Art Morris, a world-renown bird photographer who is well-known for his use of f/8 AF, recently posted an article proclaiming his praise for the 5D Mark III and its AF (despite the lack of f/8 AF.) He indicates that the AF performance of the 5D III in the hands of a skilled Canon photographer is nothing less than stellar, producing an extremely high rate of keepers. Perhaps this will answer some of the questions about the capabilities of 5D III AF, IQ, etc. and whether it really is up to snuff or not:
http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2012/03/28/the-canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-im-in-love/
[quote author=Art Morris]When I got home and viewed the series of flight images I realized that my 5D III AF predictions were true. Every image was sharp. Even when the bird flew behind a wire or the telephone pole. The files are luscious, incredibly detailed and sharp with natural color.
...
I must tell you, I have never been so excited about a new camera before.
I had headed out even without taking a look at the camera body manual. I had gone through all the Menus and I must say I was mega-confused…. As you can see that did not hurt my images though. As it turns out I was in Central Sensor Expand AF area. I plan on experimenting with all of the AF area selection modes. And I will of course be working hard on the BAA 5D Mark III User’s Guide. I have even figured out how to toggle between the various AF area selection modes. I could not do that this morning . And it took me quite a while to figure out how to set up rear focus….[/quote]
http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2012/03/28/the-canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-im-in-love/
[quote author=Art Morris]When I got home and viewed the series of flight images I realized that my 5D III AF predictions were true. Every image was sharp. Even when the bird flew behind a wire or the telephone pole. The files are luscious, incredibly detailed and sharp with natural color.
...
I must tell you, I have never been so excited about a new camera before.
I had headed out even without taking a look at the camera body manual. I had gone through all the Menus and I must say I was mega-confused…. As you can see that did not hurt my images though. As it turns out I was in Central Sensor Expand AF area. I plan on experimenting with all of the AF area selection modes. And I will of course be working hard on the BAA 5D Mark III User’s Guide. I have even figured out how to toggle between the various AF area selection modes. I could not do that this morning . And it took me quite a while to figure out how to set up rear focus….[/quote]