70 |
EOS 5D Mark III by E.-Lacey (Mar, 2012)The result of these added focus points is a system that is very quick to lock focus, and very accurate.
Performance Real world tests of Canon EOS 5D Mark III
DxOMark image quality
EOS 5D Mark III by DL (Jan, 2013)Canon 5diii (with 28~105mm L, and 70~300mm L lens) to my eyes has most natural color, very sharp, like high end audio tube analog components vs digital sound (Nikon), unbelievable low light performance, great auto mode, great focus speed, you do not need much skill to take great photos.
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)The Canon EOS 5D Mark III's out-of-camera JPEGs offer good colors, tonality and dynamic range with a very smooth highlight roll-off but in terms of pixel-level detail the images are not quite as good as we might expect from a 22MP sensor with a Canon L-lens mounted in front of it.
DxOMark low light performance
EOS 5D Mark III by C.-Bushman (Oct, 2012)This camera has the night vision of a barn owl and will grab the shot you least expect to grab in EXTREMELY low light.
EOS 5D Mark III by N.-Mckown (Jul, 2012)I love using this camera for lots of reasons...Mostly, I'm amazed at the fast and accurate focusing power and the quality of my shots in low light.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 271 ms | 200 ms |
EOS 5D Mark III by J.-Howell (Apr, 2012)Shutter lag and mirror blackout is now faster than before and leads to a more instant, responsive feel while shooting.
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)The more silent shutter actuation is achieved by slowing down the shutter and mirror reflex action and as a downside there is a slight increase in shutter lag and viewfinder blackout time.
continuous shooting
EOS 5D Mark III by DPReview (Mar, 2012)In terms of continuous shooting the EOS 5D Mark III is not quite on the same level as dedicated sports and action cameras such as Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV, but nevertheless its 6 frames per second in Continuous Hi mode still make it a capable tool for shooting fast moving subjects.
EOS 5D Mark III by c|net (Jan, 2009)For burst shooting, however, it's the slowest of all the new models, partly because of Nikon's significantly lower resolution and Sony's doubling up on the processors to maintain burst rates.
battery life
950 photos
2,600 photos
330 photos
EOS 5D Mark III by c|net (Jan, 2009)The Mark II uses a new battery pack, the LP-E6, which seems to last a reasonably long time: it's CIPA rated at between 750 and 850 shots, depending upon temperature.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
HD video -
Generic -
Full frame -
Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot -
3.2" -
41 -
61 -
120 ms -
Opaque -
0.28 s -
76 mm -
1/8000 s
cons
-
81.0 -
11.7 ev -
6 fps -
24.0 bits -
None -
The screen is fixed in place -
Taking quality photos in low-light will require external hardware -
No geotagging included -
None -
No automatic stitching
Reviews Word on the street
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 | Rated by 177 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Phaseout (Apr, 2012) Rated 100% by by Phaseout (Apr, 2012) Rated 100% by by CanonInBama (May, 2012) |
Sensor
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)The viewfinder displays all key exposure information including the ISO speed, and there are four metering modes including a tighter 1.5% Spot metering mode, useful in tricky lighting conditions as an alternative to the excellent and consistent Evaluative metering system.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by rbtk (Oct, 2012)ISO performance is quite impressive - much of the progress was made with on board noise reduction, but it's well executed and details are reasonably well preserved at ISO less than and equal to 3200.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Greg-K (Aug, 2012)I like having HDR feature as it allows me to easily get 3 raw images plus HDR jpg.
Focus
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by A.-DattaJust for reference it has the same AF as the upcoming pro camera 1DX and it is performing better than any other canon AF to date, not just the 5 series based on user input.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by D.-K.-Miles--dkmiles1 (Apr, 2012)For me personally, I would have been happy with the 5D2 plus a great AF, and I got that with the 5D3.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by DOBrien--We-review-stuff. (Mar, 2012)The AF system is much faster and more accurate (the old system was EIGHT yrs old)!
Autofocus
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 80% by by gMan (May, 2012)It's not a big bump from 5D2, but includes some nice features, such as new AF system, HDR, multi-exposure, multi-storage card support.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by C.-Concepcion (Apr, 2012)What's important is that when you use AF you can capture a nice pic fast without going for MF or manually controlling the exposure.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)This combination offered fast, positive autofocus, can track moving subjects very well an is also near-silent, and I'd recommend that you choose this kit if you're buying into the Canon system for the first time.
Lens
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Apr, 2012)Paired with the professional-grade Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 and Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 zoom lenses the 5D Mark III delivers impressively sharp results.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Apr, 2012)On its own the body weighs in at just under a kilo, however with a suitably pro-grade lens attached, such as the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom (as pictured) you’re looking at closer to two kilos.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Apr, 2012)In addition, the Mark III also offers a Distortion Correction feature to lessen the effects pincushion or barrel distortion.
Image quality
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by MoonX (May, 2012)The color accuracy and vibrancy out of the box is great, even shooting with a "neutral" or "faithful" color setting.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Scott-Bourne--Scott-Bourne (Apr, 2012)The images are crisp and the color rendition accurate.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Theresa (Apr, 2012)In my opinion the image quality is top notch (right where it should be for such a high power DSLR).
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D4 Fastest rapid fire mode Nikon D4 vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III |
 | 2 | Sony SLT-A99 Image stabilization Sony SLT-A99 vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III |
 | 3 | Nikon D800 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark Nikon D800 vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III |
 | 4 | Nikon D600 Least noise at high ISO Nikon D600 vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III |
 | 5 | Canon EOS 5D Mark II 4-way tie: Largest sensor 5D Mark II vs 5D Mark III |
 | 6 | Canon EOS 6D OK benchmarked shot to shot times 6D vs 5D Mark III |
 | 7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 More contrast-detection focus points Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
July 6, 2012
If you were to switch camera brands, which camera would you buy?
Tell us what camera you have already, and what camera you would get if you had to switch camera brands.
Beginner I
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Why would you select the A99 over the D800 or 5D MKIII?
I own a Canon 60D with a few lenses, but am thinking of jumping into the full framed world, I'm not glued to Canon and I have no issues leaving them behind. I'll be using it as an all-purpose be...
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Wedding photography
As a wedding photographer, I want a camera with great image quality that also performs well in low light. I see the D800 is a better camera overall and has significantly better image quality, is...
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August 12, 2012
Does the T4i shoot the same video as a 5D MarkIII?
Pro, still shooting film. Need to upgrade to a digital camera. I want to shoot video, do both camera shoot the same video? I know about the full frame vs. the 1.6 cropped sensor.
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Semi-Pro Videographer / hobbyist photographer needing perfect upgrade
I am venturing into doing video work but my budget will only allow for a 5DM3 with a 24-105mm L lens or a T4i with more lenses and more add ons. Which should I choose. I'm stuck with too I do to...
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Image quality at any ISO (within reason, of course).
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January 21, 2013
Shutter lag
Will I notice the slower shutter lag difference in the 5D MK III? And does the 1D have better/faster focus accuracy?
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Portrait shoots, landscape shoots, a little macro, and videos?
I'm interested in rather casual shoothing, primarily of persons, landscapes, sometimes animals, with some macro shots and I'm interested in shooting FullHD videos. I care a lot about image in of...
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Answers Community Find out what the Sortable community is saying about the Canon EOS 5D Mark III
53
people have recommended the
Canon EOS 5D Mark IIITop Canon EOS 5D Mark III experts at Sortable
heuscher 
Intermediate II
Crisandjason-Langley 
Beginner II
Philip-Davis 
Expert III
Salar-Full-HD 
Intermediate I
Nikon D800
- 36.2 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
1 more Sortable user recommendeds the Nikon D800 over the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.
View all discussions | View comparison 
Beginner I
2
votes I'm a nikon guy But The mk III does better at video than the D800 Less megapixels =less noise
- 0 comments
- May 28, 2012
- Reply to: For video only: lowlight, sharpness, focus & post grading?
Intermediate II
2
votes If you are open to either and there isn't a particular lens from either you 'must have', then the fundamental difference is the sensor. It's not possible to say one is better than the other. so...
- 0 comments
- July 16, 2012
- Reply to: Can't Decide
Beginner II
1
vote The 5DMKIII handles iso noise better than anything I've seen. Canon L glass is legendary, 85 f1.2 and 50 f1.2 are probably the best lenses in their class. NIkon bodies have great ergonomics and I...
- 0 comments
- October 14, 2012
- Reply to: Wedding photography
Pentax K-30
- 16.1 MP
- APS-C CMOS
- 3" LCD
6 more Sortable users recommended the Canon EOS 5D Mark III over the Pentax K-30.
View all discussions | View comparison 
Beginner I
-1
votes I was a Nikonian for more than 30 years (yeah, that old). When I went digital, Canon was the only one offering full frame (5D Mk1). So I switched to Canon. I'm still with it. After the Mark 1 2...
- 0 comments
- January 5, 2013
- Reply to: If you were to switch camera brands, which camera would you buy?
Sony SLT-A99
- 24 MP
- Full frame EXMOR
- 3" LCD
11 more Sortable users recommended the Sony SLT-A99 over the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.
View all discussions | View comparison 
Beginner I
-1
votes I think you should go with the Canon 5d mark iii. Even though it is the most expensive on among the three, the price is definitely worth it. It has build in HDR, and has 22.1 mega pixels which is...
- 0 comments
- October 17, 2012
- Reply to: Why would you select the A99 over the D800 or 5D MKIII?
