Canon EOS 1D Mark III 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EOS 1D Mark III 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Customer Review: Awesome in every respect
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera a couple of days ago and think it is the best piece of equipment that I have ever owned.
No focus problems with this machine... except those caused by the operator. This is by far the most sophisticated camera I have ever had to learn, but am throughly enjoying the ride.
This camera hasn't improved my "photographic eye" but the photos are technically better than the ones taken with my 20D.
Customer Review: Best DSLR on the Market
Summary: 5 Stars
The Best DSLR on the market right now, lots of people have complained about its focussing issue, what they don't know is you need to calibrate the camera with all your lenses and that eliminates the focussing problem 100%Customer Review: best sports shooter
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing camera, a big jump from 1D MkII. Better in every practical aspect. Most improvement is the lower noise level.Customer Review: EOS 1D - Great camera with exception of AI Servo
Summary: 4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
I have had this camera for two months and LOVE it! The build quality, colour "truth", speed between frames, and ability to set custom features is remarkable. I am disappointed with the AI Servo reliability but relieved to see that there is a hardware fix.
WHAT I HAD
Previously I had a Digital Rebel (300D - I know, I know, it's an older camera fraught with slowness and poor colour reliability but I had great lenses and the Rebel served me well) and had used a variety of other digital SLR's. The Rebel served me well for 3 years, but it was time to move on. I shoot 30,000 pictures per year and new that I was going to get a lot of use of the next camera... Along with the Rebel, I had the 18-55mm f3.5/5.6 (awful - never sharp), the 70-300mm f3.5/5.6 (works okay at f8), the 70-200mm f2.8 IS (unbelievable), the 2x converter (good but too little light for the Rebel), the 24-70mm f2.8 (unbelievable), the 50mm 1.8 (I know it's controversial, but I love this lens - I have tried the f1.4 but I am happy enough with the f1.8), the 17-40mm f4 (lost with 1.6 ratio of the Rebel but decent with the 1.3 of the EOS 1D), the 580EXII Speddlight flash, an E1 handstrap (must with the EOS 1D), and Canon 200 Knapsack.
HOW I SHOOT
I pretty much only use manual, and sometimes default to Av. I am a control freak in this way and don't like relinquishing this control. Focus is always centre-point.
WHY THE EOS 1D MKIII
I migrated to the EOS1D because most of my pictures were waterskiing and wakeboarding and wanted an ultra-fast, weather-proofed camera that could perform well in low light conditions. The best conditions for wakeboarding are typically at dawn or dusk, and the best pictures are usually when the subject is doing manoeuvres upside down over the water. The ability to have 10 fps, useable ISO 3200 shots, and not have to worry about water splashes was pretty attractive. Of course, this was only one set of reasons for this purchase. I also have a five year old who refuses to sit still for pictures and smiles are only fleeting! Even the 10 fps can sometimes not be fast enough for my little one! My wife's fleeting smiles are another matter!
WHAT I LOVE
1. SPEED
The speed (both in terms of frame rate and ISO) is phenomenal. I am now able to capture pictures that simply would have been missed with other cameras. Whether it be someone hanging upside down over the wake in the middle of an invert, or a three month old smiling, I have the ability to quickly capture a series of photos and choose the best of the best. Additionally, I have found that as the sun sets and I set the ISO to 1600 and 3200 I have some useful (and semi-useful, respectively) pictures with good colour saturation and minimal noise. The 1600 is similar to the noise level that I had as 400 with the Rebel. I am a small f freak, but the ISO capability is enough to have me think that I could live with some higher f lenses!
2. COLOURS
I have been shooting with friends with other cameras, XTi, XT, E-volt 500, D70 and the colour retention is unbelievable with the EOS 1D. Simple pictures are made to be spectacular without any editing.
3. BUILD QUALITY
This camera has presence both in terms of weight and size, but everything feels and sounds of quality. It gives me a heightened sense that every picture is important. Of course this has the negative, especially when attached to a larger lens, of making yourself conspicuous, and I often hear people making comments like "Check out that camera"/"You give me camera envy"/"Do you work for National Geographic?". Not the best comments when you are seeking natural pictures. The camera balances well with the larger L lenses, but looks crazy next to the smaller cheaper lenses (eg. 50mm 1.8).
4. CONTROLS
The EOS 1D, like many professional camera allows a lot (as in a LOT) of flexibility regarding dial controls, settings, etc.. This is an individual thing, but I like the overrides on when to focus/shoot, and setting the dial settings so they are intuitive to me. The heads-up display in the camera together with the accessibility of knobs and triggers are such that I am able to do FAST on-the-fly adjustments.
WHAT COULD BE BETTER
1. FOCUS
I have had no issues with the standard focus (other than with dark-coloured objects in VERY low light), but the AI servo is awful. Be it photos of oncoming roller-coasters on a sunny hot day, or a child on a swing in sunny and cool weather, the servo almost seems to be worse that standard focus. This issue with the EOS 1D is well documented on many websites (see Rob Galbraith) and, as of October 17, 2007, help is one the way. There is a hardware fix.
2. JPEG CONVERSION
The ability of this camera (and most other cameras) to reliably downsize from RAW to JPEG is questionable. I was hoping that this camera would create decent JPEG's where relevant (kid's birthday parties, etc.), but the colour loss and sharpness loss are too much for me. The RAW is spectacular and you are better to do your conversions with Picasa or Lightroom.
AUXILIARY FACTORS
Another reason that I purchased the camera was for the WiFi accessory. I haven't yet purchased the accessory but I made use of it at a tradeshow. It was amazing to take pictures and have them so quickly pop up on the laptop in a wireless fashion. This may actually be relevant for people seeking a way to monetize their investment (portraits at a ski hill or mountain top with the ability to immediately adjust and print pictures).
CONCLUSION
I feel that this camera has great value (purchased from J&R through Amazon) for my needs. If you are looking for a fast camera with fast ISO and rugged design this is for you.
Customer Review: Better than expected, except shutter noise.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a hand-on impression and not a detailed review.
I used the EOS 1D and the EOS 1d Mark IIN before. In addition, I also own a EOS 30D and a EOS 50D.
The first good surprise is that this camera is NOT as heavy as you would expect from this bulky size.
This is probably, at least in part, due to the fact that the battery is now smaller.
Talking of the battery, it's a new generation battery and charger. The battery is smaller than the 1D predecessors, but said to last longer.
By the way, if you put two batteries in the charger, it will charge one after the other and not both simultaneously. Just that you know. I did not like that.
When I took the first few pictures, it still 'sounds' like a powerful camera that attracts everybody's attention with it's loud clicks. I wish Canon tries harder to make this quieter. However, in addition to the modes One Shot, and Multiple Shots, etc, they provided a mode s (silent, or slow?) that seems to delay a bit the colsure of the shutter in an attempt to reduce this mechanical noise. I tried life view without reading the manual. It's tricky to get to it and to get out of it. Autofocus won't work in life view, at least the usual auto focus by half pressing the shutter button.
The buttons and control knobs at the back follow the 50D strategy, which is a good idea. you no longer need to keep pressing on a button and dial to where you want to go. Just press once and dial.
Of course, you do not have the mode dial knob at the top left like the 50D. The EOS 1D Mark III is a professional grade camera. Therefore, no automatic modes for portraits, landscape, etc. You have to know what you are doing. But of course, semi automatic if also offered, like AV, where you decide the aperture, or TV where you decide the shutter speed.
One interesting feeling is that the litle buttons are now stronger. Previous 1D cameras used to have these buttons softer to press. It is still comfortable to use them but I would expect a longer life, because I feel the buttons more resistant but responsive enough and comfortable to use.
What about the ten pictures per second? Yes, indeed, although I did not physically count the number of pcitures per second, but I could easily feel it is higher than the 8,5 rate I had with my old EOS 1D and 1D Mark IIN.
ATTENTION!!! The EOS 1D Mark III does not accept the EF-S lenses. It's a shame, because I would have liked to have the EF-S 18-200mm with this camera.
Last, but not least, I took a few pictures at ISO 3200 in the room of objects of different colors and shades, with conventional light and was amazed how noiseless they are.
As I said, this is not an extensive review but just first impressions. Hope that helps. I'll write a more detailed review some later time.