Canon EOS 5D Mark III

The EOS 5D Mark III is a full-frame DSLR from 2012 built around Canon's EF mount. Framing is through an optical pentaprism viewfinder, which provides a direct optical view of the scene.

Its capabilities lean towards stills photography. Weddings, portraits, landscapes and travel all suit this kind of body, while video remains a secondary function.

Owning one means carrying a substantial camera. The body weighs about 950 g with battery and card fitted, and weather sealing helps it cope outdoors.

The 22.3 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor gives plenty of resolution for large prints and room to crop, with a Digic 5+ processor handling the image pipeline. Our Optics rating for this camera is good, placing it around the middle of cameras in our database for Optics, a respectable standing for a camera released in 2012.

Autofocus uses 61 points, giving many options for where the camera focuses. Shooting runs at up to 6 fps, enough for events and moderate action.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 100 to 25600, giving you settings to work with as light fades. The 1/8000 top shutter speed helps keep wide apertures usable in bright daylight.

There is no in-body stabilisation. Sharp handheld results depend on your shutter speed and technique, or on a stabilised lens if you attach one.

Our Video rating is modest, and the mode list shows why. Full HD is the top resolution, recorded at 30p, 25p or 24p. The faster 60p and 50p modes only exist in HD 720p, so the highest resolution and the highest frame rate cannot be used together.

Audio is better looked after. An external microphone input and a headphone terminal let you monitor sound while recording, and the recording level can be adjusted. For interviews and controlled work this matters as much as the picture.

Footage records as MOV files, a familiar format in video editing workflows.

Full HD gives the highest resolution, while the HD 60p and 50p modes favour smoother motion. Choose the recording mode around the needed balance of detail and frame rate.

The 3.2-inch TFT screen carries 1.04 million dots for playback review. Live View lets you compose on the screen instead of the optical viewfinder when the shot calls for rear-screen framing.

The Features score of 59 is modest, with the non-touch screen and absent Bluetooth contributing to that level. The rear display has no flip-out panel, so it does not offer that framing flexibility.

There is no built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. GPS is also absent, so the camera itself does not attach shooting coordinates to files.

Weather sealing adds resistance to dust and moisture outdoors. The camera supports an external flash for additional lighting because there is no built-in unit.

Storage is this camera's strongest area, reflected in a good rating of 76. Two card slots accept one SD card and one CompactFlash card, providing two in-camera storage choices for a shoot. Both can remain fitted, so the camera is ready to use either card type.

The LP-E6 battery is rated at roughly 950 shots when you shoot through the viewfinder under CIPA testing. Live View cuts that to about 200 shots, so screen-based work calls for a spare battery.

USB charging is unavailable, so plan battery charging between sessions. Carrying a charged second LP-E6 can reduce interruptions when the camera is needed for longer periods.