Canon has perfected the 5D Mark II with the Mark III. The new monster camera from Canon does not set any records, but it blends the best attributes of every technology to yield the perfect mix of quality, speed, and low light performance. 

When Nikon announced the D800 not long ago, the web erupted with different viewpoints. There was no denying that the 36MP monster was a resolution beast, unchallenged and unseen from other full frame cameras. It was clear that Nikon had developed some new technology allowing this pixel packed sensor to still deliver the quality and low light capabilities of the camera it replaced. Unfortunately, some abilities come with a cost and that was a clear issue for the D800. While offering impressive image quality for a 36MP full frame camera, the D800 offers slow shooting capabilities compared to other DSLRs and does not set records for low light performance.
Canon has chosen to go a separate route with the Mark III and instead of embarking on the road of new crazy technology, it has instead taken the best of existing features, and implemented it in a reliable way.

The Sensor
The sensor is one of the most important aspects of the camera. Instead of setting a record for mega pixels or offering a 12MP low light monster, Canon has chosen the middle of the road for today’s technology offering almost the same 22MP count as the 5D mark II. This resolution is certainly sufficient for almost every photographer, including those who love pixel peeping and at this resolution, is almost certainly to offer superior low light performance than the 5D mark II and the Nikon D800. Canon also packed its new Digic V into this package offering improved speed and low light abilities at similar resolutions. And while the result is not the fastest, does not offer the highest MP count, and will likely not beat the Nikon D3s, D4 or Canon 1Dx in a low light test, the result is more than enough to satisfy and exceed the expectations of almost every pixel loving individual, low light shooter, and speed loving sports shooter. The 5D mark III is not a one trick pony.

Focusing
Probably the weakest part of the 5D mark II was the focusing system. Canon has this time chosen not to cut any corners and offer the 61 point focus system for the newly developed 1DX. While the focus system will once again not beat the previously announced 1DX, it will once again exceed expectations for all who own this camera.

Speed
One of the weakest features of the Nikon D800 is speed. With less than 4fps, this will not be a camera for those who need fast capture. The 5D mark III aims for the middle once again and while failing to stack up to the ridiculous speed of the Nikon D4 and Canon 1DX, the 5D will once again satisfy almost all its customers with a quick rate of 6fps. I imagine it will also be able to maintain this speed for a longer period of capture due to the lower file sizes.

Video
Video made the 5D mark II even more amazing and opened a new world of professional looking video to this class of camera. Nikon has made sizable improvements in this area offering equal or greater performance than Canon’s aging cameras. The new Mark III aims to maintain its foothold in the market by maintaining a great resolution for video features and offering multiple methods of recording. New features will be announced shortly.

There are very few features that Canon has pioneered for this camera, unlike that of the D800. Fortunately, Canon has chosen to take the best of existing technologies and combined them into a almost perfect blend of camera perfection. This is certainly not a niche camera and will have very wide appeal across all types of shooting. While the D800 is certainly an amazing camera in many ways, it will appeal more to some than others with considerable downsides to the 36MP sensor including high file sizes, slow shooting, and less improved low light abilities. The D800 is a new breed of camera, offering the resolution of a medium format body in a small and affordable camera. The 5D mark III picks up where the mark II and Nikon D700 left off and have improved this model in every way possible. It also makes it easier to predict the resulting images for the mark III as we have seen the performance of the Digic V, the 61 point autofocus, and other features in other cameras. The D800 has yet to be tested to see the true quality and issues of the new 36MP images, though initial reports have been good. We will update these impressions throughout the introduction of the Mark III and as examples and tests can be made.