Canon EOS 5D Mark III review

This auto switching function is similar to the 3D Tracking feature in Nikon SLRs, but in our tests the Mark III couldn’t match the D800 in its reliability to track moving subjects around the frame. It’s not that surprising, as the D800 uses a 91,000-pixel metering sensor to track subjects by colour whereas the Mark III has just 63 metering zones.

With such a complex array of autofocus controls, we were relieved to find that default settings using a single autofocus point performed superbly when presented with moving subjects in continuous mode. Moving the selected point is extremely quick via the mini joystick or a combination of command dial and rear wheel. 21 of the 61 points are cross-type for added sensitivity, and using an f/4 or brighter lens earns a further 20 cross-type points. By f/2.8, you get five that are dual cross type – essentially four autofocus points stacked on top of each other at 45-degree angles. In short, this is a seriously sophisticated autofocus system that should have Mark II users rushing to upgrade.

The controls tread familiar territory for an EOS camera, and anyone who’s used a 5D Mark II, 60D or 7D will be up and running in minutes. There’s a command dial, rear wheel and mini-joystick, while a row of buttons above the passive LCD screen temporarily assign the dial and wheel to a variety of functions including white balance, drive mode and ISO speed. It inherits the 7D’s live view button, which turns into a record/pause button when the accompanying switch is set to video mode. The depth-of-field preview button is now located in a more conventional place between the lens and handgrip.

The button labelled Rate is new. Pressing it while browsing shots on the 3.2in screen applies star ratings from one to five, which are recognised in software such as Adobe Lightroom. It’s also possible to display two images side by side and zoom into them for close inspection, although not by as much as we’d like. The option to match the zoom and position of two photos could be more elegantly implemented, too.