Canon EOS-1D Mark III Review

by Dave Etchells,
Shawn Barnett
Posted: 02/21/2007

Updates:
2/23/07 - AF Details
2/24/07 - Sample Images
2/25/07 - User Report
2/28/07 - Live View section,* Accessories video**
3/3/07 - Incandescent noise,
High Tone Priority
(See exposure tab above)
4/12/07 - Performance results
(See performance tab above)

The big story with the Canon EOS 1D Mark III is that it's a better, more universally appealing professional camera for more types of professional photographers. I think a lot of intermediate photographers may want to make the jump as well, given its more friendly interface and astonishing high ISO performance. With past Canon EOS 1D announcements, the big story was the incredibly high capture speed at reasonably high resolutions. The amazing technology required to dump high res images at high speed tended to dominate our coverage of these sport-tuned professional SLRs. But the scene has changed. The additional 1.5 frames per second isn't the most important improvement with the Canon EOS 1D Mark III, it's just a nice enhancement. The same goes for the jump from 8 megapixels to 10.

The Canon EOS 1D Mark III isn't just for sports anymore. It's a more universal camera for the vast majority of pro photographers. With the multiple improvements in the new camera, photographers will no longer need to trade off resolution, image quality, and speed against each other. The 1D Mark III now has enough of all three to satisfy a huge slice of the market in a single camera body.

The EOS 1D Mark III has several improvements that illustrate its greater versatility:

• Fast performance, high resolution, and improved image quality across the board
• Resolution sufficient for double-truck spreads and general commercial photography
• Even faster capture, processing, and write speeds, and faster AF tracking for sports shooters
• Super low-light capability for photojournalists (High ISO)

In addition, the EOS 1D Mark III has a few new features that will expand the camera's versatility and convenience, including a new Live View mode for image composition on the camera's LCD or via a remote computer; compatibility with a faster optional WiFi transmission system; several AF improvements; a stack of custom functions; and Canon's new dust reduction technology, which first appeared in the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi.

There's a lot to cover, so stick with us over the next few days as we build on our preview coverage of the Canon EOS 1D Mark III.

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Hands-on Preview

by Shawn Barnett
Posted: February 25, 2007

At a glance, you really can't tell the difference between the Canon EOS 1D Mark II N and the Canon EOS 1D Mark III. They're both large, cut an imposing profile, and look like high quality instruments. Even the name looks similar. But look more closely and there are different design accents and, new buttons, new button arrangements, and a nice big three-inch LCD.

But the exterior is more similar to the Mark II N than the interior. Canon says the Mark III was redesigned from the ground up; and I believe it. There are so many changes in the Mark III that it's a little tough to know where to start. Writing about a camera like the 1D Mark III after only a day is a little like writing a report on a textbook on the first day of class. So I haven't delved into every custom function, or its potential impact on each of the settings I'll comment on. That will come, but later. Also, note that this is a prototype camera, and anything is subject to change as they finalize the camera before its release.