The long-awaited successor to Canon's extremely popular EOS 5D Mark II  camera is finally here. As its name implies, the company's 22-megapixel EOS 5D Mark III ($3,499 list, body only) is an evolutionary upgrade rather than a revolutionary one. The full-frame Mark III's  improvements are largely under the hood, but its larger, sharper rear LCD is one that's noticeable at a glance. The camera is quite impressive, but 5D Mark II owners will want to weigh upgrading carefully based on their specific needs. The camera impressed me, but it doesn't quite manage to knock out the more versatile—and more expensive—Nikon D4 ($5,995, 4.5 stars) as our Editors' Choice for full-frame D-SLRs.

One quick note before we dig in: If you'll use this camera to earn your living, you should avoid grabbing one of the first units to hit the street, as Canon has identified an exposure issue that can occur under very specific circumstances. This problem didn't rear its head in any of my test shots, and since it's been addressed by Canon, it did not affect the 5D Mark III's rating.

Design and Features

The 5D Mark III is refreshingly compact when you consider that its 35mm full-frame image sensor is much larger than those found in more common APS-C D-SLRs. The camera body measures 4.6 by 6.0 by 3.0 inches (HWD) and weighs 2.09 pounds with battery and memory card. It's not that far off from the D800 ($2,995.95), its closest competition on the Nikon side of the fence. That D-SLR is 4.8 by 5.7 by 3.2 inches and weighs 1.98 pounds—and manages to fit in a built-in flash. If you prefer a more-substantial camera, the Mark III's size and weight can be increased via the BG-E11 Battery Grip ($349), which connects to the bottom of the camera, and adds vertical shooting controls. The grip can accommodate two rechargeable batteries, doubling the operating life of the camera, and gives you the option to power the Mark III using disposable AA cells for use in those photogenic parts of the world where electricity is not readily available.

Similar Products

Our Current Picks for The Best DSLRs for Video

Anyone with a collection of high-end Canon EF lens will appreciate the camera's 22-megapixel full-frame sensor, which is the same size as a frame of 35mm film—so your 28mm lens will give you the same field of view on the digital camera as it does on a film body. If you're a Canon user who is looking to upgrade from one of the company's popular APS-C D-SLRs, like the EOS 7D ($1,699, 4 stars), you should take an appraisal of your lenses. You can't use EF-S lenses, which are designed for APS-C cameras, on a full-frame Canon body. This is a limitation that Nikon users don't face—it's possible to use APS-C DX lenses on a full-frame Nikon body like the D4  via a special crop mode.

If you've shot with a Canon SLR before, you'll feel comfortable with the Mark III's user interface. Rather than taking the front and rear Command Dial approach that the other major D-SLR players use, Canon engineers opted to employ the front main dial and rear Quick Control dial to adjust settings. Most physical controls on the camera control two functions using these two dials, and the on-screen menu lets you know which dial modifies which setting. If you haven't spent a lot of time behind the lens of a Canon D-SLR , it may take some getting used to—but seasoned Canon shooters are sure to feel right at home. There are numerous other control buttons on the camera, including a multi-controller to scroll through menus and manually select autofocus points, and buttons to adjust the Drive mode, ISO, and Metering mode.

The rear LCD is simply amazing. The 3.2-inch display is packed with over a million dots—it's one of the most vivid that I've seen on any camera. There's no problem reviewing your images on a bright day, and it offers enough resolution to make manual focus during live view a reality. There's also a monochrome information display on the top of the camera so you can evaluate the current shooting settings at a glance. You'll also be able to see settings in the camera's large, bright viewfinder. It shows you 100 percent of the frame, so what you see through the finder is exactly what you'll get in your photo—this is an improvement over the Mark II's 97 percent coverage finder. The downside to this improved coverage is that you'll no longer be able to change the focus screen out as you can with the Mark II.

When shooting in Live View or recording video, the camera does support autofocus. It does it in a manner like the Nikon D4—you need to press a button and the camera works to reacquire focus. It's a slow process that involves hunting back and forth until the focus is locked—this is much, much slower than the autofocus when shooting stills. You'll likely get better results manually focusing. There aren't any full-frame cameras on the market that currently offer full-time continuous autofocus like our Editors' Choice APS-C digital SLR, the Sony Alpha 77 ($1,999.99, 4.5 stars)—that camera's pellicle mirror design allows it to use its fast phase detect autofocus system for both stills and video in any shooting mode. The Mark III records video in QuickTime format in a variety of resolutions and frame rates. It tops out at 1080p30, but you can opt for 720p60 footage to capture smooth, fast motion or 1080p24 for those times when you want to give your video a cinematic look.