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The Canon EOS 5D DSLR measures 23x11.5x18.5 when closed, fully extend the 24-105mm lens I was sent and this increases the last figure to 23cm. The weight is just over 1500grams with neck strap attached.
While I am always as guilty as most to not reading the %^&*(“! manual not so here as this unit stretches me as I would call it a semi-professional model and that is almost beyond me, but I do enjoy the challenge.
The new lens sent with the unit is rather nice but unless you are a professional with an iron grip use a tripod, the image stabilizer on it is good but it can only do so much. Luckily the weather improved during my review period and I was able to get out and about and take some decent images.
Unless you are very talented with a very quick learn mode this is not a first DSLR unit it does have an ‘Auto’ mode and most of my tests were conducted using this but that is like having a fast car and never going above 2nd gear.
I did not do any flash tests as this unit does not come with one just a shoe on top of the viewfinder for an external unit. I did take some low light images which were to my mind rather good.
The left side has a couple of tethered rubber bungs each has three connections underneath, microphone, flash and charge the first and the second has three ‘outs’ headphones, AV and HDMI.
The back has no less than 15 buttons as well as the ubiquitous five position joystick all should make sense once you have read the manual. However the TFT 7x4.5cm for checking captured images is clear and sharp in all but the strongest sunlight. Above this is the viewfinder.
The top has a second area 4.5x2cm that displays information before an image is captured and the better you are, the more this matters to you. Also on top are another 7 buttons and a viewfinder focus setting to suit your eye as well as a 9 position wheel.
On the side of the lens are two sliders Stabilizer on/off, turn it off to see just how much it helps and Auto Focus/Manual Focus.
The shutter release button is more on the front than the top of the unit but as your right hand is gripping the fitted area around it the movement of the thumb should soon find it automatically.
Sadly as with all cameras today there is also an instant video button, I am not against video just the fact that everyone expects a camera to take video, it does do this perfectly well. The right side has a door behind which are two cards the SD card everyone uses and also the more rugged and larger Compact Flash.
I enjoyed my short test time with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III but it was also enough to tell me that high end powerful DSLR units are a class of their own and while I enjoy a foray into them they are specialised.
The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is available from the link below for £2400 with free delivery.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008GS32BM?ie=UTF8&tag=gadge0a-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634
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