When a digital SLR camera has a price tag of $11,999 - and that's just for the body - you know it's not something that everyday folk will appreciate. Instead it's likely it will only appeal to professionals who make a living from photography.

Excellent low-light performance; huge resolution; dual memory slot types (CF and SD); built-in dust reduction

Manual aperture control is not intuitive; autofocusing results did not show during Live View mode

How many people are going to spend £5,500 on a camera? Even more importantly, how many enthusiast photographers rather than pros, will fork out that amount of money and justify it to their partners? Probably not too many, but Canon's flagship DSLR is still worth looking at for a number of reasons.

High resolution; full frame; low noise; solid build; speed of AF

Manual focus live view; low-res LCD; artisan design

The EOS-1Ds Mark III is the seventh Canon professional EOS-1D series digital SLR, although only the third of the 's' suffix sub-category which indicates a full frame sensor. Three years since the last EOS-1Ds, the Mark II, the Mark III pushes digital SLR resolution over the twenty megapixel barrier...

Significant upgrade to the Mark II that improves almost every area of performance without 'reinventing the wheel, Better ISO button placement, new joystick, new AF point selection method, ISO in the viewfinder; all help faster more intuitive operation and mean you less often have to take your eye

Edge softness / chromatic aberrations with wide angle lenses, needs good glass, Overall softness that means images need more sharpening than you might expect; we'd prefer an even lighter Low Pass Filter, No autofocus of any kind in live view mode, No built-in wireless flash (needs ST-E2 transmitter,

Not yet reviewed by editors.

Almost the same menus as 1DIII, which I have used for some time and like. Requires more care as the detail of the image is so high. Just got back from a week in Death Valley for flowers, shots look wonderful. Colors are very good. Data size get large in a hurry, I download to my laptop everyday.

Best user interface; Good Battery Life; Great Resolution; Weather proof

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Fast / Accurate Auto-Focus; Fast Shutter Speed; Good Image Quality; Good Image Stabilization; High ISO Performance; Quiet; Tilt /Swivel LCD

Short Battery Life; Small LCD Screen

What does it take to be the best? In comparing DSLRs, the answer is incredible image quality and performance. Especially for pros, it also takes a nearly unbreakable camera body, long-lasting battery, and a wide range of accessories to ensure that you don't miss the critical shot.

Unbelievable image quality. Solid, rugged build. Weather-proofing everywhere. Ultra-fast autofocus. Overall, the camera is heavier than a 5D (duh) but it actually balances out things when you have a heavy long lens. Dust reduction is a nice new feature. Cannot select all focus points at once.

IQ; build; weather-proofing; autofocus; dust reduction; lens-specific focus compensation

No dedicated WB button; no ISO 6400+; $8000 price tag

The EOS-1Ds Mark III is the seventh Canon professional EOS-1D series digital SLR, although only the third of the 's' suffix sub-category which indicates a full frame sensor. Three years since the last EOS-1Ds, the Mark II, the Mark III pushes digital SLR resolution over the twenty megapixel barrier...

Significant upgrade to the Mark II that improves almost every area of performance without 'reinventing the wheel, Better ISO button placement, new joystick, new AF point selection method, ISO in the viewfinder; all help faster more intuitive operation and mean you less often have to take your eye

Edge softness / chromatic aberrations with wide angle lenses, needs good glass, Overall softness that means images need more sharpening than you might expect; we'd prefer an even lighter Low Pass Filter, No autofocus of any kind in live view mode, No built-in wireless flash (needs ST-E2 transmitter,

There has never been any question that the Canon EOS 1Ds produces the best quality images of any handheld digital camera on the market. The only question has been whether or not you wanted to pay $8000 and crush your shoulders under the weight of this monster.