Canon EOS-1D Mark III

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Canon EOS 1D Mark III
Type Single-lens reflex
Sensor CMOS
Maximum resolution 3,888 × 2,592 (10 million)
Lens type Interchangeable (EF)
Shutter Vertical-travel, mechanical, focal-plane shutter with all speeds electronically controlled
Shutter speed range 1/8000 to 30 sec. (1/3-stop increments)
Exposure Metering 63-zone TTL full aperture metering
Metering modes Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points), Partial metering (approx. 13.5% of screen, at center), Spot metering (approx. 3.8% of screen), Centerweighted average metering
Focus areas 19 cross-type AF points (plus 26 Assist AF points)
Focus modes Autofocus (One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF), Manual Focus (MF)
Continuous Shooting 10fps up to 22/30/110 frames (RAW+JPEG Large Fine/RAW/JPEG Large Fine)
Viewfinder Optical
Rear LCD monitor 3.0 in, 230,000 pixels (690,000 dots) TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor
Storage CompactFlash (Type I or Type II) , Secure Digital, External Hard Drive or other USB Storage Devices.

The EOS 1D Mark III is a professional 10.1 megapixel digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) camera body produced by Canon. The EOS 1D Mark III is the successor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II N and was first released in May 2007.

Contents

[edit] Features

  • 28.1 × 18.7 mm CMOS sensor
  • 10.1 megapixel effective
  • Dual DIGIC III image processors
  • Canon EF lens mount (excludes EF-S)
  • 1.28x [1] crop factor (focal length magnifier)
  • 45-point TTL-AREA-SIR autofocus with a CMOS sensor
  • TTL full aperture metering with 21 zone SPC
  • 100–3200 ISO speed equivalent (ISO can be expanded to L: 50 or H: 6400 with custom function)
  • 30–1/8000 sec. shutter speed and bulb
  • Auto white balance
  • Eye-level pentaprism viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage
  • 230,000 pixel (690,000 dot), 3.0" color TFT liquid-crystal monitor with approx. 100% coverage (for JPEG images)
  • Live preview on the cameras rear LCD, also via an external system using Canons EOS Utility (disables AF)
  • E-TTL II flash mode with optional in-camera controls for the Speedlite 580EX II flash
  • 10 frames per second continuous shooting (JPEG: max. 110 frames, RAW: max. 30 frames)
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 156 × 157 × 80 mm (6.1 × 6.2 × 3.1 in)
  • Weight (body only): Approx. 1155 g

The camera's image sensor is a CMOS-based integrated circuit with Bayer filters for RGB color detection (Canon calls it single-plate, in contrast with three-CCD sensors). It has approximately 10.1 million effective pixels. A non-removable optical anti-aliasing filter is located in front of the image sensor, which also vibrates as part of an anti-dust mechanism (similar to the one used in the entry-level Canon EOS 400D).

The shutter is an electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter. Its maximum speed is 1/8,000 of one second. Soft-touch shutter release occurs via an electromagnetic signal.

The Mark III is Canon's first professional Digital SLR to include a Live View feature, usually reserved for Point and Shoot level or Olympus Split Prism cameras. When using Live View feature, the lens must be manually focused (or focused electronically remotely from a computer), the reflex mirror will lock in the UP position, the shutter will open, and the image output from the CMOS sensor will be displayed in real time on the 3" LCD or via EOS Utility. This feature was developed to help photographers overcome situations that are difficult to maneuver in. The Preview image can be zoomed in 5x or 10x to aid focusing both on the LCD screen and via EOS Utility. Features such as a live histogram are also accessed during Live View. With the optional WFT-E2/E2A wireless transmitter, the camera can be controlled wirelessly via Wifi or wired via Ethernet or USB from the computer. The camera is also capable of saving files directly to an external USB device such as a memory stick or external hard drive.

[edit] Awards

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) named the Canon EOS 1D Mark III the "European Professional Camera of the Year 2007-2008".

[edit] Problems

Issues about Mark III cameras were reported throughout the online photographer communities after the camera's retail launch. These relate to SERVO AF mode, to stripes within the picture, cursor navigation failure, and Err 99 messages. Canon investigated these issues, and many are believed to be resolved in firmware release 1.1.1, which was released in September 2007.

Most significant of the issues is the autofocus (AF) issue. The Mark III has a completely redesigned AF system that works better in low-light than nearly all other D-SLRs.[citation needed] However, under certain conditions (notably warm, bright, sunny days, conditions under which AF usually operates the best) some users have experienced poor AF performance.[2] As of October 17, 2007, Canon technical representatives began stating the widely reported auto focus issue is suspected to be caused by an internal submirror assembly that requires replacement on most Cameras with serial numbers between 501001 and 546561[3] . [4] This correction has been made in production models dating to sometime shortly before the announcement of the fix.

[edit] Rush to Market

Many professional photographers believe that the Mark III was brought to market prematurely and that numerous issues with the camera weren't properly vetted by the engineers at Canon before its launch. A countless number of forum discussions on the internet discuss a failure of the camera in the middle of their assignments. [5] Still others have sent the camera back to Canon Professional Service multiple times only to be faced with identical problems after the camera's return. [6]

[edit] Firmware

The latest firmware available for the EOS-1D Mark III (as of April 30, 2008) is version 1.2.3, made available April 30, 2008. According to Canon, the contents of this firmware upgrade are as follows:

Version 1.2.3 of the firmware incorporates the following improvements and fixes:

  • Includes the following new features that were frequently requested by customers to the new firmware.
  1. Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9.
  2. Alternate access to Exposure compensation is added to C.Fn IV-3.
  3. With the camera’s External Speedlite control menu, Flash function settings can be used to set the Wireless setting and Zoom.
  • Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects.

Use of the latest firmware is always recommended for best results but instructions for upgrading the firmware must be followed carefully. The latest upgrades to the firmware for the Canon EOS-1D Mark III can be found on Canon's firmware download page.[7]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Note on the Canon 1.28x multiplier factor
  2. ^ Galbraith, Rob (2007-06-19). An analysis of EOS-1D Mark III autofocus performance. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  3. ^ Article
  4. ^ 1d3 FIX !!! You heard it First here!!: Canon EOS-1D/1Ds/5D Forum: Digital Photography Review
  5. ^ http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00N38j
  6. ^ ERROR 99's - Mark III: Canon EOS-1D/1Ds/5D Forum: Digital Photography Review
  7. ^ Canon EOS-1D Mark III Firmware Update

[edit] External links

Canon EOS Digital SLR Timeline
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
High-end [1] - Full Frame 1Ds 1Ds mk II 1Ds mk III
High-end - APS-H 1D 1D mk II 1D mk II N 1D mk III
Midrange - Full Frame 5D
Midrange - APS-C D30 D60 10D 20D 30D 40D
Astrophotography - APS-C 20Da
Consumer-level - APS-C 300D 350D 400D 450D
Entry-level - APS-C 1000D
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  1. ^ Based on pricing