After few years of introducing its predecessor, now the company has come up with the long-awaited and much rumored Canon EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR camera. The EOS 5D Mark II was something of a break-through camera for Canon, bringing 35 mm full frame, 1080p HD video recording to a wider audience.

Not everyone will be able to afford a 5D Mark III, but if you're serious about movie making on a budget then this is a serious piece of kit via which to do it Not a camcorder, but included because Digital SLRs have really taken off the past couple of years as primary tools for ‘videographers'.

Setting a new benchmark for amateur and independent film makers; affordable alternative to pro broadcast cameras; rock solid workhorse-like build

Pricey if you don't require broadcast quality video; slight delay whilst mirror mechanism flips out of the way before video recording can commence; clip duration limited to just under 30 minutes as it's a camera not a camcorder

5D owners may well have felt that the MkII didn't really do enough to grab their attention because it didn't address enough of its older sibling's deficiencies. The increased resolution was attractive, but again not enough on its own.

This 22 megapixel full frame camera is the upgrade of the revered MkII. While there are not many extra pixels the processor, ISO range, burst rate, viewfinder coverage and LCD have all been improved. Auto focus is now by 61 points instead of 9.

Where to begin? The body is gripped and set-up for user friendly shooting. Non-slip grip and really accessible for right hand control of almost all necessary shooting features. Quick shift of focus points is at your index and thumb and don't require several up and downs away from your subject.

Totally different camera from the Mark II; Just AMAZING!!! I loved my Mark II before I shot this camera.

There is no down side; I have been shooting high ISO for fun to find fault and can't

The first thing I tested was the 61 points focusing system. Some said it is not any better than 7D 19 points focusing system, I would say that they are wrong! I own a 7D, and I did side by side test, 5D Mark III is certainly better and faster than 7D.

Easy To Use; Fast / Accurate Auto-Focus; Fast Shutter Speed; Good Image Quality; High ISO Performance; Large Clear LCD; Quiet; Strong build

No Build-in Flash Trigger; Poor focus in low light

A photographic tour-de-force – if you can justify the cost it'll be hard to resist

The black autofocus points problem is supposed to be fixed in a future firmware release, basically they flash black instead of red which is hard (impossible) to see in low light.

Fast / Accurate Auto-Focus; High ISO Performance; Quiet

Black Autofocus Points

Canon's EOS 5D Mark III has a lot to live up to. For a start, the original Canon EOS 5D was the first DSLR to really bring full-frame digital photography within the reach of enthusiast photographers.

Plus, it saves all of the single shots used as well as the final HDR image. All in all, Canon's version of HDR "is much more useful for serious photographers." Unlike the Nikon D800, the Canon Mark III lacks a pop-up flash.

Strong 22.3-megapixel resolution; Extraordinary low-light capability; Healthy 6 fps burst rate; Outstanding autofocus; Very intuitive to use; Dual CF/SD card slots

Less sharpness and detail than Nikon D800; Autofocus must be triggered manually in movie mode