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Canon 1Ds Mk III

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    Canon 1Ds Mk III



    Summary: A substantial albeit evolutionary rather than revolutionary upgrade to the Canon 1Ds MKII
    -----------------------------------------------
    Detailed Review
    Anyone who has owned/used a 1 series camera will immediately feel at home with the MKIII, as it retains the feel and a number of functions of the previous models, so adjusting to how it operates is generally pain free and relatively easy process.

    For those owning a pro body for the first time, or those upgrading from a non-pro body, I would suggest putting a few interruption free evenings aside to read the manual/get to know your way around the camera

    I won’t list all the changes, as there is any amount of information out there in tech. specs/reviews, I’ll concentrate on those that I find most useful.

    Externally, apart from the larger screen and buttons relocated, it looks like most 1 series bodies, a substantial/heavy tank like structure, that feels very comfortable in use. The notable changes are in a one button press rather than a two button press to change settings/access menus, and it has a dedicated ISO button next to the shutter release, meaning you can change ISO on the fly, while still looking through the viewfinder, in addition, the MKIII has the ISO showing in the viewfinder as well as the top LCD (bliss)

    Under the bonnet, there are significant improvements/tweaks, most notably an increase in pixels to 21mb, which in itself is not a lot (4.4mp from the MKII), what does impress is how the pixels are used, specifically in ISO sensitivity and tonal range. I often use the MKII/MKIII with a 200mm lens as a walkabout lens when walking the dogs, with the MKII, ISO200 was my default ISO, pushing it to 400 if needed. With the MKIII, 500 is my default ISO, pushing it to 800 or 1250 as needed. The MKIII is significantly cleaner/noise free at higher ISO.

    The MKIII has a far better dynamic range than the MKII, noticeable for me in keeping whites (highlights) under control, with the MKII, I would need to be very careful not blowing the whites, bracketing exposure/spot metering, the MKIII is a lot more tolerant.

    The menu system will look familiar to most canon users with a Digic 3 or 4 processor, it also has a massive range of custom functions, which can be daunting at first, but does mean that you can configure the camera to your needs very easily.

    The mirror lock up function on the MKII was a pain to use, needing to dig into the menu system to activate, with the MKIII, while still in the menu system , it can be paired with ‘my menu’ which can be made the default rear screen, and can therefore be activated with a couple of button presses, and a ‘mirror lock-up’ icon appears on the top LCD, not perfect, but a huge improvement on previous.

    One area that does irritate, is in the selection of individual focus points, both the MKII and III have 45 focal points, with the MKII you could select any of the 45 individual focus points, with the MKIII you can only select 19 of the 45, which is extremely frustrating. I use this function a lot, mainly on landscapes, because I series cameras have such excellent autofocussing, even in low light, I was quite used to revolving the dials to select the focus point I needed, mainly to ensure my DOF was sufficient for the shot, and it often meant quite fine adjustment, with only 19 points to play with this is lost, I hope Canon realize the error of their ways and remedy this in a future firmware update.

    Live view has been less useful for me, mainly as you can’t autofocus in this mode, while not such a hindrance as it is, I kept forgetting to switch my lens back to autofocus after using live view, although I have used the grid at times to check my horizontals.

    I don’t find much use for the ‘picture styles’ either, generally shooting in raw, and leaving the ‘style’ as neutral, preferring to do any processing in PS, Canon have also provided a dedicated button to go straight into ‘picture styles’ , it’s a pity you can’t programme the button for a more useful function (like mirror lock-up)

    One tweak I find very useful is (via the menus) the LCD panels can be automatically illuminated during bulb exposures, extremely beneficial in long exposure/very low light situations.

    Finally, the battery life (including a comprehensive battery info screen) has improved, the addition self cleaning sensor, ISO safety shift (in addition to tv/av safety shift) all contribute to a worthwhile upgrade.

    In Use :
    Really comfortable to use, can be out in most weather conditions,has retained most of the better qualities of the MKII, with the incremental upgrades being beneficial, the image quality of the MKII is still exceptional, the MKIII takes it a stage further, while slightly improving the IQ, it also pushes the dynamic range and ISO sensitivity.

    Build Quality:

    Like a tank

    Strengths:
    Image quality, more intuitive menu/function system than previous, under the bonnet tweaks.

    Weaknesses :
    Price
    Although rear screen is larger, it still retains the resolution of the MKII
    Previously mentioned, only being able to select 19 focus points instead of 45.
    You need good glass to get the best from it.
    Large files, a 16bit tiff weighs in at over 100mb, consequently you need a decent spec PC to take the strain.
    Last edited by Les McLean; 04-04-2012, 10:22.
    Concentrate on equipment and you'll take technically good photographs. Concentrate on seeing the light's magic colours and your images will stir the soul. - Jack Dykinga
    Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography- George Eastman

    #2
    Re: Canon 1Ds Mk III

    I use my 1DS3 as my normal camera - and get noticeably better images than my, now ex, 1D4. In fact the 1DS2 beets the 1D4 as well (expect for high ISO and the 10fps). However they are older cameras, with the 1DS2 being from 2004 and the 1DS3 from 2008. I will be interest to test the 1DS3 against my ordered 1DX
    ef-r

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      #3
      Re: Canon 1Ds Mk III

      A very nice and well written review.

      Tom

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Canon 1Ds Mk III

        Originally posted by briansquibb View Post
        I use my 1DS3 as my normal camera - and get noticeably better images than my, now ex, 1D4. In fact the 1DS2 beets the 1D4 as well (expect for high ISO and the 10fps). However they are older cameras, with the 1DS2 being from 2004 and the 1DS3 from 2008. I will be interest to test the 1DS3 against my ordered 1DX
        I have given the 1DX some serious thought, and have decided it's not for me, I don't feel I'm gaining anything over the 1Ds MKIII, I know megapixel count is less relevant nowadays, but I don't like the idea of dropping 3 megapixels, I rarely use the 1Ds MKIII at IOS's higher than 400 so the increased sensitivity at high ISO doesn't factor, similar the blistering frame rate.

        If I was a sports/bird shooter then the attraction of the frame rate and better autofocus etc, would probably tilt me into buying one.
        Concentrate on equipment and you'll take technically good photographs. Concentrate on seeing the light's magic colours and your images will stir the soul. - Jack Dykinga
        Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography- George Eastman

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Canon 1Ds Mk III

          My two cameras that I normally use are the 1DX and the 1DS3. The 1DX has advantages over the 1DS3, such as faster fps (12 over 5), faster focusing, as better pictures at higher isa (1600 is still very good). For me the 1DS3 pictures are still that little bit better - at 50 asa they are superb

          PS I still like the 1DS2 pictures as well
          ef-r

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Canon 1Ds Mk III

            Great review Les
            Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L, Canon RF 24-105mm f4L
            Please note: I do not have or use Photoshop

            flickr

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