It may not look like it from the base specifications alone, but the EOS 5D Mark III is a great improvement over its predecessor in every way that counts - autofocus, exposure and ISO have all had the benefit of the technological improvements Canon has gained since the 5D Mark II was released.

Greatly improved autofocus; excellent high ISO performance

Redesigned controls may take some getting used to

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.

Compact for a full-frame SLR; 22-megapixel resolution; Large optical viewfinder; Bright, high-res rear LCD; Fast autofocus; 6fps continuous shooting; Excellent high ISO performance; 1080p video recording

Expensive; Slow focus in Live View and Video modes; No built-in flash; Not compatible with EF-S lenses

Canon has a long tradition of producing innovative and groundbreaking DSLRs. In 2003, for example, the 6.3MP Canon 300D became the first consumer-grade DSLR to sell for under ￡1,000.

Vastly improved AF module; Addition of 'headphones in' socket; Enhanced ISO range/performance; Faster DIGIC 5+ processor; Built like a tank; Exceptional image quality; Fantastic video performance

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is one of the most highly regarded DSLRs of all time, so the 22.3-million-pixel Mark III upgrade has a great deal to live up…

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is the ultimate digital SLR for under $4000 right now and offers a great balance between resolution, physical size, ISO sensitivity for low light shooting, movie capability and price.

Excellent image quality; camera performs best with quality lenses; Very good build quality with weather sealing and intuitive controls; Big and sharp 3.2 inch LCD and large viewfinder; Full manual controls with RAW image mode and lots of configuration options; Silent shooting modes when using the...

Slow focusing in live view mode; No built-in flash; autofocus assist light or wireless control without attachment; No continuous focusing during movie recording; More playback tools and effects would have been nice

What follows is a quick overview of the video capabilities of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III . Read our comprehensive analysis and testing results in greater detail at DigitalCameraInfo.com .

It's the little additions that make the Mark III a worthy target for photographers to upgrade from the previous camera. Feature tweaks, as well as a significant boost to the low-light capabilities in stills and video recording, will be invaluable for many photographers.

Improved AF performance; Excellent image quality; Headphone monitoring; Improved video quality with low moire and artefacts; Excellent high ISO performance

Repositioned buttons may annoy Mark II upgraders; No clean HDMI output; Video and images straight from camera can benefit from a small amount of sharpening

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is the continuation of the 5D line which introduced the first full-frame DSLR without an integrated grip, bringing quality images to a smaller form-factor than previously possible.

Very low image noise; Excellent image sharpness; Very accurate colors; Good automatic white-balance; Spectacular subject tracking autofocus; Lightning fast autofocus; Full choice of exposure modes for movies; Class-leading continuous buffer; Large viewfinder with 100% coverage; Highly customizable...

Underexposes often; Expanded ISO of limited use; Low rear control dial; Rear dial prone to accidental changes; Complex interaction between AF and lenses; Slow instant review; Slow to power-off due to sensor cleaning

On the 25th anniversary of its EOS system, Canon finally announced the long-awaited update to its full-frame 5D Mark II dSLR. The 5D Mark III is packed with capabilities for both still and video shooters, but at a much steeper price. As you'd expect, the 5DM3 consists of a combination of technologies, features, and design updates rolled out in the EOS 7D and the more recent 1D X. The result is a camera that looks similar to its predecessor with a lot more capabilities and better performance, but isn't as different when it comes to the basics -- photo and video quality -- as you'd expect. Of course, the 5D Mark II is pretty great in those respects, so no drastic change isn't necessarily a bad thing.

While it's not a no-brainer upgrade over the Mark II, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III is worth the price premium if better performance and configurability matter to you.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III offers a more streamlined shooting design, significantly updated feature set with more configurability, plus better performance over its predecessor; It maintains its excellent photo and video quality as well.

JPEG photos at low ISO sensitivities don't match the generally excellent level of quality that you can otherwise get out of this camera.

These results really do speak for themselves. The 5D Mark III consistently captured sharp, well-exposed shots throughout my tests. The auto-focus subsystem was sharp, and with 61 points, it was easy to get exactly the shot I was after.

Image quality; Build; Movie clarity; Improvements over predecessor

None