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I have now had some time to shoot with the 5DIII along side my 1D Mark IV for several different events. I am still acquainting myself with the AF cases, etc but I feel like I can make a decent assessment of the camera.Virtually all of my shooting has been fall sports. Soccer, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football, etc. at both the High School and Collegiate levels.
I don't do scientific testing or prepared studio shots, etc. I simply get out and shoot the things that I normally shoot and then check the results..simple and tells me what I need to know as a photographer.
I will compare this camera to the 1D Mark IV where applicable.
ergonomics:
I have been shooting 1D bodies for over five years..there is no comparison. The 5D III feels cheap in comparison. I don't think that it is but comparing to the mark IV, it is small, out of balance, and feels cheap.
I added the battery grip and it made a huge difference. It balances the camera on my big lenses, gives vertical controls, and makes the camera more comfortable to use. One thing that I don't like about the grip is that the controls are not exactly in the same place as the camera body. I think with bit more use, it will be a non-issue but I still fumble a bit to get my thumb on the focus instantly.
Shooting:
The 5DIII is nice to shoot but again lacks in responsiveness in comparison to the markIV. It is slower to wake up, has a bit more lag, the shutter isn't as snappy, etc. Coming from anything but a 1D body and I am sure people will be more than happy with it. The bright full frame viewfinder is fantastic.
AF:
My camera evolution has been: 20D, 40D, 1D mark III, ID mark IV, and the 5D III. I honestly think that the 5D III AF is the best yet. The cases are a bit confusing and the zones and points complex but once you figure it out...it is a great system. If I could get this AF into my mark IV I would be happy to do so.
Files and high ISO:
I think that there is maybe 1/2 stop or so of high ISO improvement over my mark IV. Sometimes I don't see much difference and then at other venues it seems to be closer to a stop of improvement.
As far as the files, the camera produces beautiful images that can handle cropping and post-processing (I shoot 100% RAW) with ease.
I got this camera for a great price with the thought that I could easily sell it without a loss if I didn't like it. Well, I am keeping it. My guess is that the 1Dx is the camera that I am looking for...a combo of the ruggedness and responsiveness of the 1D mark IV and the AF and new features of the 5D III. I could sell both my bodies to fund the 1Dx but in reality, I can do my job better when I have two cameras working. My combo has been the 1DIV with a 300 2.8 lens with a 1.4x converter and then the 5DIII with a 135 F2.0 to cover closer action. My next purchase (there always seems to be a next one) will likely be the 70-200 2.8 II.
I sold my 70-200 2.8 IS about a year ago. I was never thrilled with the AF, etc on it in comparison to prime lenses.
